Month: August 2006

U.S. Media — Hyping the Terror Hysteria

Buck Banks

Media mania: There is a good chance the individuals arrested by British police last week were up to no good, but so far there has been no proof that they were about to launch an airline bomb attack of “unprecedented proportions,” as was breathlessly reported last week. No formal charges have been brought against them. Indeed, British authorities just went to court to ask for more time to hold and interrogate them without bringing charges. It’s not even clear how close they were to actually trying to perpetrate the alledged plot.

CNN, for example, chose ‘Target: USA’ as its phrase, Fox News opted for ‘Terror in the Sky,’ and MSNBC neatly combined the two with ‘Target America: Terror in the Sky.’

But that has not stopped the U.S. media — especially the squawking heads of cable TV — from heralding the beginning of “World War III.” The din of dumbness has proved particularly irksome to David Walsh, columnist for the World Socialist Web Site, who provides a comprehensive and compelling case for turning off the television and reading a book:

Since August 10, when British authorities arrested two dozen individuals in connection with an alleged plot to blow up a number of airplanes over the Atlantic Ocean, the American mass media has worked ceaselessly to create a climate of fear.

For the first several days after the news of the alleged plot broke, American news programs were virtually unwatchable. The lurid logos and wild, unsubstantiated allegations made a mockery of claims that the networks and cable channels are in the business of “news-gathering.”

The responses of the cable news channels to events like the August 10 arrests are predictable. One knows ahead of time that each of the channels will have its own sensationalist logo and catch-phrase. However, the combination of limited imaginations and shared political goals—centered on keeping the US population in a state of constant panic—often results in a certain overlap. CNN, for example, chose “Target: USA” as its phrase, Fox News opted for “Terror in the Sky,” and MSNBC neatly combined the two with “Target America: Terror in the Sky.”

Read the rest of the column here.

Trouble at the New York Times

Jon Ponder

The opposite of love, sayeth the wise man, is not hate but apathy. In the five long years during which I was a Manhattanite, I developed a yawning apathy about the local newspaper of record, the New York Times.

The main problem for me as a local resident was that its reportage on the local scene was spotty at best. What good is a newspaper if it fails to cover its putative beat? To find out what was going on in New York, you had to read the tabloids, the Daily News, the Post and (for a while) Newsday.

The reason was obvious: The New York Times considered itself to be the nation’s newspaper of record — a sort of USA Today for grownups — and therefore did not deign to report on which New York man was bitten by what New York dog — or, better, which New York man was found headless in what New York topless bar.

In an exposé on the troubles facing the New York Times, Vanity Fair writer Michael Wolff offers some statistics on the disastrous results of the paper’s decades of trying to be everything to everyone, which apparently, and predictably, have resulted in it’s becoming nothing to no one:

Unlike The Washington Post, which has put much of its editorial and business energies into dominating its local market, the Times’s strategy — a doomsday scenario, foreseeing a one-newspaper nation, a last-man-standing paper — has been to make the paper national. Hence, the New York Times is no longer principally a metropolitan paper. With a daily circulation of 260,000 in the five boroughs, it’s no longer even creditably a New York paper. (Its two tabloid competitors, the Daily News and the New York Post, have far more readers in New York City.)

Wolff’s article tracks what appears to be the New York Times’ downward spiral. Business is not good and the paper has been rocked by two journalism scandals — Jayson Blair’s plaigarism and Judith Miller’s stenography for the Bush/neocon war machine — all of which is symbolized by the paper’s current project: a huge new office tower under construction on West 40th Street.

Quote du Jour

Buck Banks

Terror is nought but prompt, severe, inflexible justice; it is therefore an emanation of virtue; it is less a particular principle than a consequence of the general principle of democracy applied to the pressing needs of the fatherland.

— Maximilien Marie Isidore de Robespierre (1758- guillotined 1794), French revolutionist

Declaring ‘War on Terror’ May Have Been Bush’s Worst Mistake

Jon Ponder
“We must drop the metaphor of a “war on terrorism.” Wars are mostly fought with arms on battlefields between soldiers of opposing countries. Wars have beginnings and ends. None of these characteristics apply here.”
–Richard Haass

Of all the mistakes the Bush Administration has made, their most most historically significant error may have been the elevation of terrorism from the mundane purview of criminal justice to the status of a “war” that requires the engagement of the full force and might of the United States military.

