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.
Mark,
“courtenay – gratefully received thankyou”
My pleasure.
What irks me is that we in the West focus ( non-focus from the mainstream media) as if there is some high democratic moral ground that we occupy. It is horrendous what is/has happened in Iraq and Afghanistan. These countries, no threat to either Britain or America, invaded, and everything done ( Falluja and drones bombing villagers indiscriminately – included)to subjugate the populace in their own countries – and – we pontificate about our democracy, humanity, advanced civilization and “just wars”.
Courtney,
It irked me, it screwed me up, now I am exhausted – most times I think we live in hell – but something mysterious keeps you fighting – keeps you digging inbetween the lines to keep ahead of disinformation. Seeing the misery of Iraq first-hand was soul destroying; complete destruction of an ancient civilisation.
Grrr tired
Courtenay,
It irked me, it screwed me up, now I am exhausted – most times I think we live in hell – but something mysterious keeps you fighting – keeps you digging inbetween the lines to keep ahead of disinformation. Seeing the misery of Iraq first-hand was soul destroying; complete destruction of an ancient civilisation.
Hey Mark,
What’s the best (safest/cheapest) way to visit Iraq right now for a civilian? Do you know?
Rob – you asked:-
Q. ” What’s the best (safest/cheapest) way to visit Iraq right now for a civilian? Do you know?”
A. Travel via Mark’s web site – stay at home – and stay safe.
That’s good advice for a civilian – its both safest and cheapest.
“You haven’t read it, have you?”
Yes, probably around 1994. It was boring and justifiably condemned as a gimmick.
“Yes, probably around 1994. It was boring and justifiably condemned as a gimmick.”
I haven’t read Generation X, but I did read Girlfriend in a Coma. If there is a worse novel than that I can’t think of what it is.
Well, each to their own. I think it is probably a mistake to consider Coupland a poster-boy for the Left, and then to adulate or condemn him according to ones own belief-system. These things should be judged on their own merits.
From Wikipedia: The Guardian of London (mainstream centrist paper) described the author of the book as “becoming extraordinary” for this novel. The Times of London (right-wing broadsheet) said that the book was a “disturbing, thought-provoking and moving novel. Girlfriend in a Coma has something of the quality of a fairytale, but it contains a sharp realism that makes the book scarily contemporary”.
Elsewhere, the New Statesman (London, centrist/liberal political monthly) said the novel was “about the longing for a great cleansing act that may redeem humanity and allow us all to start again, unchained from history” and that it was a “remarkable book”.
(Apologies to Craig for the O/T!)
Arsalan, here’s Alex Jones in all his “glory”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVRw79NmEq4
Angry thanks.
Now that I have seen Alex I think I have more respect for Alex than I do for Larry.
Because what Alex talks about in that clip happens, just do a search on youtube for tazer.
arsalan: one of Jones’s finest contributions is his interview with film producer Aaron Russo. In the following extract Russo tells us, straight from the horses mouth, what the ruling elite have in store for us and, in ten devastating minutes, consigns once and for all the shrill witterings of the assorted angrylarrys of this world to the dustbin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nD7dbkkBIA
MJ,
You moron. When is your RFID chip coming?
This guy was mildly successful at certain entertainment ventures, and was a major nut. If this constitutes the “horse’s mouth” for you, you have some real problems.
Now what other Argument from Charlie Sheen are you going to make?
Truthers are so much fun to make fun of. You idiots make it so easy.
Russo’s qualities as a film producer are irrelevant: it’s the account of his relationship with Rockefeller that makes it from the horse’s mouth.
The use of RFID chips is already growing rapidly (criminals, children, pets) but note my use of the words ‘have in store’.
Russo was obviously not a ‘nut’. That your only response to his comments is a feeble attempt at character assassination is says it all really.
By the way, if you find 911 ‘truthers’ easy to make fun of, just imagine the fun they have with those who still cling to the official account. Give them a miraculously preserved passport, a couple of holdalls containing flying manuals and a copy of the Koran and they’ll believe anything. Tee hee.
“it’s the account of his relationship with Rockefeller that makes it from the horse’s mouth.”
He was lying, you gullible silly goose.
A miraculously preserved passport? What other Loose Change lies do you believe in?
MJ, please tell me about the top secret super-duper nano-therm*te. I could use a good laugh.
Larry: do you really think he was lying?
As for the passport, I think you’ll find that it was an FBI lie rather than Loose Change. You’ll recall that the FBI held a televised press conference at which said document was triumphantly brandished.
Not sure about the ‘top secret super-duper nano-therm*te’ but I have heard that a team from the University of Copenhagen found traces of regular thermite in three separate samples of the dust.
Perhaps you could tell me about the military drill that was being held on the morning of 911, based on the scenario of hijacked passenger jets being flown into the twin towers and the Pentagon. Tell me it was just a coincidence. I need a laugh too.
MJ, you sound like a creationist.
– The hijackers were presumably in the cockpits of the planes that hit the WTC. If they didn’t recover any of the passports, wouldn’t you be claiming that it was mysterious that none of the passports were recovered? And that passport was not “miraculously preserved” – again, you’ve been manipulated by the boys from Dylan Avery, whose stupidity is verifiable – he was held back in high school for failure to pass economics. Do you know how easy it is to graduate from an American high school?
There was no therm*te at the WTC. Again, you’ve been manipulated. Are you seriously suggesting that black ops teams planted thermite in the Towers beforehand? How exactly did they do that?
You’re wrong about the military drills the with hijacking scenarios. Do you realize how little sense that makes? In any event, it’s all made up.
