The new face of US Warfare
Zeynab Ali October 30, 2003
#1 Posted by temporal on October 30, 2003 9:02:19 am
Zeynab:
the US media…of its own volition or under coercion from the neoconziX was the real WMD--Weapon of Mass Deception on a scale never before carried out…
...yes Christian Amanpour and other journalists are slowly coming out of the closet…(wouldn’t call them courageous) but i find it hard to accept their analysis and pseudo apologies…am also amazed at the so called Pulitzer prize winners and other journalists and analysts who so assiduously avoided reporting or commenting on the unpalatable truth before, during and in the aftermath of the Iraqi Invasion…
…if their integrity and principles were alive they would not have succumbed so easily to such blatant maneuvering and spinning of the truth… al jazeera is not a paragon of virtue by any means…but it has lit and at least nourished a flicker of truth in reports emanating from the region…along with some help from non US media such as TVO, CBC, and some European networks…
rgds,
t
the US media…of its own volition or under coercion from the neoconziX was the real WMD--Weapon of Mass Deception on a scale never before carried out…
...yes Christian Amanpour and other journalists are slowly coming out of the closet…(wouldn’t call them courageous) but i find it hard to accept their analysis and pseudo apologies…am also amazed at the so called Pulitzer prize winners and other journalists and analysts who so assiduously avoided reporting or commenting on the unpalatable truth before, during and in the aftermath of the Iraqi Invasion…
…if their integrity and principles were alive they would not have succumbed so easily to such blatant maneuvering and spinning of the truth… al jazeera is not a paragon of virtue by any means…but it has lit and at least nourished a flicker of truth in reports emanating from the region…along with some help from non US media such as TVO, CBC, and some European networks…
rgds,
t
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#2 Posted by kaurasach on October 30, 2003 9:37:16 am
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#3 Posted by arjun_m on October 30, 2003 9:37:16 am
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#4 Posted by Romair on October 30, 2003 9:44:47 am
Good article.
Al Franken’s book is now on the top of the NY Times Best Seller’s list. Interestingly, his arch-enemy, Bill O’Rielly’s book, is also at the top of the same list.
I now follow the Canadia media, since it is much more objective than the USA media. BBC is still quite good, despite the official UK policy of supporting the Iraq War.
Sensationalism and controversy sells in US media. That is why the top-ranked shows are the ones that push it. The four top ranked Cable news shows in USA are all on Fox. Media personalities, like Rush Limbaugh, who create controversy, can get salaries of over $25 million/year (Rush’s salary). So it becomes very difficult for other more sane media personalities to compete with them, without, “doing” controversy. This encourages sensationalism.
Added to this, is the fact, that Americans are overly self-righteous, when it comes to their govts.’ actions in other countries. They actually believe, like a religion, that US invasions are a force of goodness in the world. Even when the rest of the world has overwhelmingly said, that aren`t. In case of the Iraq war, only the majority of one country’s citizens, Israel, supported the war. The rest of the world opposed it. Yet, a majority of the Americans still can be easily convinced that the war was justified, by their President simply stating, “We are liberating the Iraqis.” And 70% are convinced that Al-Qaeda had links with Iraq. When it definitely did not. This is similar to Muslims believing that Jews staged the WTC bombings. The only difference being that the US population is highly educated, yet still believes in myths, based on its own self-righteousness.
Due to this, any journalist who points out the incorrectness of the US stance, is blown out of the airwaves. Even on this site, whenever I point out, with statistics, the bias of the US media and govt. on international issues, a small group of our Uncle-Tom Pakistani neo-cons, immediately launches its character assassinations. They can never accept that the US can do any wrong. Hence every US journalist has to be patriotic, lest he be considered anti-American.
A good example is Bill Mayer of Politically Incorrect. He is actually quite pro-US wars, and is himself Jewish. Even he lost his whole career, and his show was cancelled, when he made one comment about the WTC bombings. All his sponsors backed off, and he is now in the dustbin. Similarly, Donahue was the highest rated show on MSNBC, yet it was yanked and replaced with Countdown: Iraq, since Donahue was openly anti-Iraq war.