Identifying, tracking and defeating terrorists requires the surgical precision of intelligence operations, not the heavy cudgel of carpet bombs and special forces. We have proof of this now in Iraq. Using the military to fight terrorism only serves to breed more terrorists.

The president’s motives in re-casting the fight against terror as a “war” are clear: He wanted to become, as he put it, “a war president.” During war-time, presidents can claim nearly dictatorial privileges, and war presidents are harder to defeat in elections.

In that sense, the president’s war on terror has been a rousing political success — for President Bush. With the assistance of a pliable Republican Congress and the dimwitted, self-absorbed Washington press corps, he has accrued unprecedented powers for the Executive and won two elections — so far.

But by aggrandizing himself as a warrior president, George Bush also raised the profile of our enemies both as specters of fear for Americans and as heroes among their own people. The moment the president declared his war on terror Osama bin Ladin and his ilk were promoted from the ranks of criminal thugs into a new class of global warriors who became worthy adversaries of the world’s last remaining Superpower.

Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a former high-level State Dept. staffer in the administrations of both Pres. Bush 41 and 43, published an op-ed piece last week calling for an end to the marketing of the fight against terror as “war.” His article is remarkable because it answers the Republicans’ catcall that no one has a better plan than the failed policies of the Bush Administration and the GOP Congress.

If you want solid answers on how to fight the rise in terrorism from the Islamic underground, here is Richard Haass’ plan:

[…]

Rapture Index Gauges Nearness of End of the World

Buck Banks

Signs of the end times: It’s a high-tech version of the cliche cartoon character — the zealot in long beard and robe holding the sign that predicts the end of the world. It’s the Rapture Index, a kind of gauge of how close we are to Jesus’ return to the earth, the Rapture and the Apocalypse as predicted in the Book of Revelations and various Old Testament visions.

The world has always been going to hell in a handbasket, and the prophets of doom have always been among us

This week’s rating is 160, based on measures of 45 different components that ostensibly portend the end of the world. A rating under 60 represents a period of slow prophetic activity, whereas anything over 145 is considered a pretty good indicator that there is going to be a lot of driverless vehicles on the interstate very soon. The 45 components are ranked on a scale of one to five, with five being high prophetic activity. This week low unemployment, lack of supernatural activity and the peace process (as represented by the cease-fire in Lebanon) all get a one ranking. Good signs of the rapture include high oil/gas prices, poor political leadership, developments in Israel, Gog (Russia) and Persia; and droughts, floods, wild weather and volcanoes all rate a five.

Reading the Rapture Index’s analysis is kind of like getting those annoying cryptic readings from a palmist:

  • Supernatural: Satanism is reported to be flourishing in Russia
  • Leadership: During the past few weeks, several end-time categories have become locked in a holding pattern.
  • Ecumenism: World religions have been at odds with each other.
  • Gog: Events in the Middle East are moving closer to the Ezk 38 & 39 prophecy.
  • Mark of the Beast: The U.S. Patriot Act has failed to get enough votes for extension.
  • Date Settings: Several organizations have been talking about Iran launching an attack against Israel on 22 Aug. The claim is based on the doomsday beliefs of Iran’s President.

Instead of the Dow Jones of the Apocalypse, the Rapture Index prefers to see itself as a kind of prophetic speedometer — the higher the number, the faster we are hurtling toward the end.

It’s an interesting attempt to quantify biblical prophesies as they are supposedly manifested in the news. But it’s a load of hooey. The world has always been going to hell in a handbasket, and the prophets of doom have always been among us, waving their signs and exhorting us to repent, the end is nigh. This is just a more entertaining poster for the end of the world.

Another Reason I’m Glad to Be a Registered Independent

Buck Banks

Fool fest: Why can’t they get anybody better to head up the Florida Democratic party than Karen Thurman? Here’s her latest insipid e-mail appeal:

Dear Democrats,

We’re less than four weeks from the Primary.

On Sept. 5th, Democrats will choose a strong leader to take on the flip-flopping, camera-chasing politician that Republicans have decided is their best shot, despite his lack of backbone, failure to understand the issues important to Floridians and well-documented pattern of running from his own statements.

