Global
To the Editor: David Brooks' otherwise balanced column about the Newsweek article controversy omitted one crucial fact.
Bush administration officials vetted the Isikoff piece before it went to print, and offered no objections. Only after an entirely predictable uproar in the Muslim world did Scott McClellan, Condoleezza Rice, and Donald Rumsfeld accuse Newsweek of contributing to the deaths of innocents and a loss of American prestige. These remarks represent crocodile tears after the fact, shed for Muslims who have been mistreated by our military at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo with the full knowledge of the administration.
Robert Lockwood Mills, author/historian
Bush administration officials vetted the Isikoff piece before it went to print, and offered no objections. Only after an entirely predictable uproar in the Muslim world did Scott McClellan, Condoleezza Rice, and Donald Rumsfeld accuse Newsweek of contributing to the deaths of innocents and a loss of American prestige. These remarks represent crocodile tears after the fact, shed for Muslims who have been mistreated by our military at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo with the full knowledge of the administration.
Robert Lockwood Mills, author/historian
Sign here to become a member of the 14 Per Cent Club. Twenty bucks plus shipping and handling gets you the T-shirt. Credentials for membership derive from a recent study by the Pew Research Center disclosing, in the words of Katharine Seelye of the New York Times on May 9, that 45 percent of Americans believe little or nothing of what they read in their daily newspapers.
"When specific newspapers were mentioned, The Times fared about average, with 21 percent of readers believing all or most of what they read in The Times and 14 percent believing almost nothing," Seelye reports. Chalk up another victory for the left. We've been at it for 30 years at least, saying that most things in the Times are distortions of reality or outright lies, and here is a robust slice of the American people agreeing with us. Of course, the faint hearts who believe that the left can never win anything will say that the credit should go to moles at the New York Times, boring from within, hollowing out the mighty edifice with year upon year of willful falsehoods until, at last, the whole ponderous structure is crumbling into dust, crushing all within.
"When specific newspapers were mentioned, The Times fared about average, with 21 percent of readers believing all or most of what they read in The Times and 14 percent believing almost nothing," Seelye reports. Chalk up another victory for the left. We've been at it for 30 years at least, saying that most things in the Times are distortions of reality or outright lies, and here is a robust slice of the American people agreeing with us. Of course, the faint hearts who believe that the left can never win anything will say that the credit should go to moles at the New York Times, boring from within, hollowing out the mighty edifice with year upon year of willful falsehoods until, at last, the whole ponderous structure is crumbling into dust, crushing all within.
I know it may sound crazy, but the Bush administration has actually made a proposal to allow wastewater treatment plants to dump barely treated sewage into American waters whenever it rains. I don't know about you, but I don't want more sewage in my water no matter the weather.
Fortunately, neither do a lot of Members of Congress, and they've banded together to make sure this proposal does not get enacted. This week, Congress is going to vote to stop the Bush administration's proposal from becoming law.
Please take a moment to ask your Member of Congress to keep more sewage out of America's water. Then, if you have friends who don't want more sewage in their water either, forward this email to them and ask them to contact their Member of Congress too.
To take action, click on this link or it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=2&id4=OHFreep
Background
Fortunately, neither do a lot of Members of Congress, and they've banded together to make sure this proposal does not get enacted. This week, Congress is going to vote to stop the Bush administration's proposal from becoming law.
Please take a moment to ask your Member of Congress to keep more sewage out of America's water. Then, if you have friends who don't want more sewage in their water either, forward this email to them and ask them to contact their Member of Congress too.
To take action, click on this link or it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=2&id4=OHFreep
Background
AUSTIN, Texas -- As Riley used to say on an ancient television sitcom, "This is a revoltin' development." There seems to be a bit of a campaign on the right to blame Newsweek for the anti-American riots in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other Islamic countries.
Uh, people, I hate to tell you this, but the story about Americans abusing the Koran in order to enrage prisoners has been out there for quite some time. The first mention I found of it is March 17, 2004, when the Independent of London interviewed the first British citizen released from Guantanamo Bay. The prisoner said he had been physically beaten but did not consider that as bad as the psychological torture, which he described extensively. Jamal al-Harith, a computer programmer from Manchester, said 70 percent of the inmates had gone on a hunger strike after a guard kicked a copy of the Koran. The strike was ended by force-feeding.
