And these guys want to be in charge?!?
A Diplotmat on the ground reports on the miserable showing by the UN so far.
This Embassy has been running 24/7 since the December 26 earthquake and tsunami. Along with my colleagues, I've spent the past several days dealing non-stop with various aspects of the relief effort in this tsunami-affected country. That work, unfortunately, has brought ever-increasing contact with the growing UN presence in this capital; in fact, we've found that to avoid running into the UN, we must go out to where the quake and tsunami actually hit. As we come up on two weeks since the disaster struck, the UN is still not to be seen where it counts -- except when holding well-staged press events. Ah, yes, but the luxury hotels are full of UN assessment teams and visiting big shots from New York, Geneva, and Vienna. The city sees a steady procession of UN Mercedes sedans and top-of-the-line SUV's -- a fully decked out Toyota Landcruiser is the UN vehicle of choice; it doesn't seem that concerns about "global warming" and preserving your tax dollars run too deep among the UNocrats.
Sitting VERY late for two consecutive nights in interminable meetings with UN reps, hearing them go on about "taking the lead coordination role," pledges, and the impending arrival of this or that UN big shot or assessment/coordination team, for the millionth time I realized that if not for Australia and America almost nobody in the tsunami-affected areas would have survived more than a few days. If we had waited for the UNocrats to get their act coordinated, the already massive death toll would have become astronomical. But, fortunately, thanks to "retrograde racist war-mongers " such as John Howard and George W. Bush, as we sat in air conditioned meeting rooms with these UNocrats, young Australians and Americans were at that moment "coordinating" without the UN and saving the lives of tens-of-thousands of people.
Rawanda and the Sudan should have taught the world by now that the UN is not very good at it's job.
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Friday, January 07, 2005
Philippines Foils Terrorist Attack
The BBC are reporting on a foiled plot by Muslims to blow up Catholics.
Philippine police say they stopped a planned suicide attack on a crowded Roman Catholic festival by arresting 16 suspected Muslim militants and seizing three homemade bombs on Friday. [ If these guys don't qualify for terrorists, who does? .ed]
The arrests come two days ahead of a religious procession in Manila attended by thousands of people every year on 9 January.
Police made the arrests after a raid on a building in Manila.
They said three improvised bombs, a sub-machine gun with a silencer and other weapons were also seized.
Police acted on intelligence reports of a plan for a suicide attack at the religious festival, the Feast of the Black Nazarene.
Ah yes, Islam, the religion of peace.
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Philippine police say they stopped a planned suicide attack on a crowded Roman Catholic festival by arresting 16 suspected Muslim militants and seizing three homemade bombs on Friday. [ If these guys don't qualify for terrorists, who does? .ed]
The arrests come two days ahead of a religious procession in Manila attended by thousands of people every year on 9 January.
Police made the arrests after a raid on a building in Manila.
They said three improvised bombs, a sub-machine gun with a silencer and other weapons were also seized.
Police acted on intelligence reports of a plan for a suicide attack at the religious festival, the Feast of the Black Nazarene.
Ah yes, Islam, the religion of peace.
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9/11 Report and Sandy Berger
Whatever happened to the investigation into the theft of classified documents by former national security adviser and former Kerry aide, Sandy Berger?
Just asking?
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Just asking?
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Abu Ghraib Prison Test
Get pen and paper ready and see if you can pass Mudville Gazette's Abu Ghraib Prison Test.
I'm with him, I'd like to see the media take this test.
No cheating, the answers are the bottom of his post.
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I'm with him, I'd like to see the media take this test.
No cheating, the answers are the bottom of his post.
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Silent Muslim Majority IS the Problem
Front Page has an article echoing something I've been saying for a long time.
I am overwhelmed with sadness over the state of the Muslim world. I am looking at the photograph of an Iranian woman about to be stoned to death in Iran, buried to her waste in dirt to keep her from running away.
A few weeks ago, I read about a 14 year-old Iranian boy who died after receiving 85 lashes for the ‘sin’ of eating in public in the month of Ramadan. Salah Uddin Choudhury has been in prison for one year in Bangladesh for the ‘crime’ of urging his nation to recognize Israel and advocating interfaith dialogue among equals as well as warning against the growing power of Islamists in Bangladesh.
What are Muslim community activists in America doing about their homegrown brutal human rights violations? They are silent.
The picture of the stoned woman has been seen by some Muslims I know in the Middle East and also fellow Americans, Christians and Jews. The first reaction by the Muslims was “what did she do?” while the first reaction by Americans was “How could this happen?”
And for historical context:
2000 years after Christianity abandoned stoning as a form of punishment, Islam still continues to practice it.
While Iraq's Muslim brothers in other countries did nothing to help end Saddam's reign of terror, they are quick to attack Americans who freed them. Even though the country was still very dangerous, Margret Hassan, British, stayed to help the Iraqi people. What did Muslim women in the area do? Very little.
These hijab-wearing Muslim women expressed no outrage over the brutal murder of Margaret Hassan in Iraq, a British woman who dedicated 30 years of her life to helping Iraqis. How many properly covered up Saudi, gulf state, Egyptian, Syrian or Jordanian women went to Iraq, Iran, Algeria or Sudan, to help their sisters and brothers in Islam as did Margaret Hassan? The answer is practically none. That job was usually left to Westerners who do it out of their Judeo-Christian inspired sense of humanity.
And now we have a disaster on an unimaginable scale in an area of mostly Muslims. Who is doing the most to help? The West. Many Muslim countries say the area deserved it or it was God's will and donate little in relief aid.
If disasters such as 9/11, 3/11, Beslan and now this tsunami, have taught the world anything, it is that Islam and Muslims need to change.
Here is what 25 years of Islam has done for Iran. Graphic Warning.
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I am overwhelmed with sadness over the state of the Muslim world. I am looking at the photograph of an Iranian woman about to be stoned to death in Iran, buried to her waste in dirt to keep her from running away.
A few weeks ago, I read about a 14 year-old Iranian boy who died after receiving 85 lashes for the ‘sin’ of eating in public in the month of Ramadan. Salah Uddin Choudhury has been in prison for one year in Bangladesh for the ‘crime’ of urging his nation to recognize Israel and advocating interfaith dialogue among equals as well as warning against the growing power of Islamists in Bangladesh.
What are Muslim community activists in America doing about their homegrown brutal human rights violations? They are silent.
The picture of the stoned woman has been seen by some Muslims I know in the Middle East and also fellow Americans, Christians and Jews. The first reaction by the Muslims was “what did she do?” while the first reaction by Americans was “How could this happen?”
And for historical context:
2000 years after Christianity abandoned stoning as a form of punishment, Islam still continues to practice it.
While Iraq's Muslim brothers in other countries did nothing to help end Saddam's reign of terror, they are quick to attack Americans who freed them. Even though the country was still very dangerous, Margret Hassan, British, stayed to help the Iraqi people. What did Muslim women in the area do? Very little.
These hijab-wearing Muslim women expressed no outrage over the brutal murder of Margaret Hassan in Iraq, a British woman who dedicated 30 years of her life to helping Iraqis. How many properly covered up Saudi, gulf state, Egyptian, Syrian or Jordanian women went to Iraq, Iran, Algeria or Sudan, to help their sisters and brothers in Islam as did Margaret Hassan? The answer is practically none. That job was usually left to Westerners who do it out of their Judeo-Christian inspired sense of humanity.
And now we have a disaster on an unimaginable scale in an area of mostly Muslims. Who is doing the most to help? The West. Many Muslim countries say the area deserved it or it was God's will and donate little in relief aid.
If disasters such as 9/11, 3/11, Beslan and now this tsunami, have taught the world anything, it is that Islam and Muslims need to change.
Here is what 25 years of Islam has done for Iran. Graphic Warning.
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Iraq - British Terror Suspects Held
That's my headline.
The Guardian headline is more provocative. Their headline is designed to generate anger in the British public against America. Here is how the Guardian headline their story:
Two Britons held in Iraq
The public know that anyone being held in Iraq is being held by America. By leaving out the terrorist aspect, the Guardian knows that anyone just skimming the headline will immediately feel resentment towards America.
But just in case the public actually read the story, the Guardian has that covered to.
The first, believed to be a 25-year-old passport holder born in Pakistan, was detained last month in the rebel stronghold of Ramadi, in the west of Iraq, during an episode in which US marines closed in on a group of suspected militants caught moving weaponry around the western Iraqi city.
A firefight broke out and a number of people were detained.
The Briton told his captors he was a peace worker and was not involved in violent activities. Though unarmed, he was found to have traces of explosives on his hands. His explanation that he had moved some weapons to find space to sleep was not believed.
The Guardian tells us he is a passport holder, presumedly British. As if that should be the end of the matter. "You can't touch me and you have to believe me, I'm a British passport holder".
And how is someone who is "caught moving weaponry around" merely a "suspected militant" [terrorist]?
Notice how the Guardian try and defend this guy. Hey, he told them he was a peace worker and not involved in violent activities, even though he was caught with this group of terrorists moving weapons. I'm sure the terrorists don't mind who know where they are moving weapons to or from.
I like the "though unarmed" part. This group was just in a firefight with US Marines and lost. Would you still be holding a weapon in these circumstances? I think not.
But the last line of that paragraph is absolutely priceless and worth repeating.
His explanation that he had moved some weapons to find space to sleep was not believed.
So you're tired and want some sleep, better so do some hard work first and move all these weapons out of the way so you can lie down. Incredulously, his story was not believed.
He should have used a better excuse like one from Cheech and Chong. He could have said he had merely found these weapons and was on his way to turn them in at the time of his arrest.
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The Guardian headline is more provocative. Their headline is designed to generate anger in the British public against America. Here is how the Guardian headline their story:
Two Britons held in Iraq
The public know that anyone being held in Iraq is being held by America. By leaving out the terrorist aspect, the Guardian knows that anyone just skimming the headline will immediately feel resentment towards America.
But just in case the public actually read the story, the Guardian has that covered to.
The first, believed to be a 25-year-old passport holder born in Pakistan, was detained last month in the rebel stronghold of Ramadi, in the west of Iraq, during an episode in which US marines closed in on a group of suspected militants caught moving weaponry around the western Iraqi city.
A firefight broke out and a number of people were detained.
The Briton told his captors he was a peace worker and was not involved in violent activities. Though unarmed, he was found to have traces of explosives on his hands. His explanation that he had moved some weapons to find space to sleep was not believed.
The Guardian tells us he is a passport holder, presumedly British. As if that should be the end of the matter. "You can't touch me and you have to believe me, I'm a British passport holder".
And how is someone who is "caught moving weaponry around" merely a "suspected militant" [terrorist]?
Notice how the Guardian try and defend this guy. Hey, he told them he was a peace worker and not involved in violent activities, even though he was caught with this group of terrorists moving weapons. I'm sure the terrorists don't mind who know where they are moving weapons to or from.
I like the "though unarmed" part. This group was just in a firefight with US Marines and lost. Would you still be holding a weapon in these circumstances? I think not.
But the last line of that paragraph is absolutely priceless and worth repeating.
His explanation that he had moved some weapons to find space to sleep was not believed.
So you're tired and want some sleep, better so do some hard work first and move all these weapons out of the way so you can lie down. Incredulously, his story was not believed.
He should have used a better excuse like one from Cheech and Chong. He could have said he had merely found these weapons and was on his way to turn them in at the time of his arrest.
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Tsunami - UN determined to take lead
Take the money more like.
The Guardian is reporting on how the UN wants to take the lead, after nearly two weeks, in the tsunami relief effort.
Kofi Annan's appeal for $977m (£521m) to be channelled towards UN-led emergency aid programmes was welcomed yesterday as a sign that the organisation was getting to grips with the scale of the disaster.
Welcomed by whom? The same bureaucrats who stole millions from starving Iraqis under the UN administered oil for food scandal? Yeah, I bet they can't wait to get their hands on all this money now that the oil, er, money has dried up from their last scandal.
As for getting to grips with the disaster, it has taken them almost two weeks and still all they are doing is setting up shop.
So far, between $3bn and $4bn has been promised in aid to repair the devastated coastal communities around the Indian Ocean rim. A significant slice of that money, Mr Annan hopes, will be handed over to UN agencies.
Oh, I bet he does alright. While the UN is still embroiled in the oil for food scandal, not everybody is so sure the money will go where it is suppose to.
Then UK foreign secretary, Jack Straw, puts his foot in his mouth.
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, who attended the Jakarta summit, agreed that "the ... difficult part is to ensure that the money pledged is first paid and secondly is then spent wisely and in a coordinated way".
"We have got a very good record on that," he told BBC radio.
The Iraqi people might disagree with that statement, Mr. Straw.
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The Guardian is reporting on how the UN wants to take the lead, after nearly two weeks, in the tsunami relief effort.
Kofi Annan's appeal for $977m (£521m) to be channelled towards UN-led emergency aid programmes was welcomed yesterday as a sign that the organisation was getting to grips with the scale of the disaster.
Welcomed by whom? The same bureaucrats who stole millions from starving Iraqis under the UN administered oil for food scandal? Yeah, I bet they can't wait to get their hands on all this money now that the oil, er, money has dried up from their last scandal.
As for getting to grips with the disaster, it has taken them almost two weeks and still all they are doing is setting up shop.
So far, between $3bn and $4bn has been promised in aid to repair the devastated coastal communities around the Indian Ocean rim. A significant slice of that money, Mr Annan hopes, will be handed over to UN agencies.
Oh, I bet he does alright. While the UN is still embroiled in the oil for food scandal, not everybody is so sure the money will go where it is suppose to.
Then UK foreign secretary, Jack Straw, puts his foot in his mouth.
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, who attended the Jakarta summit, agreed that "the ... difficult part is to ensure that the money pledged is first paid and secondly is then spent wisely and in a coordinated way".
"We have got a very good record on that," he told BBC radio.
The Iraqi people might disagree with that statement, Mr. Straw.
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Tsunami Charities missing millions
Don't worry this is not about them being ripped off, just some information on a tax efficent way to make your donation go further.
From The London Times.
INTERNATIONAL aid charities are missing millions in tax relief on donations because so few people are adding Gift Aid when they give to the various tsunami disaster appeals.
Gift Aid is one of the simplest and most effective ways of giving to charity and taxpayers can use it at no extra cost to themselves.
All they have to do is confirm that they are taxpayers and tick a box giving the charity permission to claim the relief on their donation.
Using Gift Aid means that for every pound given by a taxpayer, the charity will receive an extra 28p from the Inland Revenue. This means that a £10 Gift Aid donation, is worth £12.80 to the charity.
Higher-rate taxpayers can reclaim tax relief on gross donations at 18 per cent (the difference between the higher rate of tax at 40 per cent and the basic rate at 22 per cent). This means that a £100 gift from a higher-rate taxpayer, which is worth £128.21 with Gift Aid to the charity, need cost the donor only £76.92.
Despite these obvious benefits, the British Red Cross, which has raised £4 million for its tsunami appeal, said yesterday that half of donors had not opted for the Gift Aid box on their donations. “We are missing out on much needed income,” a spokesman said.