“At MSNBC, meanwhile, a six-month experiment to develop a liberal program featuring Phil Donahue ended just before the war began, when Donahue’s show was cancelled and replaced it with a program titled “Countdown: Iraq.” Although the network cited poor ratings as the reason for dumping Donahue, the New York Times reported that Donahue ``was actually attracting more viewers than any other program on MSNBC, even the channel`s signature prime-time program, Hardball with Chris Matthews.`` A different story appears, however, in an internal NBC report leaked to AllYourTV.com, a web site that covers the television industry. The NBC report recommended axing Donahue because he presented a ``difficult public face for NBC in a time of war. ...” (http://www.altpr.org/print.php?sid=27) Excerpted from Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush`s War on Iraq (Tarcher/Penguin).
I have always been pro-US domestic policy (until Sep 11) and very anti-US foreign policy. I have always felt that the US media presents, not only a biased view of international affairs, but an extremely biased view. I doubt anyone really knows what is going on, behind the scenes, in Iraq. A Christian magazine, reported that there are complains that the US govt. swiped off $5 billion dollars. Neo-cons with strong Israeli influence, starting a war, on false claims of WMD, against world opinion, with companies with high-level Republican connections like Haliburton and Bechtel getting major top secret contracts, which are hidden under the Defence Dept laws, is too fishy too be believed. Yet the US media is only now starting to acknowledge all this. After thousands of people have been killed.
And even now, Bush is basing his decisions, not on what is best for Iraqis, but what the media opinion polls show.
My biases have been validated by a recent report by the international media watchdog organization, “Reporters Without Borders,” (www.rsf.org) which ranked the US media at 144 out of 166 countries, in its reporting of international affairs. It ranked its reporting on Iraq even behind the reporting on Iraq during the govt. of Saddam.
Interestingly, even on domestic reporting, Reporters without Borders ranks Canada and Australia as countries with “Good Sitaution” for media. While it ranks US one category lower with “Satisfactory” situation. This is only level above India and Pakistan, which are ranked as” Noticeable Problem” situation. http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=20
I think it is in the interest of all immigrants to ensure free reporting. Otherwise, the same media could shift its attention from Arabs and onto other communities.
Al Franken’s book is now on the top of the NY Times Best Seller’s list. Interestingly, his arch-enemy, Bill O’Rielly’s book, is also at the top of the same list.
I now follow the Canadia media, since it is much more objective than the USA media. BBC is still quite good, despite the official UK policy of supporting the Iraq War.
Sensationalism and controversy sells in US media. That is why the top-ranked shows are the ones that push it. The four top ranked Cable news shows in USA are all on Fox. Media personalities, like Rush Limbaugh, who create controversy, can get salaries of over $25 million/year (Rush’s salary). So it becomes very difficult for other more sane media personalities to compete with them, without, “doing” controversy. This encourages sensationalism.
Added to this, is the fact, that Americans are overly self-righteous, when it comes to their govts.’ actions in other countries. They actually believe, like a religion, that US invasions are a force of goodness in the world. Even when the rest of the world has overwhelmingly said, that aren`t. In case of the Iraq war, only the majority of one country’s citizens, Israel, supported the war. The rest of the world opposed it. Yet, a majority of the Americans still can be easily convinced that the war was justified, by their President simply stating, “We are liberating the Iraqis.” And 70% are convinced that Al-Qaeda had links with Iraq. When it definitely did not. This is similar to Muslims believing that Jews staged the WTC bombings. The only difference being that the US population is highly educated, yet still believes in myths, based on its own self-righteousness.
Due to this, any journalist who points out the incorrectness of the US stance, is blown out of the airwaves. Even on this site, whenever I point out, with statistics, the bias of the US media and govt. on international issues, a small group of our Uncle-Tom Pakistani neo-cons, immediately launches its character assassinations. They can never accept that the US can do any wrong. Hence every US journalist has to be patriotic, lest he be considered anti-American.
A good example is Bill Mayer of Politically Incorrect. He is actually quite pro-US wars, and is himself Jewish. Even he lost his whole career, and his show was cancelled, when he made one comment about the WTC bombings. All his sponsors backed off, and he is now in the dustbin. Similarly, Donahue was the highest rated show on MSNBC, yet it was yanked and replaced with Countdown: Iraq, since Donahue was openly anti-Iraq war.
“At MSNBC, meanwhile, a six-month experiment to develop a liberal program featuring Phil Donahue ended just before the war began, when Donahue’s show was cancelled and replaced it with a program titled “Countdown: Iraq.” Although the network cited poor ratings as the reason for dumping Donahue, the New York Times reported that Donahue ``was actually attracting more viewers than any other program on MSNBC, even the channel`s signature prime-time program, Hardball with Chris Matthews.`` A different story appears, however, in an internal NBC report leaked to AllYourTV.com, a web site that covers the television industry. The NBC report recommended axing Donahue because he presented a ``difficult public face for NBC in a time of war. ...” (http://www.altpr.org/print.php?sid=27) Excerpted from Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush`s War on Iraq (Tarcher/Penguin).