Florida deserves better. Contribute today to elect a Democratic Governor. https://www.fladems.com/donate/donor.php

Both of our Democratic candidates have what it takes to be Governor of Florida. They have convictions and strong values. They don’t pander, and they stand by their choices – unlike the Republicans who take multiple stances on multiple issues. Sometimes the Republicans who think they deserve to be governor fail to even have the courage to take a side at all.

Florida needs Democrats like Jim Davis and Rod Smith. One of them is going to be elected the next governor of Florida – with your help.

We’re nearing the deadline for filing our fundraising reports, and we want a strong showing that will let the G.O.P. and the media know that we mean business. Can you contribute to electing a Democratic Governor? https://www.fladems.com/donate/donor.php

Because of you, the Florida Democratic Party is running a real, coordinated campaign that will win races at the state and federal level. Each dollar you contribute goes toward electing Democrats up and down the ticket.

Please support your Party today: https://www.fladems.com/donate/donor.php

Together, we will elect a Governor that puts Floridians first.

Thank you,

Karen Thurman
Chair, Florida Democratic Party

ADDENDUM
In response to a comment by alert PR reader oldgringo who requested some background on Thurman vis á vis Katherine Harris, I am including the following entry from Wikipedia. oldgringo wondered whether Thurman and Harris shared any schools, friends, etc. Given that Thurman is a Democrat and Harris a Republican, I doubt it, though it is interesting that both hail from the same general vicinity on Florida’s west coast. — Buck

Karen L. Thurman is a former U.S. Representative from Florida. She is a Democrat.

She was born on January 12, 1951 in Rapid City, South Dakota, but has spent most of her life in Florida. She received her Associate’s Degree from Santa Fe Community College in Starke, Florida in 1970 and her Bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1973.

Thurman was first elected to public office in 1974, when she won a seat on the city council of Dunnellon, Florida, on which she served until 1983. She served as Mayor of Dunnellon from 1979-1981. She served in the Florida state senate from 1983-1993, the last four years as president pro tempore.

Florida gained three congressional districts after the 1990 census. One of them was the 5th District, which stretched from Gainesville to the far northern portion of the Tampa Bay Area. It was an open secret that this district was drawn for Thurman. She was elected to the House from that district in 1992 and was reelected four more times with no serious opposition.

By the 2000 census, however, the Republicans controlled the state legislature, and they redrew the 5th to be slightly more friendly to Republicans. The new 5th was virtually coextensive with the district of State Senate President Pro Tem Ginny Brown-Waite. Nonetheless, Thurman ran for reelection. Even though the redrawn district had gone narrowly for George W. Bush in 2000 (Al Gore had won her old district handily), Thurman just barely lost to Brown-Waite.

In 2005 Thurman was elected Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party (FDP), succeeding Chairman Scott Maddox, who resigned in order to seek the Democratic nomination for governor.

Terror Politics: List of 10 Times the Bush Team Has Played the Terror Card

Jon Ponder

What kind of leader preys on the fears of his citizens in order to manipulate their will toward his own ends?

Despicable: In response to the Bush Administration’s attempts last week to tie anti-Iraq Civil war candidate Ned Lamont to al Qaeda, Keith Olbermann re-ran his report showing 10 previous instances in which the Bush Administration has used the public’s fear of terrorism as a political tool.

This report is the “smoking gun” on the Bush team’s politicization of terror. It is a tactic that has worked remarkably well for them. But this should give every patriotic American pause. What kind of leader preys on the fears of his citizens in order to manipulate their will toward his own ends?

Watch the video from YouTube above. The transcript of the video follows:

[…]

Va. Sen: Neo-Confederate Allen Apologizes for Racial Slurs

Jon Ponder
The apology, which came hours after Allen’s campaign manager dismissed the issue with an expletive and insisted the senator has “nothing to apologize for.”

When he was in high school in the upscale Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes, Sen. George Allen, R-Virginia, wore a Confederate pin in a year book photo. In college, at the University of Virginia, he was famous for driving an old pickup truck with a new Confederate flag decal on the bumper. Later, as a practicing lawyer, he decorated his office with a noose hanging from a tree.