The most effective way of ensuring that every penny of your tsunami disaster donation is used effectively is to make it through the Disasters Emergency Committee. Gifts can be made online or by phone at www.dec.org.uk, by phoning 0870 60 60 900, or by filling in The Times Tsunami Appeal coupon on page 7 of the paper.
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From The London Times.
INTERNATIONAL aid charities are missing millions in tax relief on donations because so few people are adding Gift Aid when they give to the various tsunami disaster appeals.
Gift Aid is one of the simplest and most effective ways of giving to charity and taxpayers can use it at no extra cost to themselves.
All they have to do is confirm that they are taxpayers and tick a box giving the charity permission to claim the relief on their donation.
Using Gift Aid means that for every pound given by a taxpayer, the charity will receive an extra 28p from the Inland Revenue. This means that a £10 Gift Aid donation, is worth £12.80 to the charity.
Higher-rate taxpayers can reclaim tax relief on gross donations at 18 per cent (the difference between the higher rate of tax at 40 per cent and the basic rate at 22 per cent). This means that a £100 gift from a higher-rate taxpayer, which is worth £128.21 with Gift Aid to the charity, need cost the donor only £76.92.
Despite these obvious benefits, the British Red Cross, which has raised £4 million for its tsunami appeal, said yesterday that half of donors had not opted for the Gift Aid box on their donations. “We are missing out on much needed income,” a spokesman said.
The most effective way of ensuring that every penny of your tsunami disaster donation is used effectively is to make it through the Disasters Emergency Committee. Gifts can be made online or by phone at www.dec.org.uk, by phoning 0870 60 60 900, or by filling in The Times Tsunami Appeal coupon on page 7 of the paper.
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Credit card companies profit from tsunami
The London Times is reporting how credit card companies stand to make a bundle on credit card donations to the tsunami relief.
BANKS, credit card companies and internet security firms stand to make hundreds of thousands of pounds from the British public’s donations to the victims of the Asian tsunami disaster.
International charities including Oxfam, the British Red Cross, Christian Aid and Save the Children were attempting last night to persuade their financial partners to waive their transaction fees because of the exceptional nature of the catastrophe.
Sounds like a good idea to me.
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BANKS, credit card companies and internet security firms stand to make hundreds of thousands of pounds from the British public’s donations to the victims of the Asian tsunami disaster.
International charities including Oxfam, the British Red Cross, Christian Aid and Save the Children were attempting last night to persuade their financial partners to waive their transaction fees because of the exceptional nature of the catastrophe.
Sounds like a good idea to me.
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CBS Report Legal Checklist
Scylla&Charybdis provide us with a handy legal checklist for the forthcoming CBS internal investigation into Rathergate.
CBS Report Legal Checklist for Scylla&Charybdis readers:
1. Withholding under "Privilege." If some or all of the full report is withheld due to "privilege," it means that CBS doesn't want the full report to be subject to subpoena in a lawsuit. This implies some lawsuit is possible, and facts want to be kept confidential. What facts, and what type of lawsuit?
2. CBS Legal Liability. Potential lawsuits against CBS include regulatory, civil and criminal. Will the Report omit all relevant details, under claim of "privilege," because of this exposure?
3. "Personal Files." This phrase was inserted somewhere between forgery and broadcast, likely by a lawyer who realized that under the Texas forgery statute, passing or publishing 2 or more fake 'government records' is a felony. Solution? Pretend these fake government records are from "personal files." No government files, no felony. Find where that got inserted, and you've fingered a criminal intent. (Did CBS lawyers insert the phrase?) Thornburgh is aware of the issue (so too are various Texas prosecutors...). Will the report whitewash it?
4. The Viacom Rulebook. Viacom employee rules prohibit pretty much everything that is alleged to have happened in Memogate (assisting a political campaign; compliance with law; conflicts of interest). Will these be addressed, or do "journalists" get a free pass?
5. Tampering. Will the Report address tampering issues involved CBS having allowed Mapes to continue to produce cover-up segments, particularly the old lady Knox segment? Or any detailed analysis of the genesis of the numerous false statements, etc., by all levels of CBS employees, during the 11 days of cover-up by CBS?
6. CBS Legal Oversight During Coverup. For 11 days, 60 Minutes, CBS News, and the CBS Press Office defended the story by attacking critics, making misleading and false statements about the vetting process, etc. Will the report address the role of the CBS attorneys in such actions during the 11-day process?
7. Re-Organization of CBS Legal. In addition to the journalism lapses (or worse), the legal lapses by the CBS Legal Department were malpractice(or worse) in any other realm. It is also possible that warnings by CBS Legal were overruled by political desires to run the anti-Bush story. Will the role of CBS Legal be reorganized re: the news division?
Keep it handy for when the report gets published, if it does.
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CBS Report Legal Checklist for Scylla&Charybdis readers:
1. Withholding under "Privilege." If some or all of the full report is withheld due to "privilege," it means that CBS doesn't want the full report to be subject to subpoena in a lawsuit. This implies some lawsuit is possible, and facts want to be kept confidential. What facts, and what type of lawsuit?
2. CBS Legal Liability. Potential lawsuits against CBS include regulatory, civil and criminal. Will the Report omit all relevant details, under claim of "privilege," because of this exposure?
3. "Personal Files." This phrase was inserted somewhere between forgery and broadcast, likely by a lawyer who realized that under the Texas forgery statute, passing or publishing 2 or more fake 'government records' is a felony. Solution? Pretend these fake government records are from "personal files." No government files, no felony. Find where that got inserted, and you've fingered a criminal intent. (Did CBS lawyers insert the phrase?) Thornburgh is aware of the issue (so too are various Texas prosecutors...). Will the report whitewash it?
4. The Viacom Rulebook. Viacom employee rules prohibit pretty much everything that is alleged to have happened in Memogate (assisting a political campaign; compliance with law; conflicts of interest). Will these be addressed, or do "journalists" get a free pass?
5. Tampering. Will the Report address tampering issues involved CBS having allowed Mapes to continue to produce cover-up segments, particularly the old lady Knox segment? Or any detailed analysis of the genesis of the numerous false statements, etc., by all levels of CBS employees, during the 11 days of cover-up by CBS?
6. CBS Legal Oversight During Coverup. For 11 days, 60 Minutes, CBS News, and the CBS Press Office defended the story by attacking critics, making misleading and false statements about the vetting process, etc. Will the report address the role of the CBS attorneys in such actions during the 11-day process?
7. Re-Organization of CBS Legal. In addition to the journalism lapses (or worse), the legal lapses by the CBS Legal Department were malpractice(or worse) in any other realm. It is also possible that warnings by CBS Legal were overruled by political desires to run the anti-Bush story. Will the role of CBS Legal be reorganized re: the news division?
Keep it handy for when the report gets published, if it does.
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Muslims and Europe's identity crisis
US News and World Report takes a look at the growing identity problem in Europe.
BERLIN--Told that she couldn't sit in on religion classes for the Muslim students at Rixdorfer Elementary School, Marion Berning went into the classroom anyway on the pretext of fixing a window. What she found stunned and angered her. The teacher was saying that "women are for the house, for the children. And the girls were sitting like this," she says, placing her hands in her lap, slumping her shoulders in an imitation of a meek posture, and casting her eyes downward. "While all of the boys," she is yelling now, "they were talking and playing. This is fundamentalism."
Read the whole thing.
The Dutch and French are having similar problems and in the UK they are adopting Sharia law. Where is all this heading? A crisis, identity or ortherwise.
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BERLIN--Told that she couldn't sit in on religion classes for the Muslim students at Rixdorfer Elementary School, Marion Berning went into the classroom anyway on the pretext of fixing a window. What she found stunned and angered her. The teacher was saying that "women are for the house, for the children. And the girls were sitting like this," she says, placing her hands in her lap, slumping her shoulders in an imitation of a meek posture, and casting her eyes downward. "While all of the boys," she is yelling now, "they were talking and playing. This is fundamentalism."
Read the whole thing.
The Dutch and French are having similar problems and in the UK they are adopting Sharia law. Where is all this heading? A crisis, identity or ortherwise.
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Thursday, January 06, 2005
Guardian of British Distortion
Honest Reporting shows why, thanks to dog trainer newpaper, The Guardian, Britions hate Israel.
They start with a recent poll showing British feelings toward Israel.
A new, comprehensive poll of British opinion on foreign nations was just released by The Telegraph. The results: Israel is considered by Britons the #1 'least deserving of international respect,' the 'least beautiful country,' the country Britons would 'least like to take a holiday in,' and would 'least like to live in.'
How did this British animosity toward Israel come about, with Israel ranked worse than Egypt, India, China and 20 other countries?
Then they contrast the same incident between the IDF and Palestinians as reported by the Guardian and The New York Times.
Here is a gist of the comparison but be sure to read the whole thing.
First the Guardian.
The Guardian report 1) presents as established fact a 'mistaken killing' of innocent Palestinian children, 2) reverses the actual series of events ― IDF response named first, Palestinian mortars second, 3) describes the Israeli civilian target of the Palestinian mortar fire as an Israeli 'position' ― falsely implying a military target, and 4) calls the IDF response an 'attack,' while the Palestinian mortar fire (against civilians) receives no such derogatory description.
Now the NYT.
Note that the Times account acknowledges 1) who started the violence ― Palestinians targeting Israeli civilians, 2) the IDF claim that its tanks actually struck the mortar-firing terrorists, and 3) the all-important issue of terrorists firing mortars from the midst of Palestinian civilians, thereby endangering innocents' lives.
They sum it up this way.
Now we understand the results of the UK public opinion poll. Years of reports such as today's from the Guardian have left Britons with a highly distorted understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
HonestReporting asks: How much longer will an irresponsible UK media continue to deceive the British public by blaming Israel for all the region's woes?
Comments to the Guardian: letters@guardian.co.uk
And how much longer can they and the BBC continue to deceive the British public about America. It's time we put a stop to the outrageous acts of the media.
Be sure to read about Melanie Phillips article on the media's abuse of power, wherein she ends with this warning.
In the war that has been declared upon the free world, the western media’s abuse of power is perhaps the most lethal weapon of all.
There is no "perhaps" about it. For too long they have wielded the power of the pen. Like the dinasours, their time is passing.
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They start with a recent poll showing British feelings toward Israel.
A new, comprehensive poll of British opinion on foreign nations was just released by The Telegraph. The results: Israel is considered by Britons the #1 'least deserving of international respect,' the 'least beautiful country,' the country Britons would 'least like to take a holiday in,' and would 'least like to live in.'
How did this British animosity toward Israel come about, with Israel ranked worse than Egypt, India, China and 20 other countries?
Then they contrast the same incident between the IDF and Palestinians as reported by the Guardian and The New York Times.
Here is a gist of the comparison but be sure to read the whole thing.
First the Guardian.
The Guardian report 1) presents as established fact a 'mistaken killing' of innocent Palestinian children, 2) reverses the actual series of events ― IDF response named first, Palestinian mortars second, 3) describes the Israeli civilian target of the Palestinian mortar fire as an Israeli 'position' ― falsely implying a military target, and 4) calls the IDF response an 'attack,' while the Palestinian mortar fire (against civilians) receives no such derogatory description.
Now the NYT.
Note that the Times account acknowledges 1) who started the violence ― Palestinians targeting Israeli civilians, 2) the IDF claim that its tanks actually struck the mortar-firing terrorists, and 3) the all-important issue of terrorists firing mortars from the midst of Palestinian civilians, thereby endangering innocents' lives.
They sum it up this way.
Now we understand the results of the UK public opinion poll. Years of reports such as today's from the Guardian have left Britons with a highly distorted understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
HonestReporting asks: How much longer will an irresponsible UK media continue to deceive the British public by blaming Israel for all the region's woes?
Comments to the Guardian: letters@guardian.co.uk
And how much longer can they and the BBC continue to deceive the British public about America. It's time we put a stop to the outrageous acts of the media.
Be sure to read about Melanie Phillips article on the media's abuse of power, wherein she ends with this warning.
In the war that has been declared upon the free world, the western media’s abuse of power is perhaps the most lethal weapon of all.
There is no "perhaps" about it. For too long they have wielded the power of the pen. Like the dinasours, their time is passing.
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Iraq - The Saudi Connection
Melanie Phillips has this comment on an article in The Weekly Standard concerning the Saudi's and America's relationship with them.
...From the start of the war on terror, the US has failed to act against its Saudi ally. When the history of this whole saga comes to be written (if anyone remains in the west to do so) it will surely be seen that far from the gung-ho war-monger that he is painted by his enemies, President Bush failed to act against the rogue state that -- along with Iran -- is the fount of the jihad against the west, and yet seems to have le tout Washington in the folds of its robes.
I agree with Melanie, to a point. But there's a problem.
How does the US go after everyone or for that matter anyone? Most of the world, led by the world press, has fought the US tooth and nail, every step of the way, in this war on terror. The US couldn't get the UN to authorize the war in Iraq because France, Russia and China were bribed. Melanie doesn't tell us how we could get permission to wage war in Saudi Arabia. Or is she advocating unilateral action? She provides no answers; just go get'em. The very thing the world criticizes the US for all the time.
The anti-war movement is well funded, well led and aided by the world press. For freeing the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, America is branded a war monger and a crusader.
Yes Iran and Saudi Arabia have a case to answer for.
But then how best to fight the war on terror? I'm not privy to the White House plan but maybe it consists of trying to plant democracy in the middle east and let it spread. Wouldn't a peaceful transition to democracy by these regimes be preferable to war? Look how Libya gave up its' weapons of mass destruction without a shot. And the sings are that things are improving in Libya in other areas.
It's all well and good you criticizing Bush for failing to act without knowing his plan or offering a better plan, Melanie.
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...From the start of the war on terror, the US has failed to act against its Saudi ally. When the history of this whole saga comes to be written (if anyone remains in the west to do so) it will surely be seen that far from the gung-ho war-monger that he is painted by his enemies, President Bush failed to act against the rogue state that -- along with Iran -- is the fount of the jihad against the west, and yet seems to have le tout Washington in the folds of its robes.
I agree with Melanie, to a point. But there's a problem.
How does the US go after everyone or for that matter anyone? Most of the world, led by the world press, has fought the US tooth and nail, every step of the way, in this war on terror. The US couldn't get the UN to authorize the war in Iraq because France, Russia and China were bribed. Melanie doesn't tell us how we could get permission to wage war in Saudi Arabia. Or is she advocating unilateral action? She provides no answers; just go get'em. The very thing the world criticizes the US for all the time.
The anti-war movement is well funded, well led and aided by the world press. For freeing the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, America is branded a war monger and a crusader.
Yes Iran and Saudi Arabia have a case to answer for.
But then how best to fight the war on terror? I'm not privy to the White House plan but maybe it consists of trying to plant democracy in the middle east and let it spread. Wouldn't a peaceful transition to democracy by these regimes be preferable to war? Look how Libya gave up its' weapons of mass destruction without a shot. And the sings are that things are improving in Libya in other areas.
It's all well and good you criticizing Bush for failing to act without knowing his plan or offering a better plan, Melanie.
