Well, you see, the SOP is to punch some holes in the car to let the air come out when the tank flattens it 
[Dr. Klahn] Now take him to be tortured! [/Dr. Klahn]
Without taking the time to check out the BBC, the Guardian, the Times, etc., I would suspect that the U.S. media is concentrating on the places where the U.S. military is centered, and that the British media is concentrating on the British military. Do you have any cites? I certainly can’t remember seeing anything about Basra since early days.
Also, the U.S. has the Sunni area of Iraq, which is the most likely to resist. Understandably so. Regardless, the only thing that was planned well and went well was the actual invasion itself. “Flowers and music”, my rosy red.
Regarding the looting/wood story, there was also this story in the Independent on the destruction of some crops as a form of collective punishment. There was a GQ Thread on it a day ago or so. Commondreams.org picked up the story, but didn’t add anything.
Of course, Fox did just hire the second in command at the Iraqi information agency. Clearly they are subversive dupes of the terrorist evil-doers…
I believe the President is talking about how the media is focusing on the people killed (which is tragic), and excluding the reports on reconstruction. You know, similar to what your post does.
Do you honestly think the President is including the deaths of American troops when he speaks of improvements in Iraq?
You are truly a stupid-fucking-shitferbrains.
-LC
What is more interesting, which everyone seems to have missed, is that Bush is complaining about the “filtering” of the media at the same time he is pushing for a relaxing of the media ownership rules.
I’m sure making the media more homogeneous will solve that!
Hypocrisy at it’s finest. Of course, no major media outlets will bring that little contradiction up.
Is it just me, or are the Adminstration’s pronouncements about how things are going in Iraq beginning to sound more and more as if they’re being delivered by Baghdad Bob, the former Iraqi Information Minister?
“The Iraqi people are thrilled to have been liberated. The few remaining insurgents - pitiful, embittered, lowly scum that they are - are being vanquished by our noble forces. They cannot win. Their carcasses will rot in hell.”
Improving, but still a long way to go. And this, from a source (CSM) that’s widely regarded as the least slanted major news outlet.
For all the cries of “We’re going to bring some professionalism back to the White House” that the Bush Administration made during the transition and early days of their tenure, they’ve proven remarkably inept in a number of areas - diplomacy, economics, public relations, and even the managment of their own team.
Well, whether the media is “liberal” or not, they are drawn to sensationalism like flies to shit - mostly because that’s what we like to see on our TV while the drool puddles in our laps. (props to Blackclaw who already made this point)
What I find . . . deliciously ironic . . . is that it’s the same sensationalist media that helped Bush get us into war in the first place. Geese, Ganders, sauce, shoes, other feet. I love it.
Cites by me: 8
Cites by Linear Crack: 0
Pointless personal insults by me: 0
Pointless personal insults by Linear Crack: 1-2 depending on how you count.
Let’s see, I backed everything up with a Cite. And all you could muster was a poor assed attempt at a drive-by insulting. Listen chump, leave that sort of things to the pro’s.
Here is a small clue for you, as that is all I think your tiny little brain can handle at one time. As long as American soldiers are dying every day, as long as Iraqi civilians who cooperate are being killed every day “Things” are not getting better. I am truly sorry you’re too stupid to realize this. Even with the $1.22 Billion in no-bid contracts being poured in Iraq through Cheney’s pals at Haliburton things do not seem to be getting better for the average Iraqi-- just as a trailer for producing hydrogen is not a weapon of mass destruction. Repeating the lie does not actually make it true.
More on Bush’s attempt to spin, err get around the filter:
Runner’s World? Are you frigging kidding me? Damn, that’s sad.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21714-2003Oct13.html
Unfortunately, the cycle of violence seems to be getting worse, not better: The first 2 stories on Google news (world):
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A suicide car bomber today attacked the Turkish embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, injuring at least one security guard, Turkish officials and Iraqi police said.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) – Three more US soldiers were reported dead Tuesday following a series of attacks that killed three other American troops and wounded 13.
President Bush, annoyed by what he considers the “filter” of news reporting, will seek to go around the press on Monday through television outlets that do not routinely cover the White House.
Today’s Sesime Street is brought to you by the letter Dubya and the number 79,424,000,000.
I’m reminded of the scene in Animal House where the ROTC guy is standing in the middle of the chaos that is the parade, with people running by him in a mad dash for safety, and him jumping up and down, screaming at the top of his lungs before the throng “ALL IS WELL! ALL IS WELL!”
Electricy in Baghdad has been restored to pre-war levels, and is nearing pre Gulf War levels. A large part of the problem with the elctricity wasn’t how hard Bremer et al. were working to fix it, it was sabotage. A majority of the Iraqi public is happy to be rid of Saddam. That is the type of news that is getting little or no mention is the US press. I think that is the stuff Bush wants to tout. But he’s so deluded by the good news that he’s put blinders on for the bad. So much of the communication style of this administration is to spin things to a level that it insults my intelligence. I think I’d be much more willing to listen if they came out and said “Things are shit. We know that. Here are some bright spots we’re working on, and slowly, painfully, and begrudgingly, things are getting better in Iraq. We underestimated some of the problems and we’re working to make things right” Wow. It would be a shock to have them communicate to me on an adult level. One issue I do have about the sensationalist coverage is this: No matter how bad you report things to be, could you at least admit that if we truly want things to be better in Iraq long term, we’re going to have to tough it out and take some knocks. It’s just too easy to bash the admin on this point, so it’s almost like flogging a dead horse. Telling a deeper, more involved story of the situation is just beyond the capability of the media as well. They are just as guilty as the administration of not communicating to me as an adult. (this is mostly a bash against the Television media, as a news consumer of above average appetite, I seek out balanced reporting from many sources, but I find many outlets use the expediant quick and easy approach, which is the type I find insulting)
That is it exactly! Then you have others who are walking around with the sandwich board that says “The End of the World is near” What do both of those fools take me for?
I think that was the bit which really disturbed me. As I mentioned, it just seemed cruel. Impound the vehicle. Establish in a court of law, or at least a military tribunal, that it should be kept/destroyed. Then keep/destroy it. But to have the guys on the street make those decisions? And then execute them, literally, right in front of the eyes of the former owner? And LAUGH?!? That’s right. Look at the video and you can hear at least one soldier laugh as they crush the car. Motherfucking LAUGHTER.
That isn’t justice.
Enjoy,
Steven
As badly as Iraq and the world at large need a successfully rehabilitated and functioning Iraq, I’m afraid I’ve long since reached the point where I feel that the US and the world at large have an even greater need, i.e., the bringing to an end of the Bush administration, which would be better served by things continuing to go to hell in Iraq and/or be reported and covered as such.
Does that constitute a confession?
I was saving this for an OP but untiil I get aound to it, it might fit here. This from a BBC journo last week:
*"I have just returned from the Arab Media Summit in Dubai, which is a chance for Arab and Western journalists to meet, argue, debate and possibly even learn a little of each other.
And I’m still reeling from one Arab delegate who said that the Arab media were not dangerous because everyone knows Arab journalists write nonsense and no one believes them anyway, but the western media are truly dangerous - he passionately argued - because we in the West suffer from the delusion that we are truly free. Moreover, people DO believe what they see and hear on the western media.
Food for thought."*
Interesting stuff.
Coming next week: Donald Rumsfeld informs US soldiers in Iraq that dying in-country will be reclassified as a treasonous activity.
I think George will stay away from Judge Judy. I’ll bet he’s afraid she might try to impeach him.