stop watching "news"

One of the few blessings of the corrupt campaign season that Dean, Pelosi, MSNBC, and Brazille shoved down our throats - is this: I have cut out my cable news viewing. Entirely.

I highly recommend this. I noticed last November that the cable news outlets were incapable of reporting on the Clintons in a fair manner. I'd forgotten how screwy they were about them. It is a pathology. Then it became clear that none of the media outlets could control their adoration of Obama. And they had no intention of controlling it. There was to be no reporting on the campaign, just molding of stories to suit the narrative of "Obama is wonderful and Hillary is a bitch." I realized I was not being informed, I was being told:

A. How to think

and be more than that

B. HOW IT WAS GOING TO BE - whether I liked it or not.

Keith "I want my goddamn catsup packets now!" Olbermann went berserk - and began licking Obama ass at every turn. The man would seem to be deranged.I am not kidding. I'd say he needs meds something fierce.

Chris Mathews has always been embarrassing to watch. I gave up on Anderson Cooper many moons ago - (THAT guy replaced Aaron Brown!?) And I might enjoy watching Wolf Blitzer - if he existed.
Cafferty is a gassy woman hating bigot.

I did the same thing with Lefty blogs - I am convinced that Americablog and the Cheetos Blog were paid handsomely for turning so brutally on Hillary. And I am willing to be slanderous about it until someone proves me wrong.

Huffington is a smug, pathetic whine fest. I was screamed at so severely for defending Clinton I gave up after a few weeks. Those blogs were out of control with the Hillary bashing early on. And MEAN. Wow. I work in the movie business, I know MEAN. The pro Obama regulars on those blogs are the nastiest bunch around.

With the added benefit of being batshit loco.

Then I noticed something wonderful when I left cable news and those blogs behind.

I was calm.

CNN and MSNBC are not it the business of information - to a degree they are in the business of getting people agitated. I'll bust myself and say I got off on the "can you believe they did (fill in blank) ???!!!" - Nothing like a daily dose of incredulous anger to make one feel alive.

These shows are drugs that induce learned helplessness.

I suggest 2 simple empowering responses:

1. Turn them off. Read a book, watch Merkat Manor, stroll around the block.

2. Pick one product that you use that sponsors the worst offender (Olbermann is the worst to me) and stop buying it. Subway sandwich shops sponsors Countdown. I went probably once a week - I stopped. It may seem silly. But you'd be amazed at how good it feels to take some control back from these thugs.

As for information. I select very specific news outlets online. I recommend the BBC, Real Clear Politics, and the Christan Science Monitor. Then I read blogs I know I am in tune with. That in combination with glancing at news racks as I walk by to get headlines and I would say I am BETTER informed than I was when I had cable news on 3 hours a day. I obtain actual information about what is going on in the world.