The Deep and Diverse History of December 25th.

(A "War on Christmas"? Most already realize is a scam used by Cable "News" channels whom need to fill 24 hours a day without upsetting their corporate overlords. Like "Star Bucks" having ONLY a green and red coffee cups in their store, surrounded by Christmas Music and other Holiday Cheer at every turn.

Any Grinch would not need a "war" as Christmas in America is practically secular anyway. And most agree is too much about consuming and not enough about "Christ-like" reflecting. So if anyone wanting to undermine Christmas, well... too late. While there's not a decline in Christmas, there is a decline in Education. 

So why not use the excitement surrounding the holiday to serendipitously educate the kiddies about History?)

Some facts about December 25th could lead to many explorations about culture, religion, geography or maybe just a few new subjects that will come up again later and by repetition, be that much easier to learn? 

Most Christians today probably can’t imagine Christmas on any other day than December 25, but it wasn’t always that way. In fact, for the first three centuries of Christianity’s existence, Jesus Christ’s birth wasn’t celebrated at all. The religion’s most significant holidays were Epiphany on January 6, which commemorated the arrival of the Magi after Jesus’ birth, and Easter, which celebrated Jesus’ resurrection. The first official mention of December 25 as a holiday honoring Jesus’ birthday appears in an early Roman calendar from 336 A.D.

But Jesus wasn't really born on December 25th in the first place. The Bible doesn’t mention his exact birthday, and the Nativity story contains conflicting clues. For instance, the presence of shepherds and their sheep suggest a spring birth. Church officials settled on December 25 at the end of the third century, in an "inspired" move to co-opt the date to coincide with existing pagan festivals honoring Saturn (the Roman god of agriculture) and Mithra (the Persian god of light). That way, it became easier to convince Rome’s pagan subjects to accept Christianity as the empire’s official religion. Why compete, when they could just take over the day?

Especially popular was the Pagan Day of Saturnalia. The first-century AD poet Gaius Valerius Catullus described Saturnalia as ‘the best of times: dress codes were relaxed, small gifts such as dolls, candles and caged birds were exchanged. Saturnalia saw the inversion of social roles. The wealthy were expected to pay the month’s rent for those who couldn’t afford it, masters and slaves to swap clothes. Family households threw dice to determine who would become the temporary Saturnalian monarch.

If observed at all, the celebration of Christ's birth was usually lumped in with Epiphany (January 6), one of the church's earliest established feasts. Some church leaders even opposed the idea of a birth celebration. Origen (c.185-c.254) preached that it would be wrong to honor Christ in the same way Pharaoh and Herod were honored. Birthdays were for pagan gods.

Not all of Origen's contemporaries agreed that Christ's birthday shouldn't be celebrated, and some began to speculate on the date. Clement of Alexandria (c.150-c.215) favored May 20 but noted that others had argued for April 18, April 19, and May 28. Hippolytus (c.170-c.236) championed January 2. November 17, November 20, and March 25 all had backers as well. A Latin treatise written around 243 pegged March 21, because that was believed to be the date on which God created the sun. Polycarp (c.69-c.155) had followed the same line of reasoning to conclude that Christ's birth and baptism most likely occurred on Wednesday, because the sun was created on the fourth day.

Western Christians first celebrated Christmas on December 25 in 336, after Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the empire's favored religion. Eastern churches, however, held on to January 6 as the date for Christ's birth and his baptism. Most easterners eventually adopted December 25, celebrating Christ's birth on the earlier date and his baptism on the latter. The Armenian church celebrates his birth on January 6. 

The birth of Jesus probably didn't happen in the Winter or in year 1AD but slightly earlier, somewhere between 2BC and 7BC

(NOTE: The Gregorian Calendar is off by as much as 4 YEARS! - Something I liked to remind my friends whenever they brought up the year 2012 "Doomsday" Mayan calendar, or any other timed, myth. - That and the fact that it was a "Rebirth" not an "End" to their calendar... but back to Christmas)...

