CNN Journalist urges Americans to stop being so “nosy” about all the bad things the U.S. Government does

CNN Journalist: don't be so nosy

A self-mocking column has real value: it expresses the predominant attitude of America's media class toward secrecy

By Glenn Greenwald

LZ Granderson is a regular CNN columnist and contributor, and has written a column this week that — no joke — urges Americans to stop being so “nosy” about all the bad things the U.S. Government does. You just have to read it to believe it:

"We are a nosy country.

Though to be fair, it’s not entirely our fault. Between the 24/7 news cycle, social media and reality TV, we have been spoon fed other people’s private business for so long we now assume it’s a given to know everything. And if there are people who choose not to disclose, they must be hiding something. Being told that something’s “none of your business” is slowly being characterized as rude, and if such a statement is coming from the government, it seems incriminating.

Times have changed. Yet, not everything is our business. And in the political arena, there are things that should be and need to be kept quiet. . . .

You see, freedom isn’t entirely free.

It also isn’t squeaky clean.

And sometimes the federal government deems it necessary to get its hands a little dirty in the hopes of achieving something we generally accept as good for the country. . . .

And maybe it’s better for us not to be so nosy, not to know everything because, to paraphrase the famous line from the movie “A Few Good Men,” many of us won’t be able to handle the truth."

This was written by a journalist and published by a media outlet. And this is plainly not satire. What prompted his paean to the virtues of minding our own business was the Congressional investigation into the DOJ’s Fast and Furious gun-running program into Mexico — one that resulted in the deaths of numerous people, including a U.S. agent — but he finds many other examples where we should just stay out of the Government’s way:

"We do not want to open Pandora’s Box, not about [Fast and Furious] and certainly not about a bunch of other potentially scandalous things the federal government has been involved with. . . .

We still don’t have access to all of the messy facts surrounding the Iran-Contra scandal that erupted during the Reagan administration. . . .

Lt. Col. Oliver North took one for the team back then, and there’s a good chance Attorney General Eric Holder will have to take one for the team in the Fast and Furious controversy. And by team, I’m not referring to Republicans or Democrats, but rather Americans . . . .

Such as the death of Osama bin Laden. . . .

Were they legal?

Hell No.

Were they effective?

Who knows?

Were they done as a way to keep America safe?

Yes."

Full Article Here: http://www.salon.com/2012/06/27/cnn_journalist_dont_be_nosy/

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Permalink Reply by Tara on June 28, 2012 at 2:04am

To anybody in the know, this LZ character is obviously mouth piecing for big daddy and a paycheck. It is mind boggling to think there are Americans out there that will buy into this nonsense; hook, line and sinker.

Do they think we are all idiots? Well yes, of course they do. The majority of Americans are still hopelessly devoted and strangeholded to the left/right pissing match and sold on a stuffed suit telling them what to believe, whether it is on Faux or CNN.

Good news is more and more people are waking up to the propaganda, lies and misinformation coming out of the MSM. More people today are traversing the internet for real news than ever before.

As long as the web stays free we'll be alright for now ;) Tomorrow is another story.