The retirement of Helen Thomas

While the remarks by the 89-year-old Helen Thomas were disrespectful to all the victims of the Holocaust, it was disappointing to see Ms. Thomas end her distinguished career in a storm of controversy. Considering the First Amendment in the United States Constitution allows Ms. Thomas the freedom of speech, the more alarming story is a government official attacking Ms. Thomas for merely only voicing an opinion, while it remains silent and fails to a country that recently murdered one of its own citizens in international waters. These actions merit asking the question of who is the American government interested in protecting. Its own citizens and the people it is supposed to protect under the US Constitution, or foreign countries and the special interest political campaign donors like AIPAC who give them money?

At a time when America desperately needs the critical and unbiased voice of journalists like Helen Thomas to check the power of the government, her leaving will undoubtedly make many conservative and Israeli apologists very happy. For future historians analyzing the downfall of the American Empire however, the negative portrayal story of Helen Thomas will be used to show how the Republic principals the country was founded on, such as the freedom of the press and the freedom to free speech, was eroded as political elites influenced by wealthy donors and corporations continued to pursue Imperial ambitions.

While the remarks were in bad taste and insensitive, the more troubling issue is how the American people are being conditioned to support what the political elites in Washington DC want them to believe or what the main story of the day should be. Perhaps one of the reasons why White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was so reproachful to the remarks by Ms. Thomas was that it allowed the Obama administration a distraction from its own troubles. Some of more important issues White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and the press should have focused on instead of Ms. Thomas include, the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico the Obama administration has failed to stop, the killing of seven American service members in Afghanistan, and a administration incapable of putting more Americans back to work.

It was disquieting to see an unelected government official like Robert Gibbs attack Ms. Thomas, while it remains silent on criminal acts committed by the Israeli government.

This latest story is another glaring example of how the mainstream media in America breeds ignorance.