Where are you, Jay Rosen?
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I've been saying this for some time, although I was focused on Iraq, but it's the same thing.

The media is the most powerful and dangerous weapon in the terrorist arsenal. Were it not for the fawning press coverage they receive, the terrorist attacks in Iraq would be pointless. There certainly has never been a strategic military component to them. It's all just PR, albeit a very twisted form of it.

Is it a case of the publics "right to know" or simply aiding and abetting the enemy in a time of war?

"Where are you, Jay Rosen?"

Maybe he's hanging out with this guy?

I liked this quote from the World Politic's article:

"victimized by its own openness."

I think that has been the case with the Bush administration also. Of course for those who choose to exist in a fabricated reality the current administration is "the most secretive in American history", but thinking people know that that is not the case.

Where are you, Eason Jordan?
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The interesting thing here is the Kalb, who I believe is Jewish (and used to be a "liberal"), has the courage to come out and say something like this at Harvard. Most, if not all Jews connected with Harvard School of Government, etc. are the "self-hating Jews" and consistently bash Israel while siding with the Islamo/terrorists (like when Harvard invited Iran's Khatami to speak there last summer).

Yes, ted, I think this may provoke some interesting reactions. It may take awhile for leftist comments since a coherent response to this will be difficult. I'd be curious what the leftists here think of it before they've learned the talking points. On your mark.
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Lee's doesn't count; it's a holding action that references Eason Jordan. That's all you can come up with quickly?
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Furthermore, it accentuates that Michelle corrected herself. Seen that lately from the left?
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Get set.
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Go. Too late you lost. The MSM is full of shit and Kalb has the gravitas to say it.

Now get some goddamned clothes on. You're exposing yourself to the kids.
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Kim, all dressed up with nowhere to go?

Israel has played-off pity and aggression one time too many times, and the world throws up its hands.

Discusion requires a code book.

C'mon, guys; bin Laden communicates cave to cave faster than this. Hasn't anyone a thought of their own?
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bD has a thought of his own: "Dam Joos".

Music, you are reliable; religion, I can't tell; politics, you, Sir, are dangerous.
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Discusion requires a code book._bD

"has a thought of his own: "Dam Joos"._kim"

See?

slightly off topic but a related theme.

The Bill Moyers PBS special "Buying the War".

The media has been shameful on all fronts.

How about Hezbollah captured an Israeli soldier (does anyone know what happened to him?) and Israel blew up half a country, and half it's capital, Beirut, and Hezbollah lobbed alot of random missles back at settlements in North Israel as a reprisal...Does that sound an objective enough account of the war?

Steve Crickmore: "How about Hezbollah captured an Israeli soldier (does anyone know what happened to him?) and Israel blew up half a country, and half it's capital, Beirut, and Hezbollah lobbed alot of random missles back at settlements in North Israel as a reprisal...Does that sound an objective enough account of the war? "

Uh, no. You somehow "overlooked" the continuous rocket barrages launched by Hezbollah from the middle of civilian concentrations in Lebanon, the fact that it was 2 soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah, that the cease-fire agreement required Hezbollah to return these soldiers (which has not happened yet), and that Hezbollah keeps firing rockets into Northern Israel to this day.

Other than that Steve, your "fair assessment" was spot on.

In other news today (Dec, 1941), US forces based in Hawaii instigated surface to air attacks on patrolling Japanese planes. The US Gov't stated that the Japanese aircraft were conducting combat operations against US ships, installations, and personnel at the time. However, the Japanese Gov't responded by saying this US aggression will not be allowed to stand.

The League of Nations was asked to participate in peacekeeping operations to ensure that aggressive Ameican commanders such as Bull Halsey, do not "inflame" the situation by seeking to conduct unjustifiable offensive operations against the peace-loving peoples of the Japanese Empire.

Steve Crickmore: "How about Hezbollah captured an Israeli soldier (does anyone know what happened to him?) and Israel blew up half a country, and half it's capital...

