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In one of the greatest songs ever written about independence and rebellion, Tom Petty opens The Last DJ with these lines:
You can’t turn him into a Company Man
You can’t turn him into a whore
This tune, of course, is about how money and a corporate atmosphere based on phoniness have ruined modern music and FM radio. Regrettably, this same cancerous scourge has afflicted the “alternative” news field, and during the course of this article we’ll show in shocking detail how closely the “pay-triot” networks mirror the mainstream media. In other words, these “independent” sources are precise mirror-images of what they are supposedly fighting against.
Before delving into the meat of this story, though, take a moment and think about how you feel in regard to those people who get all their information from CNN, Fox, CBS, Clear Channel, The New York Times, Rush Limbaugh, and Newsweek. If our perceptions are correct, you probably laugh at them for being so naïve in their beliefs that these venues are being 100% upfront with them. Plus, whenever you try telling them that they’re being duped, a form of denial (cognitive dissonance) sets in where they refuse to believe they’re being bamboozled.
On the other hand, the rest of us have all risen above the “illusion” and could never be fooled again … right? But what if we were to prove that alternative media sources at the uppermost levels are playing the exact same shell-game on you as the mainstream media? Would you also relapse into cognitive dissonance, or would you be open to the possibility that everything isn’t as it appears to be in the alternative media field?
Your answer is very important, because if you’re not open-minded enough to seriously consider the possibility, we urge you right now to not read any further because what follows is so illusion-shattering that it will be an even more bitter pill to swallow than the reality that the mainstream media is nothing more than a corporate whore that is used to cover-up the government’s dirty deeds.
Conversely, if you choose to enter into this expose with open eyes, fasten your seat belts because it’s going to get bumpy!
TEN REASONS WHY THE “ALTERNATIVE” MEDIA
EQUALS THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA
1) Lack of Accountability
When the mainstream media doesn’t want to discuss an issue, they completely ignore all inquiries or e-mails and refuse to answer any questions about it. Either that, or they hang-up on callers to talk radio shows. Mike Gallagher has done this to us on dozens of different occasions. (The Gallagher Chronicles) In addition, try to imagine how many of your queries have gone unanswered by the big networks. In other words, the mainstream media and/or government sources seem to be above reproach and don’t feel obligated to answer for their actions, as if they’re somehow above the little people.
Similarities to the Alternative Media
Recently, GCN absolutely refused to address the issue of (as well as a flurry of questions about) Alex Jones’ practice of censoring his archives. (Alex Jones Master Link) Both of these entities will gladly take your subscription and/or pay-per-view money, but they don’t feel compelled to answer your questions. Why?
Test
If you don’t believe that the alternative media is mirroring the mainstream, please contact Ted Anderson (877-996-4327) and ask him why he won’t make a public statement on Alex Jones’ censorship. Or, call into Jones’ show (800-259-9231) and mention the WING TV-censorship issue and see if he hangs up on you, just like Rush Limbaugh would. Of course Rush makes excuses for why he hangs up, and so does Alex; but neither of their reasons hold any water.
2) Fear of Retaliation – Company Man Syndrome
If someone in the mainstream media gets out of line by broaching verboten topics, they are immediately threatened with a severe rebuke or dismissal (economic hardship). Why do you think none of them seriously discuss what really happened on 9-11, the Oklahoma City Bombing, Flight 800, Israel’s deliberate attack on the USS Liberty, or so many other issues? Because if they did, they’d be fired.
Likewise, if one of their own “does bad,” they all close ranks and keep a lid on the scandal. A perfect example is Bill O’Reilly’s recent phone-sex debacle. (Bill O'Reilly's Tawdry Sex Case) All the Company Men at Fox News naturally kept a tight lid on things, but even his harshest critics (liberals and Democrats at the competing networks) were strangely silent after a day or so. Hell, shouldn’t Michael Moore and Al Franken still be trumpeting his lascivious behavior? Why aren’t they, you may wonder? Because they’re all part of the same cabal which protects their own, regardless of how vile their behavior. The exception, of course, is when the power elite want to bump somebody; then the media is unleashed like rabid dogs.
The end result is that there are no checks and balances, and bad behavior is enabled. Look at Bill O’Reilly – he’s a total sex degenerate, but except for paying his accuser some high-dollar hush money, he’s still on the air – virtually unscathed. And all the Company Men stood silently by without saying a word.