Theologians have suggested that Jesus was born in the spring, based on the biblical narrative that shepherds were watching over their flocks in the fields on the night of Jesus' birth, something they would have done in the spring, not the winter.

To pinpoint Jesus' birth year, other scholars have tried to correlate the "Star of Bethlehem," which supposedly heralded Jesus' birth, with actual astronomical events. For example, in a 1991 article in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, astronomer Colin Humphreys proposed that the fabled star was actually a slow-moving comet, which Chinese observers recorded in 5 B.C.

~ Many cultures claim December 25th ~

Chrishna, of India, born on December 25, 3228 BC, his mother was a virgin, mother’s name was Maia. Kamsa, the ruler at the time of his birth sought to kill him because he had heard a Prophecy that Chrishna would overthrow him. Chrishna escaped death by being smuggled out of the area to safety. (like the story of Herod and Jesus).

Mithra, of Persia, born on December 25, before 1500 BC, his birth was witnessed by Shepherds that brought gifts to honor him. He was styled as a Mediator between God and Man. Witness this quote from the Encyclopedia Encarta, “Mithraism was similar to Christianity in many respects, for example, in the ideals of humility and brotherly love, baptism, the rite of communion, the use of holy water, the adoration of the shepherds at Mithra’s birth, the adoption of Sundays and of December 25 (Mithra’s birthday) as holy days, and the belief in the immortality of the soul, the last judgment, and the resurrection.  The similarities made easy conversion of its followers to Christian doctrine” 

Horus, of Egypt, born on December 25, before 2500 BC. His mother, Isis, gave birth to him in the swamp, she was warned by the god Thoth, to flee and conceal the child from the evil Set. Set had killed the father of Horus, Osiris, and sought to kill Horus.

Buddha, of India, born on December 25, 563 BC, his mother’s name was Maya (similar to Mary) she was a virgin. He was immaculately conceived, and at birth, he announced that he was a savior to the world. His birth was announced by a star. At his birth, he was visited by Wise Men who declared that they had seen Signs of his birth. Seems Jesus claimed many of the Buddha’s teachings. Maybe the whole Buddha story was appropriated by Jesus or by his church?

There are many parallels among our worlds religions and even in literature in general, going all the back to the "Legends of Gilgamesh" and likely before. Virgin Births, Resurrections and of course "Creation Myths" from every culture. Brain Scientist have traced this to the very real need for our brains to explain the unknown. They even coined a phrase "The God Gene",  (VMAT2) that predisposes humans towards spiritual or mystic experiences.

Regardless of history or mixed emotions around the holiday, the message of "Good Will & Peace on Earth" is worth living and it warms my heart to hear it, even if only once a year.

"Just Say Know"... 
and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The 3 Day Hollywood Holiday

 This is the itinerary I use for my own Family and Friends when they visit.

Includes a variety of sights, locations and restaurants.

One does not need to rent a Hotel in Hollywood. Nearby cities are convenient and may be less expensive. Check out Glendale, Burbank or North Hollywood. 

Flying into Burbank Airport (BUR) is a lot easier than LAX. As is getting to your car if you are renting.  LAX requires you to shuttle to your car. Burbank (Bob Hope Airport, as it is officially called), is often, but not always more expensive. Check the rates for flights and car rentals when you are booking your trip. I use Burbank if the rate is close to that of LAX. Others, once they discover this smaller airport, use it regardless of the expense. LAX can be intimidating and/or frustrating with its size, rental car hassles, traffic, and lack of sane public transportation.

DAY 1 ~

* Might as well get the "Walk of Fame" out of the way first depending on what day of the week it is and any other commitments you may have. It is worth experiencing with all the history and shops. Best to see by day but just recently Hollywood Blvd has started to look more like the Sunset Strip with "nightlife".  And maybe time your visit to fit in one of the many FREE Tickets to see a taping of a TV Show? Check online or see a person wondering around the Blvd, handing them out.