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Why did US base escape tsunami?
Tin foil hat alert! Biased BBC points us to this BBC nonsense.
Following the tsunami, conspiracy rumours have been circulating on the internet of how the US base at Diego Garcia managed to avoid casualties while other islands suffered huge losses.
The US Navy's official Diego Garcia website said the island wasn't hit by the devastating tsunami because it is surrounded by deep waters and the grade of its shores does not allow for tsunamis to build before hitting land.
Notice how the BBC refer to an answer by the US Navy, the inference being that since you can't trust the US, the BBC tells us so daily, you better not trust this answer. I guess the BBC doesn't have anyone bright enough to know what a 7th grade geography student knows.
Or, is this just another example by the BBC, of how the poor suffer while the rich US of A gets off without a scratch?
Why raise the question at all? All manner of conspiracy rumours circulate on the internet everyday.
Because the conspiracy theory suits the BBC's contrived question:
Is America a power for good or ill in the world? Was there a malign hand at work, or has America's role in the crisis in fact been a model of humanitarian leadership.
As biased BBC notes "Contemptible". Quite right.
At a time when America has pledged $350 million, private donations may exceed that, her military has hundreds of ships, thousands of sailors and all manner of planes helping in the relief, all the BBC can do is ask is America good or evil.
Let's not forget that all those military people helping out are risking their lives. Military operations alone are dangerous enough and now we have reports of some shots fired at the troops. Remember also, this area is full of radical Islamists and the US military could become a target.
How contemptible of the BBC to exploit a tragedy such as this to bash America. And we have to pay for the privilege.
One last observation that escapes the ever clueless BBC, the island of Diego Garcia is British territory. How ironic.
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Following the tsunami, conspiracy rumours have been circulating on the internet of how the US base at Diego Garcia managed to avoid casualties while other islands suffered huge losses.
The US Navy's official Diego Garcia website said the island wasn't hit by the devastating tsunami because it is surrounded by deep waters and the grade of its shores does not allow for tsunamis to build before hitting land.
Notice how the BBC refer to an answer by the US Navy, the inference being that since you can't trust the US, the BBC tells us so daily, you better not trust this answer. I guess the BBC doesn't have anyone bright enough to know what a 7th grade geography student knows.
Or, is this just another example by the BBC, of how the poor suffer while the rich US of A gets off without a scratch?
Why raise the question at all? All manner of conspiracy rumours circulate on the internet everyday.
Because the conspiracy theory suits the BBC's contrived question:
Is America a power for good or ill in the world? Was there a malign hand at work, or has America's role in the crisis in fact been a model of humanitarian leadership.
As biased BBC notes "Contemptible". Quite right.
At a time when America has pledged $350 million, private donations may exceed that, her military has hundreds of ships, thousands of sailors and all manner of planes helping in the relief, all the BBC can do is ask is America good or evil.
Let's not forget that all those military people helping out are risking their lives. Military operations alone are dangerous enough and now we have reports of some shots fired at the troops. Remember also, this area is full of radical Islamists and the US military could become a target.
How contemptible of the BBC to exploit a tragedy such as this to bash America. And we have to pay for the privilege.
One last observation that escapes the ever clueless BBC, the island of Diego Garcia is British territory. How ironic.
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CBS tries to dupe America
Do you remember Rathergate, the CBS scandal where Dan Rather used forged documents in an attempt to smear President Bush and wreck his chances for re-election? CBS hopes you have or at least the memory has faded a bit. They are due to publish their months delayed, it was supposed to be weeks not months, report, possibly today or tomorrow.
CBS failed in that attempt but teamed up with The New York Times to try and create a scandal out of a small amount of explosives that went missing in Iraq. CBS backed out at the last minute and instead ran an old story about racism in the south in the 60's. CBS was hoping you wouldn't notice that the south was controlled by Democrats back then.
Now, do you remember how all those exit polls of the election showed Kerry winning and winning big, even in states he had no chance of winning? Well, those exit polls were manipulated. No surprise there. But who did it?
The polls were conducted by Warren Mitofsky. Guess who Mitofsky used to work for?
CBS
In the 1960s and 1970s, working with a small group of colleagues at CBS News, he helped invent not only the exit poll, but also the CBS likely voter model...
Now guess who else worked at CBS in the 1960's and 1970's? That's right, none other than Dan Rather.
Coincidence? I think not.
UPDATE:
Need more proof that CBS tries to dupe its' viewers? Ok. How about CBS fabricating a story about the tsunami? Have they no shame?
From Dive Wire
OCEAN ROVER TSUNAMI UPDATE - 4 JANUARY 2005
CBS NEWS DISTORTION
To those of you who saw Ocean Rover in the CBS News report about coral damage: do not believe what they are telling you! We are furious at CBS. One of their producers contacted us and asked if we could help them get to the Similan Islands to report on coral damage. They assured us the piece would be "fair & balanced."
We did everything we could to assist the CBS news team and they spend half a day filming and interviewing people on board Ocean Rover. One of our clients kindly gave them his underwater video footage for use during the broadcast. CBS promised our client that his footage would be used in a responsible manner.
Our Cruise Director Hans Tibboel described one specific divesite in Surin Island with the words: "it looked like a giant sandblaster was used". Again, Hans was describing only one divesite and made positive remarks about the actual lack of damage at other places. Of course, the CBS editor used the "sandblast" soundbite and hardly anything else.
Footage was also arranged in a "before & after" method that is not consistent with the real situation. All the beautiful "before" footage shown by CBS was actually filmed AFTER the tsunami.
They never learn. They think they can get away without getting caught.
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CBS failed in that attempt but teamed up with The New York Times to try and create a scandal out of a small amount of explosives that went missing in Iraq. CBS backed out at the last minute and instead ran an old story about racism in the south in the 60's. CBS was hoping you wouldn't notice that the south was controlled by Democrats back then.
Now, do you remember how all those exit polls of the election showed Kerry winning and winning big, even in states he had no chance of winning? Well, those exit polls were manipulated. No surprise there. But who did it?
The polls were conducted by Warren Mitofsky. Guess who Mitofsky used to work for?
CBS
In the 1960s and 1970s, working with a small group of colleagues at CBS News, he helped invent not only the exit poll, but also the CBS likely voter model...
Now guess who else worked at CBS in the 1960's and 1970's? That's right, none other than Dan Rather.
Coincidence? I think not.
UPDATE:
Need more proof that CBS tries to dupe its' viewers? Ok. How about CBS fabricating a story about the tsunami? Have they no shame?
From Dive Wire
OCEAN ROVER TSUNAMI UPDATE - 4 JANUARY 2005
CBS NEWS DISTORTION
To those of you who saw Ocean Rover in the CBS News report about coral damage: do not believe what they are telling you! We are furious at CBS. One of their producers contacted us and asked if we could help them get to the Similan Islands to report on coral damage. They assured us the piece would be "fair & balanced."
We did everything we could to assist the CBS news team and they spend half a day filming and interviewing people on board Ocean Rover. One of our clients kindly gave them his underwater video footage for use during the broadcast. CBS promised our client that his footage would be used in a responsible manner.
Our Cruise Director Hans Tibboel described one specific divesite in Surin Island with the words: "it looked like a giant sandblaster was used". Again, Hans was describing only one divesite and made positive remarks about the actual lack of damage at other places. Of course, the CBS editor used the "sandblast" soundbite and hardly anything else.
Footage was also arranged in a "before & after" method that is not consistent with the real situation. All the beautiful "before" footage shown by CBS was actually filmed AFTER the tsunami.
They never learn. They think they can get away without getting caught.
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Media pay the price for ignoring bloggers
CBS paid the price for ignoring bloggers. Powerline, Time's Blog of the Year, is given a lot of the credit for exposing Dan Rather's attempt to use forged documents in a bid to smear President Bush. Rather paid the ultimate price and is to resign, er, retire.
Recently, Powerline has been in a dispute with a columnist at the Star Tribune, Nick Coleman. Lots of accusations were made by Coleman that were untrue and Powerline failed to get them retracted. However, one of the accusations involved a local bank who one of the bloggers worked for and happened to have advertising with the Tribune.
Since the Tribune would not retract the false claims made against Powerline, the bank pulled their advertising! Here is what the bank had to say.
While I have disagreed with the Star Tribune on many issues, I respect with all my heart your right of freedom of the press and free speech. Apparently Nick Coleman does not share these values.
To suggest that customers of TCF Bank should move their money because of a TCF employee's blogging activities (an exercise of free speech) is just wrong. To suggest that an employer of an individual who exercises free speech rights should be punished is, I am sure, a violation of journalistic ethics and perhaps a legal issue.
Just for the record, the first time I ever heard of Power Line (which I have never read) was when I read about it in Time Magazine. To suggest that TCF or I am somehow the creator or supporter of Power Line is simply not true. Incidentally, Mr. Coleman never contacted me to ask if I was behind it (another example of great journalism!).
One thing I can assure you of is that if your columnists can suggest that people stop banking at TCF because of the political activities of one of its employees, TCF will never spend another dollar on advertising in the Star Tribune as long as I am Chairman.
When will they learn blogs are a serious business.
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Recently, Powerline has been in a dispute with a columnist at the Star Tribune, Nick Coleman. Lots of accusations were made by Coleman that were untrue and Powerline failed to get them retracted. However, one of the accusations involved a local bank who one of the bloggers worked for and happened to have advertising with the Tribune.
Since the Tribune would not retract the false claims made against Powerline, the bank pulled their advertising! Here is what the bank had to say.
While I have disagreed with the Star Tribune on many issues, I respect with all my heart your right of freedom of the press and free speech. Apparently Nick Coleman does not share these values.
To suggest that customers of TCF Bank should move their money because of a TCF employee's blogging activities (an exercise of free speech) is just wrong. To suggest that an employer of an individual who exercises free speech rights should be punished is, I am sure, a violation of journalistic ethics and perhaps a legal issue.
Just for the record, the first time I ever heard of Power Line (which I have never read) was when I read about it in Time Magazine. To suggest that TCF or I am somehow the creator or supporter of Power Line is simply not true. Incidentally, Mr. Coleman never contacted me to ask if I was behind it (another example of great journalism!).
One thing I can assure you of is that if your columnists can suggest that people stop banking at TCF because of the political activities of one of its employees, TCF will never spend another dollar on advertising in the Star Tribune as long as I am Chairman.
When will they learn blogs are a serious business.
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Hugh Hewitt challenges CBS for bloggers
Hugh Hewitt throws down the guantlet to CBS.
Release a draft of the Rathergate report to a half-dozen bloggers for pre-publication comment (on the condition that they not comment on the report until it is released. The right list will produce honorable people who will abide by the embargo.) At a minimum, run any paragraph mentioning a blogger past that blogger for vetting. Receive their comments and publish them along with the report, along with responses. Don't pretend that the bloggers that humbled Rather and CBS don't exist.
The new medium brought you low. Try to figure out how to at least engage it. Be sure as well to e-mail the report to every major blogger the moment of its release, and to make it available on the web, and not just in PDF format.
This will be among the most scrutinized documents ever. Don't expect any error to be overlooked.
There is no way in hell CBS will answer him.
I wish I could get these guys to take on the BBC
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Release a draft of the Rathergate report to a half-dozen bloggers for pre-publication comment (on the condition that they not comment on the report until it is released. The right list will produce honorable people who will abide by the embargo.) At a minimum, run any paragraph mentioning a blogger past that blogger for vetting. Receive their comments and publish them along with the report, along with responses. Don't pretend that the bloggers that humbled Rather and CBS don't exist.
The new medium brought you low. Try to figure out how to at least engage it. Be sure as well to e-mail the report to every major blogger the moment of its release, and to make it available on the web, and not just in PDF format.
This will be among the most scrutinized documents ever. Don't expect any error to be overlooked.
There is no way in hell CBS will answer him.
I wish I could get these guys to take on the BBC
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Alexander - why it's a flop
I haven't seen the film and don't intend to. It's just not my kind of film and besides the nearest movie house to me is 35 miles away!
Oliver Stone, the director and Moritz Borman, the producer, both blame "dumb" America. Strangely, Colin Farrell the actor who plays Alexander in the film, sees it differently.
Colin Farrell, who plays the title role, helpfully added his own explanation for the biopic's commercial failure: "The film is a draining experience to watch. It's loaded with mythology, icons, symbolism and destiny. My friends have watched the film and said: 'Jesus Christ, it's not exactly Gladiator'."
And as Powerline notes:
In other words, it's a turkey. American audiences can spot "mythology, icons, symbolism and destiny" a mile away.
Powerline also speculates "To some extent, I suppose Stone and Borman were trying to hype the film's UK attendance by flattering the European audience."
But you decide.
UPDATE:
Looks like you decided already! Verdict? Americans are not dumb the movie sucks.
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Oliver Stone, the director and Moritz Borman, the producer, both blame "dumb" America. Strangely, Colin Farrell the actor who plays Alexander in the film, sees it differently.
Colin Farrell, who plays the title role, helpfully added his own explanation for the biopic's commercial failure: "The film is a draining experience to watch. It's loaded with mythology, icons, symbolism and destiny. My friends have watched the film and said: 'Jesus Christ, it's not exactly Gladiator'."
And as Powerline notes:
In other words, it's a turkey. American audiences can spot "mythology, icons, symbolism and destiny" a mile away.
Powerline also speculates "To some extent, I suppose Stone and Borman were trying to hype the film's UK attendance by flattering the European audience."
But you decide.
UPDATE:
Looks like you decided already! Verdict? Americans are not dumb the movie sucks.
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A suspected insurgent [terrorist .ed] asks residents for mercy after they caught him planting explosives under civilian vehicles, at a busy area in Baghdad, January 3, 2005. Insurgents killed 17 Iraqi police and National Guards on Monday in another bloody spree of ambushes, bombings and suicide attacks aimed at wrecking Iraq's January 30 national election. (via Michael Totten
Reuters - a lesson in English
Roger Simon gives the British owned Reuters a lesson in English. He's not happy.
Of course that is a Big Lie. Reuters is no more impartial than I am. Language itself is not impartial--it always seeks to persuade, covertly or overtly. The word "insurgent" glamorizes fascists and its use assists the fascist cause. Do I go too far? Let me ask the people at Reuters a simple question, although I am dubious any of them would respond. Can they identify one single Iraqi "insurgent" whose politics was not Baathist or Jihadist, both different sides of the fascist coin? Well, I realize some are common criminals as well, but other than that... I'm waiting...
I'm not.
I'll post the picture that got Roger riled.
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Of course that is a Big Lie. Reuters is no more impartial than I am. Language itself is not impartial--it always seeks to persuade, covertly or overtly. The word "insurgent" glamorizes fascists and its use assists the fascist cause. Do I go too far? Let me ask the people at Reuters a simple question, although I am dubious any of them would respond. Can they identify one single Iraqi "insurgent" whose politics was not Baathist or Jihadist, both different sides of the fascist coin? Well, I realize some are common criminals as well, but other than that... I'm waiting...
I'm not.
I'll post the picture that got Roger riled.
