Starting a list. What are your top "memory hole" items you'd like to see addressed?

[PretzelWarrior]

I don't buy into the notion that looking back is bad for America. Most of what we (our representative government) would be doing is shaping policy going forward and as they do so, digging up information about how things have been managed for the past 8 years. There are some things the main stream corporate media and centralized journalists refuse to spend much time on to get at conclusive answers and they are:

1. Who was in Cheney's secret energy task force and what did they discuss there? Is there anything from those meetings that would lead us to believe this whole Iraq thing was a part of "the plan" from the very beginning? Can we at least get it in public record that it was an oil/gas insider's meeting with little to no input from alternative energy companies, environmental groups, etc.?

2. I call this the "war on terra" catch all. I want to know who is brought to justice for the killing of a taxi driver in Afghanistan for nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. What about the many others who were drowned while in custody or who died from shock, heart attack, embolisms due to beatings, etc.? Who will speak up for our principles of justice and morality and deal with this stains on our nation's character not to mention in some cases the blood of innocents? Moreover, what about the Iraq war case? I am not satisfied with the statements "we thought there were WMD's--oops!!". I don't buy that for a goddam minute. Scott Ritter is merely one reason I don't buy their plausible deniability defense. What about Guantanamo? Torture memos? Downing Street Memo? Domestic eavesdropping/spying? All part and parcel of lawbreakers who have yet to be held to account. I know they have their ranches in Argentina planned for just such an eventuality. But I want ANSWERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3. What is so hard about verified voting and getting it right NATIONALLY? It seems to me if I go to an ATM, no matter what bank and what state, it pretty much operates the same. I've gone to the ATM many times and never had it lock up on me. I'm not saying it never happens, but I'd say the rates are extremely low. The electronic and software technology exists and can be modified to suite the needs for us voters to feel reassured beyond reasonable doubt that the vote we cast is the vote that is counted. Why do they act like we're asking them to build a perpetual motion machine? There are countless people who have discussed how this could be made to happen. Let's make this a priority.

4. What is the line between journalism and entertainment? The line between hard news reporting and opinion? Should our public radio waves be hijacked by people who present only one side of the story? I believe the fact that stations are allowed to put together a complete line up of propaganda spouting one particular point of view is dangerous to our republic/democracy. We need fairness brought back into news and comment so that whether it's MSNBC, FoxNews, Clear Channel stations or whatever...an opportunity is made to give the counter arguments.

any others? What's on your list?

[FrenchieCat]

1. I'll be ready for some nice methodical digging into this stuff in about

4 of 5 months....

after the Obama admin knows its way around,
has done what is required for this scary ass economy,
and has replaced many of the left over Bushbots.

[PretzelWarrior]

3. sounds good to me. I'm sure they are at least getting background right now

any items strike your intrest when that period does arrive?

[FrenchieCat]

5. Shit.....every damn thing was a secret.

They can start with the wiretapping shit,
looking into the Rove/Siegelman imprisonment,
where the first bail out money went,
and yes, Cheney's bullshit energy task force.

But better yet, I want some FCC action against this blatant asshole corporate media,
and some election voting laws passed that make it easier to vote.

[Jennicut]

16. The Don Siegelman thing is big to me

How did they take this poor man and stick him in jail?

[blm]

21. all part of stealing election, Jen. Siegelman was practically dress rehearsal. Rove couldn't have

pulled it off at the time if McAuliffe's DNC hadn't looked the other way AS IT WAS HAPPENING. Didn't see the Dem party rallying behind Siegelman, did you?

[scorpiogirl]

2. The other terrorist attack after 911....

Anthrax

[BlooInBloo]

4. I always laugh when DUers agree with the media that we haven't had another attack.

[Adsos Letter]

6. I'd like some pusuit on where the missing millions we shoveled into Iraq as cash went.

[FrenchieCat]

7. Oh yeah.....now I remember the missing BILLIONS!

The corporate media didn't seem to think much of it.
I didn't hear any follow ups or even any initial questioning
to Bush or anyone else that counted on that.

[PretzelWarrior]

9. EXACTLY!!! The D.O.D. slush fund big enough now, ya think?

I have no way of believing that money just flat out disappeared into the hands of local Achmeds and Akbars. That money was used for hiding black programs the department knows no congress would appropriate money to. (Remember, part of Afghanistan appropriations secretly went into planning/setting the stage for Iraq invasion).

Damn. You reminded me of another one. The total information awareness program, the hiring of so-called journalists by the executive branch to deal out propaganda, Rumsfeld's dandy idea to create a group whose sole aim would be to dispense misinformation to the general public here and abroad with our allies.

[Why Syzygy]

8. Media. Media. Media.

Must have free press.

Basic principles and criteria

"I fear three newspapers more than a hundred thousand bayonets."
— Napoleon Bonaparte <1>

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers"

This philosophy is usually accompanied by legislation ensuring various degrees of freedom of scientific research (known as scientific freedom), publishing, press and printing the depth to which these laws are entrenched in a country's legal system can go as far down as its constitution. The concept of freedom of speech is often covered by the same laws as freedom of the press, thereby giving equal treatment to media and individuals.

