by Brad Balfour

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New York, NY, USA - This week's media buzz: corporate crime, CEO scammers and stock market chaos. Suddenly the attention shifts from homeland security and the debate over the new cabinet office. Then the specter of Osama Bin Laden's existence is again trotted out before the media and the focus shifts again.

Sometimes it seems the two are inextricably entwined. Accusations of further scandals by corporations that have supported the politicians -- particularly Republican ones -- are buttressed by new threats to the nation and "our state of war." New discussions about campaign finance reform are overshadowed by new threats from the Middle East.

When "H2K2" -- the Hacker's conference sponsored by 2600 Magazine -- was held at the Hotel Pennsylvania, many long-or-colored-haired, t-shirted-and-pierced, mostly male, 20 somethings gathered to discuss issues of Open Source code and the government's attempts to prosecute the magazine for providing the information to crack encrypted DVD movies.

But along with such issues of government intercession, various panels raised the question of conspiracy surrounding events that proceeded 9/11. What did the government know before the attack and why did it ignored a mountain of evidence that Al Queda was mounting attacks using airplanes as missiles?

Whether questions about how the attack provided an opportunity for the government to limit our rights, or whether it used such paranoia to hide its relationship with companies under scrutiny may be ludicrous digressions by disenfranchised computer geeks (or valid speculation) but such considerations are exacerbated by condescending responses from national representatives such as Ari Fleischer.

Well, it does makes one wonder.

A few days ago, the New York Times reported on the money accrued through government contracts to provide services for our war effort by a division of Halliburton Co -- the very company once run by its former CEO, Vice President Dick Cheney -- now under investigation for its own business practices. Though Cheney proclaims innocence and the President claims all charges are unfounded, Bush finds himself under scrutiny for questionable stock sales when he ran the Harken Corporation.

Whether these accusations lend credence to these conspiracy theorists or not, it certainly does muddy the Bush administration's contention of a clean moral determinate behind its perpetual war -- and the efforts to carefully manage the flow of information about the military's efforts.

Whether they be bombings of a Pashtun wedding party or mountain attacks that overstate the number of Taliban/Al Queda troops they have targeted, such gaffes demand that we stay open to investigations even by media at the margins such as the Indypendent (from the New York City Independent Media Center) or the Shadow.

When an administration tries so carefully to control its communication (as has this one) where it uses subterfuge to avoid providing information to reporters on the front or to Congress when it attempts an investigation, it suggests they have something to hide.

According to a recent report on by ABC's "Good Morning America", a poll still gave this president a 72% approval rating.

Yet polls also suggest that the public believes this government is sympathetic to rapacious corporate leaders.

When it's suggested that this administration's attempt to take the high road on capping corporate conniving sounds like "the fox is guarding the henhouse" -- it's not time for the rest of us to relax.

What can be done to clear the murk when the government reacts to Democrats questioning by calling their response "partisanship as usual?"

Because this adminstration still resists tough regulation, a real show of confidence-building may be necessary to demonstrate to this country and the world that when we set ourselves up as moral examples -- since the Bushistas suggest that the United States establishs the moral standards for the planet -- they have to provide solid evidence of a willingness to back their words with action.

Maybe it's time for Cheney to quit and take the focus away from his conflicts of interest. Maybe both parties should return all the money they have taken from corporate interests. Maybe all the CEOs should resign and then be elected by the shareholders and employees who are not appointed by the boards of directors.

Maybe we should all realize the market can't correct itself if it is jury-rigged by lying CEOs, CFOs and accounting firms who have conflicts of interest with shareholders... because they know their manipulative behavior will lower the stock value -- so they sell before it plummets.

But that's why we need the spotlight placed on contradictory behavior -- before it gets out of hand -- and maybe it means we all have to take more responsibility for ourselves rather than blindly trust those in power.

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BRAD BALFOUR has been covering arts, pop culture and cutting-edge media for over 25 years--writing for print and online publications such as Omni, E-Radio, CDNow, Metal Hurlant, Spin, Vibe FutureLife, Takarajima--and avoiding a normal job as much as possible. As a result, he started his own magazine (New Review of Records), his own consulting business (BMBmedia) and been a top editor at publications such as Reflex, In Fashion, Heavy Metal and Irish Connections. Now he is a Film Festival Reporter editor covering indie filmmakers--and threatens to make his own films. He is the MEDIA columnist for NY Residents.com and a frequent contributor to The World's Magazine. He lives in New York City.