The Walk of Fame is partially incorporated into the "Hollywood and Highland" complex. while touring the Walk, enjoy the shops and views from here. The new home of the Academy Awards, the Dolby Theatre is here too. (The very first show was held at the "Roosevelt Hotel", just 2 blocks East and across the street form here) Good View of the Hollywood Sign from top floor.

* Hit the Famous "Pink's" Hot Dog stand. East a few blocks on Hollywood Blvd. coming from the "Walk of Fame" then South (left) on La Brea to 709 N La Brea Ave. You will be almost on the Corner of Melrose Ave ready to cruise. The Chili Cheese Coleslaw Dog is the best! I rarely eat hotdogs, as I know what is in them, when I do it has to be special, like this.

* Go West (turn Right) After eating a hotdog at "Pinks". Cruise Melrose Ave. to enjoy what I call the "Trashy Chic". Stop to shop or just enjoy the drive on your way to Fairfax Ave. Where you will turn Left (South) to get to Wilshire Blvd and the La Brea Tar Pits. Where you will need to make another Left on Wilshire or backtrack on Melrose so you can make the easier Right Turn on Wilshire Blvd.

* Go West (turn Right) After eating a hotdog at "Pinks". Cruise Melrose Ave. to enjoy what I call the "Trashy Chic". Stop to shop or just enjoy the drive on your way to Fairfax Ave. Where you will turn Left (South) to get to Wilshire Blvd and the La Brea Tar Pits. Where you will need to make another Left on Wilshire or backtrack on Melrose so you can make the easier Right Turn on Wilshire Blvd.

* The "La Brea Tar Pits" (Across the street from "The Screen Actors Guild" main headquarters and down the street from LACMA "The Los Angeles County Museum of Art") is worth seeing. It is easy to get to. The grounds are good for strolling and picnicking. The Tar Lake (Pit) is for real. As is the tar creeping up in small sections all around the grounds

Walk to enjoy the grounds (and giant rock) of LACMA while here.

* The "Sunset Ranch" Horseback Riding, offers weekday specials (Check Website for 2 for 1 specials) and is an interesting way to see the Hollywood Sign. The trail itself is a bit short and underwhelming. Maybe time it with one of the many day-hikes one can do in the immediate area.

* "Miceli's" 1646 N. Las Palmas Ave. (since 1949) is Hollywood's Oldest Italian Restaurant. And if I'm not mistaken, is the second oldest over all. Only "Musso & Frank Grill" is older. Miceli's is just half a block off Hollywood Blvd. "Musso & Frank" is East right on the Blvd. But the food is expensive and not as good. Maybe opt for an old time Martini, just to say you did, then eat at Miceli's.

They have a nice enough alternative location close by at in Universal City, but this is the original.  I often go here for my Birthday Dinner and ask to sit in the booth used by Frank Sinatra.

I'm Italian, so most often the food at Italian restaurants never match up to what I'm used to, or could prepare at home. So I usually just avoid the Pasta and go for something else on the menu. Lamentably, Miceli's is not an exception. BUT I always enjoy the Pizza and Anti Pasta Salad here. And the Waiters Sing!

DAY 2 ~

* Ya gotta go to the Beach. So why not avoid the freeways and cruise the Sunset Strip all the way West to the Pacific Ocean?  Stop to shop, drink or stroll on the way.

NOTE:  Parking can be insane, expensive, hard to find and street parking signs may need translating due to their complexity and confusion. But usually there is not any legal street parking anyway.

Scope out the "Whiskey", "Viper Room", "Roxy" and "Rainbow" as you cruise West. So when it's dark on your return, you will know where you might want to stop on your way back.

You will be going through Beverly Hills and past the Beverly Hills Hotel on your way to the Beach. Look for the Signs/Photo Op on your right if you want to stop and/or snap a photo. NOTE: The Super Rich Drive Recklessly. A sense of Superiority, Entitlement and/or great Insurance? Just be aware in this area.

