Prevaricator-in-Chief audaciously preaches freedom amid anti-U.S. uprisings

Reality of Life in Afghanistan
RAWA:
Revolutionary Association of
the Women of Afghanistan

Reality check: CounterSpin producer and FAIR blog Editor Steve Rendall points out corporate press’s layering on of lies
Editing, re-reporting by
Carolyn Bennett

The corporate Times’ September 25 editorialized reporting on U.S. President Barack Obama’s UN oratory on “Arab democracy, free speech and violence” contained, Steve Rendall says,

a good sampling of the distortions, double standards and bigotry often present in U.S. corporate reporting on these issues.

The U.S. president’s claims that his government now faced with anti-American demonstrations (and blue on grey violence) across South Central Asia and Africa has supported “the Arab democracy movement” and has sacrificed Americans to protect the rights of the world’s peoples “to express their views” smack of disingenuousness.

Afghan civilian dead taken away 

TRUTH ABOUT VIOLENCE

“Anti-American violence in the Muslim world” does not even approach the level of violence visited on Muslim countries by the United States,” Rendall writes.

The public record backs up Rendall’s observation. The decade-long U.S./NATO War in Afghanistan (2001–present) began with an initial air campaign that almost immediately prompted concerns and international protests over the number of Afghan civilians being killed.

The U.S./NATO War on Afghanistan has now caused the deaths of thousands of Afghan civilians directly from insurgent and foreign military action, as well as the deaths of possibly tens of thousands of Afghan civilians indirectly as a consequence of displacement, starvation, disease, exposure, lack of medical treatment, crime and lawlessness resulting from the war.

Airstrikes have risen in recent years as have Afghan civilian deaths by foreign military operations resulting in rising tensions between the occupying/invading countries and the government of Afghanistan.

Protests

Over the past seven years, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly pleaded with foreign military forces in his country to stop killing so many Afghan civilians.

The deaths of thousands of Afghan civilians caused directly and indirectly by the U.S. and NATO bombing campaigns have been a major underlying focus of protests since the start of the war in Afghanistan.

Every year, around the world, starting with large-scale global demonstrations in the days leading up to the official launch of U.S. Operation Enduring Freedom under U.S. President George W. Bush and U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in October 2001, there have been protests.

Afghans funeralized

Most recent civilian casualties in the War in Afghanistan (2012):

February 8, 2012 – 2012 Kapisa airstrike - Seven children and a young adult are killed by an ISAF airstrike in the village of Geyaba in the eastern Afghan province of Kapisa.

February 17, 2012 - Kunar Raid - Six civilians, including a woman and a child were killed in a night raid in Dewa Gul Valley, in the Chawki district of Kunar province.

Afghan children in
crossfire of war on
their country

March 11, 2012 – Kandahar massacre - At least 16 civilians, including women and children were killed after a ‘rogue’ U.S. serviceman entered their homes and began to open fire in the Afghan province of Kandahar.

May 27, 2012 - Eight members of an Afghan family, including six children and two women, were killed in a NATO airstrike in eastern Afghanistan.

July 2, 2012 - NATO killed three shopkeepers in an airstrike near Charkh District, east of Afghanistan. Logar province spokesman Din Mohammad Darwesh says NATO forces were on a foot patrol in morning of July 2 in Charkh district when they came under fire from insurgents. He says they called in an airstrike and the bombardment killed three shopkeepers.

September, 2012 - NATO killed eight women and injured a further seven women, in an airstrike in Laghman.

Reported by the United Nations in 2011, the civilian death toll for the War in Afghanistan had reached a record high the previous year: 3,021 civilian deaths. That civilian death toll constituted an 8 percent rise ─ the fifth consecutive rise – not including the 4,507 civilian wounded.   

 

TRUTH ABOUT LIBERTY CHAMPION

The claim by New York Times' Washington correspondent/editorialist Helene Cooper that the U.S. president’s speech before the 67th UN General Assembly was a ‘strong defense of America’s belief in freedom of speech …, [a challenge to] fledgling Arab and North African democracies to ensure that right even in the face of violence’ lacks credibility, Rendall continues.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
held in
London 

From the UN General Assembly came another view that was closer to reality.

