I watched Ross Kemp’s documentary on Paleastine yesterday and it was much better than I had expected. I have never watched any of his travel documentaries before – their advertising portrays them as “Our hard nut goes to see if other hard nuts are really as vicious as London East End gangsters”.
It is impossible, unless you are obscenely ill-motivated, to do a documentary in Gaza that does not leave you appalled at the plight of the Palestinian people there. But Kemp gave the Palestinians a much fairer and fuller hearing than I had expected, and while there was a great deal of editorial horror at the attitudes of Islamic terrorists and their supporters, it came over very strongly – and Kemp himself plainly “got”, that those attitudes were caused by the atrocities and indignities to which the Palestinians are subjected.
Which made Kemp’s documentary much more intelligent than Michael Portillo’s effort on Guantanamo. Portillo never for one moment questioned whether Islamic hatred of the West was in any sense caused or triggered. He seemed to accept that Guantanamo holds a core of “some 50” diehard terrorists who are intrinsically evil, and he agreed explicitly that they should be kept locked up forever even though there was no evidence against them that could stand up in court.
His glib “I am a politician and I know about tough decisions like abandoning legality” line was helped by two intellectual dishonesties. He never considered the causality of terrorism, and he did not mention the possibility that some of that “core” of fifty might be innocent. He described the moral dilemma as whether people you knew were guilty but could not prove it, should be locked up. Who says you know. they are guilty? I can tell you from first hand experience that a great deal of the War on Terror intelligence on individuals is woefully inaccurate and deliberatelly exagerrated.
Which Michael Portillo once seemed to understand:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/article495277.ece
Portillo reserved his compassion for the Uighurs, because they were anti-communist, and for the British ex-detainees who had been tortured. There was one particularly unsavoury piece of editing when showing a UK conference, at which an ex-detainee was making a very emotional and harrowing point; the director then cut away to a shot of Moazzam Begg grinning merrily and apparently completely inappropriately at the point.
The impression was given that cut-away was contemporaneous, and it made Moazzam look very bad. I don’t believe the cut-away was contemporaneous and think this was a deliberate bit of BBC demonisation. I don’t think it was genuine because of sound discontinuity, because BBC documentary crews nowadays almost never have two cameras, and because I know Moazzam.
Shoddy work.
courtenay – gratefully received thankyou
Back in the seventies I used to read an Australian paper called the National Times. I can remember an article the headline of which went something like this:-
“Israel’s brutal plan to drive out the west Bank Palestinians.”
What is extraordinary is that Israel has managed to fool so many of us (including me) for so long with its own self justifying mythology. For many years I bought the myth of poor little Israel, surrounded by nasty Arabs who want to stamp it out and attacked in in 1947 and then again in 1967. So many Israeli myths have penetrated deep into the Western mind:-
1/ The Terra Nullius myth of no Palestinians, they all came after Zionist migration started to profit from the good economy.
2/ The Palestinians fled their homes because Arab nations told them to do so on radio.
It is now being admitted by some revisionist Israeli historians that ethnic cleansing was part of the strategic plan for establishing the state. If Arab nation radio did tell Palestinians to flee it was no doubt because the Jewish Death Squads had informed them of their plans. In any case fleeing a war zone sounds sensible to me.
3/ The Israel was attacked in 1967 myth.
4/ The Israel want peace myth, the Palestinians are the problem.
Sure Israel wants peace but only on its terms after it has secured vacant possession of the remaining Palestinian occupied pieces of Palestine.
These myths have penetrated the Western mind to the extent that its leaders are incapable of recognizing that Israel is not now nor ever has been negotiating in good faith.
Israel is still in the Native dispossession phase that happened in the US, Australia and Brazil before the advent of world wide news media. Their actions appear brutal, but if we could take a time machine back to the 16, 17, 18 and 19 hundreds when the US, Australia and Brazil were going through the same phase of colonization, the dispossession phase, the actions we would see would horrify us as far worse than anything Israel has done, but very few would be things documented in today’s history books. Israel is inhibited to some extent by other nations’ awareness of its actions, a problem Australian, Brazilian and US genocide did not have.
Glen.
I believe that the Brazilian model is what the 1% elite want their nations to follow, a tiny elite, a small professional class and the rest underclass or working poor.
Glen.