Apparently, his bigotry extends beyond blacks to people of Indian descent, as well:

Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) apologized Monday for what his opponent’s campaign said were demeaning and insensitive comments the senator made to a 20-year-old volunteer of Indian descent.

At a campaign rally in southwest Virginia on Friday, Allen repeatedly called a volunteer for Democrat James Webb “macaca.” During the speech in Breaks, near the Kentucky border, Allen began by saying that he was “going to run this campaign on positive, constructive ideas” and then pointed at S.R. Sidarth in the crowd.

“This fellow here, over here with the yellow shirt, macaca, or whatever his name is. He’s with my opponent. He’s following us around everywhere. And it’s just great,” Allen said, as his supporters began to laugh. After saying that Webb was raising money in California with a “bunch of Hollywood movie moguls,” Allen said, “Let’s give a welcome to macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia.” Allen then began talking about the “war on terror.”

Depending on how it is spelled, the word macaca could mean either a monkey that inhabits the Eastern Hemisphere or a town in South Africa. In some European cultures, macaca is also considered a racial slur against African immigrants, according to several Web sites that track ethnic slurs.

“The kid has a name,” Webb communications director Kristian Denny Todd said of Sidarth, a Virginia native who was born in Fairfax County. “This is trying to demean him, to minimize him as a person.”

Todd added that the use of macaca, whatever it means, and the reference welcoming Sidarth to America were clearly intended to make him uncomfortable.

Reached Monday evening, Allen said that the word had no derogatory meaning for him and that he was sorry. “I would never want to demean him as an individual. I do apologize if he’s offended by that. That was no way the point.”

Asked what macaca means, Allen said: “I don’t know what it means.” He said the word sounds similar to “mohawk,” a term that his campaign staff had nicknamed Sidarth because of his haircut. Sidarth said his hairstyle is a mullet — tight on top, long in the back.

Allen said that by the comment welcoming him to America, he meant: “Just to the real world. Get outside the Beltway and get to the real world.”

But the apology, which came hours after Allen’s campaign manager dismissed the issue with an expletive and insisted the senator has “nothing to apologize for,” did little to mollify Webb’s campaign or Sidarth, who said he suspects Allen singled him out because his was the only nonwhite face among about 100 Republican supporters.

“I think he was doing it because he could, and I was the only person of color there, and it was useful for him in inciting his audience,” said Sidarth, who videotaped the event for the Webb campaign. “I was annoyed he would use my race in a political context.”

Told of Allen’s apology, Todd added, “I hope Allen realizes that Virginians come in all colors.”

Desperate Military Seeks Cannon Fodder for Iraq, Afghanistan

Buck Banks

Illegal draft: According to Congress Daily, the General Accounting Office has issued a report highly critical of the Department of Defense’s recruiting practices, citing numerous irregularities as the armed services strive to maintain the flow of fresh meat to the Iraq and Afghanistan fronts.

In May, the Army accepted an autistic recruit and signed him up to become a cavalry scout.

“Some recruiters, reportedly, have resorted to overly aggressive tactics, which can adversely affect [the Defense Department’s] ability to recruit and erode public confidence in the recruiting process,” GAO said.

Cases of wrongdoing vary widely, ranging from paperwork errors to serious allegations, such as sexual harassment, falsifying documents and concealing serious medical conditions. In May, for instance, The Oregonian reported that the Army had accepted an autistic recruit and signed him up to become a cavalry scout. The recruit has since been discharged.

Last year, allegations of wrongdoing among the military’s 22,000 recruiters grew by 50 percent over fiscal 2004 claims, while substantiated cases increased by more than 50 percent. Criminal violations, meanwhile, jumped by more than 100 percent, the GAO reported.

But perhaps more alarming, the GAO says the DoD probably doesn’t even have an accurate idea of the actual number of abuses because it has no effective way to record and track allegations and complaints. This is the third report — following two negative reports in 1997 and 1998 — that called on the DoD to clean up its act.

Perhaps the solution is for people to stop volunteering for the all-volunteer army. If George Bush had no soldiers, he could not play War. Of course, there’s always the 7th Autistic Cavalry Division to fall back on ….