Do you believe everything that crazy people tell you?
You do strike me as someone who doesn’t read the responses to your positions. Perhaps you’re too afraid.
“If they didn’t recover any of the passports, wouldn’t you be claiming that it was mysterious that none of the passports were recovered?”
Given that the flight data recorders didn’t survive then certainly not.
“There was no therm*te at the WTC”
Well if you say so that’s good enough for me. Those pesky chemists with their silly analyses should just shut up.
“How exactly did they do that?”
Heck well if you hadn’t just reassured me that there wasn’t any there I suppose I would guess they did it on those occasions when WTC was shut down for rewiring.
“You’re wrong about the military drills the with hijacking scenarios”
OK, thank you for clearing that up. It was Gen Richard Myers, then Joint Chief of Staff, who said the drills were taking place but he obviously should have checked with you first.
“Do you believe everything that crazy people tell you?”
Well I believe everything you tell me Larry and I feel much better for it. Now I realise that the passport and those two holdalls really are cast-iron evidence and more than to convince me that the government is telling the truth.
Sorry not to have read your post. I’m too afraid.
You know, I’m taking a stab at finding actual evidence for your claim that Richard Myers said that hijacking drills were taking place. Nope; not seeing any. Just a bunch of truther websites.
I’m afraid it was at that well-known crazy ‘truther’ forum, the Armed Services Committee Congressional Hearing on February 16th 2006, in response to a question by Cynthia McKinnon.
The full details of the exercises were not stated here, but Myers did let slip the details in a video interview with author Richard Clarke.
The following may give some idea of the confusion caused that day when drill and reality get blurred:
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/08/norad200608
“… on those occasions when WTC was shut down for rewiring.”
Are you kidding me? The WTC was never shut down for rewiring. I must admit that I hadn’t heard that before – bravo. However, there’s no evidence for that silly claim, and it’s contrary to the way the world works.
As a lawyer in NYC, I closed two deals at the WTC prior to the attacks. I can assure you that there was plenty of activity up there all the time, and all night for that matter. That’s how things are in the real working world.
If, based on something you read on a truther website, you believe that the WTC was shut down for rewiring, you really will believe anything.
By the way, we can forget about the passport because a few weeks later the FBI changed its mind and said that reports of the passport were just a rumour. When I heard that I laughed (it was the FBI that had announced it in the first place) but I now realise that was just me being mad, moronic, scared etc etc.
So let’s focus on the only remaining hard evidence: those holdalls. Great aren’t they? Flying manuals (of course, so they could do a bit of last minute mugging up on how to fly!) Copies of the Koran (so they must have been Muslims!) Pilots’ uniforms (so they could go disguised as crew!) A letter and a bunch of wills (so we know all their names!). It’s the best and most convincing evidence ever!
OK it’s a bit odd that they were due to go into the hold, so hijackers wouldn’t be able to put the uniforms on. And it seems that rubbish pilot Hani Hanour, who took over AA77, was able to perform an expert, high-speed 270 degree descending turn, levelling out just feet above the ground – so low he was clipping trees and lamp poles – before steering the plane through a first floor Pentagon window, all without consulting his flying manuals one last time. Still, beginners luck I suppose.
Yes, it’s brilliant evidence. It trumps all that rubbishy physics and chemistry stuff. You’re right: anyone who looks beyond those holdalls is obviously mad, moronic, scared etc etc.
“The WTC was never shut down for rewiring”
See the testimony of Scott Forbes, who worked in the IT department of Fiduciary Trust (WTC2):
http://georgewashington.blogspot.com/2005/11/interview-with-scott-forbes.html
MJ, you’re priceless.
Like an automatic Troofer-factoid machine just spitting out nonsense in rapid-fire.
“And it seems that rubbish pilot Hani Hanour, who took over AA77, was able to perform an expert, high-speed 270 degree descending turn, levelling out just feet above the ground – so low he was clipping trees and lamp poles – before steering the plane through a first floor Pentagon window, all without consulting his flying manuals one last time. ”
I doubt it was his plan to pull off a maneouvre like that. But if it wasn’t him who do you think it was?
That link you gave us showed a small amount of one of the towers getting refitted. How many silent explosive charges, which sometimes went bang would they need to rig those buildings up with and with didn’t the planes set those charges off when they flew into the Towers?
And as I said before you are treating it as though it is suspicious when no evidence is found and then suspicious when evidence is found. You want it both ways. P and -P work equally well in the Trooferverse!
MJ,
Kono bideo mitte kudasai!
http://video.google.co.jp/videoplay?docid=-3214024953129565561&ei=21dFS4KDMYiuwgPvzYWZBQ&q=screw+loose+change#
What a boring link about one person named Scott Forbes. Yes, you managed to find, out of the thousands and thousands that worked there, one person who said something about all the electricity being shut off.
What makes his story so completely full of bullshit is that (i) it’s very unlikely that power would be completely shut down from many of the businesses in his Tower and (ii) shutting down the power for a few hours would seem quite insufficient to “update the cabling” as he put it. So it would seem that the mythical Men in Black should have come up with a better mythical cover story.
Heh MJ –
Your “team from the University of Copenhagen” is referenced below – btw, one of the them is Stephen Jones, a disgraced former professor who has published another vanity paper – one that claims that Jesus came to America in a wooden submarine.
http://11-settembre.blogspot.com/2009/04/active-thermitic-material-claimed-in.html
“And as I said before you are treating it as though it is suspicious when no evidence is found and then suspicious when evidence is found.”
Well said!
If there were flying manuals, it’s a conspiracy.
If there were no flying manuals, it’s a conspiracy.