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Dissident Arab Gets the Treatment
Just how screwed up are some of our colleges? Read this.
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Hollywood Discovers Radical Islam
And about time to. But when are we going to see a full length movie exposing radical Islam?
Front Page has an interesting article on the subject.
Here is an excerpt from a TNT mini-series called "The Grid".
An excerpt from The Grid’s second episode, concerning a Lebanese national named Fuqara, arrested as he tries to flee the United States after trying to murder an FBI agent, gives its flavor. Fuqara is interrogated by Agent Canary while his attorney tries to stop the proceedings:
Agent Canary: Mr. Fuqara, who ordered you to commit the assassination?
Fuqara: (Mutters in Arabic.)
Fuqara’s Attorney (to Agent Canary): Can we have a moment outside? (The two exit the room.) Don’t you dare threaten him with a rend writ.
Agent Canary: He has information about planned attacks here that could threaten thousands of American lives.
Fuqara’s Attorney: And that gives you the right to summarily dismiss Mr. Fuqara’s rights? Hey, why stop there? Deport all the Muslims in America to win your war!
Agent Canary: I might suggest some rights stop at mass murder.
Fuqara’s Attorney: They don’t. And until there is an amendment to the constitution to that effect, I will protect Mr. Fuqara’s rights.
And Fox has a show planned.
A second break will come in a few days, when the Fox Channel’s 24 shows four episodes depicting an Muslim family as coming to the United States solely to implement attacks against Americans. To do so, they masquerade as just folk. Here is how Jim Finkle of Broadcasting & Cable describes them: “One of the villains is a Walkman-toting, bubble-gum-chewing teenager who fights with his conservative Dad about dating an American girl and talking on the phone.”
But this is a disguise.
The young man also helps his parents mastermind a plot to kill large numbers of Americans that begins with an attack on a train. Over the breakfast table, the father tells his son: “What we will accomplish today will change the world. We are fortunate that that our family has been chosen to do this.” “Yes, father,” his son replies.
You can bet we won't see any shows like these here in the UK. They're too busy implementing Sharia Law.
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Front Page has an interesting article on the subject.
Here is an excerpt from a TNT mini-series called "The Grid".
An excerpt from The Grid’s second episode, concerning a Lebanese national named Fuqara, arrested as he tries to flee the United States after trying to murder an FBI agent, gives its flavor. Fuqara is interrogated by Agent Canary while his attorney tries to stop the proceedings:
Agent Canary: Mr. Fuqara, who ordered you to commit the assassination?
Fuqara: (Mutters in Arabic.)
Fuqara’s Attorney (to Agent Canary): Can we have a moment outside? (The two exit the room.) Don’t you dare threaten him with a rend writ.
Agent Canary: He has information about planned attacks here that could threaten thousands of American lives.
Fuqara’s Attorney: And that gives you the right to summarily dismiss Mr. Fuqara’s rights? Hey, why stop there? Deport all the Muslims in America to win your war!
Agent Canary: I might suggest some rights stop at mass murder.
Fuqara’s Attorney: They don’t. And until there is an amendment to the constitution to that effect, I will protect Mr. Fuqara’s rights.
And Fox has a show planned.
A second break will come in a few days, when the Fox Channel’s 24 shows four episodes depicting an Muslim family as coming to the United States solely to implement attacks against Americans. To do so, they masquerade as just folk. Here is how Jim Finkle of Broadcasting & Cable describes them: “One of the villains is a Walkman-toting, bubble-gum-chewing teenager who fights with his conservative Dad about dating an American girl and talking on the phone.”
But this is a disguise.
The young man also helps his parents mastermind a plot to kill large numbers of Americans that begins with an attack on a train. Over the breakfast table, the father tells his son: “What we will accomplish today will change the world. We are fortunate that that our family has been chosen to do this.” “Yes, father,” his son replies.
You can bet we won't see any shows like these here in the UK. They're too busy implementing Sharia Law.
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Iraq - terrorists killing Iraqis
Fox News reports "Bodies of 18 Young Iraqis Found in Mosul".
BAGHDAD, Iraq — The bodies of 18 young Iraqi Shiites taken off a bus and executed last month while seeking work at a U.S. base have been found in a field near the volatile city of Mosul (search), police said Thursday.
Police said the insurgents shot the men, who ranged in age from 14 to 20, on Dec. 8 after stopping their two mini-buses about 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Mosul.
So much for the religion of peace.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq — The bodies of 18 young Iraqi Shiites taken off a bus and executed last month while seeking work at a U.S. base have been found in a field near the volatile city of Mosul (search), police said Thursday.
Police said the insurgents shot the men, who ranged in age from 14 to 20, on Dec. 8 after stopping their two mini-buses about 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Mosul.
So much for the religion of peace.
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Iraq - mopping up terrorists
The world press are always quick to point out the success of the terrorists in Iraq, rarely are we provided with the other side of the story.
This for example.
BAGHDAD -- Today, Multi-National Forces (MNF) discovered and cleared nine improvised explosive devices and eight weapons caches. MNF also conducted six cordon and searches of suspected Anti-Iraqi Forces (AIF) facilities and detained 63 suspected AIF.
A local Iraqi citizen reported the location of an improvised explosive device to authorities in Baqubah. An explosive ordnance disposal team was called in to defuse the explosive. A cordon and search operation in Samarra netted a weapons cache consisting of several AK-47 rifles.
Multi-National Forces conducting four cordon and searches in Fallujah discovered two large weapons caches and detained 13 suspected AIF personnel. A weapons cache was also discovered near Abu Ghraib by a Multi-National Force patrol. Cordon and search operations in Sadah and Hit yielded eight detainees.
In Baghdad, Multi-National Forces and Iraqi National Guard personnel conducted multiple cordon and search operations leading to the apprehension of 14 AIF personnel. A small weapons cache was confiscated and destroyed in Taji. Cordon and search operations in the southern Iraqi city of An Numaniyah yielded the capture of six suspected AIF personnel and a small weapons cache.
More here and here.
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This for example.
BAGHDAD -- Today, Multi-National Forces (MNF) discovered and cleared nine improvised explosive devices and eight weapons caches. MNF also conducted six cordon and searches of suspected Anti-Iraqi Forces (AIF) facilities and detained 63 suspected AIF.
A local Iraqi citizen reported the location of an improvised explosive device to authorities in Baqubah. An explosive ordnance disposal team was called in to defuse the explosive. A cordon and search operation in Samarra netted a weapons cache consisting of several AK-47 rifles.
Multi-National Forces conducting four cordon and searches in Fallujah discovered two large weapons caches and detained 13 suspected AIF personnel. A weapons cache was also discovered near Abu Ghraib by a Multi-National Force patrol. Cordon and search operations in Sadah and Hit yielded eight detainees.
In Baghdad, Multi-National Forces and Iraqi National Guard personnel conducted multiple cordon and search operations leading to the apprehension of 14 AIF personnel. A small weapons cache was confiscated and destroyed in Taji. Cordon and search operations in the southern Iraqi city of An Numaniyah yielded the capture of six suspected AIF personnel and a small weapons cache.
More here and here.
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Iraq - adopt a school program
More good news from Iraq.
Spearheaded by MEU Service Support Group 24, the campaign provided more than 14,000 pounds of school supplies to at least 6,500 students in 10 schools. Their actions provided many children with the items they needed for a prosperous education. It also provided the Marines involved with their own particularly fond memories of a difficult deployment. [...]
"The headmasters (began) showing up at our gate asking for assistance," said 1st Lt. Keith Dillard, 31, of Mount Vernon, N.Y., and a logistics officer with MSSG-24.
Originally, the intentions for the Back to School Campaign were limited to delivering school supplies and taking class photos. But after their initial visits, the Marines learned that much more was needed to give the children an adequate learning environment.
"Once we arrived at the schools, we saw they were in very poor conditions," said Dillard. "We worked with Civil Affairs to get money for renovations."
This led to developing a "basic package" for the schools. The package included repairing the roof, fixing broken windows, replacing busted doors and painting. The Marines also fixed the lights, installed ceiling fans in classrooms, and renovated the restrooms.
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Spearheaded by MEU Service Support Group 24, the campaign provided more than 14,000 pounds of school supplies to at least 6,500 students in 10 schools. Their actions provided many children with the items they needed for a prosperous education. It also provided the Marines involved with their own particularly fond memories of a difficult deployment. [...]
"The headmasters (began) showing up at our gate asking for assistance," said 1st Lt. Keith Dillard, 31, of Mount Vernon, N.Y., and a logistics officer with MSSG-24.
Originally, the intentions for the Back to School Campaign were limited to delivering school supplies and taking class photos. But after their initial visits, the Marines learned that much more was needed to give the children an adequate learning environment.
"Once we arrived at the schools, we saw they were in very poor conditions," said Dillard. "We worked with Civil Affairs to get money for renovations."
This led to developing a "basic package" for the schools. The package included repairing the roof, fixing broken windows, replacing busted doors and painting. The Marines also fixed the lights, installed ceiling fans in classrooms, and renovated the restrooms.
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Torture - should we even discuss it?
Mother nature has a way of jolting us into looking more closely at the status quo.
Take the tsunami disaster for example. This disaster has shown how completely unprepared the world is for a truly global problem. Yes there have been some pretty rapid responses from a lot of quarters. The US military was on the scene pretty quickly and millions of dollars (pounds, yen, etc.) were raised around the world in just a few hours. And yet thousands more may die because we were not prepared, despite all the scientific research that told us this could happen. A week after the disaster the UN is still just setting up shop. The status quo.
The finger pointing has already begun, who knew what and did or did not do what when. It had not happened in modern times, there had been no seismic event to jolt the status quo. Hopefully, we will learn from this, question the status quo, and be better prepared next time.
9/11 was another "seismic" event that jolted us into questioning the status quo in many ways. One such area is torture.
Why? Why even discuss it? Many refrain from even using the word, as if its' very utterance would produce the effects the word stands for. In most of us the very word conjures up images so horrible we immediately want to change the subject. We don't even need to discuss it, that argument was settled long ago. The status quo.
For some, 9/11 jolted the status quo and ignited a re-examination of a once taboo subject. You cannot put this genie back in the bottle.
Some want to close their eyes, put their fingers in their ears and say, I don't need to discuss something so repugnant and I made up my mind a long time ago. The status quo.
Others want to take another look and still others have already decided to change the status quo.
Even the very definitions of words are being questioned. What is the difference between abuse and torture and are they both wrong? Is either ever justified? And who is a POW and who is an illegal combatant. The UN, after 10 years, still doesn't have a definition of a terrorist. The status quo.
9/11, 3/11 and Beslan jolted the status quo for some but not others. For some their belief is unshakeable, torture is just plain wrong, no ifs ands or buts.
Say one of the captured terrorists from Beslan boasted that Beslan was not the only school targeted and another bomb was set to go off soon at another school somewhere in Russia. During questioning he won't talk. What do you do? Some would say torture in this situation is wrong, no matter what. If they were the parent of child in a threatened Russian school, would they still feel that way?
That's hypothetical. Let's look at a real case.
In Iraq, US forces capture a group of terrorists and during questioning discover that an ambush is planned on US troops within the hour but the captives refuse to give details of where. The Officer in charge has one of the men taken outside, forces him to kneel down, head bowed, while the officer tells the man he will be shot if he doesn't talk. The man refuses and the officer discharges his gun in a barrel of sand next to the captive. Immediately the man talks, the ambush is averted, US soldiers lives are saved and the terrorists captured. The officer is brought up on charges and while cleared of wrong doing, is forced to retire from the military. The status quo.
For those who say, well this wouldn't have happened in the first place if the Americans weren't there "illegally", reverse the players and it still works.
These types of scenarios have been debated many times over the years and the decision has been, that regardless of the loss of life, torture was still wrong.
Regardless of the loss of life? While that may have been true when the numbers killed were small or at most a few dozen, does it still hold true when the numbers increase to thousands or possibly hundreds of thousands? Does it still hold true in a post 9/11, 3/11 and Beslan world? Those scenarios have not been debated, yet.
The older you get the more comfortable the status quo becomes. You say to yourself, I'm old, educated, and I've traveled the world, my beliefs are well founded and proven to me time and again. And, I don't need to take another look at a belief I've held for years. The status quo.
The victims of this tsunami, 9/11, 3/11 and Beslan, remind us that it is our responsibility, no matter how distasteful it is, from time to time to question the status quo.
I'd like to think that all Americans, me included, and indeed most of the world, are against torture. But does that mean that when we are jolted out of the status quo that we should shirk our responsibility to re-examine something so repugnant as torture? 9/11, 3/11 and Beslan were not of our making, we did not change the status quo, terrorist did. And in so doing, like the tsunami, jolted the world into questioning long held beliefs. The status quo.
There are better thinkers and writers on the subject than I. For a great round up, with links, to those people, check out Instapundit.
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Take the tsunami disaster for example. This disaster has shown how completely unprepared the world is for a truly global problem. Yes there have been some pretty rapid responses from a lot of quarters. The US military was on the scene pretty quickly and millions of dollars (pounds, yen, etc.) were raised around the world in just a few hours. And yet thousands more may die because we were not prepared, despite all the scientific research that told us this could happen. A week after the disaster the UN is still just setting up shop. The status quo.
The finger pointing has already begun, who knew what and did or did not do what when. It had not happened in modern times, there had been no seismic event to jolt the status quo. Hopefully, we will learn from this, question the status quo, and be better prepared next time.
9/11 was another "seismic" event that jolted us into questioning the status quo in many ways. One such area is torture.
Why? Why even discuss it? Many refrain from even using the word, as if its' very utterance would produce the effects the word stands for. In most of us the very word conjures up images so horrible we immediately want to change the subject. We don't even need to discuss it, that argument was settled long ago. The status quo.
For some, 9/11 jolted the status quo and ignited a re-examination of a once taboo subject. You cannot put this genie back in the bottle.
Some want to close their eyes, put their fingers in their ears and say, I don't need to discuss something so repugnant and I made up my mind a long time ago. The status quo.
Others want to take another look and still others have already decided to change the status quo.
Even the very definitions of words are being questioned. What is the difference between abuse and torture and are they both wrong? Is either ever justified? And who is a POW and who is an illegal combatant. The UN, after 10 years, still doesn't have a definition of a terrorist. The status quo.
9/11, 3/11 and Beslan jolted the status quo for some but not others. For some their belief is unshakeable, torture is just plain wrong, no ifs ands or buts.
Say one of the captured terrorists from Beslan boasted that Beslan was not the only school targeted and another bomb was set to go off soon at another school somewhere in Russia. During questioning he won't talk. What do you do? Some would say torture in this situation is wrong, no matter what. If they were the parent of child in a threatened Russian school, would they still feel that way?
That's hypothetical. Let's look at a real case.
In Iraq, US forces capture a group of terrorists and during questioning discover that an ambush is planned on US troops within the hour but the captives refuse to give details of where. The Officer in charge has one of the men taken outside, forces him to kneel down, head bowed, while the officer tells the man he will be shot if he doesn't talk. The man refuses and the officer discharges his gun in a barrel of sand next to the captive. Immediately the man talks, the ambush is averted, US soldiers lives are saved and the terrorists captured. The officer is brought up on charges and while cleared of wrong doing, is forced to retire from the military. The status quo.