Besides legal definitions, some non-governmental organizations use other criteria to judge the level of press freedom around the world:

* Reporters Without Borders considers the number of journalists murdered, expelled or harassed, and the existence of a state monopoly on TV and radio, as well as the existence of censorship and self-censorship in the media, and the overall independence of media as well as the difficulties that foreign reporters may face.
* The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) uses the tools of journalism to help journalists by tracking press freedom issues through independent research, fact-finding missions, and firsthand contacts in the field, including local working journalists in countries around the world. CPJ shares information on breaking cases with other press freedom organizations worldwide through the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, a global e-mail network. CPJ also tracks journalist deaths and detentions. CPJ staff applies strict criteria for each case; researchers independently investigate and verify the circumstances behind each death or imprisonment.
* Freedom House likewise studies the more general political and economic environments of each nation in order to determine whether relationships of dependence exist that limit in practice the level of press freedom that might exist in theory. So the concept of independence of the press is one closely linked with the concept of press freedom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_the_press

[snowbear]

10. Our list here could go on forever...

.
.

Just a couple off the top of my head..

- The Downing Street Memo?

- Rove's involvement in the downfall of Governor Siegleman?

- The firing of the nine attorneys?

- The 16 words in the State of the Union?

- The TRUTH about Valerie Plame?

- Where's the $9 billion in Iraq that went missing without a trace?

- Martha Stewart served 5 months for a stock sell-off tip, Bill Frist involved in $25 million in insider trading?

- When is Tom Delay's trial?

- Why allow arsenic in drinking water?

- Who gave Jeff Gannon his press pass?


I'll think of tons more later..

-

[libodem]

11. While we are at it...

I'm thinking as long as the Repukes want to stay enemies and fight it out with partisan politics they need to be treated as enemies. You would think They'd want to make nice and cooperate for the sake of the country. But noooooo. They want to be big babies and be dictated to from headquarters that if they act like moderates and not ultra-conservatives the national committee will not back them. Well, it is a pretty big memory hole, and a lot of repressed shit is down there. I've been a LITHOP person almost from the get go. I think a lot went wrong for that to happen in the first place. Sibel Edmonds should be allowed to tell her story. And even before that I think the Pukes were so desperate to put this into motion that they had to steal the 2000 election. The desperation was evident clear back to that letter the 'masterminds' gave President Clinton back in 1998, begging to bring down Saddam, so they could get to the oil. And look at how it has turned out for Big Oil. Quarter after quarter of record multi-billion dollar profits. I think Rove election tampered throughout the 8 years. Every time 'activist judges' became a talk-radio battle cry, you know it was a double speak, for rove to fill a spot with an ultra-conservative-bought-off judge, who would do the political bidding of his appointer. The whole business was corrupt. Everything they touched was tainted. And now the economy is sunk, with the rich, safely insulated with no inheritance tax and no taxes on their stock market earnings. We are downing with a depression as a decoy smoke screen, while the bastards hop in the get-away car, spray us with bullets, and peal out.

[Brimon]

12. Missing Trillions.

I would like to go wwaaaayyyy back to the start of all of this & find out where the missing 3 trillion Dollars from the U.S.Defence budget ended up...you know the one that was being investigated just prior to 9/11.

[PretzelWarrior]

13. you hit it right on the head. the way you ran through the history.....

and the way they were doing the equivalent of head butting, kicking and bludgeoning Clinton was all about slowing down his MODERATELY progressive agenda. I don't let Clinton entirely off the hook, but he was stopped at every turn by the ugly and vicious right wing machine.

That spilled over into the 2000 election where yes...you are right. They raped America. Then came back for seconds with a WILLFUL ignoring of terrorist warning info from outgoing national security people.

Yeah, I'll never accept the white wash of what happened. Although I may be able to forgive and move forward with misled Republican rank and file Americans, I'll never forget and will always hold a small dark spot of hate in my heart for Bush/Cheney. And I will never ever forget the way they abused us Americans by abusing the Democratic minority when they had all the poewr and acted like the fucking criminals and bullies they are.

[alsame]

14. The truth about 9/11. It was the event that conveniently enabled

the PNAC/neocon agenda to be played out and I'd like to know what really happened that day.

[blm]

15. the truth about 9-11 is in the closed books of BCCI. IranContra, Iraqgate, CIA drugrunning

matters are other aspects of BCCI that are still kept from public eye, too.

Anyone surprised that both Bush and Clinton reps agreed that 9-11 commission should only go back to 1998? Really? Even though Bin Ladens were named figures in BCCI?

[alsame]

17. Yep. There's a lot we will probably never know. In my

'best case scenario' fantasy, everything is exposed and the perpetrators are prosecuted.

[blm]

18. all it would take is an administration that RESPECTS citizens as ADULTS who can handle the facts

about what has been done in their names.

Republicans and even many Democrats choose to believe the public SHOULD be manipulated in what they perceive, so they deliberately keep books closed and documents withheld from any public view.

[alsame]

19. So true. I think the power establishment (D and R) is afraid of

what we the people would really do if we knew the truth about our government's actions over the years.

[IDemo]

20. Let's not rely on ATM machine vendors for our voting

At least not this one:

[PretzelWarrior]

22. you only make my point more valid

people would be crying "HOLY FUCKING MOTHER OF GOD!" if these guys were getting away with bank fraud and stealing bits of your money and my money. Us Murricans care about our cash. But those same companies can't design a more fool proof voting system? Something is very fishy.

So..............What about that HAVA bill? Can a Democratic president and congress readdress this and learn from the "mistakes" of previous round and get it right??!!?!?

Write to your senator, the White House, and your congressperson.