Similarities to the Alternative Media
After we provided verifiable proof of Alex Jones’ overt, Big Brother-style censorship practices, not a single media figure at GCN spoke out about it. Why? Because they’re all protecting their own. In fact, they're doing so because, according to James Lloyd in The Alex Jones Affair, "Jones represents what is usually called 'the franchise' at Genesis. His program is the number one show on the network. Indeed, the entire business plan at GCN has been focused on furthering the listenership of Alex Jones through affiliate AM and FM stations. It's clear GCN has sought to make Alex Jones the next Michael Savage or Rush Limbaugh." (The Alex Jones Affair) The next Rush Limbaugh? Doesn't the corporate sell-out hypocrisy of this notion wreak to high heaven? My God, Rush Limbaugh should be the LAST thing any of us in the mainstream media should aspire to be.
Anyway, to protect their 'investment' and to insure that he receives no 'bad press,' a climate of fear has been created at GCN which is so pervasive that a radio show host called us and said that even though he disagreed with Jones’ actions, he was afraid to mention it on his own show because, “Alex Jones would call his boss and have him fired” (exact words). Now, doesn’t this sound frighteningly like what would happen at Fox News or CBS? Plus, a Jeff Rense columnist told us that they were afraid to write about the censorship issue because Rense would pull their articles from his site and refuse to publish them in the future. Is this what we want ruling the alternative media scene – FEAR of retaliation being peddled by Company Men who work for the same network? Isn’t this exactly what dominates the mainstream media?
Test
If you don’t believe that the alternative media is mirroring the mainstream, call one of these hosts during their show and ask them why they haven’t spoken-out against Alex Jones’ censorship practices. And please don’t let them brush you off with an array of flimsy excuses (believe us, we know them all). Instead, ask them this: if censorship is anathema to the Truth Movement, and if it’s the height of hypocrisy to supposedly support the First Amendment while at the same time putting information into Big Brother’s Memory Hole, why aren’t they publicly speaking out about it? The mainstream media won’t touch certain issues because they’re AFRAID. Is this also the same reason that the alternative media won’t do it?
3) Suppression of Information
Prior to the release of 9-11 on Trial, (9-11 on Trial) Lisa and I decided to perform an experiment. Namely, we wanted to see which alternative media outlets would allow us to speak about this book (which is, by the way, the best indictment ever against the government’s “official” explanation as to how the World Trade Center towers collapsed). Anyway, we knew that mainstream outlets wouldn’t give coverage to this explosive book, but there should be NO REASON why the alternative media wouldn’t. Even if they didn’t “like” us, that still isn’t any reason to suppress vital information, is it?
Similarities to the Alternative Media
To our amazement, even though numerous alternative radio show hosts gladly welcomed us onto their programs to speak about 9-11 on Trial, and even though we received nearly a dozen print reviews (including the American Free Press plus an excellent blurb from David Ray Griffin); (9-11 on Trial Reviews) the largest radio shows and news organizations absolutely refused to let us speak out about how the World Trade Center towers were destroyed via a controlled demolition. These radio shows and hosts are: Alex Jones, Jeff Rense, Amy Goodman, Art Bell, George Noory, and Air America. Now take a moment and ask yourself this question: why are these entities acting as Gatekeepers to prevent information from reaching the public? Plus, considering the millions of people that these shows reach all over the world, how much more knowledgeable would ALL of us be if they had let us speak about 9-11 on Trial?
Now some people may object by saying: “All you want to do is talk about your book.” And we’d respond by saying, “Yes, that’s one of the reasons, but certainly not the only one!” After all, isn’t this one of the primary reasons why we have an alternative media in the first place? More so, aren’t we the ones who are supposed to be talking about topics that the mainstream media won’t touch? If the alternative media won’t do that, why should it even exist? Hell, even the mainstream media (i.e. Knight-Ridder’s Centre Daily Times) gave us more coverage than the above-mentioned hosts. (9-11 on Trial Cracks Mainstream Media) And that, in our opinion, is inexcusable.
Test
If you don’t believe that the alternative media is mirroring the mainstream, then ask all of the above hosts why they are engaging in a total information blackout by patently refusing to mention (i.e. suppress information about) 9-11 on Trial?
4) Marginalization
When the mainstream media feels threatened by a particular issue, one of their favorite tactics is to marginalize the party in question. (Ralph Omholt’s Coercive Persuasion: The Transcendence of Brainwashing) Words such as “conspiracy theorist,” “crackpot,” “tin foil hats,” etc are constantly used to deride and mock the presenter of information which doesn’t fit into the “party line.” Syndicated radio talk show host Mike Gallagher has done this to us countless times.