That was TWO soldiers, Steve. And not half of beirut, a few blocks of Hezbollah HQ. Strange, that your factual errors serve to minimize Hezbollah actions and exaggerate the Israeli ones. Coincidence?

If we want to be fair, Steve, then if we exaggerate "bombed Hezbollah bases in Beirut" to "blew up half its capital" then we should also exaggerate hezbollah's deeds to the same extent, right? So let's add in
"Hezbollah had been engaged in an ongoing campaign of genocide".
After all, it's not like they haven't been telling the world they WANT to do it.

Ben

The points taken. I used a figure of speech.' bomb half of Beirut'. Let's just say it suffered extremely heavy bombing..And there were two soldiers taken by the Hezbollah.. Hamas had taken another Israeli soldier the previous week. On the 70th anniversary of Guernica, let's remember how communications and information of war has improved. Then, 70 years ago in Guernica, Spain, it was only one lonely brave (London) Times reporter. George Steer who reported that Guernica was bombed by the German Luftwaffe .The Nationalists tried to blame the Republican army for burning Guernica and much of the international press, unlike today, were silent.

No Sean, what is shameful is Bill Moyers.

You can drink his kool aid, but smart people do not.

bryanD[elusional]

Israel has played-off pity and aggression one time too many times, and the world throws up its hands.

You have the party (Israel) right but mischaracterize the mistake, it wasn't aggression, it was Israel's decades of appeasement the led to south Lebanon's destruction.

In the words of Nasrallah:

"We did not think, even 1 percent, that the capture would lead to a war at this time and of this magnitude. You ask me, if I had known on July 11 ... that the operation would lead to such a war, would I do it? I say no, absolutely not," he said in an interview with Lebanon's New TV station.

The "operation" he refers to is the crossing into Israel territory and kidnapping soldiers.

The mistake being Israel having a long history of trading those that have been incarcerated in prison for terrorists.

Put in another more familiar way, appeasement.

Steve Crickmore: "...let's remember how communications and information of war has improved."

There is no excuse for your incredible minimization and outright omission of aggressive actions by Hezbollah and your simultaneously outrageous exaggeration of the Israeli response.

None.

Steve Crickmore: "The Nationalists tried to blame the Republican army for burning Guernica and much of the international press, unlike today, were silent."

Yes. those Spanish fascists were certainly terrible. Of course, there's always more to the story that lefties will never tell you, such as the truth that the International Brigades were organized, dominated, controlled and massacred by the Comintern, a tool of Stalin.
Yes, massacred by Stalin's orders.

Interesting, no?

Probably not for Steve.

There's no amount of "communication improvement" that can get lefties to "see" those truths.

Just like Alger Hiss being a Soviet spy.

Just like the Rosenbergs being Soviet spy's (yes, BOTH Ethel and Julius.)

Bryand: "Israel has played-off pity and aggression one time too many times, and the world throws up its hands."

Tranlation: How dare those Israeli Jooooo Zionists respond to aggressive, territory-violating incursions and murderous activities by a group dedicated to the destruction of every Israeli citizen.

Don't worry, Bryan will provide us with link to an unbiased source (like PRAVDA) that will convince us how wrong we all are about those zionist joooooooooos.

Jo:

No Sean, what is shameful is Bill Moyers.

1) Did you see it?
2) He tears apart the so-called liberal media, you might like it.
3) In general, why is Bill Moyers shameful? Can you provide some hard proof?

You can drink his kool aid, but smart people do not.

Coming from you Jo, that doesn't mean much.

Typical Jo comment: "Liberals are poopy-heads! Hurray!"

Drago.. Right you are, I recognise that was another important issue in the Spanish civil war..'In Homage to Catalonia,' George Orwell talks about the running battles between the anarchists (which wasn't widely known) and the Moscow directed communist party including the despicable purges that occured in Catalonia around the same time, in 1937 as Guernica, 70 years ago today.
As for Israel that's a much more difficult one...We will have to agree to disagree on this..Sure they were provoked but in my opinion the response was completely disproportionate..almost like Sarejevo.