From the very beginning of our Republic, observers and statesmen have noted that success as a nation depended heavily on an informed and active public. Jefferson went so far as to contend that citizens who took arms against the United State government in Shay’s Rebellion should not be harshly treated but rather educated on the goals and purposes the government had sought to achieve.

In the complex and intense world of the 21st Century, an informed and aware public is more essential than ever. Citizens are asked to make judgments on issues and candidates where the decision could literally mean life or death for millions.

And yet, what is the public fed nightly by those over-paid “news” organizations at what is called the Networks? The public is force fed a steady diet of propaganda, distortions and outright pap.

One night last week as I sat watching NBC Nightly News, this point came home to me more starkly than ever before. Consider the elements of that broadcast.

It is the day before the Ohio and Texas primaries. A main issue in the debate between Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama revolves around which of the two would be stronger in dealing with foreign affairs. And yet, NBC treated the meat of the issue as if it was of no consequence.

In all of 31 seconds, NBC gave stories about the threat by Venezuela – a major oil exporter – to launch a war against a neighboring country, the Russian election where stark authoritarianism is raising its head once again, the bombing of another nation by the United States, and near open warfare in Gaza. That’s right: 31 seconds to deal with four stories, any one of which could have devastating consequences for American citizens. Continued...