7 January, 2009
FOX LIES
“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
- George Orwell
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(Sun, 15 Oct 2006) War Stories -
In the latest “War Stories” episode, some of the major distortions, omissions and lies deserve mention. For example, Oliver North linked Yasser Arafat to Radical Islam. While Arafat certainly employed terror tactics – and practically invented the concept of “skyjacking’ – Arafat was a secular leader of a nationalist movement. His most famous declarations and programs made absolutely NO mention of Islam. So why is North eager to depict all Middle Eastern anti-western movements as Islamic? The simplicity harkens back to the glory days of the Cold War, when communists all emanated from the same monolithic bloc. Oliver North then turned his attention to Iran. There was no mention that under the Reagan administration North helped sell weapons to the Ayatollah Khomeini and then used the ill-gotten gains to sponsor death squads in Central America. That was the reason for North’s mug-shot. North was separated from terrorism by zero degrees. The only reference to the Shah of Iran in “War Stories” was that he was the “toast of Hollywood” and that he was usurped by the radical Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. North never mentioned that the US had helped install the Shah after “Operation Ajax” overthrew the democratically-elected president of Iran, Dr. Mossadegh, whose fatal mistake was a plan to nationalize oil. North never mentioned that the Shah employed a secret police force, SAVAK, which was world famous for torture and other human rights abuses. Domestic oppression was a major cause of the revolution. The Shah… the “toast of Hollywood!” The 1979 Revolution in Iran is also depicted, by North, as some kind of reaction to Israel’s persistent military victories far to the West. Iran, however, had virtually nothing to do with Israel during this period and was never ranked among the nations that attacked Israel (as were Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt). Iran’s 1979 Revolution was a reaction, instead, to the dislocation of modernization and westernization in the cities, particularly in their new slums, and like other revolutions it coincided with a population explosion. The 1979 Revolution was also about preserving, for a critical mass of Iranians (especially in the 80s) the identity of Persian civilization. It was about building atop the dozens of layers of empires already established. But none of this fits into today’s agenda. And Hezbollah, for Oliver North, is entirely a creation of Iran. Hezbollah accepts arms and money from Iran (and Syria), and has employed terrorist tactics, but their origins lie in local resistance to the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. It’s hard to believe that a million and a half Hezbollah supporters can all be Iranian stooges. But that’s what they are for North: stooges. This “blame-the-outsiders” mentality is even evident in the neo-con analysis of Iraq: if it weren’t for those pesky Jordanians and Syrians students infiltrating the border…North thinks all resistance is Al Qaeda; he still hasn’t heard of POI (“pissed off Iraqis”). The well-worn script goes back to Vietnam: if it weren’t for the Ho Chi Minh Trail… North then discussed a “California teenager” and “boy next-door” who became an agent for Al Qaeda, apparently lured by the Internet(s). No doubt, if the young man professed violence against civilians then those charges are serious. What is most disturbing about North’s segment, however, is his linking of treason to dissent. It’s not the first time that North or Fox News has tried this brownshirt tactic. The boy’s parents are shown having wandered from the path of American Goodness because the father, as it turned out, was a hippie. Which meant what? That the teenager could surf Islamic websites and chat with clerics without having to type “POS” or “Parents are looking Over my Shoulder?” To complete the insinuation, North includes footage of the 1960s summer-of-love, of its flower power, with long-hairs smearing each other with body paint. Lucy in the Sky with Osama. And it’s the first depiction of the acid-rock culture as a gateway to terrorism. North then stated to Vice President Dick Cheney (better known as the “bagman” for Halliburton) that “some people don’t accept we are at war…” The meta-message here is that Americans opposed to a war (which could have been avoided and which can still be reversed) are traitors. It’s a slippery slope from an anti-war demonstration to a Pakistani madrassa. Oliver North decided that “jihad” specifically means “to expand or defend the Islamic state.” There is a huge difference, however, between “expand,” which is what a tiny fraction of Muslim clerics desire (and which would include spreading Islam into Europe) and “defend,” which is what many more Muslims desire (and which would include removing US forces from the Middle East). North seizes upon the feverish pronouncements of a handful of Muslim clerics to generalize about the motivations of 1.2 billion people – an absurdity matched only by Glenn Beck. Interestingly, this segment of “War Stories” began to flirt with the nuances of Islam, pointing out that it has several currents. The show even addressed the possibility that “jihad” meant spreading peace by revealing the peace in one’s heart. That was dangerous territory, however. Those few seconds threatened to