I can understand that locals would be upset. And it’s not as if Al Jazeera is being kicked out of the country. The mayor is free to have – or not have – whomever he wants at his barbecue in the back yard of his private property.
But over at another (gun-related) board people would prefer that Al Jazeera not be allowed in the country at all. I find it exceptionally ironic that people who wave the Constitution in the air shouting ‘Second Amendment! Second Amendment!’, and who claim to be patriots would hold the First Amendment in such disdain when it applies to people they don’t like.
IMHO a true patriot would agree with Voltaire when he said, ‘I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.’
I can’t. It’s a fucking news agency, not an al Qaeda front. Granted its coverage has a slant, but no more than something like FOX news. If a FOX crew had an invitation extended then withdrawn by the Mayor of Berkeley because a bunch of whiny Berkeley liberals* bitched, I’d react the same way - i.e. “grow the fuck up.”
Your friendly neighborhood Tamerlane more or less falls into the Berkeley liberal cohort. Occasionally even the whiny Berkeley liberal cohort, I’m sure ;).
Tamerlane: What I meant when I said ‘I understand’ is that there are a number of people for whom the world is divided into ‘them-uns and we-uns’ who believe it’s ‘common sense’ to believe what they do and anyone who doesn’t is wrong. They reason like this: ‘Muslims hate us. Muslims are anti-Christian. Muslims are killing our boys. I hate Muslims. Al Jezeera is Muslim, therefor I hate them. They will be giving information that aids and comforts our enemies.’
I don’t agree with them. But I understand why they don’t want Al Jazeera there.
People see “Al Jazeera” and they think “Al Qaeda” just because the names are both Arabic. It’s just a case of ignorance and prejudice. I agree, people who support the constitution should support all of it. The first amendment is every bit as important as the second one - I wish there was more overlap between the advocates of those two amendments. The more that can be done to bridge that gap, the better.
I would want to put my best face forward to Al Jazeera. How would we feel if they kicked MSNBC out of an event? “Oh they just hate Americans.” Politicians have no balls. He obviously thought it was ok for them to be there or they wouldn’t have been invited in the first place.
I’m embarrassed that we’re not past this stage by now. It’s a news agency, not a terrorist organization.
How in hell that could be construed as disrespectful to veterans, I don’t know. I’m a veteran, and I think that’s a load of hooey.
On the other hand, it’s his barbecue.
Oh, for goodness sake. Perhaps when Al Jazeera’s English-language channel finally finds a way onto American screens, people will see that it actually is a level-headed responsible organisation, which just happens to not be America-centric.
As for ‘disrespectful for veterans’, isn’t shunning a Qatar-based organisation a bit disrespectful of Qatari veterans who fought alongside Americans in 1991?
I think it is available, but you have to have some sort of specific cable package. I’ve heard of people in the US watching it, but I’ve never seen it here myself. I did watch it when I was travelling in Turkey, however, and I thought I was watching the BBC for ten minutes before I noticed the logo.
It ain’t my party, so it’s not really my business who he invites to it, but this is pretty stupid.
What is your experience with Al Jazeera? This has not been my experience. I read Google News a lot and often I’ll end up reading AJ stories that are just like the stories from American sources, and I don’t realize they’re AJ at first.
I heard someone on NPR saying the BBC has standards determining which news organizations can be used as sources. Al Jazeera meets those standards. Fox News does not.
I am a Brit ex serviceman and totally loathe and despise Al Quada and I watch Al Jazeera pretty often and find it pretty balanced in its reporting as world News channels go,and if it matters to anyone I’m white,English and brought up as a nominal christian so if you’re thinking immigrant "Raghead"who doesn’t understand or believe in “our” way of life then you are totally on the wrong planet.
Have you ever actually watched Al Jazeera?
Have you actually ever served in,or even been in, the M.E.?
I would say not, otherwise you would know a little bit more about the station.
Its so reassuring that such well informed voters like you in any liberal democracy are responsible for people like me going out to fight and die in places well away from our homelands for really intelligent reasons.
Thanks a bunch me old Chicagoan,maybe I’ll remember you in my will.
I suspect that the mayor of that town may not want A.J. there because Dubja might want to bomb it because thick cunt that he is,he believes it to be a terrorist organisation.
