[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Socialism is service to the self disguised as service to others.

Exactly. Ownership is simply credit for something. Ownership of money is nothing but pure information - the intrinsic value of a $10 bill is no different from that of a $1 bill. Socialism is simply the negation of the credit that people have which is reflected in their ownership of land, things, stocks, and money. Socialism negates the recognition of credit which individuals have earned or otherwise been given (as, by inheritance).

Maxine Waters inadvertently blurted out the truth that the Democrats want to "socialize" the oil companies on the pretext that politicians will provide more gas and oil, and demand less credit for it, than the oil companies are willing to. Not than the oil companies can, of course - no sentient being could possibly be dumb enough to believe that - but than the oil companies, in their greed relative to the virtuous politicians, are willing to do.

Puncture the ridiculous pretensions of "liberal" politicians to superior virtue, and there is nothing else to liberalism. That is however impossible while the people accept the conceit of journalistic objectivity. It seems to me that there is a solution to that conundrum - legal action against the Associated Press. SCOTUS held back in 1945 that the Associated Press is a monopoly. They did not apply an adequate remedy for the evils which I attribute to the AP, but that does not mean that another suit could never do so.

The first thing to go must be McCain-Feingold, which is probably to blame for the pathetic field of Republican candidate which culminated in the victory of John McCain in the primaries.

Like you say, “the conceit of journalistic objectivity is profoundly subversive of democratic principle.”

Yes - and since you cite that sentence back to me, it does sound somewhat like a tagline, doesn't it!

[Elsiejay]

Words fail my desire to thank you for your contribution to the needed discourse of these troubled times.
I would note, in passing, that no one, to my knowledge, has proven that the Swift Boat Veterans wrote anything that was not true. Yet, as you have correctly noted, the unthinking public is convinced that they lied, an example of the much abused power of the press.

[reasonisfaith]

“Yes - and since you cite that sentence back to me, it does sound somewhat like a tagline, doesn’t it!”

Quite a good one at that. And this sounds like the beginnings of another:

“Socialism is simply the negation of the credit...”