Trust the neocons in the US Republican party to start agitating for direct intervention as a matter of urgency when conflict looms between Russia and the Ukraine (even though less bellicose analysts expect the most likely outcome to be the ethnic-Russian citizen majority of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea voting for independence from the Ukraine and in favour of alignment with Russia rather than joining the EU as the Ukraine intends). After all, the military-industrial complex must not be starved.

In other US news, the Arizona bill to allow corporations to use “sincerely held” religious beliefs (of the owners) as an exemption to anti-discrimination laws has been vetoed; meanwhile the predictable consequence of Bill Nye giving undeserved credibility to Ken Ham in a widely publicised creationism debate a few weeks ago has eventuated – Ham’s Noah’s Ark amusement park project that had gone into indefinite hiatus due to multi-tens-of-millions budget shortfall has now roared back into life via new donors following the debate.

Just let me tune up my tiny violin for Baldwin & Morgan

Piers Morgan and Alec Baldwin are both giving up on life in the public eye due to mean people criticising them for saying marginalising/dehumanising things.

Here in Aus, Scott Morrison’s latest attempts at alarmist bafflegab and self-serving backpedalling were ably skewered by Clarke and Dawe.

What news story/commentary/analysis has grabbed your attention lately?

As usual for media circus threads, please share your bouquets and brickbats for particular items in the mass media, or highlight cogent analysis or pointed twitterstorms etc in new media. Discuss any current sociopolitical issue (the theme of each edition is merely for discussion-starter purposes – all current news items are on topic!).

Categories: culture wars, economics, ethics & philosophy, media, parties and factions

Tags: accountability, asylum-seekers, freedom of/from religion, government, media circus, spin, war