In his speech last week via videolink from the Ecuadorean embassy in London to a side meeting of the UNGA, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange thanked the United Nations for its treaties on political asylum and denounced the U.S. treatment of alleged Army whistleblower Bradley Manning. Assange also accused President Obama of exploiting the Arab Spring and called on the U.S.to end its persecution of WikiLeaks and its supporters.

U.S. aggression
Both sides of
Red Sea
Gulf of Aden:
Africa to
South Central Asia

The United States has a horrendous record when it comes to supporting free-speech [the Obama government has conducted a record number of prosecutorial actions against U.S. government whistleblowers] and democracy in the Muslim world, Rendall writes.

U.S. drone warfare
victims

“The United States continues to support and to arm autocratic and free speech-resistant regimes in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.” And though the United States may “no longer overtly thwart free speech and democracy in Tunisia,” the case harder to make concerning “Egypt whose military the United States has continued to fund through decades of torture, detention and disappearances.”

Egypt
Could also be U.S.-allied with
autocratic regimes in
Bahrain
Yemen
Saudi Arabia
today

Until recently, the United States supported dictatorships in Tunisia and Egypt. 

Washington money continued flowing to Egyptian generals in the face of military crackdowns after the 2011 Tahrir Square uprisings and the dissolving in June of Egypt’s democratically elected parliament.

Washington, after the Egyptians’ uprising, pushed Omar Suleiman, Egypt’s former vice president (also known as ‘CIA man in Cairo’ and Egypt’s ‘torturer-in-chief’), to head that country’s supposed “transition to democracy” (Guardian, 2/5/11).

Sources and notes

“Praising Obama's Defense of Free Speech, NYT Leaves Much Unsaid,” Posted on 09/27/2012 by Steve Rendall, http://www.fair.org/blog/2012/09/27/praising-obamas-defense-of-free-speech-nyt-leaves-much-unsaid/

“Costas Panayotakis on Greek protests; Jesselyn Radack on Obama, ‘free speech’ and whistleblowers,” CounterSpin (9/28/12-10/4/12), http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4628

“Obama Tells U.N. New Democracies Need Free Speech” (White Correspondent Helene Cooper, published: September 25, 2012), http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/world/obamas-address-to-united-nations.html?ref=opinion 

Wikipedia on War in Afghanistan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_civilian_casualties_in_the_War_in_Afghanistan_(2012)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_casualties_in_the_War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%93present)

Guardian on UN report, February 4, 2012, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/04/afghan-civilian-death-toll-record

View also: “Julian Assange U.N. Address ─ Speaking via videolink from the Ecuadorean embassy in London, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange addressed a side meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday evening. In his remarks, Assange gave thanks to the United Nations for its treaties on political asylum and denounced the U.S. treatment of alleged Army whistleblower Bradley Manning. Assange also accused President Obama of exploiting the Arab Spring and called on the U.S.to end its persecution of WikiLeaks and its supporters,” September 27, 2012,   https://www.freespeech.org/video/julian-assange-un-address

Green on Blue

“Two Americans killed in confused Afghan shootout ─ Two Americans were killed in Afghanistan during an exchange of fire between NATO-led forces and the Afghan army that may have been the result of a misunderstanding, as the death toll of U.S. military and civilian personnel passed 2,000” (Reuters Jessica Donati, KABUL), Sunday, September 30, 2012, http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/30/us-afghanistan-attack-idUSBRE88T02G20120930

Joint operations were halted two weeks ago after a surge of attacks on the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) by its Afghan allies.

At least 52 ISAF service members have been killed this year in so-called ‘green-on-blue’ attacks.

The suspension of joint operations was a blow for NATO which wants to train the 350,000 members of the Afghan security forces so that they can try to ensure stability after coalition forces withdraw.

Pentagon data listing the number of U.S. troops and U.S. contractors killed in Afghanistan since combat began 11 years ago showed the two new deaths pushed the total combined number of U.S. personnel killed past the 2,000 mark.