Similarities to the Alternative Media
On numerous occasions, Art Bell has called us “Wing Nuts” (in reference to our website) on his Coast-to-Coast AM radio show, while Corporate Company Men Jeff Rense and Alex Jones have made it a habit of late to attack us as being “cointelpro” and “slanderers.” But what they’re doing is avoiding the primary issue --- censorship --- while diverting people’s attention with a textbook distraction technique. Plus, how could we be slandering Alex Jones when we have the tapes proving that he censors his show! Thus, to avoid the truth, they’ve started a spin campaign against us – the people who have exposed their wrong-doing – instead of actually addressing the issues – just like the mainstream media does.
Test
If you don’t believe that the alternative media is mirroring the mainstream, e-mail or call the above-mentioned figures and ask them why, instead of marginalizing us with name-calling, they don’t directly address the following questions. (Alex Jones: Ten Questions)
5) Failure to Present Both Sides of the Story
The mainstream media (despite calling themselves “fair and balanced”) refuse to present both sides of many particular issues. A perfect example is the government’s cover-up of 9-11. Although they gave the Kean-Zelikow Whitewash Committee endless hours of coverage, where were the independent researchers to be found? Nowhere.
Similarities to the Alternative Media
When both of our exposes on Mike Ruppert and Alex Jones were published on hundreds of different websites and posting forums, Corporate Company Man Jeff Rense absolutely refused to run them (despite obviously being made aware of them via e-mail). But on each occasion, he ran scathing rebuttals by Ruppert or Jones’ cronies. Then, to make his one-sidedness even more blatant, Rense refused to run counter-articles. To prove our point, author Michael Langston sent two different rebuttals to Rense to show both sides of the story, yet neither of them appeared. (Michael Langston's Open Letter to Alex Jones) The glaring similarities to the mainstream media in this instance are painfully obvious. Just like Time magazine running to the defense of The Washington Post when the going gets rough, so does Rense to fellow Company Man Alex Jones (with absolutely no opposing viewpoints found anywhere to their "official party line").
Test
If you don’t believe that the alternative media is mirroring the mainstream, contact Jeff Rense and ask him why Michael Langston’s articles were never published to give his readers a fair and balanced view of this situation.
6) Get Others To Do Your Dirty Work
When Gary Webb published a series of articles exposing the CIA’s role in bringing cocaine into the gang-riddled streets of L.A., the mainstream media pounced on him like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves, effectively getting his newspaper (The San Jose Mercury News) to retract the stories while at the same time relocating Webb to a locale in the middle of nowhere. They also incited such a media outcry against Webb that they shut down any future exposes for fear of similar ridicule. Is that what we really want in the alternative media – a fear factor that prevents others from writing hard-hitting articles?
Similarities to the Alternative Media
To date, Jeff Rense – a Corporate Company Man on Alex Jones’ same network (GCN) – has published three different hit pieces on us after we exposed Alex’s censorship practices. And in our opinion, that’s fair if both sides of the story are presented. But one of these articles was so outlandish that nearly every person who read it instantly told us they were certain that the author (“Alastair Wiggins”) was none other than Alex’s sidekick, Paul Joseph Watson. (Michael Langston's Response to "Alastair Wiggins") Furthermore, as proof of their cowardice, these hosts never refer directly to us by name when speaking about us on their shows. Instead, they allude to us. Of course, they use the excuse that “they don’t want to give us any publicity,” but this is (once again) exactly what mainstream phony Mike Gallagher does when referring to us. Why? Because they’re so afraid of the information contained in our articles that they don’t want any of their listeners to actually SEE the lurid details for themselves. If they did, it would definitely cast them in a harsh light, and detract from their carefully crafted images.
Test
If you don’t believe that the alternative media is mirroring the mainstream, ask Alex Jones why he won’t debate us over these issues. (The Great Debate) We’ll even do it on his good buddy Jeff Rense’s show. In other words, he’ll have a complete home-court advantage, but we don’t care. That’s how confident we are in our assertions. This way, there won’t be any more innuendo on Alex/Jeff’s part, or passive-aggressive forms of attack. We’ll simply lay it out for all to hear and let the chips fall where they may. We’re not afraid … why are they? Or could it be that the information we have against them is so damning that – similar to the mainstream media – they have no defense against it?
7) Financial Rewards
To prevent their Company Men from speaking out about forbidden topics, the mainstream media overlords reward their underlings quite well monetarily. Look at the salaries of Rush Limbaugh, Dan Rather, Bill O’Reilly, or Wolf Blitzer and you will concur with what we’re saying.
Similarities to the Alternative Media
One 9-11 website editor said that he wouldn’t speak out about censorship because Alex Jones and other GCN hosts would never have him back on their shows again to promote his products or website. Thus, the promise of a future financial reward was effectively used to buy his silence and cooperation.