For those who say, well this wouldn't have happened in the first place if the Americans weren't there "illegally", reverse the players and it still works.
These types of scenarios have been debated many times over the years and the decision has been, that regardless of the loss of life, torture was still wrong.
Regardless of the loss of life? While that may have been true when the numbers killed were small or at most a few dozen, does it still hold true when the numbers increase to thousands or possibly hundreds of thousands? Does it still hold true in a post 9/11, 3/11 and Beslan world? Those scenarios have not been debated, yet.
The older you get the more comfortable the status quo becomes. You say to yourself, I'm old, educated, and I've traveled the world, my beliefs are well founded and proven to me time and again. And, I don't need to take another look at a belief I've held for years. The status quo.
The victims of this tsunami, 9/11, 3/11 and Beslan, remind us that it is our responsibility, no matter how distasteful it is, from time to time to question the status quo.
I'd like to think that all Americans, me included, and indeed most of the world, are against torture. But does that mean that when we are jolted out of the status quo that we should shirk our responsibility to re-examine something so repugnant as torture? 9/11, 3/11 and Beslan were not of our making, we did not change the status quo, terrorist did. And in so doing, like the tsunami, jolted the world into questioning long held beliefs. The status quo.
There are better thinkers and writers on the subject than I. For a great round up, with links, to those people, check out Instapundit.
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Iraq - kidnapping or con? II
Just to update you on my original post on the curious kidnappings in Iraq.
The French Journalist Syrian driver, Mohammed al-Jundi, was found in Falluja by US troops, tortured and chained to a wall. He is now suing the US claiming they tortured him. Set up?
The French Journalist themselves now say "People who combat an illegal occupation that results from an illegal war are résistants." Set up?
Remember the US Muslim Marine, Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, who was "kidnapped" and then some how turned up in Lebanon? Well, the Marines, after an investigation, charged him with desertion. He was on leave and due to return to Camp Lejeune on Tuesday to face charges. Seems he's deserted again. Set up?
And what about Jo Wilding the well known anti-war activist that conspired with the BBC to fabricate a story alleging US war crimes and faked her own kidnapping? (definite set up) She's still protesting but since she was exposed by me, the BBC have stopped using her as a source.
That hasn't stopped the BBC from using anti-war activists to fabricate fake stories accusing the US of abuses in Iraq.
No doubt there are kidnappings by the terrorists in Iraq, but you might want to keep this in mind next time you read of a kidnapping in Iraq, it might not be what it appears to be.
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The French Journalist Syrian driver, Mohammed al-Jundi, was found in Falluja by US troops, tortured and chained to a wall. He is now suing the US claiming they tortured him. Set up?
The French Journalist themselves now say "People who combat an illegal occupation that results from an illegal war are résistants." Set up?
Remember the US Muslim Marine, Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, who was "kidnapped" and then some how turned up in Lebanon? Well, the Marines, after an investigation, charged him with desertion. He was on leave and due to return to Camp Lejeune on Tuesday to face charges. Seems he's deserted again. Set up?
And what about Jo Wilding the well known anti-war activist that conspired with the BBC to fabricate a story alleging US war crimes and faked her own kidnapping? (definite set up) She's still protesting but since she was exposed by me, the BBC have stopped using her as a source.
That hasn't stopped the BBC from using anti-war activists to fabricate fake stories accusing the US of abuses in Iraq.
No doubt there are kidnappings by the terrorists in Iraq, but you might want to keep this in mind next time you read of a kidnapping in Iraq, it might not be what it appears to be.
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Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Anti-American UK blogger
Many of my readers may be aware of a relatively new UK blogger, inappropriately named A Logical Voice, that I have take issue with. Obviously you do not have to take my word for it, by all means feel free to visit and express your own opinions.
He mainly posts anti-American posts with the odd "someone else is bad" one to cover his real agenda.
This recent post serves to prove the point that he will take any anti-American headline and post it without regard to validity.
The post is about a supposed protest at the Pentagon and White House. The only source for the post is an email written into the anti-war site indymedia. That email describes how protesters managed to break into the White House and Pentagon.
Well, I was unable to find a single article from any news outlet anywhere in the world about such an incident. Surely something of that magnitude would have generated a firestorm of press. His answer - "Because the mainstream media fails to report on it, it failed to happen in your tiny mind did it?
And the mainstream media reports on everything does it?"
It didn't occur to him that these supposed protesters would have planned such a breakin in advance and would most certainly have had mobile phones and cameras to record their coup. They probably would have tipped off a friendly reporter to what they were up to so as to have the press record the event. Otherwise why bother?
This post of his alone shows his true colours; he is nothing more than an anti-American bigot. The only reason I post a link to his blog is to let other Americans know what effect the biased British press, led by the BBC, is having on people here in the UK.
He mainly posts anti-American posts with the odd "someone else is bad" one to cover his real agenda.
This recent post serves to prove the point that he will take any anti-American headline and post it without regard to validity.
The post is about a supposed protest at the Pentagon and White House. The only source for the post is an email written into the anti-war site indymedia. That email describes how protesters managed to break into the White House and Pentagon.
Well, I was unable to find a single article from any news outlet anywhere in the world about such an incident. Surely something of that magnitude would have generated a firestorm of press. His answer - "Because the mainstream media fails to report on it, it failed to happen in your tiny mind did it?
And the mainstream media reports on everything does it?"
It didn't occur to him that these supposed protesters would have planned such a breakin in advance and would most certainly have had mobile phones and cameras to record their coup. They probably would have tipped off a friendly reporter to what they were up to so as to have the press record the event. Otherwise why bother?
This post of his alone shows his true colours; he is nothing more than an anti-American bigot. The only reason I post a link to his blog is to let other Americans know what effect the biased British press, led by the BBC, is having on people here in the UK.
Dhimmi* Britain
If you don't read Melanie Phillips, you should.
Take this article on Dhimmi Britain (*'Dhimmi' is the status of infidels under Islam who are permitted to live in Muslim jurisdictions but only with restrictions as second-class citizens.)
So there it is in black and white -- proof that the law against incitement to religious hatred, which has the power to shut down legitimate comment about Islam, potentially put Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, secularists and others in the dock for speaking the truth, and make the giving of offence a greater offence than intimidating Britons into silence (and in so doing destroy a fundamental British liberal tradition) is being introduced to buy Muslim votes. The price to be paid for invading Iraq, in other words, is to be Britain's freedom of speech.
As Melanie pointed out in another article this has already happended in Australia.
The judge, Michael Higgins, said they had 'made fun of Muslim beliefs and conduct'. Ridicule in Victoria is thus now a crime. And as Andrew Bolt observes in the Herald Sun, the pastors have been convicted essentially for telling the truth:
She has lots more, including the introduction of Sharia law in the UK.
Combine all this with her recent article on British media abuse and you have a deadly combination. She ended that piece with this warning.
In the war that has been declared upon the free world, the western media’s abuse of power is perhaps the most lethal weapon of all.
Yes, it is.
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Take this article on Dhimmi Britain (*'Dhimmi' is the status of infidels under Islam who are permitted to live in Muslim jurisdictions but only with restrictions as second-class citizens.)
So there it is in black and white -- proof that the law against incitement to religious hatred, which has the power to shut down legitimate comment about Islam, potentially put Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, secularists and others in the dock for speaking the truth, and make the giving of offence a greater offence than intimidating Britons into silence (and in so doing destroy a fundamental British liberal tradition) is being introduced to buy Muslim votes. The price to be paid for invading Iraq, in other words, is to be Britain's freedom of speech.
As Melanie pointed out in another article this has already happended in Australia.
The judge, Michael Higgins, said they had 'made fun of Muslim beliefs and conduct'. Ridicule in Victoria is thus now a crime. And as Andrew Bolt observes in the Herald Sun, the pastors have been convicted essentially for telling the truth:
She has lots more, including the introduction of Sharia law in the UK.
Combine all this with her recent article on British media abuse and you have a deadly combination. She ended that piece with this warning.
In the war that has been declared upon the free world, the western media’s abuse of power is perhaps the most lethal weapon of all.
Yes, it is.
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Bush 'most powerful man in Britain'
GQ Magazine has named Bush as the most powerful man in Britain, edging out Tony Blair.
"Following his victory in November with an even clearer mandate, he now has the power to control our troops in Iraq, change the course of our foreign policy and impact upon our policing and attitudes towards terrorism, for where Bush goes, Blair surely follows."
And Howard?
Tory leader Michael Howard slumped from seven to 22 in the space of a year.
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"Following his victory in November with an even clearer mandate, he now has the power to control our troops in Iraq, change the course of our foreign policy and impact upon our policing and attitudes towards terrorism, for where Bush goes, Blair surely follows."
And Howard?
Tory leader Michael Howard slumped from seven to 22 in the space of a year.
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Iraq - French hostages update
Recently I posted my doubts on the French "hostages" kidnapped in Iraq.
Now The Red Zone has some additional information.
January 3: From the New York Sun, novelist Nidra Poller interviews George Malbrunot, one of two French journalists captured by Iraqi Salafists on August 20 and released on December 22.
Poller: Would you call the people who were holding you insurgents or résistants?
Malbrunot: For us it is clear: People who combat an illegal occupation that results from an illegal war are résistants. Resistance is a sacred right, whether you are Islamist or nationalist, you are résistants. However, when you capture people from a country that has nothing to do with the situation, then your methods have nothing to do with the resistance...Taking hostages is a method of terrorism.
No bias there.
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Now The Red Zone has some additional information.
January 3: From the New York Sun, novelist Nidra Poller interviews George Malbrunot, one of two French journalists captured by Iraqi Salafists on August 20 and released on December 22.
Poller: Would you call the people who were holding you insurgents or résistants?
Malbrunot: For us it is clear: People who combat an illegal occupation that results from an illegal war are résistants. Resistance is a sacred right, whether you are Islamist or nationalist, you are résistants. However, when you capture people from a country that has nothing to do with the situation, then your methods have nothing to do with the resistance...Taking hostages is a method of terrorism.
No bias there.
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BBC - bias by omission
Hot on the heels of my earlier post BBC - An Abuse of Media Power comes this post from Biased BBC.
This is an example of how the BBC can be biased by simply just not reporting the facts.
To: Orla Guerin and Barbara Plett
From: Truthlovers Everywhere
RE: Unreported tsunami news
It has come to our attention that the tiny state of Israel is doing yeoman's work in the tsunami disaster effort. Unfortunately, very few people would have heard this, for you have not reported it! You and your colleagues received a press release (Dec 27) to this effect. Where are your reports? This is not looking good.
Ms Guerin, since you are a lover of truth, please note the following points from a website you are sure to love.
Be sure the read the whole thing.
Why did Biased BBC single out Orla Guerin and Barbara Plett? Well, the answer for Plett is here.
The Telegraph reports how the BBC was swamped with complaints about its' Middle East correspondent, Barbara Plett's on air admission that she cried when Arafat left for France.
"When the helicopter carrying the frail old man rose above his ruined compound, I started to cry . . . without warning," she said.
And she is a reporter for the BBC.
Want more proof of the biased reporters at the BBC? Ok.
Check out what Hannah Bayman has to say on her blog about Bush.
Hannah even gleefully reminds us to tune into "BBC Radio Two and you will hear the delightful former royal correspondent Jenny Bond describe Bush as "looking like a chimp and talking like a baboon".
UPDATE
Hannah Bayman deleted her post about Bush cited above. Go here and read what this BBC reporter said.
So, BBC reporters get their information from movies like Fahrenheit 9/11, now.
What a corrupt and disgraceful organization the BBC has become. It is worse than that, it is a poisonous propaganda machine that needs to be stopped.
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This is an example of how the BBC can be biased by simply just not reporting the facts.
To: Orla Guerin and Barbara Plett
From: Truthlovers Everywhere
RE: Unreported tsunami news
It has come to our attention that the tiny state of Israel is doing yeoman's work in the tsunami disaster effort. Unfortunately, very few people would have heard this, for you have not reported it! You and your colleagues received a press release (Dec 27) to this effect. Where are your reports? This is not looking good.
Ms Guerin, since you are a lover of truth, please note the following points from a website you are sure to love.
Be sure the read the whole thing.
Why did Biased BBC single out Orla Guerin and Barbara Plett? Well, the answer for Plett is here.
The Telegraph reports how the BBC was swamped with complaints about its' Middle East correspondent, Barbara Plett's on air admission that she cried when Arafat left for France.
"When the helicopter carrying the frail old man rose above his ruined compound, I started to cry . . . without warning," she said.
And she is a reporter for the BBC.
Want more proof of the biased reporters at the BBC? Ok.
Check out what Hannah Bayman has to say on her blog about Bush.
Hannah even gleefully reminds us to tune into "BBC Radio Two and you will hear the delightful former royal correspondent Jenny Bond describe Bush as "looking like a chimp and talking like a baboon".
UPDATE
Hannah Bayman deleted her post about Bush cited above. Go here and read what this BBC reporter said.
...instead of a warmongering, oil-grubbing, vote-rigging, drink-driving - haven't you seen Fahrenheit 9/11? - weapons-of-mass-destruction-buying, Kyoto-smashing, bible-bashing, chimp.
So, BBC reporters get their information from movies like Fahrenheit 9/11, now.
What a corrupt and disgraceful organization the BBC has become. It is worse than that, it is a poisonous propaganda machine that needs to be stopped.
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BBC - An Abuse of Media Power
A must read from Melanie Phillips.
The main reason I started this blog was to expose the anti-American and anti-Israeli crusade being waged by the BBC. Search this blog and you will find overwhelming evidence to prove this.
Last April I exposed the BBC using a well know anti-war activist, Jo Wilding, as a source for false reporting on alleged war crimes by US troops in Falluja.
Yesterday I caught them at it again.
Today Melanie writes:
A friend went into Blackwells university bookshop in Oxford and asked the counter clerk: 'Do you have a copy of Alan Dershowitz's The Case for Israel?' 'There is no case for Israel', the counter clerk replied.
And in a recent survey "Britons rank Israel 'worst country'".
Melanie puts the blame squarely on the British media, and rightly so.
Yet that is what is happening. Public debate in Britain is now marked by a collapse of objectivity, truth, fairness and balance. Logic and morality have been stood on their heads. Victims are portrayed as oppressors, while mass murderers have to be understood and sympathised with. The outcome is an ugly and dangerous climate in which prejudice and lies have achieved the status of unchallengeable fact; a climate which is now being eagerly manipulated by terrorists who know that if they ratchet up their barbarism and distribute the video the result will merely be an ever greater public clamour for Tony Blair to split away from President Bush and shatter the coalition in defence of the free world.
The public has been grossly misled by the British media, and falsehoods have become accepted as fact, so much so that any statement of actual facts which undermine this mindset are excised from the debate altogether.
The British press are not alone in spreading anti-American sentiment. Commercial radio and TV are also using anti-American sentiment to sell products.
