Media Archives - Occasional Planet

Progressives need to move beyond their fear of talking about abortion

September 4, 2021 Arthur Lieber Civil liberties, Constitution, Democracy, Gender issues, Health, Health care, Human Rights, Media, Privacy/surveillance, Reproductive rights, Republican Brain Leave a comment

The alternative is for progressives to discuss abortion and sex at the same time and describe how abortion policy without a realization that “sex happens” will never reflect reality, empathy, and respect for basic civil liberties. Come on progressives. News organizations now let us use the ‘F’ word as an expletive; why can’t we talk about it for what it really means. It will greatly help the whole country better come to terms with the abortion issue and make more logical and empathetic decisions.

When a President Hits a Home Run, don’t criticize him for wearing the wrong color shoelaces.

August 22, 2021 Arthur Lieber 2020 Election, International, Media, Military, War Leave a comment

President Joe Biden did something that his three predecessors failed to do during their nearly twenty years of presiding over America’s longest war. Biden leveled with the American people and told them that the war that they were fighting in Afghanistan was one which they were not going to win. That was Truth to Power, something that rarely comes from the mouth of someone in Power.

RIP Michael Brooks

July 21, 2020 Adam Levin Community/Common good, Democracy, Media, Uncategorized Leave a comment

Michael Brooks passed away yesterday. A journalist, comedian, podcaster, and socialist thinker, he was one of the most important young voices on the left.

George Floyd’s Death Proves There is No “New Right”

July 1, 2020 Adam Levin Ideas, Media, Racial issues, Republican Brain Leave a comment

In the early 2000s, conservatism–excuse me, neoconservatism–was mainly focused on implementing austerity and fostering the War on Terror abroad. After the election of Barack Obama, we saw right-wing discourse shift in a libertarian direction.

Beat The Press

January 21, 2020 Adam Levin 2020 Election, Media Leave a comment

Of course, I would be amiss if I didn’t mention the Gray Lady of liberalism herself, The New York Times. On Sunday they came out in support of not one, but TWO candidates for Democratic nominee: Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren. Here’s some choice bits from their so-reasonable-it’s-actually-insane reasoning:

Identity journalism pollutes the Democratic debate stage

September 14, 2019 Gloria Shur Bilchik 2020 Election, Candidates, Ideas, Media Leave a comment

Something I’m calling “identity journalism” has taken over the Democratic primary debates in 2019. Watching the third in a series of who-knows-how-many “debates” among

Time is like a jet plane: Bob Dylan turns 78

May 27, 2019 Christopher Burke Media, People, Uncategorized One comment

Shuffling through my iTunes library recently, I switched to searching Artist by alphabet mode to help me find a song whose name I couldn’t

Washington Post Super Bowl Ad: A powerful message on freedom of the press

February 4, 2019 Gloria Shur Bilchik Civil liberties, Constitution, Media Leave a comment

Amid oh-so-clever ads for beer, cars and snack foods, one Super Bowl LIII ad stood out yesterday—the sober message presented by the Washington Post:

NBC Nightly News Goes Trivial when the nation needs Insight

January 21, 2019 Arthur Lieber Immigration, Media, Trump Leave a comment

What was not mentioned was that Trump not only did not express empathy for federal workers, he did not even acknowledge their existence.

Surprising number of Republicans trust mainstream news

October 22, 2018 Arthur Lieber 2018 Election, 2020 Election, Media, Republican Brain Leave a comment

When a local station runs a story about the Susan G. Komen efforts to fight breast cancer, is it liberal because it involves empathy, or is it conservative because it bypasses the entity with the greatest resources to fight cancer, the federal government?