Secondly, after Art Bell inexcusably lashed-out at 9-11 researchers, (Art Bell 9-11 Outrage) then brought propagandist Ben Chertoff of Popular Mechanics onto his show and backed him 100% in his assertions, Alex Jones absolutely refused to criticize him for doing so. He even went so far as to rebuke callers into his show for denouncing Bell. Thus, what he did instead was to deflect all attention away from Bell and onto Chertoff. And his reason for doing so was obvious – Jones wanted to continue appearing on Bell’s show to hawk his videos and pay-per-view website.
Lastly, the night before we were to appear on Dave Von Kleist’s radio show, he called and told us not to speak badly about Art Bell because Joyce and he wanted to be asked back onto his show in the future to sell their products. Yet this was the main reason why Marie Gunther – the Power Hour’s publicist – called Lisa Guliani and invited us onto their show in the first place. She had seen the buzz created by Lisa's article, Me, Art Bell, and 9-11, and wanted to run with it. (Me, Art Bell, and 9-11) Regrettably, because of Von Kleist's intervention, the ugly truth about Art Bell was subordinated so that yet another person could cash in on Art’s disinformation show. Isn’t this exactly the way the mainstream media operates?
Can’t you see what’s going on? It’s the same little type of cabal that characterizes (some say “infects”) the mainstream media. These people walk on eggshells around each other and never step on each others toes; then they all have the same little circuit of guests appear on their shows – the same ones, by the way, that get rewarded for staying silent about certain “hot button” issues (i.e. censorship).
Test
If you don’t believe that the alternative media is mirroring the mainstream, ask Alex Jones why he adamantly refuses to publicly denounce Art Bell once-and-for-all as a total shill for the New World Order. His silence on this matter is deafening … just like the mainstream media whenever they circle their wagons to protect a guilty party.
8) Distraction
Whenever the mainstream media wants to avoid the crux of an issue, they distract the public with obfuscation and distraction. A good example would be blaming the entire Oklahoma City Bombing on Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols when it was in fact a blatant example of state-sponsored terrorism. In addition, there was zero possibility that an ANFO bomb in a Ryder truck could have brought down the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, yet that was another distraction used to distract from the real issue – bombs inside the building! (The OKC-Elohim City Connection)
Similarities to the Alternative Media
Since the controlled demolition of the World Trade Center towers is the CRUX issue of 9-11, imagine how much time and energy has been diverted with the “pod” issue, or other such inanities such as galvanic corrosion, etc. (The 9-11 Pods)
Test
If you don’t believe that the alternative media is mirroring the mainstream; then tell them to put aside all the secondary, peripheral issues about 9-11 and get to the true core of this matter. Some of these individuals have now spent years distracting us, and its time we get to the core information – a controlled demolition of the WTC towers that was planned, orchestrated, and executed by a bloodthirsty cabal within our government.
9) Hard-Sell Advertising
McDonald’s, Chevrolet, Pepsi, etc ad nauseum.
Similarities to the Alternative Media
A hilarious example of this phenomenon is found in our satirical article about Alex Jones changing the name of his radio show and website to Informercial.com. (Infomercial.com) Enough said!
Test
If you don’t believe that the alternative media is mirroring the mainstream; then tell Alex Jones to quit his unceasing hard-sell advertising barrage that is even more hardcore than that used by Budweiser, Doritos, and Tide.
10) Herding Sheep Into Different Pens
The mainstream media is superb at labeling and herding people into different categories to keep us inactive and ineffective. To them, all of us should either be seen as Republicans, Democrats, old, young, male, feminists, straight, gay, black, white, yellow, rich, poor, conservative, liberal, etc. This way we’ll always remain divided and distracted without being able to focus our attention on who the real enemy is (and how to combat them).
Similarities to the Alternative Media
Those of us who have seen through this smokescreen want something more substantive from our existence, thus we’ve joined the Truth Movement. Knowing this, certain alternative media network figures have targeted the disaffected among us and are now simply herding them into another pen, while at the same time failing to promote any type of direct activism. What they do instead is simply TALK and babble for hours on end (along with selling their products) without telling people to get up and take a stand like they did in the 1960’s.
Ask yourself: why didn’t Alex Jones spend even one minute in the months preceding the OKC tenth anniversary rally urging people to attend this event? It’s atrociously inexcusable behavior, especially when all he did was pitch his videos and pay-per-view website. What’s happening is that we’re being dumbed-down, except instead of giving us orange Kool-aid they’re giving us yellow Kool-aid. If we want to change our world, we have to become ACTIVE, for knowledge without action following directly behind it is useless. Talking on the radio for three hours a day and passing around videos won’t cut it. It’ll make some people rich, but it won’t affect the New World Order elite. In fact, they’re happy that we’re sitting behind our computers and not out on the street. Sadly, Alex Jones’ idea of activism is getting people to PAY to see his videos at a movie theater, where he can also sell even more of his videos and t-shirts. Ask yourself: is this activism, or blatant profiteering?