Maybe take 30 minutes to cruise the side streets and check out the architecture of the local mansions?  To quote Steve Martin in the 1991 Film "L.A. Story" - "You're really nobody in L.A. unless you live in a house with a really big door."

Historical Not: Before the Manson Family Murders, almost no one had walls around their property. A related note, Sharon Tate had her last meal at the "El Coyote" restaurant. A stop suggested under "Day3" below.

* When Sunset Blvd. ends at PCH, Turn Left and enjoy the view on your way to the Santa Monica Pier. Park here. Kids and Adults might enjoy the Roller Coaster and other Rides and Attractions at "Pacific Park". Sunset from the Ferris Wheel is cool. (Check their website for really good coupons) The Pier looks great at Sunset and there is plenty to do. Shopping, Dining and People Watching. But just below the Pier, on your way to Venice Beach is "Deans" a good burger joint, a local spot, less expensive, good patio to make friends and people watch. A local favorite. Good Burgers. Bottled Beers. Good Service. And right on the way as you make your way up the coast to Venice Beach. - Go for the Burger or the Fish and Chips. Sit in the front patio if available.

* Venice is a "Must See". It is the #1 Tourist Destination for a reason.  You can walk, bike or skate here from the Santa Monica Pier. Bike rentals are available as are bike taxis.  You can, of course, also just skip the Pier and drive directly here.

This is where the "Doors" formed, where artist hang, where Stoners get stoned, Surfers, Skaters, Street Performers, Art for sale, other shops and restaurants. Venice Beach still maintains it "Dangerous Vibe". But is as safe, or more so, than any other location. Especially in the daytime.

Maybe go off the beach and see the homes along the Canals... It was named "Venice" on purpose!

If you walked from the pier, pace yourself for your return. Especially if you plan to party and or dine on the Strip on your way back to your Hotel

* You may be too burnt out from a full day at the Beach to "Do the Strip". But do try to get back here. Either way, I suggests the "Rainbow Bar and Grill".  Drink and Dine where Led Zeppelin and so many other rockers did, and do.

They offer parking and validation good towards your meal.

I always get the Pizza but start with a large Warm Spinach Salad.

The small upstairs room is open on weekends for dancing to rock n roll. So many good memories here. They "Heyday" is over, but on the upside, the small space is now "smoke free" by State Law. (It used to be absurdly smoke filled)

DAY 3 ~

* Take Hollywood Blvd West and it will quickly end/meet at the world famous "Laurel Canyon" Turn Right, enjoy the short drive to -  Mulholland Drive! and turn Right (East). This famous "Drive", is cool to cruise by day and night.

By day, there is a designated spot to pull over and see/photograph the "Hollywood Sign". And views, depending on smog levels, of the Valley to the South.

By Night the Valley lights are beautiful and one can take this rout to where it ends East turn Right back to Hollywood, reverentially passing the Hollywood Bowl. - Turn Left to head toward Universal City / City Walk. And even a route to Griffith Park via Barham to Forest Lawn Drive.

Mulholland West can take you all the way to Malibu. (But the 30 miles up the 101 to Las Virgenes - Left to the Beach, through the Canyon is the better way to get there. Camping Hiking here too)

* Griffith Park could be a 3 Day Destination in by itself. The LA Zoo, Hikes, Train Town, and home to arguably the single best outdoor concert venue in America "The Greek Theater"

One can get here by heading East on Hollywood Blvd. Turn Left on Western. Western passes AFI, The American Film Insitute and curves right to become Los Feliz blvd. Quickly on the Left is one of the main entrance to the Park.  Further at Vermont is the entrance to the "Greek" (on the left) and further still is Riverside Drive another entrance to the park and closest one to the zoo. 

This is also close to to the LA River (hence the name "Riverside Dr.) and at the Cities of Glendale near Silver Lake and other trendy hipsters locations. You may want this to be your "hub" for your visit? As you may see, it's all pretty close to the center of Hollywood

Check to see if there is a concert at the "Greek Theater" that fits into your visit.  Why not check the Concert Calendar in general. We have a lot of Venues and we are lucky to get all the best tours. At all the usually “Monopoly” ticket prices. So budget accordingly.

