July 11 UPDATE

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Contents of today’s Update:

1. Local news media remains silent on challenge from this blog.
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2. New: FAQ
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3. New: Letter Writer's Forum
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4. CCP&J to go into "retreat" to "dialogue, focus"
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5. CCP&J mailing list used to foment more lies re our energy situation, and "direct action"
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6. CCP&J to rally against any attack on Iran - but remains silent on Iran's threats, oppressive regime, murder of U.S. soldiers, and support of terrorism in the Middle East and beyond

(1) Local news media remains silent on challenge from this blog

After the shameful spectacle that was perpetrated at Monticello on July 4 by local leftist anarchists, this blog sent out a challenge to all major local news media outlets.

In summary, those responsible for providing news and information to Charlottesville-area residents were provided with a factual basis upon which to examine the complicit role they played in the disruptions of the July 4 celebration and naturalization ceremonies, by acting as protective shills for local anarchists, whom they refer to as “peace activists."

Read the entire press release here.

Not a single person from the news media – except two radio talk show hosts, Joe Thomas of WCHV and Rob Schilling of WINA – even bothered to respond to this challenge.

To their credit, both Thomas and Schilling looked at the evidence. They took keen interest in the numerous alerts this blog sent to the news media in advance, highlighting the contradictory statements of certain individuals who were fomenting the vulgar, propaganda-laden disruptions of the Monticello ceremonies.

Furthermore, they recognized, as this blog has pointed out, that many local groups supposedly devoted to “peace” are, in reality, affiliated with large socialist-communist groups, who utilize the same lies and propaganda to denigrate America, its founding principles, its military, and its actions overseas. This is documented here.

Yet the remainder of the local news media is still ignoring all this.

In fact, as recently as July 7, the Daily Progress referred, once again, to the leftist anarchist* who helped foment – and participated in – the disruptions at Monticello (which is private property), as a “peace activist.”
(*Note: This individual, David Swanson, a board member of the CCPJ, only days before told the news media, “I hope no one disrupts the ceremonies," which it dutifully repeated throughout the coming days. Yet now, Mr. Swanson proudly admits, in multiple locations, that he participated in the disruptions that he helped to foment).

As noted in the press release/challenge (see Update 3, July 5), the news media was alerted of damning indications that apparently, “the local hive of CodePink forged press passes to get into Monticello to disrupt the ceremony: Daily Kos: How to Forge Presidential Press Passes.” This update continues:

Again --- imagine if the local branch of the Nazis or the KKK had perpetrated this, instead of the local branch of larger America-subverting communist-socialist front organizations (more here), in order to get into Monticello to launch a profanity-laden, lie-filled verbal assault on a Democrat president. The news media would (rightfully, in this blog's opinion) be on them like locusts.

And again, the local news media has not even replied to this alert, or (as of this writing) indicated that it is even going to take a closer look at it.

Is the local news media accountable to this blog? Absolutely not. The only parties it is accountable to are its owners/shareholders, the FCC, and/or its listeners/readers/viewers.

Let all those parties read the alerts and detailed background information that this blog provided to the local media before and after the disgusting display of anarchistic hysteria at Monticello, which destroyed the day for participants and our new fellow citizens. Let them judge for themselves who is being responsible in this matter, and who is in deep, continuing denial.

Then, ask yourself the following questions:

If the local "news" media is willing to look the other way, to protect and shill for fringe leftist anarchists in our midst from the scrutiny they'd apply to any other group, what else has this double-standard been applied to in the past?

And what does this portend for the local "news" media's willingness to provide fair, responsible, balanced coverage of the upcoming election season?

(2) New: FAQs

This blog has received a fairly significant number of inquiries, most of which are supportive, some of which are hateful, and some of which are funny. Quite a few posed similar questions; here are the responses.


(3) New: Letter Writer's Forum

This new feature will seek and host thoughtful commentaries on the disruption of the Monticello ceremonies, and the larger issues involved.

In particular, we're seeking commentaries from (a) those who were there on July 4, and (b) veterans and veteran's groups, who can help to rebut the incendiary, hateful propaganda and lies about the U.S. military, that many (supposed) "peace" groups rely upon.

So far, we've received two remarkable letters.

The first is a letter that was sent to the CCP&J by a veteran of more than a quarter-century of service in the U.S. military, Michael Davis. As you'll see, Davis has a few things to say about the incendiary lies and propaganda that the CCP&J has been hosting, and using as a justification for their America-subverting statements and actions.

The second is a letter by Hank Martin, who was seated several rows behind the hysterical* woman who attempted to rush the stage upon which President Bush was speaking; video here. (*Oops, sorry, we forgot; according to the local "news" media, people such as this, who disturb the peace on private property - and are apparently intent on assaulting the President of the United States - are to be referred to as "peace activists.")

(4) CCP&J to go into "retreat," to "dialogue, strategize"

Even though the local news media is ignoring the facts that this blog pointed out regarding the CCP&J's contradictory statements and actions (here, here and elsewhere on this blog), apparently its leadership is not.

On July 5, the CCP&J posted at the top of its website a notice that it will be holding a retreat on September 28, 2008 "to strategize... (and) develop dialogue on CCPJ's priorities, goals, and role in the community."

And given the following items in this Update, combined with the shameful, vulgar disruptions that the CCP&J helped to foment at the July 4 Monticello ceremonies - then lied about its involvement in - all this blog can say is: Better late than never, eh?

(5) CCP&J mailing list used to foment more lies re our energy situation, and "direct action"

The supposed core mission of the CCP&J is to "promote... education and action for peace and justice in our community." Sounds quite noble, doesn't it?

