[Corporations] fwd - HELP PEEL BANANA REPUBLICANS

[Sam Johnston]

1. HELP PEEL BANANA REPUBLICANS!
http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Banana_Republicans
   The United States is supposed to be a democracy, but today powerful
   business interests dominate government, most citizens don't even
   vote, civil liberties are surrendered for national security,
   gunboat diplomacy alienates world opinion, and one overtly
   pro-business party dominates all three branches of government and
   the news media. What's going on, and what can be done? PR Watch
   editors Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber are working on a new book,
   titled Banana Republicans: How the New Right is Turning American
   Into a One-Party State. We welcome your help! Please visit our
   Disinfopedia and add your own research on the Republican political
   machine.



Banana Republicans
 From Disinfopedia, the encyclopedia of propaganda.

PR Watch editors Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber are working on a new 
book, titled Banana Republicans: How the Right Wing Is Turning America Into 
a One-Party State. As they did with their previous bestselling book, 
Weapons of Mass Deception, Rampton and Stauber aim to show how propaganda 
and public relations are undermining democracy and the public interest. 
Banana Republicans will investigate how the "right-wing conspiracy," as 
represented by the GOP and its mouthpieces in media, lobbying groups, and 
the legal system, is undermining dissent and squelching pluralistic 
politics in America.

You can help with the research for the book by contributing your knowledge 
to this article and to the related linked articles listed below. Of course, 
the actual content of the published book may differ from the summary below, 
depending in part on the research and ideas that you provide.


The Problem
The U.S. economy is floundering, fear grips the nation, and we are 
embroiled in two overseas military quagmires with no end in sight. Outside 
its borders, the United States is hated and feared as never before.

For the first time in living memory, a single party - the Republicans - 
controls every major institution of the federal government: the White 
House, the Supreme Court, the Senate and House of Representatives - not to 
mention the "fourth branch of government," the mass media. How did this 
come to pass?

Banana Republicans will investigate how the national GOP maintains its hold 
on power through the systematic manipulation of the electoral system, the 
courts, the media, and the lobbying establishment.


Topics to be explored

The rise of the far right: From Birchers and Goldwater youth to think 
tanks, Roger Ailes, Pat Robertson and today's neoconservatives.
The plumbers of public opinion: How pollsters, pundits and PR strategists 
have honed and shaped political messages that build the right and divide 
the country.
Undermining elections: The legacy of the Florida ballot scandal, and how it 
has played out in the recall movement in California – and other states, 
where recall efforts are underway – and in the redistricting controversy in 
Texas.
The echo chamber: How a GOP echo chamber systematically spreads its views 
through conservative media giants – e.g., Clear Channel, Fox News - and 
highly placed columnists, journalists, and opinion makers.
Subverting the courts: How the Bush administration is loading the federal 
courts with a generation of demagogues, and smearing the names of 
legislators who attempt to stand in its way.
The one-party state: How House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has strong-armed 
traditional lobbying firms into exclusively hiring Republicans, so that 
even K Street is political, rather than merely opportunistic.
Treating dissent as treason: How the G.O.P. has equated dissent with 
treason - e.g., Attorney General John Ashcroft accusing critics of the USA 
Patriot Act of abetting terrorism.
War on activism: The ability and willingness of citizens from all walks of 
life to express themselves vigorously in the political process is one of 
the most important attributes of any real democracy. Increasingly, however, 
activism is seen as a problem and obstacle to be overcome by corporate 
consultants that spy on and harass nongovernmental organizations and 
independent citizen activists.
The loyal opposition: How the Democratic Party has tread the same special 
interest path, becoming "Republican lites" estranged from the citizenry and 
open to charges of being tweedle-dum to tweedle-dee.

How you can help
Authors Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber will appreciate any information 
that you add to the Disinfopedia related to the topics above, but will of 
course do their own fact-checking and synthesis, using their own research 
and analysis to determine which information is appropriate for inclusion in 
the book. While they will not be able to acknowledge (except in the 
aggregate) individuals who contribute information via the Disinfopedia 
which is incorporated into the book, we hope that you will consider 
participating in what we see as an important experiment in developing 
democratic information systems. As with past books written by Rampton and 
Stauber, all author's royalties and other proceeds from the sale of Banana 
Republicans will go to their employer, the Center for Media & Democracy.


Suggest topics for the book here


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