One thing that has allowed the US elite to make their society so regressive is racism.
The fear by the white working class that any progressive legislation would result in Niggers getting something that they don’t deserve is so intense that it makes the members of the white working class oppose progressive legislation that would help them. The New Deal was carefully structured to be implemented through the states so that Negroes could be excluded. That is why the white working class accepted it.
Craig.
Some blogging software allows subscription to a service of email notifications of new comments on a thread. Does yours? If it does I suggest implementing it.
Chomsky quoted Shultz as saying terrorism was “a cancer in our landmass” – here is my take:
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth that the ‘war on terror’ spread from the cancerous growth that emerged from the CIA distributed ‘The Freedom Fighter’s Manual’ and the malignant pardon by Bush Snr that would damage a healthy Carter closeted society and emerge as the most potent source of evil the world would experience in a millennium.
The spores of deception would undermine the ‘innocence’ of Reagan, to be nurtured and cultivated into a foreign policy based on the covert use of ‘black propaganda’ to produce the mist of revolutionary violence that would engulf Presidents for decades in an enigma of funds, fear, coups and threat that became an ugly monster with legs and arms of the mujahadeen resistance in Afghanistan and the cancerous neurons of the Intelligence community.
History repeated, the curse lives on; only the actors have changed, the insipid and life threatening deception remains.
Carlyle Moulton:
“What you are missing is the phenomenon of identification or affiliation of a person with a group to which he himself does not belong. PETN underpants man was not poor, was not Arab and does not come from a country that is currently under foreign occupation. However it is possible that seeing what he perceives to be injustice happening to others with whom he identifies for whatever reason, common Muslim religion is an obvious one, may be enough to prompt action. Also Nigeria is not now occupied by a foreign power but not so long ago it was so and the historical memory of that time may still persist.”
Give me a fucking break!
You are the one advocating or condoning the murder of innocent passengers on airlines and even saying that this is a war which must be fought totally, with no room for sentiment.
Do I sympathize with those of a group I do not belong?
YES! I sympathize with the 90 or so Muslim Pakistanis sadistically murdered by the psychopathic maniacs you are an apologist for.
I’m also sympathetic to the Muslims in Iran oppressed by their loony theocratic rulers, not to the loony theocratic leaders.
So I don’t much care for your Frantz Fanon-esque armchair revolutions. The Taliban, the pants bomber, the shoe bomber, the 9/11 hijackers, the 7/7 bombers, the embassy bombers etc… are not the Wretched of the Earth, they are the SCUM OF THE EARTH!
“Imagine if Zimbabwe started expelling the remaining white citizens just as Uganda under Amin expelled the Asians, would not you angrysoba feel affiliation with these white Christian anglo people and be outraged on their behalf and want to support some action against Zimbabwe?”
Let’s compare like with like. Would I get on a plane to Harare and blow it out of the sky on to an urban area or hijack it and fly it into a tower block or drive a TNT-laden truck onto a volleyball court? NO! Why not, because TARGETTING civilians like that is psychopathic.
@Rob: “Careful you don’t frighten the Japanese. But seriously, don’t you think the Pape book makes sense?”
Don’t worry, I don’t frighten the Japanese. Usually, when a terrorist attack happens such as the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo underground then the blame is put on the culprits and I don’t have to get angry listening to wild-eyed conspiracies about Zionists conducting attacks to get them into a war.
(Usually, although when Richard Gage – the supposedly respectable Truther came to Japan to express his lunatic “theory” about the WTC buildings being demolished one member of the audience did ask, “If United or American Airlines buys JAL will they use them for false flag terror attacks to get us into a war?”…this kind of idiocy is spreading and might be what causes my blood pressure to rise.)
Last I heard there were something like 70,000 US troops stationed here in Japan (might be a bit lower now) and they’re not always popular (sometimes for good reason). That said I have never heard of a Japanese citizen hijacking a plane or blowing themselves up on a bus or a train to protest.
Now, there were a group of “revolutionaries” who called themselves the Japanese Red Army Faction who flew into Lod airport in Israel in the 70s and shot the place up and threw hand grenades about the place killing a number of people, most of them tourists.
What was the justification for their behaviour?