“Afghanistan civilian deaths up 31 percent this year, says United Nations ─ Report says child victims have risen by 55 percent as Taliban target more Afghans, while deaths due to foreign troops fall” (By Jon Boone), http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2010/08/10/afghanistan-civilian-deaths-up-31-this-year-says-united-nations.html

Read more: http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2010/08/10/afghanistan-civilian-deaths-up-31-this-year-says-united-nations.html#ixzz27z1tQrnu

RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, http://www.rawa.org/rawa.html

_____________________________________

Bennett's books are available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY] • See also: World Pulse: Global Issues through the eyes of Women: http://www.worldpulse.com/ http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire http://www.facebook.com/#!/bennetts2ndstudy


_____________________________________

Same ole new media marginalize women, color—Janine Jackson

Old and new fail diversity better imaged in Blogosphere?
Editing, comment by 

Carolyn Bennett

CounterSpin’s producer and co-host Janine Jackson writes this week at Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting’s magazine EXTRA!

There has been much rallying around a “traditional” journalism, which is supposedly facing imminent death, Jackson leads her article.  I guess that means the men are scared the hard-smoking, hard-drinking tough is out.

But I digress. Let Janine Jackson tell her story.

With this fear of demise and rally round the man has come a concomitant “mythologizing of pre-Internet news media as a force of social cohesion,” Jackson writes.

Traditional media had not done so well by people who are traditionally marginalized (women and persons with varieties of color). In fact, Jackson says, traditional media outlets “demonstrably exclude and marginalize many people and perspectives, particularly the less politically and economically powerful (Extra! 5–6/02, 5–6/05).”

In comes the “new” [which is not so new anymore, Janine]; and “Progressive [Who? Who are the real progressives, Janine?] critics and activists see corporate journalism’s ‘crisis’ as an opportunity,” she writes, a hope that newly emerging outlets will avoid mimicking the myopic patterns of traditionalists; and forge “not just new pay structures; but new definitions of news: something more than what powerful people say and do.”

“Woman’s Page” far from new

“Spaces created by and for people of color, or women, or any community can be a vital part of a healthy, varied media landscape.” [Yes, but, by any other name, it’s the same ole “separate but equal” lie]. But, Jackson continues, special spaces “are not a substitute for forums where [excluded] perspectives intersect and interact—as they do in life.”

“Even if done well, the ‘special section’ model raises questions.

Are they places for those generally marginalized to speak authentically—without filter?
Do they unnaturally barricade perspectives, as ‘Women’s Pages’ of old, implying that the rest of the paper—the ‘real’ news—concerns only men?

Including those who have been left out “is a baseline requirement for media producers who want to work — not merely in new formats, but in new ways.”

Jackson correctly stresses the fact that most people “do not want to talk only to [or even about] themselves or never submit to challenge.

Most people want to participate in the global arena in which they [their professional practice of journalism] and issues they care about [without particularity or ghettoizing] are not put down, devalued, censored or erased — but [with equal status] they are respected. [My bracketed comments with all due respect to JJ]

The Blogosphere “some denounce as ‘Blogger Apartheid’” others praise as authentic progress wherein information providers have moved away from “deferential (and fruitless)” begging “for inclusion.”

Media diversity, Jackson concludes, has never been solely “an end in itself.” Media diversity “has been a way of expanding public debate as a means toward social change.” 

 

Underscoring Jackson’s thoughts on 

broader scale

Former Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) representative on freedom of the media, writer, journalist, human rights advocate and university professor, Miklos Haraszti posted on June 7, 2012:

Twenty years after the ‘big leap forward’ in democracy, media pluralism is in trouble in too many countries in the wider Europe.  

Governmental or oligarchic monopolies are getting thicker by the year, and not only in post-Soviet nations but also inside the EU walls. 

 The burgeoning Internet-based media alone cannot provide for a functioning diversity of public opinion, and yet they are already under attack.  

This Pan-European Forum should pick the brains of all those concerned for the future of our shared freedoms, and move the European Union beyond non-intervention to become a protector of media diversity in our nations.

