I reckon the revolution won't be televised

It'll probably be piped direct to your iPhone

and sponsored by Exxonmobil

The iPhone is a dangerous gadget

It somehow manages to capture the essence

of authoritarianism in its shiny little box

Totally locked down, it runs only

pre-approved software on a pre-chosen phone network

that is subject to government surveillance

Long live the iPhone! Long live democracy!

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Keywords: iphone, outrage, capitalism, satire, youtube, commercial, revolution, tv, anger

No one, and I cannot emphasize this enough, no one should be allowed to make any decisions of even the most trivial sort, while undergoing the "prep" for a colonoscopy.

How might this be described delicately? "Purge," a word that carries political meaning in one context, might be the best description for the "prep."

The process of purging begins with the patient drinking a foul tasting liquid with an artificial flavor (cherry, orange or lime in most cases) in large quantities at small intervals.

In some instances laxative pills are also part of the mix. The result is swift and strong, requiring lightning quick reaction time to get to the depository before detonation. One should never stray far from the facilities during this procedure.

The sheer repetition of the process is both mind numbing and extremely irritating to the rectal region. In Bush's case it gives new significance to the term "sitting president."   more »

While the super-rich have boomed, the earning power of the average and poor citizen has not nearly matched the performance of the elite.

In 2005 the top one per cent of earners in the US gained 14 per cent in income in real terms, while the rest of the country gained less than one per cent.

The situation is especially bad for the severely poor - those living at half the poverty level - whose numbers are at a 32-year high. The rich are getting richer but are not bringing everyone else with them.

'If you look at the impact of the last 20 years it seems pretty clear that trickledown just does not work,' said Paul Buchheit, economics professor at Chicago's Harold Washington College.   more »

At its heart the American dream has always been the triumph of possibility over probability - the idea that anyone could do anything trumps the reality that the overwhelming majority have only limited choices. Hope defeating cynicism and often masquerading as delusion.

That contradiction seems most stark when displayed on the chests of young black boys with T-shirts announcing: "Future President of America."

In a country where every president has been a white man and, at current rates, one in three black male babies born in 2001 are destined to go to prison, a more realistic T-shirt would read: "Future inmate of Riker's Island."

But who would want to dress their child in that? When the probabilities are so bleak and the possibilities so remote, hope and delusion can start to look like two sides of the same coin.   more »

The mythologizing of war

It is a frightening form of indoctrination through propaganda.

It is hidden within a tangle of political deceit and manipulation, where patriotism is intensified, becoming jingoism.

Where war is glorified, warriors are national heroes, and the mass media celebrate violence in a 'just' cause.

Defending 'freedom', bringing 'democracy', demonizing the enemy, are all tactics used to 'persuade' us that going to war is necessary   more »