It's ironic how much politicians and the mass media in the US and its client states resemble that of the former Soviet Union

The day after Hurricane Katrina passed reports noted that that the hurricane was downgraded before it hit land and at the last minute veered to the east, thus the city of New Orleans was spared the worst. This half-truth sought to cover a tragedy which many had predicted would one day happen.

Despite this, the true extent of the damage soon became apparent. Although the hurricane may have lessened in intensity and its eye brushed to the side of New Orleans, the city was not spared the worst. As with modern-day Russia, it appears the American establishment feels that misinformation and sometimes outright lies are enough to placate those over whom they hold sway.

The same can be said of US client states in Central and Eastern Europe. By mid-week after the hurricane hit, the mass media in countries like Hungary brushed off the tragedy as if it were a minor inconvenience. While elsewhere the full extent of the horror had already begun to make itself known, Hungarian media pundits reassured listeners that the US, being the "richest" country in the world, will have no problem in dealing with the situation. In a semi-mocking tone, news of three Hungarian baptists travelling to the US to assist in rescue operations was viewed as nothing more than an insignificant gesture.

Yet when the sheer magnitude of the crisis soon became obvious media outlets were at a loss of how to report the situation; some even chose not to report anything at all. For instance, in it's nightly news broadcast three days after Katrina struck, Hungary's Duna TV didn't mention anything about the devastated area, as if there was no hurricane and nothing had happened.

Blown Away