Sources and notes

“New Media—but Familiar Lack of Diversity (Women, people of color still marginalized online) by Janine Jackson, Extra! June 2012, http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4551

Janine Jackson is Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting program director and producer/co-host of syndicated radio program CounterSpin; and regular contributor to FAIR’s magazine, Extra! She is co-edited The FAIR Reader: An Extra! Review of Press and Politics in the '90s. Jackson has appeared on ABC’s Nightline and CNN Headline News, among other outlets, and has testified before the Senate Communications Subcommittee on budget reauthorization for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Her articles and chapters have appeared in several periodicals and books. She took her academic credentials at Sarah Lawrence College and the New School for Social Research. http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=10&author_id=53

Miklos Haraszti, former OSCE representative on freedom of the media, writer, journalist, human rights advocate and university professor, 7 June 2012

Wider? world?? Web? http://www.mediapluralism.eu/

Wikipedia note: The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world’s largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control and the promotion of human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections. It has 550 headquarters staff and about 2300 field staff.

Image
Media diversity, "2007-202P 30Mar07 Media diversity will not suffer,"
inkcinct.com.au http://www.inkcinct.com.au/pocket-cartoons-page.htm



Women's page, http://oldnews.aadl.org/node/152293

______________________________________

Bennett's books are available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY] • See also: World Pulse: Global Issues through the eyes of Women: http://www.worldpulse.com/ http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire http://www.facebook.com/#!/bennetts2ndstudy
______________________________________

What would they do without US?

From FAIR and foreign news sources
Compiled with minor editing, comment by Carolyn Bennett
August notes from Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting Blog
Updates from U.S. war theaters

IRAQ

“It Would Be Violent if We Left Iraq” by Peter Hart August 17, 2011

A headline and subhead in the Los Angeles Times: “‘Iraq attacks raise new concerns about U.S. pullout— Suicide bombings, car explosions and gunfire that killed at least 70 in an apparently coordinated assault suggests Iraqi forces may be overwhelmed by insurgents after American troops withdraw.’”

FAIR notes:

“Of course, these attacks happened while U.S. troops are still in the country — making the point about the U.S. ‘pullout’ somewhat hard to follow.

“But this [the LA Times’ take] is a familiar argument. Remember the Time magazine cover photo of a disfigured Afghan woman last July? The magazine’s political point was summed up by the text on the cover: ‘What Happens If We Leave Afghanistan.’ The attack that left her disfigured happened with U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

“The implication in both cases is that violence will overcome these countries due to the absence of U.S. troops — which obviously obscures the fact that the U.S. presence is often the source of such violence, or the justification used by armed groups seeking to drive out U.S. troops.” http://www.fair.org/blog/

What would they do without us? They’d do very well indeed.

U.S. corporate media collude in lies from scene of crime

PAKISTAN

“Drones in Pakistan: Equal Time for Killers?” by Peter Hart August 12, 2011

In the New York Times’ long piece (8/12/11) looking at the question of how many civilians in Pakistan are killed by CIA drones, the agency does not even speak on the record about the drone program — except to make the fanciful claim that no civilians have died in the past year or so.

Written by Scott Shane, the article includes some useful criticism of the CIA, … but the real problem with the piece — using almost entirely anonymous claims as one side in a dispute — is that it gives much weight to the CIA’s defense at all:


The government’s assertion of zero collateral deaths which has met with deep skepticism from many independent experts; and the British Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s new report containing interviews it conducted in Pakistan’s tribal area concluded that at least 45 civilians were killed in 10 strikes during the last year.

The British press reported differently on the British Bureau of Investigative Journalism study

The Telegraph: “‘168 Children Killed in Drone Strikes in Pakistan since start of campaign — New research to send shockwaves through Pakistan’” by Rob Crilly in Islamabad:

In an extensive analysis of open-source documents, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that 2,292 people had been killed by U.S. missiles, including as many as 775 civilians.

Guardian (opinion): “‘The Civilian Victims of the CIA’s Drone War — a new study gives us the truest picture yet, in contrast to the CIA’s own account of drones’ grim toll of ‘collateral damage’” by Clive Stafford Smith:

This week, a new report from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism gives the best picture so far of the impact of the CIA’s drone war in Pakistan.

The CIA claims no ‘noncombatant’[s] have been killed in Pakistan in the past year.

This claim always seemed to be biased advocacy rather than honest fact.