And as another connection to Japan, 1997 could be considered pre-2001 by most people’s calendars. Prior to the “war on terror”, I think we can agree. So what was the justification for the attack on the Japanese and Swiss tourists in Luxor. Japan and Switzerland? Could you get less crusder than those two?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor_massacre
angrysoba
This countepunch article has interesting ideas about the motivations of the underpants bomber.
http://www.counterpunch.org/block01042010.html
@angrysoba: Interesting you mention the Japanese subway attacks, I have Murakami’s Underground on my bookshelf to read in the near future.
And you’re going to hate this, but no less a personage than KGB-defector Alexander Kouzminov thinks that Aum Shinrikyo operated with the collusion of at least one intelligence agency (its Russian HQ was a couple of doors down from KGB’s HQ). Don’t know what the motivation for such collusion would be but there you go. I don’t create ’em, I just relate ’em.
Oh and I tried reading the CounterPunch article but I couldn’t get any further than the start of the second paragraph, when the author proudly admits she’s a sex therapist, and argues this qualifies her to comment.
Rob
Me to ‘oower’ seems like Jack’s bean stalk has overtaken her mind – different?
Rob
Me to, ‘oower’ seems like Jack’s bean stalk has overtaken her mind – different?
Carlyle Moulton “3/ The Israel was attacked in 1967 myth.”
Correct, Israel launched a masterstroke pre-emptive attack on the Egyptian airforce because Egypt had massed thousands of tanks and 100,000 troops on the border and and were about to invade Israel. The fact that Israel destroyed the armies of Egypt, Syria and Jordan, who were supported with men and arms from six other Arab states, certainly adds to the myth of plucky Israel and was the foundation for a tragedy that has endured ever since. But whether that tragedy is the fault of Israel or the stupidity and intransigence of Arab states is a matter for debate. You know what I think.
“And you’re going to hate this, but no less a personage than KGB-defector Alexander Kouzminov thinks that Aum Shinrikyo operated with the collusion of at least one intelligence agency (its Russian HQ was a couple of doors down from KGB’s HQ).”
Well, I’d be surprised if there were no conspiracy theories linking Aum to someone or other.
It seems that some people have pointed the finger at Russia or at North Korea (who are the bogeymen for the Japanese). But mostly they were a cult for highly intelligent misfits.
I read Underground a number of years ago and it’s okay, but very little commentary, mostly just eyewitness accounts from those who were on the subway and some ex-members of the cult.
Sorry – looks like a ‘bouncy’ keyboard, not ‘repetition psychosis.’
eddie – correct – the seed of modern pre-emption had germinated and grows within the diffused light of deception.
“As a sex therapist, I think it wise to try to get inside both heads of this young man, not just the one between his ears but the one between his legs, to look into the dirty underwear, so to speak, of the Panty Bomber who didn’t actually bomb anything, yet had enough PETN next to his junk to bring down a whole plane with all 278 passengers and 11 crew members.”
What are the requisite qualifications for “sex therapist”? Having watched all the Carry On movies and Frankie Howerd comedies?
Oooooh panties!
BEWARE:Zio-gremlins have hijacked us again!
You can spot them from the off-topic red herrings they introduce to the conversation.
Try offering them a bacon sandwich!
I think the ruling elite in the United States don’t give a damn about the other 99% of Americans, especially as they may have outlived their usefulness as both producers and consumers. Production has systematically been moved abroad to low wage regions, and now, I believe consumption will follow, as the debt-fuelled, consumption model collapses.
American friends of mine, lovely, decent people, really believe their kids will have a higher standard of living than they enjoy. They really believe the American economy is ready to bounce back like a coloured beachball on the golden sandy shore of “capitalism island.”
I think they are clinging to straws, which is understandable. Who wants to face up to harsh reality, when its’ so harsh? The “American Dream” dream, is broken and rapidly turning into a nightmare for the middle class. They, like everyone else can now longer borrow and live on debt to finance their standard of living.
Spot on writerman – they are also my friends and distant family and I wish I could do more to help without sounding arrogant…
“American friends of mine, lovely, decent people, really believe their kids will have a higher standard of living than they enjoy. They really believe the American economy is ready to bounce back like a coloured beachball on the golden sandy shore of “capitalism island.”
I think they are clinging to straws, which is understandable. Who wants to face up to harsh reality, when its’ so harsh? The “American Dream” dream, is broken and rapidly turning into a nightmare for the middle class. They, like everyone else can now longer borrow and live on debt to finance their standard of living.”