expose the complexity of the Middle East. They also threatened to suggest the possibility that America is similarly divided between modernists and theocrats. The entire program could have unraveled at that point. So Oliver North rushed to this grand question: “It’s a global war… Can the West prevail?” North has yet to realize that the next world war, or “Crusade,” as Pres. Bush once called it, will produce no winners. And so the struggle against warmongering and fundamentalism must begin at home. (Thu, 28 Sep 2006) Hannity and Colmes - On Thursday night, September 28, 2006, the Fox News show Hannity and Colmes, Sean Hannity replayed Oliver Stone's comment that President Bush had set the United States "back 10 years." Hannity then berated people "from Hollywood," such as "actors" and "producers," for weighing in on political matters. A few minutes later, Sean Hannity proclaimed the arrival of "Miller Time" - the Fox News knock-off of The Daily Show's "Back in Black" with Lewis Black. But Dennis Miller is not a politician, journalist, academic or anyone else connected to politics in the kind of way Hannity suggested was is appropriate. No. Dennis Miller is just a comedian. Miller made his living telling jokes on television and in movies – until, that is, he became a tool for the Republican propaganda machine. The actor-turned-pundit presented a segment called "Real Free Speech." In this Orwellian session of Two Minutes Hate, Miller could not resist employing the Rovian smear strategy of guilt by association. Iranian's president Ahmadinejad (whose name Miller badly mispronounced) wants Israel wiped off the map. Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, has close relations with Ahmadinejad. And Hollywood actor Danny Glover gave Hugo Chavez the high-five at some function in Harlem. The final step which Miller took, was to link actor Danny Glover to co-star Mel Gibson (who, like president Ahmadinejad, is accused of anti-Semitism). It should be pointed out that Miller never jokes about Bush's hand-holding, check-kissing relationship with a man who routinely orders the beheading of women for adultery, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. Next, Dennis Miller advises that the only way to deal with President Chavez, whom he called a "buffoon," is to employ his time-tested schoolyard tactic: to walk away from a bully but then turn around and plant one in his "nads." Of course, Miller forgets that the Bush administration already tried to hit Chavez below the belt. It encouraged the 2002 coup d'etat against Chavez and applauded the usurper, Pedro "dictator-for-a-day" Carmono. And Washington still funds the opposition, in violation of the US Ambassador to Venezuela's stated policy and Venezuelan law. If the applause Chavez received at the United Nations meant anything it meant that one of Dennis Miller's idols, George Bush, is more typically viewed as the schoolyard bully. "It's Miller Time." Indeed. For bar-stool opinions, tune in to Hannity and Colmes. (Tue, 15 Aug 2006) - Fox & Friends and The O’Reilly Factor are insisting that the latest airport security measures are making air passengers safer. But their own video revealed that expert waste disposal teams and bomb squads did not handle the potentially-hazardous liquids and gels. Steve Watson (UK/infowars) exposed how untrained airline personnel were dumping potential “liquid explosives” into trash cans and how passengers were even made to pour their liquids into vats - containing other liquids! If the assumptions about the liquids and gels are true, the entire exercise placed passengers in crowded terminals in greater danger. (Sun, 13 Aug 2006) - Bill O’Reilly in particular has been using the London terrorist plot to justify mass surveillance, backing up Wall Street Journal’s claim that the would-be bombers were foiled with the types of techniques being criticized by American liberals (and the NY Times). But it was human intelligence – a tip – which led to the placement of the suspects under suspicion, as well as the actual arrest of one of the brother of a suspect in Pakistan. Only then did British authorities place the men under surveillance. Had the suspects been in the US, there would have been plenty of “probable cause” to initiate further investigation. (Sat, 12 Aug 2006) - Fox News reported an anti-war demonstration in San Francisco as being "Pro-Hezbollah" in the written caption. After the commercial break this was changed to "Pro-Lebanon." Some Bay Area demonstrators opposed the IDF incursion into southern Lebanon, but many more were simply marching under "Stop the War" and "Coexist" signs (the coexist signs integrated the religious symbols from all three religions). (Fri, 11 Aug 2006) - Newt Gingrich, now member of the Inner Party, claims that the Bush administration is standing up to Iran (yeah, so that it can bow down more deeply).
Fox News schizophrenia: The British-Pakistani terrorists were directed by Al Qaeda and simultaneously emerged as "homegrown" terrorists forming their own cells. Which is it?
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Oliver North, host of “War Stories” on Fox News, devoted an entire hour to “jihad.” Presented as a “special investigation,” it replaced the normal format of the show: a blood-and-soil adoration of military power; a “my-country-right-or-wrong” mentality; and the insistence that war fits into some kind of larger purpose or design. North really does love the smell of napalm in the morning…