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May 17, 2005
Newsweek Flap
This story about Newsweek printing a story about U.S. soldiers desecrating the Quran at Guantanamo that turned out to be - possibly - false is really becoming very disturbing.
It's not disturbing because a major media outlet reported something that turned out to be false, that happens all the time.
It's disturbing because the Bush administration has jumped on this as an opportunity to 1) whitewash their record with regard to respect for Muslims and 2) further ingrain the idea that the media is unreliable in the mind of a public that already has scary views on the role of the media.
Notice how they have dragged out the one story that turned out to be false while ignoring and minimizing the hundreds of stories that are undoubtedly true. Muslims in U.S. custody have been tortured. They have been tortured in ways specifically designed to play on their religion. We know this to be true.
Yet the administration takes one example of a story about such abuse that turns out to be true and plays it as proof that they are in fact very respectful of the Muslim faith. The logic is so shoddy that it will probably work. It's already working.
The second benefit they realize from this whole thing is the further erosion of people's confidence in journalists to tell them what's going on. This also serves to ensure that journalists will have less access and less funding to investigate real stories. You watch, they will keep this story front and center for as long as they possibly can.
In other news, one of the soldiers photographed smiling over the body of a tortured Iraqi and behind a pyramid of naked detainees was given a sentence of 6 months in prison today. Defense lawyers credit their showing of pictures of the soldier, Spc. Sabrina Harman, being nice to Iraqi children. As everyone knows, evidence that someone has been nice before is good reason to forgive them for committing horrible acts of violence and denigration later on.
This shit is making me sick.
Posted by ahecht at May 17, 2005 9:09 PM
Previous Comments
"Yet the administration takes one example of a story about such abuse that turns out to be true..."
Did you mean to say "untrue"? Or am I drunk?
Posted by: Spencer at May 18, 2005 9:26 PM
violence and denigration? They were akin to fraternity pranks. get over it and take some mylanta.
Posted by: mike at May 19, 2005 5:33 PM
Oh, just shut up Mike. You're embarrassing yourself.
Try thinking for yourself for a minute instead of regurgitating Rush Limbaugh's tired-ass, sad, pathetic blather.
While I'm here though, consider that those subjected to fraternity pranks are typically members of the fraternity. In other words, it's consensual. Also consider that these soldiers, under orders from their superiors, beat the shit out of these prisoners, some to death, electrocuted them, threatened them with aggressive dogs, burned them with cigarettes, nearly drowned them, forced them to stand for days, sodomized them.. should I go on?
I hope you're a religious man, because there would certainly be a special place in hell for people who would do these things, and one very nearby for those who would excuse it.
Posted by:
Anthony at May 19, 2005 6:15 PM
Posted by:
Brad at May 19, 2005 6:55 PM
I can't get that link to work, Brad. What do you mean by, they disagreed with the president?
Posted by: WSH at May 19, 2005 7:06 PM
No I am not religeous, and that does not really matter. I don't see you getting into an uproar about the beheadings, only when the United States and its representatives abroad (its service persons) take stupid actions do you get all upset.
Rush Limbaugh is quite a moron, who I don't listen to, so I don't tow his heavy ass line.
Hazing is very rarely consensual, those people are often coerced into participating.
So don't get your panties in a bunch.
Posted by: mike at May 20, 2005 2:34 AM
Yeah, you're right, Mike.. I'm a big fan of the beheading of Americans. That shit rocks.
You know why I get more upset about what our service people do? Because they're OUR SERVICE PEOPLE. They represent us. What they do, we do.
Terrorists kill people. That's what they do. And the reason they do it is so that we'll go crazy and retaliate. They're trying to bring us down to their savage level, and they've been quite successful at doing that. They're power derives entirely from our response.
Those who bend over backwards to excuse the illegal acts of our people while foaming at the mouth over the illegal acts of others are helping the terrorists. If you and your ilk really believe that we possess the moral high ground in this conflict, than start fucking acting like it.
I also don't see you getting into an uproar over [insert horrible act here], so therefore you must condone it. That's some logic.
Posted by:
Anthony at May 20, 2005 8:20 AM
All the other stuff is bullshit!! The bottom line: we DON'T do that crap!! And now we found out that we did/do, and it's fucking sad!!
Posted by: Kevin at May 22, 2005 1:20 PM