Indeed, the Guardian recently published some of the pictures we have obtained of the aftermath of drone strikes. There were photos of a child called Naeem Ullah killed in Datta Khel and two kids in Piranho, both within the timeframe of the CIA’s dubious declaration.

“‘Reporting by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism begins to fill in the actual numbers. It is a bleak view:

More people killed than previously thought, including an estimated 160 children overall. This study should help to create a greater sense of reality around what is going on in these remote regions of Pakistan.

This is precisely what has been lacking in the one-sided reporting of the issue — and it doesn’t take an intelligence analyst to realize that vague and one-sided is just the way the CIA wants to keep it.’”

“The U.S. LA Times’ account,” FAIR concludes, “obeys normal journalistic ‘rules’ about balance and giving official sources their say, which, in this case — amounts to giving space to anonymous killers to defend their actions.” http://www.fair.org/blog/

What would they do without us? They’d live a whole lot longer.

U.S. theaters of VIOLENCE update

Press TV reports http://www.presstv.ir/section/351020202.html

AFRICA

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Intercontinental sea stretching from the Atlantic Ocean on the west to Asia on the east, and separating Europe from Africa —

Ancient ‘sea between the lands’

Often called the incubator of Western civilization

From the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco (west-east extent) to the shores of the Gulf of Iskenderun [seaport/chief city Iskenderun in southern Turkey on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Iskenderun] on southwestern coast of Turkey—

Approx. 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers)

Between the shores of Yugoslavia and Libya (its average north-south extent)

About 500 miles

LIBYA

“‘Libyan fighters enter Tripoli by sea’ — Libyan opposition fighters say they have entered the capital Tripoli by sea in an operation launched from their western positions in Misratah,” August 21, 2011

“NATO bombs Gaddafi compound — NATO forces have bombed the compound of Libya's embattled ruler Muammar Gaddafi in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, as opposition fighters are closing in on the city,” August 21, 2011

“31 regime troops killed in Tripoli clashes — At least 31 troops loyal to the embattled Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi have been killed and 42 others captured by opposition fighters during clashes around the capital, Tripoli,” August 21, 2011

SOMALIA

“2 suspected US drones crash in Somalia — Reports say that two suspected U.S. drones have crashed in Somalia, as the U.S. military uses the unmanned aircraft to carry out targeted killings in the African country,” August 21, 2011

  

PERSIAN GULF

GULF OF ADEN

GULF OF ADEN

A deepwater basin that forms a natural sea link between the

Red Sea and the Arabian Sea

Named after the seaport of Aden, in southern Yemen,

The gulf lies between the coasts of Arabia and the Horn of Africa

PERSIAN GULF (Arabian Gulf)

A shallow marginal sea of the Indian Ocean that

Lies between the Arabian Peninsula and southwestern Iran

Bordered on the north, northeast and east by Iran;

On the southeast and south by part of Oman and by the United Arab Emirates;

On the southwest and west by Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia; and

On the northwest by Kuwait and Iraq

The term Persian Gulf sometimes refers not only to Persian Gulf proper but

Also to its outlets —

The Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, which open into the Arabian Sea

Yemen

“Suicide bombings strike Yemen’s south — At least 11 people killed in separate attacks targeting pro-government tribesmen in country's volatile southern region,” August 21, 2011

Iran

 “ Iran convicts U.S. ‘hikers’ as spies — Americans Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were sentenced to eight years in prison for illegal entry and espionage,” August 21, 2011  

Bahrain

“Bahrain stages ‘Popular Anger’ rally — Bahrainis have staged yet another demonstration, this time under the banner of 'Popular Anger,' against the Saudi-backed Al Khalifa regime,” August 19, 2011

“Bahrain steps up crackdown on demos — The Saudi-backed Bahraini forces have intensified their brutal crackdown on peaceful anti-government protesters across the Persian Gulf sheikhdom, August 18, 2011

Saudi Arabia

“‘Protesters attacked in Saudi Arabia’— Government forces have attacked Saudi Arabian peaceful demonstrators in the east of the oil-rich kingdom,” August 18, 2011

MIDDLE EAST PALESTINE

“Fresh Israeli attacks wound 8 Gazans — Fresh Israeli attacks on two towns in the impoverished Gaza Strip have left at least eight Palestinians wounded, medics say,” August 21, 2011