I’m sure you won’t gloat too much. Maybe they can emigrate to North Korea!
Larry I don’t know anything about Alex Jones. But since you don’t like him, he must be doing something right?
Arsalan: Alex Jones is an American journalist and radio show host. He’s essentially a mouthpiece for the traditional ‘Patriot’ Right, meaning that he’s anti-NWO, anti-corporate, anti-Patriot Act and anti-war. His website is updated several times a day and is usually quite interesting and entertaining – especially the reader comments at the end of each story.
If you fancy a look it’s at http://www.infowars.com/
Writerman: It appears that the American Dream changed at the same time that things were turned around in the US, so that the working class (those who work for their living, including the “middle-class” who work for a quite comfortable living) were propelled on their downwards trajectory, helped by Clinton and the Bushes.
The American Dream used to be that one could get good pay in a steady, reliable job, own a property, put your kids through college and retire reasonably comfortably. Taking a proper holiday every year, and having quality time with the family. That’s no longer possible for the majority. So the dream had to change.
Now the ‘Dream’ is winning the lottery. Or getting your fame/fortune on “Pop-Idol”, some “reality-TV” show, becoming a star sportsperson or film-star. And then you’ve made it – and if not, well you’re not anyone who really matters anyway.
The original ‘Dream’ ended under Reagan, when – for the first time since the Industrial Revolution – wages stopped tracking productivity. We then were told that “supply side economics” is the future. Some rich person would build a factory producing widgets, and people would buy them. The trick was to give a rich person sufficient tax cuts, they would then create the factory, and we’d all become better off.
The trouble was, it was all BS. Tax cuts were made, and the factories were built – in _Mexico_ , then communist China eventually. With wages falling behind productivity, both parents in a family were required to work, whereas just one (usually the male) sufficed in the past.
Eventually, even with both members of a couple working, it was not enough. Longer hours and overtime became standard, yet still that was not enough. Finally, debt and credit filled the gap, until that came to a crises over the last couple of years. America is much more in debt even that the UK, on credit cards, overdrafts, personal loans, mortgages, and all the other credit instruments bedeviling our lives.
But there’s still the New, Improved American Dream, tantalisingly dangled by MSM – get rich, become famous, win the lottery… and it can still be all yours. Just keep things sweet for the top 1% in the meantime with nice tax cuts, btw, because you wouldn’t want to pay tax when you finally get there, would you?
Not worked it out yet?
Larry,angrisoba et al are a Shabbos Goy disinfo. team. who’ve hijacked the thread.
They’re so dumb to think we’d never work it out!
While their distraction chat proceeds why not join me here:
@juggedhareonthebone.com
My site is not moderated and has not yet been Zio-hijacked.My latest post is about the Protocols of the Elders of Zion-that antisemitic “hoax” by Nilus they don’t want you to read.
I believe the process of sucking dry 99% of the UK population is well underway and has been for a while.
The 1%(government/the Establishment or whatever you call those who control us) have been setting up a structure where they control business and through this of course employment and hence us.
Over the years I believe billions has been diverted from tax through scams such as excise and VAT fraud.
There’s evidence that some of these funds may have been diverted into quite legitimate companies and used possibly for the setting up of new companies to rival established ones.
If this has been happening and is as extensive as I believe, then we’ll be living in a kind of communist society where everything is owned and controlled by the few. It’s quite interesting to see how many members of the Establishment get plum jobs when they retire as directors etc of companies particularly those in security. Ownership of many of these companies is opaque.
Douglas Coupland’s Generation X is an interesting literary landmark in the American dream’s road to ruin. The last bit of the book is just a compendium of how the main characters’ parents were better off than them. Coupland was originally advanced to write a non-fiction book about the kids of baby boomers and it sort of came out as a novel, although it wasn’t published until 1991.
Anyway, America’s economy was on the skids for a long time before the credit crunch hit.
Hmmm. Seem to be in a literary mood today.
@apostate
Do you mean sympathetic gentile propagandists?
Douglas Coupland’s Generation X –
so what passes as evidence around here is a boring gimmicky book-lite from the early 90s that received far too much readership because the whiny narrator was part of the Zeitgeist at the time.
You haven’t read it, have you?