But genuine "education" is based on truth and facts - not on hysteria, lies, misconceptions and propaganda. Similarly, true "peace" is achievable only when both individuals' and nations' natural rights, including their rights to self-reliance, self-determination and self-defense, are protected.

But given the CCP&J's recent history of using lies and propaganda to further its (actual) agenda, it isn't too terribly surprising that it would allow its mailing list to be used towards this same end.

On July 7, the CCP&J emailed out a notice which, in part, promotes an event called "The Southeast Convergence for Climate Action." The mailer describes the purpose of this event as being:

"...to continue the struggle for climate justice... and direct action... (W)e will unite to fight the coal industry's stranglehold on our region while rejecting the deadly nuke industry's attempt to position itself as the solution to the climate crisis."

First, this blog defies anyone to provide a rational definition for the term "climate justice."

Second, lest anyone doubt what many in the "peace" movement are about, here is a quasi-accurate definition of the term "direct action." A more realistic definition is: whatever supposed "peace" activists believe they're entitled to do, to anyone, anywhere, any time they choose, no matter how violent or repulsive. Google "eco-terrorism," "enviro-terrorism," etc. for more information.

Lastly, and most importantly, let's focus on "the deadly nuke industry." For a group supposedly dedicated to "peace," one might think that the CCP&J would want to be accurate, and not use hateful lies in order to advance its cause.

In this case, even one of the enviromental and pace movement's forefathers - Patrick Moore, the co-founder of GreenPeace - debunks this incendiary lie, in a 2006 article in the Washington Post:

Wind and solar power have their place, but because they are intermittent and unpredictable they simply can't replace big baseload plants such as coal, nuclear and hydroelectric. Natural gas, a fossil fuel, is too expensive already, and its price is too volatile to risk building big baseload plants. Given that hydroelectric resources are built pretty much to capacity, nuclear is, by elimination, the only viable substitute for coal. It's that simple.

That's not to say that there aren't real problems -- as well as various myths -- associated with nuclear energy. Each concern deserves careful consideration:

Nuclear energy is expensive. It is in fact one of the least expensive energy sources. In 2004, the average cost of producing nuclear energy in the United States was less than two cents per kilowatt-hour, comparable with coal and hydroelectric. Advances in technology will bring the cost down further in the future.

Nuclear plants are not safe. Although Three Mile Island was a success story, the accident at Chernobyl, 20 years ago this month, was not. But Chernobyl was an accident waiting to happen. This early model of Soviet reactor had no containment vessel, was an inherently bad design and its operators literally blew it up. The multi-agency U.N. Chernobyl Forum reported last year that 56 deaths could be directly attributed to the accident, most of those from radiation or burns suffered while fighting the fire.

Tragic as those deaths were, they pale in comparison to the more than 5,000 coal-mining deaths that occur worldwide every year. No one has died of a radiation-related accident in the history of the U.S. civilian nuclear reactor program. (And although hundreds of uranium mine workers did die from radiation exposure underground in the early years of that industry, that problem was long ago corrected.)

So what is it that the group the CCP&J mailer is promoting wants to do to solve our (very-real) energy challenges?

"Workshops will include: community organizing, direct action 101, debunking false solutions to climate change, blockades, sustainable living systems, media, disaster response, fighting nukes and coal, and much more."

Thanks in large part to the propaganda and hysteria fomented by U.S. environmental and peace movements, America's dependence on foreign oil has risen from 27.3% in 1985 to 56.1% in 2006. While "peace" activists and environmentalists advocate the use of electric vehicles, they never seem to say where the electric energy will come from to power all those plug-in vehicles. The safest, most efficient, lowest-cost sources are nuclear power, clean coal, natural gas and hydroelectric.

Yet nowhere in this mailer or in the CCP&J website do they proffer any real solutions; they only state what they're against, and in the case of nuclear, it is based on an incendiary lie. And the only possible outcome of crippling America's ability to produce the energy we need, is to make us even more reliant upon foreign sources of energy - including from terrorist nations that are already causing us no shortage of headaches (and blood loss).

It's as if a man who was starving was prevented from getting another job, or growing his own food, or bartering with his neighbors for the food he needed; what is he to do to survive? According to "peace" activists, that's his problem. And if he so much as harms a single hair atop the head of a single fly in order to provide for his own sustinence, then he will face the wrath of "peace activists," who will denounce him as being a destroyer of the environment, and a selfish, greedy, uncaring monster.

So much for (true) "peace" and "justice."

Will the local news media challenge this latest bit of hateful propaganda? Don't hold your breath.


(6) CCP&J to rally against any attack on Iran - but remains silent on Iran's threats, oppressive regime, murder of U.S. soldiers, and support of terrorism in the Middle East and beyond

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the madman president of Iran, couldn't have written this script any better if he tried.

On July 9, the CCP&J allowed (drumroll...) David Swanson to post another diatribe against America, and its protection of its own interests - while refusing to acknowledge a single fact about Iran's savage non-"peaceful" actions against individuals and other nations. This one must be read in full to be believed.

After you've gotten a headache from reading that tripe, you might want to read reality-oriented assessments of Iran. Here is a good place to start; here's another.

And note that Mr. Swanson's diatribe contains a "resolution" that the CCP&J will ask the Charlottesville City Council to pass.

This blog's authors may have missed it, but can anyone cite the passage in the City Council's charter in which it states that its business activities extend beyond the borders of Charlottesville - or where it is authorized to speak on behalf of a small, fringe group of its residents, to external groups?

Oh, right. There is no such passage. It's a fantasy - kind of like the fantasy that most of today's "peace" groups are actually in support of "peace," or of America's founding principles, etc. (more here and here).

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