“New Israeli raid injures 7 Gazans — At least 7 Palestinians, including one child, have been injured in the latest Israeli airstrike targeting the impoverished Gaza Strip,” August 21, 2011

“Arab League raps Israeli raids on Gaza — The Arab League (AL) has condemned the continuous Israeli air raids on the impoverished Gaza Strip that have killed at least 16 Palestinians and injured more than 47 others in the past three days,” August 21, 2011

“Israel arrests 120 Palestinians in WB — Israeli military forces have arrested at least 120 Palestinians, including members of the Islamic Hamas movement, in the southern West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron),” August 21, 2011

“Casualties mount in Gaza-Israel violence — Arab League holds emergency talks as Israeli air strikes and rocket attacks from Gaza continue, killing at least 30,” August 21, 2011  [Al Jazeera]

 “Arab League blasts Israel for Egyptian deaths — Cairo meeting condemns Israel for killing five Egyptian policemen, saying expression of regret for deaths is not enough, August 21, 2011 [Al Jazeera]

Al Jazeera English reports http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/

SOUTHWEST/CENTRAL ASIA

AFGHANISTAN

“Deadly blasts rock Afghan capital — at least nine people killed in blasts targeting a British cultural centre followed by hours of shooting,” August 19, 2011

“Deadly blasts rock Afghan capital — At least nine people killed in blasts targeting a British cultural centre followed by hours of shooting,” August 19, 2011

“Afghan prosecutor killed in motorbike attack — Government prosecutor in Helmand province shot by gunmen on motorbikes as he went to work, officials say,” August 21, 2011

KASHMIR/India

“Deadly clash in Kashmir — Indian army officer and a dozen suspected fighters killed in battle along the de facto border that splits the territory,”  August 20, 2011

PAKISTAN

“Bomb attacks take toll on Peshawar — as the number of attacks increase, many victims find it difficult to cope with the aftermath,” August 18, 2011  

“ Scores killed in Pakistan mosque blast — At least 48 people killed after suicide bomber targets place of worship in main town of Khyber Agency, August 19, 2011

What would they do without US?

______________________________________

Bennett's books available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; The Book Den, Ltd.: BookDenLtd@frontiernet.net [Danville, NY]; Talking Leaves Books-Elmwood: talking.leaves.elmwood@gmail.com [Buffalo, NY]; Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza: http://www.bhny.com/ [Albany, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY]; LONGS’ Cards and Books: http://longscardsandbooks.com/ [Penn Yan, NY] • Articles also at World Pulse: Global Issues through the eyes of Women: http://www.worldpulse.com/ http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire
______________________________________

“Seeing ‘Islamic Terror’ in Norway” — media critique

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting wrote in a July 25, 2011, Media Advisory “Learning no lessons from Oklahoma City mistakes”

Excerpts by Carolyn Bennett

“Right-wing terror suspect Anders Behring Breivik reportedly killed 76 people in Norway on Friday [July 22], by all accounts driven by far-right anti-immigrant politics and fervent Islamophobia.   “However, many early media accounts assumed that the perpetrator of the attacks was Muslim.

“On news of the first round of attacks — the bombs in Oslo — CNN’s Tom Lister (7/22/11) didn’t know who did it, but knew they were Muslims:

‘It could be a whole range of groups but the point is that Al-Qaeda is not so much an organization now. It’s more a spirit for these people. It’s a mobilizing factor.’

“… An early Wall Street Journal editorial (7/22/11) dwelled on the —

‘explanations furnished by jihadist groups to justify their periodic slaughters,’ before concluding that because of Norway’s commitment to tolerance and freedom, ‘Norwegians have now been made to pay a terrible price.’

“Once the alleged perpetrator’s identity did not conform to the Journal’s prejudice, the editorial was modified, but it continued to argue that Al-Qaeda was an inspiration:

‘Coordinated terrorist attacks are an Al-Qaeda signature. But copycats with different agendas are surely capable of duplicating its methods.’

“…It is not new for media to jump to the conclusion that Muslims are responsible for any given terrorist attack; the same thing was widespread after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings (Extra! 7-8/95).