There is currently running a radio ad advertising mobile phone services. The male voice announces that network charges will not vary and then, in a very dismissive tone, announces "unlike in America". What bearing does mobile phone rates in the US have on those in the UK? Who cares? The phone company is just happy to ride the wave of anti-American sentiment.
Then there is a TV ad encouraging people to use the red button on the Sky remote to get more information. Several couples are seen having a meal and discussing the Kyoto agreement. A woman announces the agreement is dead because America refused to back it. A second woman announces, oh no it's not, the Russians have signed up, so it's back on. How do you know that, asks the first woman? The scene switches and the second woman is seen using the red button to get more information from her TV. There are many ads on different channels explaing how to get the most from the red button but this station decides to ride the wave too.
The British press are at it to, led by the rabid left wing anti-American dog trainer, The Guardian.
And now blogs are springing up in the UK and spewing forth a continuous stream of anti-American drivel with no regard for facts. One such blog, inappropriately labeled, A Logical Voice, has recently begun posting any and all anti-American headlines he can find without any regard for their validity. Fortunately, it is very easy to debunk the nonsense he puts out.
The British public and indeed the world, for the BBC is heard around the world and The Guardian is on the internet, are being fed a continuous stream of anti-American propaganda. Which led Melanie to issue this warning:
... a climate which is now being eagerly manipulated by terrorists who know that if they ratchet up their barbarism and distribute the video the result will merely be an ever greater public clamour for Tony Blair to split away from President Bush and shatter the coalition in defence of the free world.
Wake up Britain and take back your media. Use the media complaint links on the left and let them know you want the truth not propaganda.
UPDATE:
Finally, my prayers have been answered. Powerline has picked up Melanie's article. Powerline posts Melanie's final thoughts of her 17 page essay which I haven't finished yet.
It is this weakness and moral confusion that comprise the great goal of terrorist strategy; it is this that has characterised the west’s response to Islamic terror for many decades; it is this that has brought us to where we are today. In the war that has been declared upon the free world, the western media’s abuse of power is perhaps the most lethal weapon of all.
American blogs like Powerline, who exposed CBS's attempt to defeat Bush by using forged documents, Instapundit, Wizbang and Captain's Quarters understood this long ago.
So did I and that is why I started my blog. I just wish I could write as well as them.
Throughout history, when things looked there bleakest, from seemingly out of nowhere, against overwhelming odds, a way was found to turn the tide in favor of freedom and democracy.
Let's hope the rise of the bloggers will turn the tide in time once again.
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The main reason I started this blog was to expose the anti-American and anti-Israeli crusade being waged by the BBC. Search this blog and you will find overwhelming evidence to prove this.
Last April I exposed the BBC using a well know anti-war activist, Jo Wilding, as a source for false reporting on alleged war crimes by US troops in Falluja.
Yesterday I caught them at it again.
Today Melanie writes:
A friend went into Blackwells university bookshop in Oxford and asked the counter clerk: 'Do you have a copy of Alan Dershowitz's The Case for Israel?' 'There is no case for Israel', the counter clerk replied.
And in a recent survey "Britons rank Israel 'worst country'".
Melanie puts the blame squarely on the British media, and rightly so.
Yet that is what is happening. Public debate in Britain is now marked by a collapse of objectivity, truth, fairness and balance. Logic and morality have been stood on their heads. Victims are portrayed as oppressors, while mass murderers have to be understood and sympathised with. The outcome is an ugly and dangerous climate in which prejudice and lies have achieved the status of unchallengeable fact; a climate which is now being eagerly manipulated by terrorists who know that if they ratchet up their barbarism and distribute the video the result will merely be an ever greater public clamour for Tony Blair to split away from President Bush and shatter the coalition in defence of the free world.
The public has been grossly misled by the British media, and falsehoods have become accepted as fact, so much so that any statement of actual facts which undermine this mindset are excised from the debate altogether.
The British press are not alone in spreading anti-American sentiment. Commercial radio and TV are also using anti-American sentiment to sell products.
There is currently running a radio ad advertising mobile phone services. The male voice announces that network charges will not vary and then, in a very dismissive tone, announces "unlike in America". What bearing does mobile phone rates in the US have on those in the UK? Who cares? The phone company is just happy to ride the wave of anti-American sentiment.
Then there is a TV ad encouraging people to use the red button on the Sky remote to get more information. Several couples are seen having a meal and discussing the Kyoto agreement. A woman announces the agreement is dead because America refused to back it. A second woman announces, oh no it's not, the Russians have signed up, so it's back on. How do you know that, asks the first woman? The scene switches and the second woman is seen using the red button to get more information from her TV. There are many ads on different channels explaing how to get the most from the red button but this station decides to ride the wave too.
The British press are at it to, led by the rabid left wing anti-American dog trainer, The Guardian.
And now blogs are springing up in the UK and spewing forth a continuous stream of anti-American drivel with no regard for facts. One such blog, inappropriately labeled, A Logical Voice, has recently begun posting any and all anti-American headlines he can find without any regard for their validity. Fortunately, it is very easy to debunk the nonsense he puts out.
The British public and indeed the world, for the BBC is heard around the world and The Guardian is on the internet, are being fed a continuous stream of anti-American propaganda. Which led Melanie to issue this warning:
... a climate which is now being eagerly manipulated by terrorists who know that if they ratchet up their barbarism and distribute the video the result will merely be an ever greater public clamour for Tony Blair to split away from President Bush and shatter the coalition in defence of the free world.
Wake up Britain and take back your media. Use the media complaint links on the left and let them know you want the truth not propaganda.
UPDATE:
Finally, my prayers have been answered. Powerline has picked up Melanie's article. Powerline posts Melanie's final thoughts of her 17 page essay which I haven't finished yet.
It is this weakness and moral confusion that comprise the great goal of terrorist strategy; it is this that has characterised the west’s response to Islamic terror for many decades; it is this that has brought us to where we are today. In the war that has been declared upon the free world, the western media’s abuse of power is perhaps the most lethal weapon of all.
American blogs like Powerline, who exposed CBS's attempt to defeat Bush by using forged documents, Instapundit, Wizbang and Captain's Quarters understood this long ago.
So did I and that is why I started my blog. I just wish I could write as well as them.
Throughout history, when things looked there bleakest, from seemingly out of nowhere, against overwhelming odds, a way was found to turn the tide in favor of freedom and democracy.
Let's hope the rise of the bloggers will turn the tide in time once again.
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Tuesday, January 04, 2005
BBC notices Instapundit
The BBC is finally paying attention, somewhat, to blogs; having run two stories in just a couple of days.
It's great they have singled out Instapundit but I wonder why the didn't mention Time's blog of the year Powerline?
Unfortunately, as I pointed out yesterday, MSM still don't understand blogs. There is no mention in this or the other article about bloggers exposing Dan Rather and the use of forged documents by CBS. Or most recently video blogging of the tsunami disaster.
Oh well, the Instareporter has arrived and MSM will have to learn how to live with them.
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It's great they have singled out Instapundit but I wonder why the didn't mention Time's blog of the year Powerline?
Unfortunately, as I pointed out yesterday, MSM still don't understand blogs. There is no mention in this or the other article about bloggers exposing Dan Rather and the use of forged documents by CBS. Or most recently video blogging of the tsunami disaster.
Oh well, the Instareporter has arrived and MSM will have to learn how to live with them.
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"Moderate" US Muslim group 9/11 defendent
Daniel Pipes has the latest on the suit against the so called moderate group the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Comment: (1) This filing explicitly ties CAIR to "the criminal conspiracy of radical Islamic terrorism" that carried out 9/11, a first to the best of my knowledge.
(2) If the suit is successful, CAIR (1) will have been legally tied to Al-Qaeda and (2) will be partially responsible for damages amounting to US$100 billion.
(3) This filing, when added to Anti-CAIR's counter suit, suggest that despite CAIR's growing litigiousness, it will find itself legally more on the defensive than the offensive in coming months. (December 30, 2004)
Let's hope this group gets taken down once and for all.
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Comment: (1) This filing explicitly ties CAIR to "the criminal conspiracy of radical Islamic terrorism" that carried out 9/11, a first to the best of my knowledge.
(2) If the suit is successful, CAIR (1) will have been legally tied to Al-Qaeda and (2) will be partially responsible for damages amounting to US$100 billion.
(3) This filing, when added to Anti-CAIR's counter suit, suggest that despite CAIR's growing litigiousness, it will find itself legally more on the defensive than the offensive in coming months. (December 30, 2004)
Let's hope this group gets taken down once and for all.
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Muslims not helping Muslims
Boortz has an interesting take on how Muslims are quick to cry about how they are oppressed around the world but when it comes time to help their own they are, as he puts it, "out to lunch somewhere. "
First up, Kuwait. Kuwait has pledged $10 million, up from an earlier pledge of $2 million. Some are pointing out that's not much, when you consider how wealthy that country is. The price of oil has roughly doubled, and Kuwait now has a $10 billion budget surplus. They've got the cash. So how's come the figure is so low? More on that in a minute. [...]
Some believe that the earthquake and tsunami were the work of Allah, punishing Thailand, for example, for prostitution. These Muslim nations sure can whine about the way Muslims are treated around the world, but when it comes time for them to step forward and show how much they really care, they're out to lunch somewhere.
That's okay, though....as always, the United States, who has freed more Muslims from tyranny than any other power, will be there to pick up the slack.
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First up, Kuwait. Kuwait has pledged $10 million, up from an earlier pledge of $2 million. Some are pointing out that's not much, when you consider how wealthy that country is. The price of oil has roughly doubled, and Kuwait now has a $10 billion budget surplus. They've got the cash. So how's come the figure is so low? More on that in a minute. [...]
Some believe that the earthquake and tsunami were the work of Allah, punishing Thailand, for example, for prostitution. These Muslim nations sure can whine about the way Muslims are treated around the world, but when it comes time for them to step forward and show how much they really care, they're out to lunch somewhere.
That's okay, though....as always, the United States, who has freed more Muslims from tyranny than any other power, will be there to pick up the slack.
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Guardian: tsunami suffering due to Iraq war
Check out this drivel from George "Moonbat" Monbiot in the Guardian.
But one obvious question recurs. Why must the relief of suffering, in this unprecedentedly prosperous world, rely on the whims of citizens and the appeals of pop stars and comedians? Why, when extreme poverty could be made history with a minor redeployment of public finances, must the poor world still wait for homeless people in the rich world to empty their pockets?
The obvious answer is that governments have other priorities. And the one that leaps to mind is war. If the money they have promised to the victims of the tsunami still falls far short of the amounts required, it is partly because the contingency fund upon which they draw in times of crisis has been spent on blowing people to bits in Iraq.
Well, gee George maybe we should sit around and do nothing all the time until a disaster strikes. That is of course if you do not consider the millions murdered by Saddam as a disaster.
And what's this George about "homeless people in the rich world to empty their pockets?" Sandra Bullock, the actress is giving a million dollars, and I really don't think she is homeless, do you Moonbat, er, George?
I'll tell you something else, you moonbat, you better have the government do some checking for benefit fraud if these "homeless" people can give £50 million!!
Moonbat George ends with this plea:
You can join the campaign against global poverty at: www.makepovertyhistory.org
Well, George if you would get your head out of your ass you might be able to learn something like this:
According to a recent study by the World Bank, 2004's growth reflected "an expansion without precedent over the past 30 years." Equally encouraging, the report notes that "the rapid growth of developing economies ... has produced a spectacular, if not historic, fall in poverty."
F**** moron.
UPDATE:
Neal Boortz has much more on this and where it is headed.
Now ... what's missing from these comments? One word. Freedom. The greatest mechanism for ending poverty the world has ever seen is capitalism and the free enterprise system, yet we see no comments from any of these exalted commentators and politicians relating to ending third world tyranny and bring the wonders of economic freedom to bear in a worldwide war on poverty.
Let me tell you where this is going. Read those comments again and you'll see references to "giving" and "giving up." You see condemnations, not praise for capitalism. These people are obviously focused on the idea of taking the current worldwide economic pie re-slicing it so that everybody gets a peace. Nobody is talking about simply baking a bigger pie.
The anti-West, anti-capitalistic left is going to use this tsunami as a platform to promote not a rise in worldwide economic freedom, but for an increase in worldwide wealth redistribution. The United States, as the richest nation in the world, is going to be cast as the villain, while poor third world countries will be presented to us as the victims.
Read the whole thing.
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But one obvious question recurs. Why must the relief of suffering, in this unprecedentedly prosperous world, rely on the whims of citizens and the appeals of pop stars and comedians? Why, when extreme poverty could be made history with a minor redeployment of public finances, must the poor world still wait for homeless people in the rich world to empty their pockets?
The obvious answer is that governments have other priorities. And the one that leaps to mind is war. If the money they have promised to the victims of the tsunami still falls far short of the amounts required, it is partly because the contingency fund upon which they draw in times of crisis has been spent on blowing people to bits in Iraq.
Well, gee George maybe we should sit around and do nothing all the time until a disaster strikes. That is of course if you do not consider the millions murdered by Saddam as a disaster.
And what's this George about "homeless people in the rich world to empty their pockets?" Sandra Bullock, the actress is giving a million dollars, and I really don't think she is homeless, do you Moonbat, er, George?
I'll tell you something else, you moonbat, you better have the government do some checking for benefit fraud if these "homeless" people can give £50 million!!
Moonbat George ends with this plea:
You can join the campaign against global poverty at: www.makepovertyhistory.org
Well, George if you would get your head out of your ass you might be able to learn something like this:
According to a recent study by the World Bank, 2004's growth reflected "an expansion without precedent over the past 30 years." Equally encouraging, the report notes that "the rapid growth of developing economies ... has produced a spectacular, if not historic, fall in poverty."
F**** moron.
UPDATE:
Neal Boortz has much more on this and where it is headed.
Now ... what's missing from these comments? One word. Freedom. The greatest mechanism for ending poverty the world has ever seen is capitalism and the free enterprise system, yet we see no comments from any of these exalted commentators and politicians relating to ending third world tyranny and bring the wonders of economic freedom to bear in a worldwide war on poverty.
Let me tell you where this is going. Read those comments again and you'll see references to "giving" and "giving up." You see condemnations, not praise for capitalism. These people are obviously focused on the idea of taking the current worldwide economic pie re-slicing it so that everybody gets a peace. Nobody is talking about simply baking a bigger pie.
The anti-West, anti-capitalistic left is going to use this tsunami as a platform to promote not a rise in worldwide economic freedom, but for an increase in worldwide wealth redistribution. The United States, as the richest nation in the world, is going to be cast as the villain, while poor third world countries will be presented to us as the victims.
Read the whole thing.
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Britons rank Israel 'worst country'
You can blame the BBC for a lot of this.
Hmmm, then why do so many Britons visit Israel?
Israel's Tourism Ministry said some 131,000 Britons visited Israel in 2004, a 44% increase from 2003.
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Hmmm, then why do so many Britons visit Israel?
Israel's Tourism Ministry said some 131,000 Britons visited Israel in 2004, a 44% increase from 2003.