Uh, people, I hate to tell you this, but the story about Americans abusing the Koran in order to enrage prisoners has been out there for quite some time. The first mention I found of it is March 17, 2004, when the Independent of London interviewed the first British citizen released from Guantanamo Bay. The prisoner said he had been physically beaten but did not consider that as bad as the psychological torture, which he described extensively. Jamal al-Harith, a computer programmer from Manchester, said 70 percent of the inmates had gone on a hunger strike after a guard kicked a copy of the Koran. The strike was ended by force-feeding.
AUSTIN, Texas -- As Riley used to say on an ancient television sitcom, "This is a revoltin' development." There seems to be a bit of a campaign on the right to blame Newsweek for the anti-American riots in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other Islamic countries.
Uh, people, I hate to tell you this, but the story about Americans abusing the Koran in order to enrage prisoners has been out there for quite some time. The first mention I found of it is March 17, 2004, when the Independent of London interviewed the first British citizen released from Guantanamo Bay. The prisoner said he had been physically beaten but did not consider that as bad as the psychological torture, which he described extensively. Jamal al-Harith, a computer programmer from Manchester, said 70 percent of the inmates had gone on a hunger strike after a guard kicked a copy of the Koran. The strike was ended by force-feeding.
Uh, people, I hate to tell you this, but the story about Americans abusing the Koran in order to enrage prisoners has been out there for quite some time. The first mention I found of it is March 17, 2004, when the Independent of London interviewed the first British citizen released from Guantanamo Bay. The prisoner said he had been physically beaten but did not consider that as bad as the psychological torture, which he described extensively. Jamal al-Harith, a computer programmer from Manchester, said 70 percent of the inmates had gone on a hunger strike after a guard kicked a copy of the Koran. The strike was ended by force-feeding.
CHICAGO (April 18, 2005) – Addressing some of the most controversial but relevant issues in America – from the renewal of the Voting Rights Act to the failure of college sports programs to graduate their players – the RainbowPUSH Coalition and the Citizenship Education Fund also echo the nation's Founding Fathers and look to more recent historical giants in the 34th Annual Conference, “A More Perfect Union: Building on the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon B. Johnson.” The conference, an event where the RainbowPUSH seeks to take action on many of the key issues it addresses during the year, will be held June 11 through 16, 2005, at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, 301 E. Water St. in downtown Chicago.
A stellar array of guests scheduled to appear during the conference includes, from the political arena, Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Barack Obama (D-IL) and Congresswoman Maxine Waters D-Calif.); and from the religious, entertainment and business arenas, Nation of Islam Leader Minister Louis Farrakhan, activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte; and prominent business executives Cathy Hughes and Earl Graves.
A stellar array of guests scheduled to appear during the conference includes, from the political arena, Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Barack Obama (D-IL) and Congresswoman Maxine Waters D-Calif.); and from the religious, entertainment and business arenas, Nation of Islam Leader Minister Louis Farrakhan, activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte; and prominent business executives Cathy Hughes and Earl Graves.
History is slowly being rewritten. Hard to believe yet harder to deny is the increasing frequency and fervor with which those on the religious right are asserting that the United States was founded on Christian principles. Every day, on editorial pages and radio talk shows across the country, more and more unapologetic Christian crusaders are stating as fact fantastic claims of our founding fathers’ providential mission to create a nation based on the Ten Commandments and a Biblical worldview.
You may be tempted to chuckle, but you must not. You must take this seriously, very seriously, for unknown to many of you America has become engaged in nothing less than an epic battle, one whose outcome will shape world history for the next century and beyond. It is not a battle against radical Islamic terrorism, though that is a separate fight we must also win, but a battle that pits reason against faith, the Enlightenment against the Dark Ages, the light against the cave.