 

* Griffith Park is home to the "Griffith Observatory".

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More great Hikes, views of the Hollywood Sign, History, Culture, Telescopes, a Tesla Coil, Laser Light Shows, Worlds Largest Photograph, Real Meteorites, a Huge Foucault Pendulum demonstrating the Rotation of the Earth, a cool Space Shop and much more.

(The Worlds Largest Photo can be found downstairs. I don’t think it’s labeled, so I’ll tell you why it’s special. First of all it’s “The Worlds Largest Photo”. It takes up the entire back wall(s). Taken by the bad-ass Hubble Space Telescope in 1995 and titled "Deep Field". Here is where it gets deeper; The entire image was taken over a 10 day period when the Hubble pointed it’s lens to a random area in space… the circumference of a Drinking Straw! Just in that tiny section of space it revealed almost countless Galaxies. Allowing the math to state there must be over 10 to the 22^nd power of Galaxies in the known Universe. More than every grain of sand on all the Beaches and Deserts on Earth combined. THAT is the photo!)

See where James Dean filmed and step up to one of the most famous telescopes on Earth; the "Zeiss Telescope".

Many gracious enthusiast bring their own serious telescopes to the lawn and let people have a look.

Check their schedule ahead of time to plan your visit with one of their many events.

Anyone who could not find something appealing here, would probably not be fun hanging out with on vacation.

* More History, good food and strong Margaretta's are to be found at "El Coyote" ("The El" as locals call it) at 7312 Beverly blvd.

This is one of only two place I make a point to go to on my birthday. Theirs is the day before mine. But it's the vibe that I enjoy. The days of $5 combination plates and $2 double Margaretta's are gone. Today they charge as much as any other place. But the food is still authentic and the Margaretta's are wicked! Try the Double Margaretta on the Rocks - order "From Scratch". The Server will usually ask if you want "from Scratch" but just in case remember that you do. this is most definitely a place you want to have a "designated driver" agreed upon ahead of time.

Combination plates and Shrimp Fajitas are solid. The "Ostrich Tacos" are interesting and worth trying. The "El Coyote Pizza" is a plate of chips covered in Beans, Cheese and Salsa. Good for sharing or as a meal.

For Combinations plates including  the Green Corn Tamale is a really good choice as is the Chile Relleno. the Tacos are traditional and the Cheese Enchiladas are a good but greasy traditional. 

Located on Beverly blvd. Cross street is Fairfax. The same street that is near the LA Brea Tar Pits. Next door to CBS Television City. Beverly runs parallel and just south of Melrose which is just South of Santa Monica Blvd, which is just South of Hollywood/Sunset Blvds.

Free parking before 4pm - No Side Street Parking. Limited Meters on Beverly.

So this fits well with ones Hollywood tour.  Maybe get tickets to see Bill Maher or another show at CBS while there.

So, there you have it. My “Go To” 3 Day Hollywood Tour.  I hope you have a safe, but not too safe, adventure and make memories that will last forever.  And when you leave, please consider taking a few people and cars with you.

“The World is a Book and those that don’t Travel Read Only One Page”

My FOX News Experiment

America has a real problem. Most all news is now controlled by only 6 corporations. It’s a very big deal. The news used to be the watchdog of Democracy, “The Fourth Estate”. Today it has a very singular goal. To benefit it’s corporate overlords. And Fox News seems to be the getting most of the publicity for being outrageously inaccurate. I know they all are, but I wanted to see what made FOX stand out. So I devoted months to watching only FOX News, day and night.