I have always been pro-US domestic policy (until Sep 11) and very anti-US foreign policy. I have always felt that the US media presents, not only a biased view of international affairs, but an extremely biased view. I doubt anyone really knows what is going on, behind the scenes, in Iraq. A Christian magazine, reported that there are complains that the US govt. swiped off $5 billion dollars. Neo-cons with strong Israeli influence, starting a war, on false claims of WMD, against world opinion, with companies with high-level Republican connections like Haliburton and Bechtel getting major top secret contracts, which are hidden under the Defence Dept laws, is too fishy too be believed. Yet the US media is only now starting to acknowledge all this. After thousands of people have been killed.
And even now, Bush is basing his decisions, not on what is best for Iraqis, but what the media opinion polls show.
My biases have been validated by a recent report by the international media watchdog organization, “Reporters Without Borders,” (www.rsf.org) which ranked the US media at 144 out of 166 countries, in its reporting of international affairs. It ranked its reporting on Iraq even behind the reporting on Iraq during the govt. of Saddam.
Interestingly, even on domestic reporting, Reporters without Borders ranks Canada and Australia as countries with “Good Sitaution” for media. While it ranks US one category lower with “Satisfactory” situation. This is only level above India and Pakistan, which are ranked as” Noticeable Problem” situation. http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=20
I think it is in the interest of all immigrants to ensure free reporting. Otherwise, the same media could shift its attention from Arabs and onto other communities.
#5 Posted by RationalFaith on October 30, 2003 9:52:13 am
You guys are just plain silly. You have the same problem with America as you do with anything non Islamic. You find holes in a good system and cry buckets of croc tears that it is not perfect. Then you go to town jobbering like morons how your despicable systems are not that bad.
Go figure why nobody takes any of you seriously. Develop some integrity. Then people will spare a few minutes to listen to your wailings in arabic.
Go figure why nobody takes any of you seriously. Develop some integrity. Then people will spare a few minutes to listen to your wailings in arabic.
#6 Posted by SR on October 30, 2003 9:59:32 am
Years ago when, disgusted with the dominant religio-military mindset in Pureland, I moved to the US no one could have convinced me that, despite the then rising threat of Jery Falwell and Reaganism, in less than three decades this country will be dead set on an ideological path that leads directly towards fascism. It is one of the greatest tragedies of modern history. America could have been, and indeed should have been, a model of paradise on earth, but alas that was not to be.
Any society that gets pre-occupied with ideology, any ideology, and foresakes rationality, is ultimately doomed. The fate of the former Soviet block is a recent example and the perpetual state of turmoil in places like Pureland can, in large measure, be attributed to their obssession with an over-riding ideology that trumps rationality. Sadly, the collective psyche of America is being steered down an ideological path which suits the interests of its real masters.
The price, unfortunately, will be paid by the world at large and ultimately even by Bubas Americanus. In the mean time, I`m going to get the hell out and away from here so as not to get trampled over by the drunk elephants when they start running amock in an orgy of war dances.
...SR
Any society that gets pre-occupied with ideology, any ideology, and foresakes rationality, is ultimately doomed. The fate of the former Soviet block is a recent example and the perpetual state of turmoil in places like Pureland can, in large measure, be attributed to their obssession with an over-riding ideology that trumps rationality. Sadly, the collective psyche of America is being steered down an ideological path which suits the interests of its real masters.
The price, unfortunately, will be paid by the world at large and ultimately even by Bubas Americanus. In the mean time, I`m going to get the hell out and away from here so as not to get trampled over by the drunk elephants when they start running amock in an orgy of war dances.
...SR
#7 Posted by arjun_m on October 30, 2003 10:53:23 am
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#8 Posted by arjun_m on October 30, 2003 10:53:23 am
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#9 Posted by SR on October 30, 2003 11:26:50 am
arjun_m #8 [``...The pendulum has swung too far one way and it`ll swing back the other way...just give it time. ...``]
I hope with my heart`s depth that you are right and that this is just a bad dream and we`ll wake up in the morning to a blue sky and bright sunshine. If and when that were to really happen, we`d love to return to the US. But what if it takes decades to turn around and I`m dead and gone by then, never again to see paradise on earth.