Test
If you don’t believe that the alternative media is mirroring the mainstream; then see if all of the individuals named in this article will help us spread the word about the 9-11 High Noon Ground Zero rally in New York City on the fourth anniversary of 9-11. (9-11 NYC: High Noon) We’re not selling anything, and there aren’t any commercial backers. Instead, we’re simply trying to get people active by showing our strength in numbers. We want to see a huge 9-11 truth presence at Ground Zero which speaks truth to power and to the people of New York City. Of course the mainstream media doesn’t want a huge throng of people showing up on 9-11 in NYC, so ask these alternative radio hosts and media figures if they’ll help us get the word out. Ya figure, it’s the least they could do to differentiate themselves from the mainstream! Will they pass this litmus test? Judge for yourself.
Conclusion
When it comes to the alternative media, the gravest danger facing us today is the “network” structure which is more and more beginning to resemble the corporate mainstream media hierarchal framework. But despite the fact that we have focused primarily on the “personalities” who are undermining our movement, the real blame lies at the very top of this network system.
Ted Anderson, president of GCN and Midas Resources, is a case in point. When Lisa Guliani asked him where he stood on Alex Jones’ censorship practices at GCN, Anderson replied, “If it’s not a serious issue with Alex, then it’s not a serious issue with me either.” Doesn’t his response sound exactly like what the president of Fox News, Roger Ailes, would say: “If Bill O’Reilly doesn’t think the truth about 9-11 matters, then I don’t think the truth about 9-11 matters either.” It’s abysmal. (As a sidenote, we're currently conducting an in-depth investigation of GCN, including its inception, lawsuits, and business ties. More to follow.)
In this light, network corruption starts at the top, and by example is filtered down through the system. What we have is a centralization of power that is based upon money and fear --- just like the mainstream media! Worse, to protect its status quo and the bad behavior which results from it (just like the federal government), a form of protectionism takes place where the guilty parties feel they are above questioning from the very people they are supposed to be serving (again, just like the federal government).
This hierarchal power structure which resembles that of the mainstream media is precisely why the New World Order elite aren’t worried about what the alternative media is doing. Why? Because the Corporate Company Men mentioned in this article are the very ones who are suppressing information, censoring information, and preventing us from becoming action-oriented.
Can’t you see what’s going on? These network Company Men are doing the NWO’s dirty work for them! The similarities between them and the mainstream media are undeniable, not to mention downright troublesome. Money, control, and fear comprise the bottom-line, and by exerting their heavy-hand over the Patriot community, they’re actually keeping you in line just like the power elite want them to do. They’re keeping you controlled, because the most effective method to maintain the opposition is to actually LEAD it. Thus, is there any better way to minimize or nullify the alternative media’s effectiveness than to make it become a mirror image of its nemesis - the mainstream media!
These people tell you that it's all right to criticize the government and mainstream media, but this same scrutiny doesn't apply to them. How can that be? More so, why won't they answer your questions? Do they have such little respect for you that they're above reproach? What do they think you are - stupid ... that you can't see through their smokescreen ... that you can't think for yourself ... and that you should do nothing but stay silent and swallow everything they peddle? Well, we know this isn't true because many of you are cancelling your GCN & Infomercial.com subscriptions until you get some answers. And you have every right to because these individuals have a higher standard to uphold than the mainstream media, and they're simply not doing it.
We realize that the information contained in this article notion is a bitter pill for many people to swallow, so all we’ll ask of you is this: ask the individuals named in this article the very same tough questions that we’ve asked above; and don’t let them off the hook. They’ll arrive at all kinds of excuses as to why they can’t or won’t answer them; but their silence is merely an evasive tactic used to deflect attention away from their sordid practices. Furthermore, if we can ask these same questions of our political leaders and mainstream media figures, why can’t we ask them of the alternative media? Do they get a special pass just because they call themselves “patriots”? The answer is no – they’re not above reproach – and until they come clean with us, we’ll keep shining a bright light on their actions. Isn’t this what a REAL, independent media is supposed to do? After all, the heart, soul, and future of this movement – and our country as a whole – is at stake, and in our opinion, it’s too damn important to simply let slide. Get mad at us if you want, but demand some answers, folks; you deserve it!
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Published: May 20, 2005
Victor Thorn - sisyphus1285@cs.com
Lisa Guliani - wingedpiper@yahoo.com
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