The Soapbox View: To The Victor Goes Being Spoiled?

Winners Write History. Losers lose sycophants. But objectively points-of-view are just opinion without encompassing all aspects. Where wrong cannot be recognized if clarity rests in the shadows unpolished by the light. When there's no recess in the always in session court of public opinion marked by varying degrees of imaginative publicity the public endures, susceptible to the most disturbing public private hijinks. If only twisting the truth were just the half-of-it.

From a surface, cursory, look there seems to be something of comforting value in the proportion blowing candidate for Mayor of New York City Anthony Weiner Scandal. As Reid Pillifant touches on in The people who are advising Anthony Weiner, or not in Capital New York, alluding to The New York Times Magazine April 10th profile, Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin's Post Scandal Playbook, there's a subtle twist to this scandal's backdrop. That not so rare Public Relations phenomena of losing a round.

"Father of Public Relations" 1928 book Propaganda

Without complete facts, 1928,
women's attitudes toward
smoking were changed.

With a twist. Though practically multitudes (my embellishment) of associates answer Mr. Weiner's queries for advice, which is basically his appearing to handle this on his own, no professionals were named early advisors even wanting to be paid as if this has truly been the most devastating melodramatic political burnout possible. Really? Even Popes have been disclosed as outright deviants, though, for the most part already dead when evidence is revealed, but still. Presidents, philanderers of the most executively privileged bent. Right, Mr. Weiner is married and I can personally feel flirting is over an unfaithful line. But media coverage is the thing.

For instance Bill O'Reilly blowing his top over black on black crime. There are buttons to push to be in the public eye.

TV news reports even mention former Congressman Weiner's running for office now is damage control giving the politician a better opportunity at a later date, having already challenged the embarrassment. Pshaw.

Fact is people are goofy and the most straight laced respectful, polite person in the realm of sexual compulsion appears not quite normal either.

The question is how affordable is the circus as an answer? That Anthony Weiner can't yet directly buy his way out of this particular Public Relations spectacle isn't the problem. He's paid a price and the public has been amused. The problem is money is how debates are decided.

Global Warming. Equal Time. Time was when perhaps a pint of ale bought political favor while today's just more simply complicated? Still might always makes right and hope is truth one day actually brightens deceit for all to see that when nothing matters except winning and the battle for territory is everything, it's one-sided. Know what I mean?

The public shouldn't be pieces in a chess game but are. Otherwise there's little point finding out what people think at all. It's not an accident real life is stranger than fiction. In fact The New York Times July 27th reported Anthony Weiner's 28 year old campaign manager, Danny Kedem quit which could pass for fiction. No?

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Political Control Is Made Up?

RT paid this month's psuedo-nationalist rent with their political celebrity coverage of the Alexander Navalny sentencing to five years. The Washington Post covered post sentencing demonstrations. Specifics were noted by RUSSIA Beyond The Headlines, while Pravda even had some nice regime editorializing under the title, Alexei Navalny follows the path of Pussy Riot.

Somehow though The Atlantic found How Putin Uses Money Laundering Charges to Control His Opponents, printing "The Magnitsky case highlights Russia's multi-faceted corruption problem." The Soapbox View

Kirov Government Building
Courthouse Photo Unavailable

Of course what's fascinating is the public is supposed to make up their own minds about the polished melodrama that makes up the news. In The Edward Snowden In Transit Affair it seems the truth has us all in over our heads. Where producers of Twilight Zone hold onto all our poor pawns' scripts. Really. As much as government is right wanting to control their reality, misguided, misjudged, or even in a purely innocent way, governments should still have to be judged on the same level of distrust as its' investigated citizens. The basis upon which rule of law exists. It's all used against us in a court of law? The Russian Court System's shame is that Mr. Navalny's lawyers did not get to present his complete case. But then courts muddle things the same as the rest of us. If only we all shared a degree of that same immunity.

But, no fear, all is right with the world's public imagery. July 27th The New York Times also reported Putin in Ukraine to Celebrate a Christian Anniversary.

We want institutions to be more than brick and mortar façades. Revenge is no real reward, and so justice is not the enforcement of law but the facilitation of ending territorial violence in all forms from individuals to States.