Glenn, don't forget to call these people too, for their uncritical parroting of AP:

"From the wires

2 al-Qaida Leaders Captured in Iraq"

spotted Saturday morning at... Ta Da! Salon.com

http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8PUH9O00.html

The first section, "Naming of Parts", from "Lessons of War" by Henry Reed:

To-day we have naming of parts. Yesterday,
We had daily cleaning. And to-morrow morning,
We shall have what to do after firing. But to-day,
To-day we have naming of parts. Japonica
Glistens like coral in all of the neighboring gardens,
And to-day we have naming of parts.

This is the lower sling swivel. And this
Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see,
When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,
Which in your case you have not got. The branches
Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures,
Which in our case we have not got.

This is the safety-catch, which is always released
With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me
See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy
If you have any strength in your thumb. The blossoms
Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see
Any of them using their finger.

And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this
Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it
Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this
Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards
The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers:
They call it easing the Spring.

They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easy
If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,
And the breech, and the cocking-piece, and the point of balance,
Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossom
Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards,
For to-day we have naming of parts.

My Mother gave me an anthology of poetry when I was around 12 years old. This was one of the last poems in the book. The entire poem is available online at:

http://www.solearabiantree.net/namingofparts/namingofparts.html

I ask myself every day, every single day, "What has happened to us? Where are our poets? Our artists? Our writers? Where has our soul gone to? Why has reason abandoned us?"

But at least we have Glenn and Digby and a few others.

Hate to do this, but...

The target of this propaganda is the Iraqis not us. Moktada al Sadr has lost control of his militia, although he is quite willing to have them not fight if that is what it takes to get the Americans to leave. His on-the-street commanders, though, are not listening to him, they are doing a blood feud with the Sunnis. Also, some of the Sunni sheiks had said they would be willing to go after al Qaeda with the U.S.

So they are trying to make it look like the enemy is somebody that both the Sunnis and the Shi'a can go after with impunity, and that it is okay not to kill each other.

We aren't the target of the propaganda, but they know the Iraqis can get information anywhere.

As for whether or not this is a good strategy, and the moral implications of having a united U.S. press tell lies to the Americans to make it work, that's totally debatable. And as for whether Rove&Co. will milk it in the U.S. for all its political worth, that's a given.

The dead fighters are probably carrying their Al Qaeda membership cards.

In the top left corner is the Al Qaeda trademarked logo (as a hologram to ensure against fakes).

In the middle is the member's name with a lousy photograph (kind of like your Costco ID).

Under that it says "Member since ..."

If Osama's signature appears in a hologram in the bottom right corner, it signifies that this is a Platinum card member.

AP refuses to call anyone a terrorist. Everyone's a militant or an activist. Shit I want to go to my homeowners association meeting with a grenade but that doesn't make me activist.

Articles authored by the Associated Press also consistently refer to any and all Iraqi combatants (other than government forces) as "Al Quaida". McClatchy seems to be the only MSM entity that's not following the Bush administration's propaganda script. (Strangely, my local newspaper -- the Raleigh News and Observer -- which is owned by McClatchy, usually relies on articles authored by AP to report about the Iraqi war.) As the intrepid Juan Cole has long pointed out, not only is most of the resistance in Iraq in no way related to -- and indeed often opposed to -- "Al Qaida", but any group that refers to itself as "Al Qaida" can do so without any bona fide link to the actual terrorist network. It's a way of getting instant street cred, and our government's propaganda campaign is actually aiding the spread of the Al Qaida "brand".

A smiling savant will later writhe in the estrus of objectivity: "Let me play the devils advocate." FWO--

...FWO means the :..."Formerly Rich Off." These are the most dangerous humans on earth during transitions like this. F.W.O.

The almost impossible ones who try to enter the peaceful kingdom...The rich, the humped back camel can't get through the door gates...or something like that!

It is a self-induced ignorance, a person playing that may be the moral equivalent to modern day Evil? One of the purposes to being objective is, in practice, to avoid coming to a premature moral conclusion. Objectivity, considered a mark of great learning and highest enlightenment, loves to identify itself by pronouncements as the following:...

..."You may be right (Glenn), but on the other hand so may your opponents," or "Everything is relative," or "Whatever is happening is inevitable," or "Let me be the devil's advocate."

The part of the devil's advocate is surely one of the most sought out neocon's roles. It comes forth from the precincts of the absurd ignorant is most every case. It is the false modern "intellect." You see the fake smile of the murderous savant? Yes? Maybe.

It is polymorphic ignorance of real honest thought processes. All visa history the killer assumes to know "all about" history. Is this the confident psychotic murderer? Is it akin to self-righteous ignorance, which is the failure to know oneself?

People keep themselves ignorant for fear of the stranger or the different or the unknown. I out of here. Thanks for other's inspiration!

Again: The F.W.O. produce the biggest problems and money ain't gonna help 'um! B.L.P. are the "bravest out of range."

Keep at it--a inch is a cinch/snitch? a yard is hard. Nip in the bud. edit?