It's about 5 years old and has been translated to English - clever stuff

]]> http://www.speculativebubble.com/off-topic/political-ad-from-argentina.php Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000 Off Topic http://www.speculativebubble.com/off-topic/the-tonkin-gulf-incident.php
from NPR:

On Sunday Aug. 2, 1964, three North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked the American destroyer the USS Maddox in Southeast Asia's Gulf of Tonkin. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara told President Lyndon B. Johnson that a covert strike against North Vietnam two days earlier likely provoked the attack upon the Maddox. Left, an oil painting depicting the attack.

Right, the three attacking North Vietnamese torpedo boats, as seen from the Maddox. The U.S. destroyer damaged two of the boats and sank the third. Retaliation by the Americans was limited to attacking those boats that day. The Maddox and another destroyer, the Turner Joy, were then deliberately positioned to draw a second attack.

Two days later, on Aug. 4, McNamara, left, reported to Johnson that an American destroyer in the region was under torpedo attack by the North Vietnamese. That brief conversation was the tipping point for the entire Vietnam War. Johnson ordered American forces to openly attack the North, and he asked Congress to pass a resolution pre-approving any military actions the president would take.

Johnson on Aug. 4, 1964, announcing that the U.S. will retaliate against North Vietnam for two attacks on American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. Later, Johnson and others would learn the second attack, which propelled the president and Congress to enter the Vietnam War, never happened.

So if I get this right:

A United States covert strike against North Vietnam by an American Destroyer ship (the Maddox) provokes 3 North Vietnamese torpedo boats to attack back at the Maddox.

During their attack, the Maddox completely sinks one and damages the other two NV torpedo boats and never even gets hit.

Then the Maddox, as well as another American destroyer (the Turner Joy) are deliberately positioned to draw a second attack

The Defense Secretary (assuming that those two ships would be attacked) tells the President that they were under torpedo attack by the North Vietnamese.

Johnson orders American forces to attack North Vietnam
       (and gets Congress to pre-approve further military actions)

America assumes that this is a retaliation so the Vietnam war begins - but it turns out that the second attack never even happened and the first attack was provoked...

But that is what justified the beginning of the Vietnam War? ]]> http://www.speculativebubble.com/off-topic/the-tonkin-gulf-incident.php Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0000 Off Topic http://www.speculativebubble.com/off-topic/female-gamers.php

from HousingPANIC

Keith: I am ashamed of the American journalism profession. I'm not sure exactly when it died, but it is dead. There may be a good reporter or two out there, who wants to report the truth and who wants to dig beyond the press release, but they must be miserable today, surrounded by a ship of fools, and controlled by businessmen with an agenda.

Anonymous: Today there are only 5 Major news outlets, then there were thousands.

Anonymous: Journalism did not die. It came under new management. Small independent papers switched to multi-national corporate ownership + AP feeds supply uniform "Mcnews". Journalists are corporate employees. Write and say what they're told or fired. A trained monkey could do their job. Independence, fact-checking, verification, or questioning the status quo is NOT encouraged. In fact, it could cost your job.

   Full article at housingpanic.blogspot.com]]> http://www.speculativebubble.com/off-topic/msm-mcnews.php