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Saturday, Nov 7, 2009
"We're an empire now. We make our own reality."
There is no news in Izvestia, and no truth in Pravda.
I thought I was going crazy -- the media's shift to "all Quaida all the time" has been so sharp and so pronounced that I thought I must be dreaming.
It is so unspeakably dangerous. It is the cornerstone of a belief system that we really are engaged in a fight to the death with those who would kill us. No society can be led to prolonged war without a belief that it is needed for survival.
If we are able to derail those who would have us fighting "islamic extremism" for decades, it will be in no small part due to the efforts of people like Glenn Greenwald who had the temerity to point out that the emperor in fact has no clothes.
It is unsurpising that Army spokespeople might want to sow confusion by this blatant misdirection, but as you mention (without profanity - to your credit) there is absolutely NO reason for the press to go along with this. If it were merely laziness, it would be one thing but it's absolutely clear that the only reason for the change in terminology is an after the fact justification for our presence in Iraq and to sway US public opinion toward our continued participation in their civil war.
I suppose in the long run "Al Qaeda" is going to end up like "Kleenex" or "Aspirin". Something that was once a trade-name but has come to such common usage as to be a generic term for the category. That such laziness is being encouraged by the American press remains unforgivable.
I know that suspicion of DoD rhetoric is fully justified, but...
might it be the actual focus of military operations that's changed? That is to say, maybe we've finally decided to fight the right enemy there rather than try to police the civil war?
And yes, I know the invasion has strengthened al_Quaeda's foothold in Iraq, where they had at best a shaky pre-war presence in an area over which Saddam had only nominal control. I know the war was a huge fuck-up. I'm posting an alternative explanation here.
Every dead Vietnamese national, regardless of their age, gender, or location at time of death, was chalked up as a "Viet Cong."
But wait, didn't outgoing CG Pete Pace just say yesterday that trying to count bodies in Iraq as a sign of progress would be "using the wrong metric"?
Shall we start a pool for when this headline appears?
"American troops open fire on Al Qaeda car, kill 6 Al Qaeda operatives ages 35, 29, 7, 5 and 2."
Perhaps you should consider the idea that labeling those killed Al-Qaeda serves the purpose of not being at war with all of Iraq.
How would you propose allying with the Sunni if is trumpeted that the US just killed a bunch of Sunni? The same goes for the Shia. That is the whole of Iraq right there. Isn't trying to cause the least offense to the people we are trying to help a good thing?
I watched C-Span this morning for all of about five minutes. The reason I turned it off is because they introduced a military spokesman to speak to the capture of "al- Qaida" leaders in Iraq. The spokesman's first words out of his mouth was a flippant and patent lie about the military capturing or killing "al-Qaida" fighters in Iraq "everyday".
Couldn't tolerate being lied to like that and having this Bush liar, supposedly representing the military, being given a propaganda forum on C-Span.
I wish I could find the article I was reading online the other day that noted that even some of the Iraqi militias are starting to turn on the Al-Quaeda forces, essentially becuase the Al-Q's are such total dickheads to everyone.
To amplify slightly but not insignificantly: since Odierno in your benchmark NYT citation ties our current exploits against the eternal enemy to the grand battle of Fallujah II, "anyone we fight" also means anyone we ever fought.
The moving finger writes, and having writ, -- every word of it is subject to re-write until just the one story remains.
Holy crow, Glenn. Come to think of it, I HAD noticed that 'Qaeda' was being used to describe Iraqi fighets a lot recently. Didn't stop and think about it, though.
particularly as we increase air strikes ... too bad we killed off Zackari.
There was a genuine boogie-man void in the marketing plan, what with our efforts to reach out to Sunni's and since, arch-nemesis, Moktada Al-Sadr has become a recognized player, despite out best efforts to demonize him.
Too bad it's a re-tread.
... when everyone we fight in Iraq is now Iranian.
How swiftly and seamlessly the message-du-jure shuttles between the Administration and their obedient media-minions. It seems to get more and more efficient. All the more reason to support the spirit and efforts GG represents. Thank you, Glenn. But how DO you keep from cursing these foul beings?
If Glenn is right, this is very significant and Salon owes it to America to get coverage beyond Salon readers. I suggest Salon send it to the New York Times, Washington Post, other major papers, the wires and TV media and ask them to reply to Salon confirming or refuting his position. Salon should run all replies and also list those who have not replied. Then, Glenn on his book tour can tell viewers/listeners the results. The media asked for a response should be given a short deadline and told that America will be told about those who do not meet the deadline. If more time is needed, the media should be required to ask for it so that can be noted in the listing. Of course the question should also be asked at the White House and DOD press briefings.
Secretary of Defense Gates should also be asked to reply. He seems to be a man of integrity something very rare in the Bush administration. This would verify or nullify that assumption.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The Maine fight was supposed to be the dress rehearsal for repealing California's Prop. 8 -- but gay marriage lost
Once one obtains Seriousness credentials in the Washington media, they are irrevocable no matter one's conduct.
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