‘It has every single earmark of the Islamic car-bombers of the Middle East,’ syndicated columnist Georgie Anne Geyer (Chicago Tribune, 4/21/95) asserted.

‘Whatever we are doing to destroy Mideast terrorism, the chief terrorist threat against Americans, has not been working,’ wrote New York Times columnist A.M. Rosenthal (4/21/95).

‘Knowing that the car bomb indicates Middle Eastern terrorists at work, it’s safe to assume that their goal is to promote free-floating fear,’ editorialized the New York Post (4/20/95).

“It is unfortunate that so many outlets have failed to learn any practical lessons from such mistakes — or to question the beliefs that drive them.”

Sources and notes

Media Advisory: “Seeing ‘Islamic Terror’ in Norway — Learning no lessons from Oklahoma City mistakes,” July 25, 2011, http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4359

Listen online or to Pacifica radio stations to CounterSpin (7/29/11-8/4/11)  — “Devin Burghart on Norway terror, Julianne Escobedo Shepherd on Strauss-Kahn case,” http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4369

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) is a national media watch group that has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986.

FAIR works to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints.

As an anti-censorship organization, FAIR exposes neglected news stories and defends working journalists when they are muzzled.

As a progressive group, FAIR believes that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information.

FAIR works with both activists and journalists and maintains a regular dialogue with reporters at news outlets across the country, providing constructive critiques when called for and applauding exceptional, hard-hitting journalism.

FAIR encourages the public to contact media with their concerns, to become media activists rather than passive consumers of news.

EXTRA!

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting publishes Extra!, the hard-hitting magazine of well-documented media criticism, and produces the weekly radio program CounterSpin, the show that brings you the news behind the headlines. FAIR’s thriving listserv distributes regular Action Alerts to its international network of over 50,000 activists, http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=100

Extra! receives no money from advertisers or corporate underwriters and depends on subscribers for its existence. http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4

______________________________________

Articles also at Bringing Women a Global Voice: http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire Bennett's books available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; The Book Den, Ltd.: BookDenLtd@frontiernet.net [Danville, NY]; Talking Leaves Books-Elmwood: talking.leaves.elmwood@gmail.com [Buffalo, NY]; Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza: http://www.bhny.com/ [Albany, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY]; LONGS’ Cards and Books: http://longscardsandbooks.com/ [Penn Yan, NY]
______________________________________

Who kills civilians with impunity?

Who is taken to task for killing civilians?

From Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) blog

Editing, ending comment by Carolyn Bennett


FAIRNESS AND ACCURACY IN REPORTING (FAIR) is the national media watch group that has offered well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. FAIR works to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints.


As an anti-censorship organization, FAIR exposes neglected news stories and defends working journalists when they are muzzled. As a progressive group, FAIR believes that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information.

CASE IN POINT

Cluster bombs kill civilians no matter who uses them

USA’s LICENSE with impunity TO KILL CIVILIANS

·       Human Rights Watch criticized the U.S. for using cluster bombs in populated areas in Afghanistan, killing and injuring scores of civilians (Washington Post, 12/18/02).

·       Amnesty International (4/2/03) called the U.S.’s use of cluster bombs in civilian areas of Iraq ‘a grave violation of international humanitarian law.’ (See FAIR Action Alert, 5/6/03.)

·       NATO employed cluster bombs in its bombing of Serbia during the Kosovo War, with one attack killing 15 civilians in the town of Nis (BBC, 5/7/99);

·       More than 2,000 unexploded munitions from cluster bombs are estimated to remain on Serbian territory, continuing to endanger civilians (AFP, 3/10/09).

·       ‘Suspected militants’ attacked by a cluster bomb in Yemen in 2009 turned out to be ‘21 children and 20 innocent women and men’ (NewYorkTimes.com, 12/9/10) — all killed in the U.S. attack.

“… WikiLeaks revealed the U.S. colluded with the British government to circumvent the [Cluster Bombs] ban and allow U.S. cluster bombs to remain on British soil.

“WikiLeaks also disclosed that the U.S. has been lobbying countries to keep cluster bombs legal, arguing that they [cluster bombs] are ‘legitimate weapons that provide a vital military capability’ (Guardian, 12/1/10).”