I suspected I knew what I would find. I would find that Ruepert Murdoch found a formula to make big profits by serving an underrepresented viewership of Conservatives. Capitalizing on people who tended to be older and more fearful of change. It seems to be part of the psychology of aging. It is all very rational according to science. So if all news is Bull Shit why does FOX get more publicity.  I don’t buy that everyone else is so Liberal that they single them out. There is nothing liberal about American News. They take talking points directly from the Pentagon, sell us on wars, distort, sensationalize and ignore most real news or anything that may harm the profits of the corporations that own them. So there must be more to it.

I found it brilliant that they use attractive women.  I especially appreciate the ones who appear to also be really smart. And on FOX, as in life, not all are. There was a particularly telling incident (one may be able to google and find the video) where it became obvious that a producer was talking to the host through the earpiece and she was told that her laptop was blocking the view of her exposed legs. She re-positioned her laptop but not enough. (This is when it became obvious) as she continued to listen to the voice in her ear, moving her computer until she just finally closed her laptop completely, finally giving the audience the calculated view of her long attractive legs. I aint mad at 'em..."Sex Sales". If only they, or any other channel, could do the same while delivering actual news instead of corporate propaganda, fear and fluff.

In full disclose, I am not a Conservative. I am also not a Liberal. I am an “Informed Moderate” who did not vote for Obama. I’m an Independent who believes Bush, Cheney, Rove AND Obama should likely have criminal charges brought up against them. Obama has done more to put down “Whistle Blowers” than any President in history and he continues to support “The Military Industrial Complex”, “The Drug Wars”, “The Industrial Prison Complex”, shady “Free Trade” agreements and Corporations. He continues the trend of having “Wall Street” entrenched in his Cabinet and he let Insurance Companies write our “National Health Care”. So not only am I not a Liberal, it seems obvious that neither is Obama.

So when I go on to reveal that Fox News really is a hideously dangerous propaganda machine, you will know I came to that conclusion by investigation. Not through “conformation bias” or personal ideology.

First I did my homework. Actually not first, but while immersing myself in Fox News. And I learned that there was so much more driving the channel than profit. A more insidious ideology. Helmed by Roger Ailes, the 74 year old president of Fox News. Ailes was a media consultant for Republican presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Nixon impeached for his crimes -  Bush, the CIA/Oil guy who ramped up the Drug Wars and is all too cozy with the Dictators of Saudi Arabia (the country of Bin Laden and most of the 911 attackers) - Reagan the “Conservative God” who today would be too liberal to get nominated, who got away with the “Iran Contra” crimes, gave weapons to our enemies, sold drugs through the U.S. Air Force,  blew the chance to end Nukes, made deals with Iran to keep our hostages until after he was elected and single handedly gave us the financial and social crisis of today through his deregulation and tax cuts known as “Reaganomics”… Yes, THAT Roger Ailes!

A new biography of Fox News Chief (and founding CEO) Roger Ailes suggests that he actually believes a lot of the anti-science, anti-clean energy nonsense he puts on the air. The book, “The Loudest Voice in the Room” explains that Ailes would rail against Obama to his neighbors in upstate New York with bizarre arguments, claiming for instance:

… climate change was a “worldwide conspiracy” spun by ”foreign nations” to gain control of America’s resources.

 “I want to elect the next president,” he told Fox executives in a meeting in 2010…. “Every single candidate has consulted with Roger,” one top Republican said.

So yes, Ailes appears to have been driving Fox News by his own extremist orthodoxy even at the expense of the Republican party.
Consider Fox News’ drumbeat attacks on federal support for solar energy, one of the most popular government programs in the country across the political spectrum. A book excerpt on TPM explains why Ailes pushed the attacks during the 2012 campaign, which saw more than 600 Fox appearances by GOP presidential candidates in 2011 alone:

But as Fox’s pundits and anchors pushed the candidates into the conspiracy swamps of … Solyndra, the bankrupt solar panel company, Fox risked alienating independent viewers—and voters.

It was a case of Ailes being unable to put his party’s goal of winning independents ahead of his personal views. “He doesn’t like green energy—period,” a senior producer said. “He says all the time that no one in America has died from nuclear power, but fifteen people have been chopped up by those damn windmills.”

