Do You See It Coming? (aka Criminal Media Panglossianism)

('Panglossianism': derives from a literary character, Dr. Pangloss in Voltaire's political satire "Candide", who through ever worse man-made miseries always preached that we live in the best of all possible worlds.)

I have written on the fundamentalist Bush base and specifically expanding creationism and sings of fascism in the USA extensively. (Unlike most leftist American/America-watching bloggers/posters, I didn't form my opinions on the religion issue after this year's Presidential Elections but in the years before.)

The future is not set, but denying that some dire future is a possibility can just lead (through asquietescence) to its coming. And here I come to the media: Lenni Brenner criticises the New York Times's I/P conflict reporting, at the start listing such past Panglossianisms as these:

In 1922, Mussolini's Fascism was "the most interesting governmental experiment of the day.... We should all be glad that he is going at it vigorously". In 1933, the Jewish-owned paper had "qualms" about Hitler, but its editorial the day after Hitler came to power concluded that "national finances will be kept in strong and conservative hands.... There is thus no warrant for immediate alarm. It may be that we shall see the 'tamed Hitler' of whom some Germans are hopefully speaking."

Meanwhile, the religious nuts in the US Republican Party didn't rest: their latest step is a proposal that would bar federal judges from handling cases of Church-State Separation. One congressman openly advocates ignoring court rules not going their way - well, Congress leader Tom DeLay is already doing that for some time, in several cases now - while another even conjured that judges not bowing to Congress decisions should be impeached(!). While these conservative revolutionaries might be a minority among Congress Republicans, if Bush heads their way, the rest will follow (at least to the extent of some appeasement).