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America's first, again
Seems the Toronto Sun likes America.
As well as being the world's wealthiest nation, Americans are the world's most generous -- $249 billion given annually to various corporate and private charities.
So a world that failed to anticipate or respond to the genocide of 800,000 in Rwanda, or 2.5 million displaced in Congo, and is still lukewarm in all except rhetoric about Sudan and Darfur, has reacted with humane fervor to the tsunami disaster, which is Hollywood animation come to life.
Pledging money is vital, but it doesn't save lives immediately. Again, that's where the Americans shine.
The first large-scale international relief to the victims was from a U.S. warship, the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln which sent relays of a dozen helicopters loaded with relief and medical supplies into the stricken area. The U.S. military has field hospitals, and soldiers, Marines, sailors who turn instantly into social workers and bleeding-heart aid workers.
Read the whole thing.
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As well as being the world's wealthiest nation, Americans are the world's most generous -- $249 billion given annually to various corporate and private charities.
So a world that failed to anticipate or respond to the genocide of 800,000 in Rwanda, or 2.5 million displaced in Congo, and is still lukewarm in all except rhetoric about Sudan and Darfur, has reacted with humane fervor to the tsunami disaster, which is Hollywood animation come to life.
Pledging money is vital, but it doesn't save lives immediately. Again, that's where the Americans shine.
The first large-scale international relief to the victims was from a U.S. warship, the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln which sent relays of a dozen helicopters loaded with relief and medical supplies into the stricken area. The U.S. military has field hospitals, and soldiers, Marines, sailors who turn instantly into social workers and bleeding-heart aid workers.
Read the whole thing.
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Blogs - Mainstream Media clueless
The New York Times is clueless.
But the blogosphere's tendency toward crackpot theorizing and political smack down could not be suppressed for long.
The BBC still don't get it.
The BBC are quick to point out how you can get into trouble by blogging about your work and cite an airline stewardess who lost her job because of her blog.
They give other examples of people blogging about the daily grind of their job and some of the legal implications.
The Guardian doesn't quite get it either.
In short: this wasn’t a few political hacks talking to each other. For the first time, powerful coverage of a huge news event was not brought to you purely by established media. An army of “citizen journalists” played a new role, perhaps all the more vital considering the effect vivid reportage, online and off, has had on the subsequent fundraising efforts.
For the first time?! None of these dinosaurs even mentioned Dan Rather and Rathergate or the UN oil for food program scandal currently rocking the UN. Swift Boat Veterans - nope, nada. Kerry and Christmas in Cambodia? Nope.
So, why are these dinosaurs giving us any air time at all now? The Guardian gives us one reason.
The impact for blogs? It lies in the new reach they have gained. They were already doing quite well – a survey just published in the US finds that eight million adults had blogs in the US last year, and that their readership had jumped by 58% in 2004. Probably driven by the huge popularity of political blogs in the runup to the US presidential election, the Pew report says: “By the end of 2004 blogs had established themselves as a key part of online culture.”
Yes, and those millions of bloggers are fact checking your ass MSM for that huge readership. We are also reporting all the news you refuse to report and exposing your bias.
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But the blogosphere's tendency toward crackpot theorizing and political smack down could not be suppressed for long.
The BBC still don't get it.
The BBC are quick to point out how you can get into trouble by blogging about your work and cite an airline stewardess who lost her job because of her blog.
They give other examples of people blogging about the daily grind of their job and some of the legal implications.
The Guardian doesn't quite get it either.
In short: this wasn’t a few political hacks talking to each other. For the first time, powerful coverage of a huge news event was not brought to you purely by established media. An army of “citizen journalists” played a new role, perhaps all the more vital considering the effect vivid reportage, online and off, has had on the subsequent fundraising efforts.
For the first time?! None of these dinosaurs even mentioned Dan Rather and Rathergate or the UN oil for food program scandal currently rocking the UN. Swift Boat Veterans - nope, nada. Kerry and Christmas in Cambodia? Nope.
So, why are these dinosaurs giving us any air time at all now? The Guardian gives us one reason.
The impact for blogs? It lies in the new reach they have gained. They were already doing quite well – a survey just published in the US finds that eight million adults had blogs in the US last year, and that their readership had jumped by 58% in 2004. Probably driven by the huge popularity of political blogs in the runup to the US presidential election, the Pew report says: “By the end of 2004 blogs had established themselves as a key part of online culture.”
Yes, and those millions of bloggers are fact checking your ass MSM for that huge readership. We are also reporting all the news you refuse to report and exposing your bias.
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Iraq - Iraqi security forces shape up
There has been some doubt about the abilites of the Iraqi security forces recently. This is good news.
ATTACK ON POLICE STATION RESULTS IN SIXTH DEFEAT FOR INSURGENTS
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 4, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces decisively defeated another attack by anti-Iraqi insurgents as they attempted to seize a police station in southeast Mosul yesterday.
An Iraqi Police station in southeast Mosul came under attack by small arms fire during a coordinated effort by insurgent fighters to overrun the station. The Iraqi Police successfully repelled the attack on the station forcing the insurgents to flee and denying them access to the station.
This is the sixth attack on the southeast station this week. Each attack has resulted in a defeat for the insurgents and a victory for the Iraqi Security forces. This is the thirteenth time since November 10 where insurgents have tried but failed to overrun police stations in Mosul.
Since November 10, no police stations have fallen into the hands of insurgent fighters.
Multi-National Forces from Task Force Olympia continue to work together with members of the Iraqi Security Forces, leaders and citizens of Iraq to make it a safe, prosperous, and democratic nation.
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ATTACK ON POLICE STATION RESULTS IN SIXTH DEFEAT FOR INSURGENTS
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 4, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces decisively defeated another attack by anti-Iraqi insurgents as they attempted to seize a police station in southeast Mosul yesterday.
An Iraqi Police station in southeast Mosul came under attack by small arms fire during a coordinated effort by insurgent fighters to overrun the station. The Iraqi Police successfully repelled the attack on the station forcing the insurgents to flee and denying them access to the station.
This is the sixth attack on the southeast station this week. Each attack has resulted in a defeat for the insurgents and a victory for the Iraqi Security forces. This is the thirteenth time since November 10 where insurgents have tried but failed to overrun police stations in Mosul.
Since November 10, no police stations have fallen into the hands of insurgent fighters.
Multi-National Forces from Task Force Olympia continue to work together with members of the Iraqi Security Forces, leaders and citizens of Iraq to make it a safe, prosperous, and democratic nation.
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Capitalism's profound impact on reducing poverty
The San Franciso Chronicle has this to report "It should come as heartening news that 2004 was one of the most prosperous years in history".
According to a recent study by the World Bank, 2004's growth reflected "an expansion without precedent over the past 30 years." Equally encouraging, the report notes that "the rapid growth of developing economies ... has produced a spectacular, if not historic, fall in poverty."
Amazingly, the World Bank report did not get much coverage in our mainstream media. It seems the press was more interested in covering the evils of globalization than in taking notice of how world trade -- which grew by an astounding 10.2 percent this year -- is driving economic growth.
More good news MSM don't want you to know about.
Hat tip Instapundit
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According to a recent study by the World Bank, 2004's growth reflected "an expansion without precedent over the past 30 years." Equally encouraging, the report notes that "the rapid growth of developing economies ... has produced a spectacular, if not historic, fall in poverty."
Amazingly, the World Bank report did not get much coverage in our mainstream media. It seems the press was more interested in covering the evils of globalization than in taking notice of how world trade -- which grew by an astounding 10.2 percent this year -- is driving economic growth.
More good news MSM don't want you to know about.
Hat tip Instapundit
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The BBC is once again exposed using well a known anti-war activist as a source for a news story. As I noted in my post about this article, Gish, a well known anti-war activist, cannot be an "eyewitness" to events she did not observe but is merely taking statements on. And notice how many times she uses "heard" in her story. And how is it that Gish, an American and the number one prize for the terrorists in Iraq, is able to travel all over Iraq taking statements and is not kidnapped? This is just another example of the anti-American tripe we have come to expect from the BBC.
BBC exposed using anti-war activist as source
Once again The BBC has been exposed using a well known anti-war activist as a source for a news story.
Back in April 2004 I caught the BBC using another well known anti-war activist, Jo Wilding, to report on alleged atrocities by US forces in Iraq. Well the BBC are back at it again.
Eyewitness: Taking detainee testimony in Iraq
US-led international forces in Iraq are currently holding thousands of Iraqi people suspected of involvement in the violent campaign against the Iraqi government and the occupying forces.
But some detainees complain of arbitrary detention and abusive treatment.
Peggy Gish, 62, is an American woman who has spent 13 months over the past two years logging the cases of Iraqi detainees with the ecumenical humanitarian group Christian Peacemaker Teams.
She told the BBC News website about her experiences.
For starters, Gish can not be an "eyewitness" to alleged abuses she did not observe and is merely taking statements on.
Secondly, Gish and her husband Art are well known anti-war activists. She traveled to Iraq before the war as part of the human shield campaign.
Third, Christian Peacemaker Teams are not humanitarian groups, they are anti-war groups and have been active all over the world, usually where America is involved.
Now, remember this earlier statement from the article: "But some detainees complain of arbitrary detention and abusive treatment."
But what does the BBC allow Gish to say?
We were hearing some of the same stories from people all over Iraq, so we were fairly certain what we were hearing was accurate.
So, now we have gone from "some detainees" to "people all over Iraq" in the blink of an eye. Gish may be feeling "fairly certain" but I'm completely certain that this is all contrived.
It gets worse.
We heard about very violent house raids in the middle of the night,...
We heard the same kind of details over and over from all around the country.
Then we began to hear stories ...
We also heard about sexual abuse and beatings
Sounds like all heresy and no "eyewitness" to me. And how is it that Gish is able to travel all over Iraq as she claims and not get kidnapped? She is, after all, American and the number one prize for the terrorists. Could it be because she is helping the terrorist cause? I posted earlier about how some hostages are treated differently than others and speculated the difference could be that some "hostages", if indeed that is what they are, are seen to be helping the terrorists.
Gish goes on to make a lot of wild claims that do not jive with all the polls coming out of Iraq.
This is just another prime example of the anti-American crusade being waged by the BBC.
I have already emailed them and complained and I highly recommend you do the same; the link is on the left. I will post a picture of the offending story in case the BBC alter it or take it down.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back in April 2004 I caught the BBC using another well known anti-war activist, Jo Wilding, to report on alleged atrocities by US forces in Iraq. Well the BBC are back at it again.
Eyewitness: Taking detainee testimony in Iraq
US-led international forces in Iraq are currently holding thousands of Iraqi people suspected of involvement in the violent campaign against the Iraqi government and the occupying forces.
But some detainees complain of arbitrary detention and abusive treatment.
Peggy Gish, 62, is an American woman who has spent 13 months over the past two years logging the cases of Iraqi detainees with the ecumenical humanitarian group Christian Peacemaker Teams.
She told the BBC News website about her experiences.
For starters, Gish can not be an "eyewitness" to alleged abuses she did not observe and is merely taking statements on.
Secondly, Gish and her husband Art are well known anti-war activists. She traveled to Iraq before the war as part of the human shield campaign.
Third, Christian Peacemaker Teams are not humanitarian groups, they are anti-war groups and have been active all over the world, usually where America is involved.
Now, remember this earlier statement from the article: "But some detainees complain of arbitrary detention and abusive treatment."
But what does the BBC allow Gish to say?
We were hearing some of the same stories from people all over Iraq, so we were fairly certain what we were hearing was accurate.
So, now we have gone from "some detainees" to "people all over Iraq" in the blink of an eye. Gish may be feeling "fairly certain" but I'm completely certain that this is all contrived.
It gets worse.
We heard about very violent house raids in the middle of the night,...
We heard the same kind of details over and over from all around the country.
Then we began to hear stories ...
We also heard about sexual abuse and beatings
Sounds like all heresy and no "eyewitness" to me. And how is it that Gish is able to travel all over Iraq as she claims and not get kidnapped? She is, after all, American and the number one prize for the terrorists. Could it be because she is helping the terrorist cause? I posted earlier about how some hostages are treated differently than others and speculated the difference could be that some "hostages", if indeed that is what they are, are seen to be helping the terrorists.
Gish goes on to make a lot of wild claims that do not jive with all the polls coming out of Iraq.
This is just another prime example of the anti-American crusade being waged by the BBC.
I have already emailed them and complained and I highly recommend you do the same; the link is on the left. I will post a picture of the offending story in case the BBC alter it or take it down.
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Monday, January 03, 2005
Iraq - How the Left Betrayed My Country
Front Page has a great article by an Iraqi on the Left and Iraq.
My first clue that this would not happen was a few weeks after Baghdad fell. I had befriended a French reporter who had begun to realize that the situation in Iraq was not how the international media or the so-called “peace camp” described it. I noticed, however, that whenever he tried to voice his doubts to colleagues, they argued that he was wrong. Soon afterwards, I met a Dutch woman on Mutinabi Street, where booksellers lay out their wares on Friday morning. I asked her how long she’d been in Iraq and, through a translator, she answered, “Three months.”
“So you were here during the war?”
“Yes!” she said. “To see the crimes of the Americans!”
I was stunned. After a moment, I replied, “What about the crimes of the regime? It killed millions of Iraqis. Do you know that if the regime was still in power, the conversation we’re having now would result in our torture or death?”
Her face turned red and she angrily responded, “Soon will come the day that the Americans will do worse.” She then went on to accuse me of not knowing what the true facts were in Iraq—and that she could see the situation better than me!
And
After those, and many other, experiences, we finally comprehended how little we had in common with these “peace activists” who constantly decried American crimes, and hated to listen to us talk about the terrible long nightmare that ended with the collapse of the regime. We came to understand how these “humanitarians” experienced a sort of pleasure when terrorists or former remnants of the regime created destruction in Iraq—just so they could feel that they were right, and the Americans wrong!
A must read!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My first clue that this would not happen was a few weeks after Baghdad fell. I had befriended a French reporter who had begun to realize that the situation in Iraq was not how the international media or the so-called “peace camp” described it. I noticed, however, that whenever he tried to voice his doubts to colleagues, they argued that he was wrong. Soon afterwards, I met a Dutch woman on Mutinabi Street, where booksellers lay out their wares on Friday morning. I asked her how long she’d been in Iraq and, through a translator, she answered, “Three months.”
“So you were here during the war?”
“Yes!” she said. “To see the crimes of the Americans!”
I was stunned. After a moment, I replied, “What about the crimes of the regime? It killed millions of Iraqis. Do you know that if the regime was still in power, the conversation we’re having now would result in our torture or death?”
Her face turned red and she angrily responded, “Soon will come the day that the Americans will do worse.” She then went on to accuse me of not knowing what the true facts were in Iraq—and that she could see the situation better than me!
And
After those, and many other, experiences, we finally comprehended how little we had in common with these “peace activists” who constantly decried American crimes, and hated to listen to us talk about the terrible long nightmare that ended with the collapse of the regime. We came to understand how these “humanitarians” experienced a sort of pleasure when terrorists or former remnants of the regime created destruction in Iraq—just so they could feel that they were right, and the Americans wrong!