For the record, the windmill claim “is absurd and baseless,” according to the American Wind Energy Association. On the other hand, Americans have died from nuclear power, most notably uranium miners.

But here’s the point — even lots of people in the Tea Party like and want Green Energy! Roger Ailes, however, doesn’t and so neither does Fox News. Fox News ending up giving Solyndra more than 8 hours of airtime — almost three times that of CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC and CBS combined.”

For all those who thought that the extremism of Fox News was a purely cynical effort to win elections, the case is made that Roger Ailes, at least, is a true believer.
Ailes is credited with the "Orchestra Pit Theory" regarding sensationalist political coverage in the news media, which originated with his quip:

“If you have two guys on a stage and one guy says, 'I have a solution to the Middle East problem,' and the other guy falls in the orchestra pit, who do you think is going to be on the evening news?” 

On January 20, 2009 Republican Leaders in Congress literally plotted to sabotage and undermine U.S. Economy during President Obama's Inauguration.  Known as “The Caucus Room conspiracy” 

     In Robert Draper's book, "Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives" Draper wrote that during a four hour, "invitation only" meeting with GOP Hate-Propaganda Minister, and FOX Favorite, Frank Luntz, the below listed Senior GOP Law Writers literally plotted to sabotage, undermine and destroy America's Economy.

The Guest List:
Frank Luntz - GOP Minister of Propaganda
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA),
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX),
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX),
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI)
Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA),
Sen. Jim DeMint (SC-R),
Sen. Jon Kyl (AZ-R),
Sen. Tom Coburn (OK-R),
Sen. John Ensign (NV-R) and
Sen. Bob Corker (TN-R).

Non-lawmakers present Newt Gingrich

   During the four hour meeting:
 The senior GOP members plotted to bring Congress to a standstill regardless how much it would hurt the American Economy by pledging to obstruct and block President Obama on ALL legislation. 

    These Republican members of Congress were not simply airing their complaints regarding the other party's political platform for four long hours.  No, these Republican Congressional Policymakers, who were elected to do 'the People's work' were literally plotting to sabotage, undermine and destroy the U.S. Economy.  

The Caucus Room conspiracy had three major objectives.

The first was to use obstruction - knowing the corporate media would call it "gridlock" as if the Democrats were responsible, too - to prevent President Obama from having any legislative success.

The second was to sabotage any legislative victories that the president did manage to win - like Obamacare - and convince US citizens that they were actually failures.

And the third was to blame all the economic damage caused by Republicans on BOTH parties and then come out in a critical election like 2014 and say that Republicans are the party that will make things right in Washington as if the state of the economy was the Democrats' fault.

Mitt Romney, who has hired most of Bush/Cheney Policy Advisers, and the GOP party believe they can defeat President Obama, take control of the Senate and maintaining control of the House of Representatives so long as the economic recovery stalls. So they are actively trying to make it happen ... and that's what hate-propaganda Minister Frank Luntz had in mind when he organized the January 20, 2009 covert meeting.

Here's how they all voted:
-- "Yes" to Bush/Cheney January 2008 Stimulus
-- "Yes" to Bush/Cheney bailing out Bear Stern
-- "Yes" to Bush/Cheney bailing out AIG
-- "Yes" to Bush/Cheney TARP (sept 2008)
-- "Yes" to Bush/Cheney TARP (oct 2008)

Filibustered more Bills (over 300) than any Congress combined in US History.  - Voted NO on every single piece of Legislation brought to the Floor

Luntz has been the Republican Hate-Propaganda Minister since at least 1993 and his list
of words to stop policies that help America are vast:

Don’t say “oil drilling”. Say “energy independence.”

Don’t say “inheritance tax”. Say “death tax.”

Don't say "Capitalism." Say "Economic Freedom."

Don't say that the government “taxes the rich.” Say Government "takes from the rich."

Don't admit Lobbyists are Collective Bargainers for Corporations. Say "Union Collective Bargaining steals your tax dollars."