MASS MEDIA LAMBASTES LIBYA’s KILLING CIVILIANS

“‘[Qaddafi] Troops Fire Cluster Bombs into Civilian Areas,’ declares a New York Times headline (4/15/11). The lead of the story makes clear that these weapons are considered in many countries to be illegal:

Military forces loyal to Col. [Muammar al- Qaddafi] have been firing into residential neighborhoods in this embattled city with heavy weapons, including cluster bombs that have been banned by much of the world.

C.J. Chivers’ Times’ story then explained why these weapons [cluster bombs] have been banned:

These so-called indiscriminate weapons, which strike large areas with a dense succession of high-explosive munitions, by their nature, cannot be fired precisely.

When fired into populated areas, they place civilians at grave risk.”

FAIR comments

“You can be sure none of the examples of U.S. use of cluster bombs in civilian areas prompted the New York Times to suggest that the use of these weapons by the U.S. justified military attacks on the United States in order to protect civilians.

“Moreover, you’d be hard-pressed to find [as in the Times article lambasting Libya] any descriptions in the Times of the ‘bits of human flesh’ resulting from any U.S. military action.”

FINALLY 

When are civilians dispensable and when are they not dispensable and by whom? Who decides — who should decide — the dispensability, indeed the worth and or relative worth of human life?  

I suggest that no one, no government should have this authority or impunity. Moreover, cluster bombs should be banned by all governments (offensive and preemptive war should be banned as well); and those who kill, no matter who they are or whom they kill, they should be brought before international criminal courts and prosecuted for their crimes.

News source

 “[Qaddafi]’s Cluster Bombs — and Uncle Sam’s” 04/16/2011 by Jim Naureckas, http://www.fair.org/blog/

_______________________________________

Bennett's books available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; The Book Den, Ltd.: BookDenLtd@frontiernet.net [Danville, NY]; Talking Leaves Books-Elmwood: talking.leaves.elmwood@gmail.com [Buffalo, NY]; Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza: http://www.bhny.com/ [Albany, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY]; LONGS’ Cards and Books: http://longscardsandbooks.com/ [Penn Yan, NY]
_______________________________________

CNN, NY Times whites out writer voices — FAIR

Re-reporting, editing by Carolyn Bennett
A study by the media watch group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) examined episodes of CNN’s “After Words” (March 2008-January 2010) and of the New York Times Book Reviews (January 2009-February 2010) focused on politically themed books. Their finding was this:

The New York Times Book Review and C-SPAN’s book show ‘After Words’ share an exceedingly narrow view of whose political books deserve review—and who is fit to discuss these books. …

White and male authors, reviewers and interviewers overwhelmingly dominated these important media venues for discussion of newly published books.

“Ideological diversity is vitally important,” the study’s authors conclude, “but book discussions heavily dependent on white male authors, reviewers and commentators do more than deny full voice to women and people of color—who, together, represent far more than half the U.S. population.”

The censor’s quotas loaded up with white male authors, reviewers and commentators “also deprive ALL readers and viewers of exposure to the variety of experiences and sensibilities women and people of color would bring to discussions.”

Sources and notes
“Who Gets to Review and Be Reviewed? Authors, book critics drawn from narrow pool” (Steve Rendall, Zachary Tomanelli, Research assistance, Daniel de Corral), Extra! Magazine, August 2010, http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4119; http://www.fair.org

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting [FAIR], founded in 1986, is a national media watch group offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship.


FAIR works to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints.


As an anti-censorship organization, FAIR exposes neglected news stories and defends working journalists when they are muzzled. FAIR is a progressive group that believes structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, to establish independent public broadcasting, and to promote strong non-profit sources of information.


FAIR works with activists and journalists and maintains regular dialogue with reporters at news outlets across the country, providing constructive critiques when called for and applauding exceptional, hard-hitting journalism. FAIR encourages the public to contact media with their concerns, to become media activists rather than passive consumers of news. FAIR publishes Extra, a hard-hitting magazine of media criticism, and produces the weekly radio program CounterSpin, a show that goes behind the headlines to bring news. http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=100