A must read!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shockwaves set to hit big media
With the marriage of video phones and weblogs the Instareporter was born and the shockwaves from this will be devastating for main stream media. Now bloggers will have video proof to back their claims.
The Wall Street Journal reports "Video Blogs Break Out With Tsunami Scenes"
"The ease of putting something online is pretty much instant," says Geoffrey Huntley, the founder of Wave of Destruction. "At a media company, I'm sure there are channels you have to go through -- copyright, legal, editorial, etc. Blogging is instant."
Even before the tsunami, media watchers had predicted that 2005 would be a big year for video blogging, also known as vlogging. Jay Rosen, chair of the Department of Journalism at New York University and a media blogger himself, says the unique videos of the waves hitting shore could be a "breakthrough" event for the Web.
Last year, video bloggers already showed their muscle by rapidly distributing a clip of singer Ashlee Simpson caught lip synching on "Saturday Night Live," and another of the Daily Show's Jon Stewart clashing with the hosts of CNN's "Crossfire." According to Andreas Wacker, founder of blogsnow.com, a site that ranks blogs, the Crossfire video was downloaded by more people on the Internet than saw it on TV. "When the Internet wants to see something, it sees it," he says.
Just ask Dan Rather and CBS.
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The Wall Street Journal reports "Video Blogs Break Out With Tsunami Scenes"
"The ease of putting something online is pretty much instant," says Geoffrey Huntley, the founder of Wave of Destruction. "At a media company, I'm sure there are channels you have to go through -- copyright, legal, editorial, etc. Blogging is instant."
Even before the tsunami, media watchers had predicted that 2005 would be a big year for video blogging, also known as vlogging. Jay Rosen, chair of the Department of Journalism at New York University and a media blogger himself, says the unique videos of the waves hitting shore could be a "breakthrough" event for the Web.
Last year, video bloggers already showed their muscle by rapidly distributing a clip of singer Ashlee Simpson caught lip synching on "Saturday Night Live," and another of the Daily Show's Jon Stewart clashing with the hosts of CNN's "Crossfire." According to Andreas Wacker, founder of blogsnow.com, a site that ranks blogs, the Crossfire video was downloaded by more people on the Internet than saw it on TV. "When the Internet wants to see something, it sees it," he says.
Just ask Dan Rather and CBS.
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Too late for Annan and the UN?
The New York Times reports on an attempt to save Annan and the UN.
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 2 - The meeting of veteran foreign policy experts in a Manhattan apartment one recent Sunday was held in strict secrecy. The guest of honor arrived without his usual retinue of aides.
The mission, in the words of one participant, was clear: "to save Kofi and rescue the U.N."
At the gathering, Secretary General Kofi Annan listened quietly to three and a half hours of bluntly worded counsel from a group united in its personal regard for him and support for the United Nations. The group's concern was that lapses in his leadership during the past two years had eclipsed the accomplishments of his first four-year term in office and were threatening to undermine the two years remaining in his final term.
I doubt the Democrats can save him.
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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 2 - The meeting of veteran foreign policy experts in a Manhattan apartment one recent Sunday was held in strict secrecy. The guest of honor arrived without his usual retinue of aides.
The mission, in the words of one participant, was clear: "to save Kofi and rescue the U.N."
At the gathering, Secretary General Kofi Annan listened quietly to three and a half hours of bluntly worded counsel from a group united in its personal regard for him and support for the United Nations. The group's concern was that lapses in his leadership during the past two years had eclipsed the accomplishments of his first four-year term in office and were threatening to undermine the two years remaining in his final term.
I doubt the Democrats can save him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New York Times fears blogs
You can just smell the fear from this New York Times article about blogs.
But the blogosphere's tendency toward crackpot theorizing and political smack down could not be suppressed for long.
And
Mr. Surowiecki pointed out that there is nothing new about ill-informed rumor-mongering or other forms of oddness. "There were always cranks," he said. "Rumors have always been fundamental about the way people talk, or think, about politics or complicated issues." Instead of a corner bar or a Barcalounger, however, the location for today's speech is an online medium with a potential audience of millions.
Tell that to Dan Rather and CBS.
And to prove the Times still doesn't understand blogs,
On Democratic Underground, a blog for open discussion and an online gathering place for people who hate the Bush administration ...
The DU is not a blog it is a bulletin board or discussion forum.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But the blogosphere's tendency toward crackpot theorizing and political smack down could not be suppressed for long.
And
Mr. Surowiecki pointed out that there is nothing new about ill-informed rumor-mongering or other forms of oddness. "There were always cranks," he said. "Rumors have always been fundamental about the way people talk, or think, about politics or complicated issues." Instead of a corner bar or a Barcalounger, however, the location for today's speech is an online medium with a potential audience of millions.
Tell that to Dan Rather and CBS.
And to prove the Times still doesn't understand blogs,
On Democratic Underground, a blog for open discussion and an online gathering place for people who hate the Bush administration ...
The DU is not a blog it is a bulletin board or discussion forum.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iraq - Good News Part 18
Chrenkoff's Good News Iraq Part 18 is up. If you are not familiar with his Good News series from Iraq and Afghanistan, you owe it to yourself to visit him. He rounds up all the good news that main stream media ignore.
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BBC "moan" about blogs
What's said in this BBC article is not as important as what is not said.
The BBC are quick to point out how you can get into trouble by blogging about your work and cite an airline stewardess who lost her job because of her blog.
They give other examples of people blogging about the daily grind of their job and some of the legal implications.
But what is not said and is most important, is how bloggers are the biggest threat to main stream media, like the BBC. In fact, this blog and blogs likeBiased BBC are dedicated to exposing the BBC's bias. I know for a fact that some BBC employees visit and leave comments on Biased BBC. True to form, the BBC want you to believe what they say about blogs is all there is to it, a passing fad. And like main stream media in the US, the BBC is in denial. What possible harm can a bunch of ordinary people sitting around in their pajamas writing trivial nonsense no one will read, do? Just ask Dan Rather and CBS.
I live in Scotland and it amazes me how many people have not heard of blogs or Rathergate or the Swift Boat Veterans. Not that they should know about those things in and of themselves but because of the impact bloggers had on them. Amazed until I remembered why I started this blog, expose the BBC bias and lack of reporting on things it doesn't like.
I imagine the only reason the BBC reported on blogs at all is because Time magazine has, for the first time, announced a "blog of the year", Powerline. You will find Powerline on my blog roll and they have been since I started my blog almost a year ago. Read some of the links on my blog roll and you will see just why the BBC would rather you think of blogs as a passing fad. Hopefully it won't be long until main stream media here in the UK feel the heat like they do in the US.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The BBC are quick to point out how you can get into trouble by blogging about your work and cite an airline stewardess who lost her job because of her blog.
They give other examples of people blogging about the daily grind of their job and some of the legal implications.
But what is not said and is most important, is how bloggers are the biggest threat to main stream media, like the BBC. In fact, this blog and blogs likeBiased BBC are dedicated to exposing the BBC's bias. I know for a fact that some BBC employees visit and leave comments on Biased BBC. True to form, the BBC want you to believe what they say about blogs is all there is to it, a passing fad. And like main stream media in the US, the BBC is in denial. What possible harm can a bunch of ordinary people sitting around in their pajamas writing trivial nonsense no one will read, do? Just ask Dan Rather and CBS.
I live in Scotland and it amazes me how many people have not heard of blogs or Rathergate or the Swift Boat Veterans. Not that they should know about those things in and of themselves but because of the impact bloggers had on them. Amazed until I remembered why I started this blog, expose the BBC bias and lack of reporting on things it doesn't like.
I imagine the only reason the BBC reported on blogs at all is because Time magazine has, for the first time, announced a "blog of the year", Powerline. You will find Powerline on my blog roll and they have been since I started my blog almost a year ago. Read some of the links on my blog roll and you will see just why the BBC would rather you think of blogs as a passing fad. Hopefully it won't be long until main stream media here in the UK feel the heat like they do in the US.
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Sunday, January 02, 2005
Europe is ready to deal with Bush
The Houston Chronicle has these thoughts.
Many European leaders once swallowed the Michael Moore version of history: that Bush was an ignorant interloper who stole the White House. His thumping re-election, however, shows that he represents a large body of conservative American opinion.
In short, Europeans are getting used to the idea that it is not Bush who is the exception, but the U.S. itself that is exceptional — and that if they want to deal with this exceptional superpower they need to humor it rather than rile it. Strangely enough, this has been Tony Blair's strategy all along; it is rapidly becoming the Continent's strategy, too.
They cite 3 reasons, 1) One is the death of Yasser Arafat, 2)A second reason is Europe's growing worries about Islamic terrorism, 3) The Russian bear is growling again.
Well worth a read.
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Many European leaders once swallowed the Michael Moore version of history: that Bush was an ignorant interloper who stole the White House. His thumping re-election, however, shows that he represents a large body of conservative American opinion.
In short, Europeans are getting used to the idea that it is not Bush who is the exception, but the U.S. itself that is exceptional — and that if they want to deal with this exceptional superpower they need to humor it rather than rile it. Strangely enough, this has been Tony Blair's strategy all along; it is rapidly becoming the Continent's strategy, too.
They cite 3 reasons, 1) One is the death of Yasser Arafat, 2)A second reason is Europe's growing worries about Islamic terrorism, 3) The Russian bear is growling again.
Well worth a read.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Tsunami Angel
The New York Post has this amazing story.
January 1, 2005 -- PHUKET, Thailand - Quick-thinking 10-year-old Tilly Smith is being hailed as a hero after saving her parents and dozens of fellow vacationers from the deadly tsunami - thanks to a school geography lesson.
Tilly warned the doubting adults at a resort that a massive tidal wave was about to strike - just minutes before the deadly tide rushed in and turned the resort into rubble. Tilly's family, from Surrey, England, was enjoying a day at Maikhao Beach last Sunday when the sea rushed out and began to bubble.
The adults were curious, but Tilly froze in horror.
"Mummy, we must get off the beach now!" she told her mother. "I think there's going to be a tsunami."
The adults didn't understand until Tilly added the magic words: "A tidal wave."
Her warning spread like wildfire. Within seconds, the beach was deserted — and it turned out to be one of the only places along the shores of Phuket where no one was killed or seriously injured.
Last night, Tilly was being hailed as a savior.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 1, 2005 -- PHUKET, Thailand - Quick-thinking 10-year-old Tilly Smith is being hailed as a hero after saving her parents and dozens of fellow vacationers from the deadly tsunami - thanks to a school geography lesson.
Tilly warned the doubting adults at a resort that a massive tidal wave was about to strike - just minutes before the deadly tide rushed in and turned the resort into rubble. Tilly's family, from Surrey, England, was enjoying a day at Maikhao Beach last Sunday when the sea rushed out and began to bubble.
The adults were curious, but Tilly froze in horror.
"Mummy, we must get off the beach now!" she told her mother. "I think there's going to be a tsunami."
The adults didn't understand until Tilly added the magic words: "A tidal wave."
Her warning spread like wildfire. Within seconds, the beach was deserted — and it turned out to be one of the only places along the shores of Phuket where no one was killed or seriously injured.
Last night, Tilly was being hailed as a savior.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to all my readers!
Thanks for visiting my site, commenting and emailing me. I hope I have added a little knowledge to the blogshpere or at least my two cents worth.
One of my closets friends, (he is Scottish - I'm American) is a pessimists while I am an optimist. We were discussing the state of the world over a pint the other day and you can imagine how the conversation went. I saw all the good things to be happy about while he saw only the bad.
One area that I did think was very bad was the rampant bias in the press. I gave him several examples, mostly anti-American, from the BBC, the Guardian and others. I demonstrated how the BBC uses "fake" sources in places like Iraq to bolster their anti-American stance. I told him how I felt that the anti-American media was to blame for much of the ill feelings toward America.
It was a "gotcha" moment for my friend and he grabbed it like a crock grabs a water buffalo. Aha! He pronounced! And you don't do anything about it he glared. I was stunned. This is a very close friend of nearly 20 years.
For starters I'm giving you proof of the bias in the media. I pointed to another friend at the bar and told my friend how I had changed the other fellows views with just such conversations.
Then I told him about blogging and my blog. What the hell is blogging?
This happens to me 2 or 3 times a month. While blogs are "the" story in the US for 2004, you hear almost nothing in the UK press about blogs and blogging. Yet, there are some very good UK blogs here. Biased BBC is naturally one of my favorites. Here are a few others:
Daily Ablution
Talking Hoarsely
Harry's Place
Expat Yank
I'm sure there are many others. I'd like to see it dramatically increase in 2005.
This may be my only post today as we are going "first footing" today. For my American readers, first footing in Scotland involves visiting your friends, ensuring you take lots of your favorite drink. When you arrive at your friends house you offer them a drink from you bottle and they return the favor by offering you some from their bottle. Thus, a good time is had by all.
Before the advent of central heat, we only had coal fire places. The custom them was to also take a chunk of coal to place on your friends fire. There is a saying here in Scotland, "long my your lum reek with another man's coal".
Happy New Year once again and have a good one!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for visiting my site, commenting and emailing me. I hope I have added a little knowledge to the blogshpere or at least my two cents worth.
One of my closets friends, (he is Scottish - I'm American) is a pessimists while I am an optimist. We were discussing the state of the world over a pint the other day and you can imagine how the conversation went. I saw all the good things to be happy about while he saw only the bad.
One area that I did think was very bad was the rampant bias in the press. I gave him several examples, mostly anti-American, from the BBC, the Guardian and others. I demonstrated how the BBC uses "fake" sources in places like Iraq to bolster their anti-American stance. I told him how I felt that the anti-American media was to blame for much of the ill feelings toward America.
It was a "gotcha" moment for my friend and he grabbed it like a crock grabs a water buffalo. Aha! He pronounced! And you don't do anything about it he glared. I was stunned. This is a very close friend of nearly 20 years.
For starters I'm giving you proof of the bias in the media. I pointed to another friend at the bar and told my friend how I had changed the other fellows views with just such conversations.
Then I told him about blogging and my blog. What the hell is blogging?
This happens to me 2 or 3 times a month. While blogs are "the" story in the US for 2004, you hear almost nothing in the UK press about blogs and blogging. Yet, there are some very good UK blogs here. Biased BBC is naturally one of my favorites. Here are a few others:
Daily Ablution
Talking Hoarsely
Harry's Place
Expat Yank
I'm sure there are many others. I'd like to see it dramatically increase in 2005.
This may be my only post today as we are going "first footing" today. For my American readers, first footing in Scotland involves visiting your friends, ensuring you take lots of your favorite drink. When you arrive at your friends house you offer them a drink from you bottle and they return the favor by offering you some from their bottle. Thus, a good time is had by all.
Before the advent of central heat, we only had coal fire places. The custom them was to also take a chunk of coal to place on your friends fire. There is a saying here in Scotland, "long my your lum reek with another man's coal".
Happy New Year once again and have a good one!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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