    Luntz says people hate government so:

Don’t say “healthcare reform.” Say “government takeover.”

Don't say "Public workers." Call them "Government workers."

THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT:  Mark Fuhrman, Remember him from the ole O.J. Simpson Trial. He was the blatant racist who plead “No Contest” to perjury.  

Oliver North, The engineer of President Reagan’s Illegal Iran Contra affair. Dealing drugs in America, making deals with our enemies, giving guns to death squads, etc.. 

And an oldy but a baddy, G. Gordon Liddy who plead guilty to conspiring to commit murder but most infamous for being the Burglar from the Watergate Scandal that brought down President Nixon.  

To be fair… (and balanced) some of these moral midgets have also worked for CNN but that was wrong too.  They deserve a second chance, well at least the ones who paid for their crimes, unlike Oliver North, but they cant expect to comment on the transgressions of others without seeming hypocritical.  There is plenty of other ways they could contribute. Through analysis or doing the weather. But shut the hell up when it comes to associating an innocent American to any unproven crimes. Especially one, that even if it were true, would be less egregious than the ones they themselves committed.  

While FOX, in general, has a clear M. O., the individual shows are not all alike. And I had to watch them all to have an informed conclusion.

The Morning Show “FOX and Friends” was often outrageous, inaccurate, bias and sort of stupid in general.

Megan had her better moments but one could tell she was following her “Marching Orders”

“Shep”, (Shepard Smith), was the single most refreshing personality on the entire network. He seemed to have a good combination of honest journalism and being candid with his opinions. Which included Re-Legalizing Cannabis. 

The Big Dog, Bill O’Reilly, was the most interesting. I take him at his word that he is an “Independent”. But he has a bit of a credibility problem. Not counting his latest, blatant lies about his “combat reporting” when I was watching he would too often cut off those with dissenting views. I’m not talking about stopping people from ranting, but shutting them down while making brief valid points. He aired a clip of Chuck Norris that had been making the news, but stopped it the second before Chuck’s bizarrely outrageous statement. Then concluded Norris was being unfairly singled out. He denied referring to the President as a “Pin Head”, claiming “Book cover do not relate to the books content”. What?  That was a doozey. ALL Covers, including all his others, obviously do relate to the contents. And no one would care if he called the President a “Pin Head”, so why lie? Finally, his stance on “Drug Prohibition” even Cannabis, is not only on the wrong side of history, the way he deals with those that disagree with him on the issue, seem to bring out the worst in him.

I saved the Worst for last… Sean Hannity.  I never could quite figure him out. Is he a disingenuous blow hard, who learned the way to profit on the side, big time, by writing books and selling commercial time to overpriced fear mongers selling Gold and other apocalyptic goods? Or… is he a “True Believer” with a least a little paranoia or other mental disorder?  He is the single worst person on the network.  He has knowingly ran fake video to make his point, he will, oddly and inappropriately, wine about Bill Clinton getting a Blow Job if someone calls him out about Conservatives. I have even seen him called out by GOP guest on his own show. When he disagreed with Ron Paul he told him, “Polls mean nothing”, Paul pointed out he was referencing his own FOX news poll. Yikes! All that in just the time I watched. Seems a lot of the heat they take for mixing “Journalism” with “Opinion” is his fault.

So yes, FOX seems to have earned its reputation. But I think there are two points that need to be mentioned. First, they cater to an aging demographic. It’s simple biology that as we age we are less open to change. So they play on that. And every day they lose more audience by death than do their competition. 

And while they may be doing real damage with all their misinformation, I argue that the bigger problem is the state of ALL “Journalism” in America today. As long as News is Entertainment, News is for Profit, News is Censored by the Corporations that own them, News is fluff, News takes Talking Points from the Pentagon and can get us into illegal Wars… We, America, The World… has bigger problems than any single “News” Channel. Even one as simultaneously overt and insidious, and big as FOX.