You may be tempted to chuckle, but you must not. You must take this seriously, very seriously, for unknown to many of you America has become engaged in nothing less than an epic battle, one whose outcome will shape world history for the next century and beyond. It is not a battle against radical Islamic terrorism, though that is a separate fight we must also win, but a battle that pits reason against faith, the Enlightenment against the Dark Ages, the light against the cave.
To Harvey Wasserman.
I read your article "Four bloody lies of war, from Havana 1898 to Baghdad
2003".
Thank you for writing a great historical review.
I discovered at the national achieves, seven taped telephone conversations
between Robert McNamara and Lyndon Johnson on august 4th 1964 the day of the
Golf of Tonkin Incident.
One minute and thirty-eight seconds into clip # 3 McNamara says "and our
ships are allegedly o be attack tonight". Confirming in there own words that
the whole Gulf of Tonkin incident was to be a fake excuse to start a war and
murder three million people.
If you listen to all seven clips you will get a real fly on the wall
understanding of two mass murderers preparing for the kill.
I especially like the part were Johnson checks with the New York bankers
before going ahead.
Jim Davis
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB132/tapes.htm
Hello,
I am writing (May 13) from St. Louis where I am attending the National Conference for Media Reform. I intend to share what I am learning when I return. I wanted to relate a bit of what I am experiencing so far. You can read about it perhaps see/hear some recorded content at www.freepress.net
There are 2300 people here from all 50 states and 8 countries. It is very clear we are winning the battle for media reform. Numerous legal setbacks have dealt a blow to broadcasters’ efforts to keep their control of our airwaves. Soon the battle will go to Congress where the big media and telecom companies will try to regulate the open digital networks so only they can be the content providers.
The battle ahead * the 2006 Telecom Act for one * will be about the individual right to speak through digital spectrum without having to get the permission of Verizon or any other network owner.
I am writing (May 13) from St. Louis where I am attending the National Conference for Media Reform. I intend to share what I am learning when I return. I wanted to relate a bit of what I am experiencing so far. You can read about it perhaps see/hear some recorded content at www.freepress.net
There are 2300 people here from all 50 states and 8 countries. It is very clear we are winning the battle for media reform. Numerous legal setbacks have dealt a blow to broadcasters’ efforts to keep their control of our airwaves. Soon the battle will go to Congress where the big media and telecom companies will try to regulate the open digital networks so only they can be the content providers.
The battle ahead * the 2006 Telecom Act for one * will be about the individual right to speak through digital spectrum without having to get the permission of Verizon or any other network owner.
Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman was one of several distinguished guests, including Seymour Hersh, Rep. Bernie Sanders, Phil Donahue, Naomi Klein and other prominent media professionals.
...Hersh claimed the Iraq War was increasingly being conducted “off the books” by mercenaries, retired military personnel, and private contractors beyond the scope of accountability.
... “Body bags aren’t going to stop him,” Hersh said, referring to Bush.
...According to...Congressman (Sanders), this media distortion is no accident; as fewer and fewer corporations control more and more media outlets, viewpoints are increasingly channeled and contrived to benefit narrow commercial interests at the expense of the public good.
...Klein defined the obsessive prominence of the Michael Jackson and Terri Schiavo cases in the media as “spasms of collective mourning.” University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was the site of a conference entitled “Can Freedom of the Press Survive Media Consolidation?” on May 10th and 11th, 2005. The Conference focused on the impact of media conglomeration and corporate control on the dissemination of news in the United States.
...Hersh claimed the Iraq War was increasingly being conducted “off the books” by mercenaries, retired military personnel, and private contractors beyond the scope of accountability.
... “Body bags aren’t going to stop him,” Hersh said, referring to Bush.
...According to...Congressman (Sanders), this media distortion is no accident; as fewer and fewer corporations control more and more media outlets, viewpoints are increasingly channeled and contrived to benefit narrow commercial interests at the expense of the public good.
...Klein defined the obsessive prominence of the Michael Jackson and Terri Schiavo cases in the media as “spasms of collective mourning.” University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was the site of a conference entitled “Can Freedom of the Press Survive Media Consolidation?” on May 10th and 11th, 2005. The Conference focused on the impact of media conglomeration and corporate control on the dissemination of news in the United States.