IGN FilmForce, a movie review website, took a look at the PR battle against Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock's documentary about the 30 days he spent eating nothing but meals from McDonald's. "Over the course of three days this week, IGN FilmForce came across three separate press releases, from three different organizations, all extolling the 'truth' about how the new documentary film Super Size Me distorts the fact," they report. "You may have seen media coverage taken straight from these press releases in the past few days on TV, in print or on the Internet. We thought it would be interesting to take a look at the groups behind this press blitz against a limited-release documentary film." Surprise, surprise, they're all industry front groups.

"Acting has been a stepping-stone to political careers for numerous Republicans. In addition to Arnold Schwarzenegger examples include Ronald Reagan the former governor of California and two-term president of the United States. There are several reasons for this disparity. One is that the Republican Party has actively recruited and supported candidates from the entertainment world. Another is that Republicans often run as 'anti-government' or 'non-politician' candidates, so that an actor's lack of political experience can actually be an advantage for his campaign. And although Bill Clinton was clearly a master of showmanship, for the most part Republicans have shown greater mastery of the rules of postmodern politics, in which style is as important as substance and issues are less important than personality. Republican candidates understand these unwritten rules because they and their campaign consultants, some of whom actually started in the entertainment industry, played a big part in inventing them."

In a move Australia's foreign minister decried as "outrageous and indefensible, utterly at odds with ... an open and democratic society," an American human rights monitor has been ordered to leave Indonesia. The International Crisis Group's Sidney Jones said her "immediate expulsion order" was arranged by the Indonesian intelligence agency, whose director called her work "subversive." Indonesia's intelligence director accused 19 other non-governmental groups of "endangering national security before the July 5 presidential election." But Indonesia does want U.S. beef. The country "cited a determination last week" by the international animal health organization "that the U.S. was now considered to be [mad cow disease]-free," and became "one of the first countries besides Mexico and Canada to resume their imports of U.S. beef," according to AgWeb.

At the U.S. Air Force Academy's graduation, George Bush compared the "War on Terror" to World War II, saying, "We will secure our nation and defend the peace through the march of freedom. ... Just as events in Europe determined the outcome of the Cold War, events in the Middle East will set the course of our current struggle." Officials in France, where Bush will mark the anniversary of D-Day, warned,"Any reference to Iraq during the 60th anniversary of the Allied invasion of France on Sunday would be ill-advised and unwelcome." A "source close to President Chirac" quoted by the Guardian said "photographs of U.S. soldiers torturing" Iraqi detainees did not compare favorably "with the image of D-Day heroes."

In Iraq, private military contractors "are protecting key leaders, escorting convoys, guarding military installations or oil pipelines, training Iraqi forces, interrogating prisoners ... some have become entangled in firefights," reports Contra Costa Times. "The potential role of contractors in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, and the legal obstacles to prosecuting them for reported abuses ... have raised sharp concerns." DynCorp, whose employees "escaped prosecution despite accusations in 2000 of running a prostitution ring in the Balkans," had eight armed men at the recent raid of Ahmed Chalabi's home and offices. The DynCorp employees were "directing and encouraging" the raid, and some "helped themselves to baklava, apples and diet soda from Chalabi's refrigerator," according to witnesses.

Join us on Friday, June 18th, in celebrating the tenth anniversary of our Center for Media and Democracy. Join John Stauber, Sheldon Rampton and other CMD staff and board members and supporters at Madison, Wisconsin's, Club Majestic from 6pm to 9pm for an evening of great food and friendship. Our very special guest speaker will be Amy Goodman of Pacifica Radio's award-winning news show, Democracy Now! Of course we'll also be celebrating the release of our new book Banana Republicans: How the Right Wing is Turning America into a One-Party State.