GT: Why then was Bush having those who were protesting against the Iraq war "moved" away from areas he was making a public appearance to what were called "free speech zones"?

GT:

> The U.S. media censored and right wing???

Consider for example the reporting of casualties in Iraq. Every day news channels reported who had died on the American side and the number of casualties that America had suffered. Then they would mention in passing bombings or casualties of other parties involved. Not even once did I hear a reporter say the number of civilians killed in Iraq. There are millions of Americans who don't even know that nearly 400,000 Iraqi people have been killed. Then it is illegal (that's right, illegal according to the Patriot Act) to show the American flag draped over a coffin of a dead soldier.

These thigns are legacy of the Vietnam War. The Bush admnistration did not want public opinion to turn sour when people saw dead Americans returning home in coffins, or when the level of killing reached an unacceptable level in the public eye.

Even those "left wing" channels were unwilling (or unable?) to do any true reporting of the extent of the killing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The American media are heavily controlled and anybody can be labelled a terrorist or unpatriotic. Before a journalist can have access to the White House, he/she must be screened to amke sure that they will not ask questions that would embarrass the administration. White House news briefings and questions from the media are carefully choreographed.

The Democrats (who are described as the "left") are as pro-corporate business as the Republicans. They also exist to favor capitalist monopolies. The workinng class matters only to the extent that they cast a vote during the election. However, the entire modus operandi of the american government is to make sure that monopolies reign supreme. It took no effort at all for Democrats and Republicans to fall in bed together to save financial companies from a self-made catastrophe at the expense of working class taxpayers. When it came down to giving money to the rich both parties were equally right wing. For all the criticism that they purported to cast, both parties voted for bailouts for banks and car makers. I wonder, would they bailout the poor when they go hungry?