The phenomenon of Oikophobia.

Oikophobia explained.  This phenomenon is fear of the familiar and causes its victims to hate what they know best, such as their own country, its traditions and core beliefs.  Sadly many Americans now suffer from this malady and it also accounts for the Jews who hate Israel and would like to see that little country go away.  Most sufferers of Oikophobia in the U.S. can be found in academia, the liberal media (which is to say most of the media) and college students and the Democrat caucus of the US Congress.  Their is no known cure other than to leave the surroundings that bring on this dread disease and not many of its victims seem willing to take that step.  So the rest of us are stuck with them and must do our best to simply avoid them as they do not want to change or hear about their affliction.

Media bias

One has to wonder what the influence of the MSM (Mainstream media) would be without the mitigating influence of Fox News, Talk Radio as well as a number of conservative blogs that expose their bias and corruption.  Media Research Center is another extremely important check on these so-called journalists.  An example of how this wing of the Democrat Party operates, from the MRC:

* During the first 72 hours of the Akin controversy, ABC, CBS and NBC morning and evening news shows ran a combined 40 segments totaling nearly 89 minutes of airtime compared to less than 20 minutes for Biden.

* NBC and CBS both immediately attempted to link the “firestorm” created by Akin to Romney even though his campaign openly supports rape exemptions.

* Obama’s extreme pro-abortion record – including his support for partial birth abortions – was almost entirely ignored by the networks in 2008.

* The networks have given Akin 10 times more coverage than they gave to credible allegations by Juanita Broaddrick back in 1999 that Bill Clinton actually committed rape.

Media Research President Brent Bozell reacts:

There’s no denying that what Rep. Todd Akin said was completely inappropriate, but for it to receive four times more coverage than the Vice President of the United States’ indefensibly racist gaffe is unconscionable. Todd Akin is a congressman. Joe Biden is one heartbeat from being the leader of the Free World. Once again, the media’s double standard is exposed for all to see.

Turkey, Istanbul, Claire Berlinski and Michael Totten

Here is an interview by one of the most entrepreneurial reporters in the ME, Michael Totten, of one of the most informed reporters in Istanbul and the region, Claire Berlinski.  This is definitely a twofer as these two probably know more about the region than any other reporters there, and they are both independents and free of MSM biases.  Very good read!

The debt and the media

With all the attention now being lavished on the US debt problem by the media, one wonders where were they when all this debt was being accumulated over the last few decades?  If memory serves there was a time in my lifetime when if we had a war or some unusual event facing the nation there was a discussion about raising the money to pay for the consequences of the event or war.  When did we lose this sense of fiscal rectitude and responsibility to not run up debt willy nilly?  Was it during the Johnson administration of the '60s when simultaneously all the liberal programs for eliminating poverty were put in place and the Vietnam war was making its demands on the public treasury?  Whenever it happened it put us on the slippery slope of accumulated debt that we are now faced with having to manage since it fairly clear to everyone that there simply is no more capacity for additional debt left in the system.  The key to our dilemma is interest payment on all the accumulated debt.  It must be payed, it won't go away, and it has had this annoying habit of compounding each time we've added debt to the country's balance sheet.

All of this brings to mind my recently departed good friend Jim Whelpley, a life long toiler in the financial services business, who back in the 60's used to point out -- to anyone who would listen -- that mechanisms were being put in place by the government and banks to expand the use of credit in the economy.  Jim was way ahead of his time, and remained so throughout his life.  He was also largely ignored because, as he liked to say, he was simply the guy who was saying at the height of a party that it was time to remove the punch bowl before everyone got ripping drunk.  We're now "ripping drunk" and still having a very hard time figuring out who's going to remove the punch bowl.  Obama's recently submitted budget says loud and clear he's not going to remove the punch bowl.  That leaves it up to the Republicans who, let's face it,  in the past have been much less than courageous in this matter as well.  What's different now is the Tea Party whose influence just may have put some spine in the "career" Republican pols like Mitch McConnell, Speaker Boehner, et al.  Two young Republican turks, Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor, the House Majority leader from Virginia, may be the key players here since they represent the generation that will have to deal with the consequences of a wild drunken party gone completely out of control.  The debt problem gets a good airing here in this strait forward reporting, at last, from the media.