It’s not the New York Times this time. Although it is another pile of Pentagon papers. Now it’s the Washington Post in an eerie déjà vu moment telling us we were lied to about a war by three presidential administrations: George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Last time it was four – Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon.

After more than 18 years the Taliban’s in control – or contesting U.S. forces for control – of Afghanistan.  The longest running war in U.S. history has cost $1.5 trillion, but that’s only a part of the price tag. Just like President Johnson refused to raise taxes for the Vietnam War, the U.S. will pay $600 billion in interest on borrowed war dollars by 2023.

But the longest long-term cost of the war is the $1.4 trillion that will be spent on Afghanistan war vets by the year 2025.

Of course, the U.S. military budget doesn’t include veteran’s benefits as a category. Rather veteran’s support is shifted to Health and Human Services to minimize the actual cost of the U.S. war machine.  

It is hardly surprising to see Middle Eastern countries at the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index, as the worst violators of freedom of the press. But equally alarming is the complete polarization of public opinion as a result of self-serving media and, bankrolled by rich Arab countries, whose only goal is to serve their specific, often sinister, agendas. 

One does not need to highlight of how state-controlled media in the Middle East lacks the minimal required degree of partiality, let alone integrity. Only a deluded person would argue that governments that kill, torture and imprison journalists, intellectuals and social media activists have an iota of respect for the freedom of the press and expression - in fact, of any kind of freedom at all.

NOTE: This is the debut of a new occasional column pointing out factual inaccuracies, misstatements, falsehoods, disinformation, misrepresentations, propaganda and lies in the mass media - from cable news to talk radio to movies and beyond. In our Orwellian era of “fake news” and “alternative facts,” when journalists are vilified as “enemies of the people,” truth - and the ability to discern it - is becoming increasingly endangered. This “post-truth” climate threatens is corrosive to our social discourse. Indeed, something I’ve noticed is that the very word “fact” itself is frequently used incorrectly on the airwaves.

Monday, December 9, 2019, 7:30 PM

The Columbus Cabal

We should rename the Columbus City Council to the Columbus Cabal. Webster’s defines "cabal" as "the contrived schemes of a group of persons secretly united in a plot. A secret clique or faction." The Columbus Cabal would be closer to truth in advertising: think about the tax abatements for the rich, a free new stadium for a second-rate soccer team and an appointment system that reeks of cronyism and toadism.

Not a REAL Civilian Police Review Board

The Acting Chief Cop Tom Quinlan let it be known at his audition at East High last week that he favors installing a Civilian Police Review Board. As a matter of fact, he said he contacted City Hall people to come up with names of people who could serve. Its laughable that he wants more toadies foisted upon the public from the City Cabal and the Mayor's Office. Nothing surprising here as it has been the MO of City Hall to usurp a public idea and rig it so they don't lose control over it. By the way, the D behind the names of the incumbents running last month stands for "Developer-owned and operated."