A number of pro Iraq War bloogers have started commenting more or less full time on this blog for the last few weeks. If you look through a number of comments threads, you will see that angrysoba and Larry from St Louis, for example, have actually spent more time on this blog in the last couple of weeks than I have.
When they first appeared, I made a point of saying that free speech is the basic rule of this blog, and they were welcome.
But increasingly angrysoba, Larry from St Louis, and alan campbell are not putting any rational argument about the whole string of vital, evidential posts on Iraq that prompted their appearance. Instead they seek to provoke commenters into discussing, 9/11, and attempt to provoke anti-semitic commenters to inhabit the blog.
For example, in the post about Lord Goldsmith below, at 11.47am Alan Campbell posted:
“And not only is he not an expert in international law, he’s looking particularly Jewish, ‘eh lads?”
Nothing in my post or in any of the comments had made any inference at all about Goldsmith’s ethnic origin, of which I know nothing and which is in any case completely irrelevant.
Similarly Larry from St Louis at 8.56pm on the thread “Government Ban Protest Outside Blair Iraq Hearing” posted
Still waiting on Craig to delete references to the Protocols …
on a thread where the only nutter wittering on about the Protocols of Zion was Larry.
The object of these interventions is to provoke anti-semites and others to comment on this blogsite. On other sites around the blogosphere, the same individuals then post entries and comments saying
“Ignore Craig Murray’s articles, his site is inhabited by 9/11 truthers, green lizards and anti-semites”, with an inference, or sometimes direct accusation, that I hold those views myself.
The objective of the exercise is to reduce public belief in my evidential postings on extraordinary rendition, Iraq and Afghanistan.
I am not positing that the individuals involved are anything other than individuals with an amazing amount of time on their hands and a fervent attachment to the “War on Terror”.
I remain fundamentally committed to free speech. Contrary comments from all angles remain welcome here. I don’t read all comments – it would be a full time job – but I will knock out racism where I come across it. You can bring it to my attention by email. The only views which are mine are those I post myself.
We have some regular commenters who regularly take an opposite view to me, and who remain welcome – Eddie for one is a good example. Eddie does argue about the posting in question and does not routinely try to provoke strange views. But I will be much more ruthless in deleting off topic comment.
Craig –
Ever looked into using this for your blogging platform?
{wordpress.org}
I have setup a WordPress blog for work, easy to install and maintain. Best of all, there are many many free plugins that add almost any functionality you can think of.
“@Larry, angrysoba: Just for reference then, did you you support the Iraq War in March 2003?”
In March 2003, I was in Cambodia. It was St. Patrick’s Day when Bush, Blair and the then prime minister of Spain announced from the Azores that they were going to war.
I was not in favour, no.
My view has shifted one way or the other at different times. It initially seemed to have been a complete success and everyone in Iraq seemed to be happy about it. I never cared much for the WMD argument but I did have a big softspot for the humanitarian intervention argument and the ridding of Saddam Hussein. It seemed to me that I had been completely wrong and that the war had been justified after all.
Then it all went horribly wrong…
I don’t hold to the idea that the US and the UK went to Iraq to conduct a massacre but a massacre is what they definitely, unwittingly unleashed. The main problem had been sectarian conflict and around the time of the worst of it I supported the UK and the US remaining in Iraq.
Why? Because I genuinely believed that the conflict would have been worse without them there.
I realize this isn’t a popular belief but that’s what I think.
By the way, I have read Patrick Cockburn’s “The Occupation” on this subject and think the book is excellent. I definitely recommend it.
“Imperial Life in the Emerald City” by Rajiv Chandresekaran is also good.
Cheers soba. I wasn’t in favour either, although it did seem for a brief spell like it might work okay, in the end. A bit like that moment in that old cartoon where the coyote runs off the side of the cliff and remains briefly suspended in mid-air, as long as his legs are pedalling and he doesn’t look down.
Although your views might have shifted, from what you’ve said I would assume that at present you believe it would have been better had the war not taken place? That would be my view.
Have read Imperial Life in the Emerald City, might have to read it again. Seem to remember it was mostly colour. Interesting though. Will check out The Occupation.
@Larry: Larry, do you have any views on the Iraq War at all?
Jaded:
‘Any chance of anrgysoba, Larry, Eddie, Gordon or Barbara coming up with one quote between them to back up the accusations that I have had levelled at me. No, didn’t think so.
Thanks for the confirmation. ;-)’
Actually finding quotes of mine to back up all of your vile accusations is a bit like finding WMD in Iraq eh? Not going to well I take it. Kepp looking. Surely, there must be one somewhere! There simply must be! 😉 Never mind lads…
Agents Provacateur? They’re everywhere! Btw, does anyone know where the SS office is in Glasgow?
Craig, just to sum up if I may. They are taking you for a mug and having a good laugh at your expense. I’m glad to see you have wised up a bit and am amazed you didn’t see it sooner. Now you just need to lose the ‘amazing amount of time on their hands’ and ‘fervent attachment to the ‘War On Terror” spiel and we might actually be getting soemwhere! Agent Provocateurs don’t fit into those categories either, so it sort of brings the title of your own thread into question if you think that. Just mull it over more and you will surely see.
Jaded –
Is there anything that I could say to allay your hyperparanoia? I doubt it.
Just because I think you are a rude and stupid punk doesn’t mean I am in any Zionist or Bilderberg or lizard conspiracy.
I just don’t like you. I think you are a bit of a self-absorbed nutter, impatient that others do not see the world as you do.
There – put that “vile accusation” in your pipe.
And by the way, I am not your “son”, not am I a “lad”.
Get a grip!
Jaded:
‘Actually finding quotes of mine to back up all of your vile accusations is a bit like finding WMD in Iraq eh? Not going to well I take it. Kepp looking. Surely, there must be one somewhere! There simply must be! 😉 Never mind lads…’
Yup, I was indeed right… 😉
Jaded, I was wasn’t being funny and certainly was not mocking Craig’s post. My exclamation marks were those impelling wakefulness. My question about the SS (MI5) in Glasgow was a genuine one, which no-one yet has answered.
I never said otherwise Suhayl.
Thanks, Jaded.