...SR
I hope with my heart`s depth that you are right and that this is just a bad dream and we`ll wake up in the morning to a blue sky and bright sunshine. If and when that were to really happen, we`d love to return to the US. But what if it takes decades to turn around and I`m dead and gone by then, never again to see paradise on earth.
...SR
#10 Posted by temporal on October 30, 2003 11:59:50 am
SR
...have only read about the darkness pervading the states during (senator) mccarthy`s hey days...this is what the US is seemingly going through these days... the positive spin is it took decades but but finally the american wisdom and will woke up and did wash off all the excesses of the mccarthy era...positive spin?...it may take a few decades to wash off excesses...would we live through it?...who knows?
..t
...have only read about the darkness pervading the states during (senator) mccarthy`s hey days...this is what the US is seemingly going through these days... the positive spin is it took decades but but finally the american wisdom and will woke up and did wash off all the excesses of the mccarthy era...positive spin?...it may take a few decades to wash off
..t
#11 Posted by RationalFaith on October 30, 2003 12:04:10 pm
SR
Your criticisms and fears are fair because you do not believe in any Islamist Utopias. Any objective person will agree that the US right now faces a moral crisis: it never before faced the kind of challenges that many other people have already faced and have been heartily lectured to by Americans.
I believe America will come out of it, though it will never go back to the innocence it once had. That may be a good thing. That innocence led to Zia and his jihadis running amok from Chechnya to G. Bay.
Your criticisms and fears are fair because you do not believe in any Islamist Utopias. Any objective person will agree that the US right now faces a moral crisis: it never before faced the kind of challenges that many other people have already faced and have been heartily lectured to by Americans.
I believe America will come out of it, though it will never go back to the innocence it once had. That may be a good thing. That innocence led to Zia and his jihadis running amok from Chechnya to G. Bay.
#12 Posted by Urstruly on October 30, 2003 12:12:03 pm
temporal & SR
Speaking of the positive spin, the joke of the day was at NPR today when they told the news of US government`s claims (made today) that economy is growing at a rate of 7.2%.
By the way announcer was laughing too.
Speaking of the positive spin, the joke of the day was at NPR today when they told the news of US government`s claims (made today) that economy is growing at a rate of 7.2%.
By the way announcer was laughing too.
#13 Posted by arjun_m on October 30, 2003 12:33:22 pm
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#14 Posted by Urstruly on October 30, 2003 12:40:14 pm
arjunm
Yes I agree. Just give it a couple of days.
Yes I agree. Just give it a couple of days.
#15 Posted by Fosa on October 30, 2003 8:02:22 pm
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#16 Posted by Ordinary_Muslim on October 30, 2003 8:31:26 pm
#4 Romair
++ In case of the Iraq war, only the majority of one country’s citizens, Israel, supported the war. ++
1. ``... nearly two-thirds of Baghdad residents believe that the removal of the Iraqi dictator has been worth the hardships they have been forced to endure, a new Gallup poll shows.``
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/24/international/middleeast/24BAGH.html?ex=1067662800&en=c9c6990133e17342&ei=5070
(Support for the US led war on the Saddam regime is higher in the rest of the country.)
2. ``The Gallup International survey ... found 68 per cent of Australians backed some sort of military action against Iraq.``
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/04/1044318597799.html
So here you have two countries (other than the US) where a majority supported military action. Would the America bashers bother to check their facts before going on their baseless anti-American rants.
++ ... Americans are overly self-righteous when it comes to their govts.’ actions in other countries. ++
If anyone made this statement about Arabs or blacks he/she would have been accused of racism, bigotry.
Cordially
OM
++ In case of the Iraq war, only the majority of one country’s citizens, Israel, supported the war. ++
1. ``... nearly two-thirds of Baghdad residents believe that the removal of the Iraqi dictator has been worth the hardships they have been forced to endure, a new Gallup poll shows.``
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/24/international/middleeast/24BAGH.html?ex=1067662800&en=c9c6990133e17342&ei=5070
(Support for the US led war on the Saddam regime is higher in the rest of the country.)
2. ``The Gallup International survey ... found 68 per cent of Australians backed some sort of military action against Iraq.``
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/04/1044318597799.html
So here you have two countries (other than the US) where a majority supported military action. Would the America bashers bother to check their facts before going on their baseless anti-American rants.
++ ... Americans are overly self-righteous when it comes to their govts.’ actions in other countries. ++
If anyone made this statement about Arabs or blacks he/she would have been accused of racism, bigotry.
Cordially
OM
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