WELCOME MARTIANS

9/11: THE MOVIE

LETTERS FROM IRAN, INDIA, AND NEXT DOOR

“B R E A K I N G N E W S!”

“This just in. Hold on to your TV sets. The British magazine Radio Times has polled readers on 40 of “the greatest programs” (or programmes as they spell it across the pond) only to find–brace yourself–”Television can still make us laugh, but is less keen on making viewers think.” Less keen? How about not keen at all? Sounds to me like there may be a “keen gap.” And note the formulation. “Television is…” as if television makes the decisions, not the people who run the channels and control our choices.

“Many Americans are looking up, at the heavens, in search of a red orb in the sky as the good planet Mars pays its closest visit in 60,000 years. You can see the latest photos from the Hubble Telescope on the NASA website, NASA wants to take your mind and eyes off the conclusions reached in the report released yesterday on the Columbia Shuttle disaster. The New York Times Quote of the Day is from Albert D. Wheelon who investigated the Challenger accident 17 years ago: “It sounds like a replay of what we discovered 17 years ago. It’s almost like the three monkeys — hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. They wanted to avoid the issue.”

GONE FISHING

The news today sounds a lot like the news yesterday except for this story in from South Africa’s Mail and Guardian: ‘The 19-day chase of a Uruguayan trawler with a suspected hold full of poached Patagonian toothfish is expected to reach a climax within hours. It emerged for the first time on Tuesday that the most powerful salvage tug in South Africa, the John Ross, has joined the chase, and is now within striking distance of the fleeing Viarsa 1.”

NEWS REPEATS ITSELF

More fighting in Liberia a week after “peace broke out.” There was another killing in Gaza, this time of a passerby, more sectarian strife in India, more violence in Iraq, more blather from Administration top guns, and more inklings of new confrontations to come. They suspect Iran has more enriched uranium than it should to run a nuclear plant producing private power and the North Koreans still insist they need a nuclear deterrent to prevent against a US attack. Pyonyang says give us a no-aggression assurance and then we will disarm; the US says, “no you must disarm first” and around we go as six nations meet in Beijing to try to push the issue to some kind of closure. It seems like the US “hard line” is increasingly annoying the other participants in the 6-party talks. The Chinese are sitting the US next to the Koreans in hopes of getting them into some sort of groove. Fat chance.

In Iraq, US soldiers have some new WANTED posters promising millions to anyone turning in Saddam. There was a new shooting of two of Iraq’s cops caught on tape as the body count there mounts. Apparently the US occupation is not only trying to contain criminals. It is also targeting labor activists, according to Global Research:

BOMBING STRIKES OK, LABOR STRIKES NOT

Iraq’s legal code may be in disarray. The streets of Baghdad may be filled with thieves and hijackers who seem to have little fear of being arrested. But US occupation authorities seem to have no trouble identifying one crime, at least. For the four million people out of work in Iraq, protest is against the law.

“On July 29, US occupation forces in Iraq arrested a leader of Iraq’s new emerging labor movement, Kacem Madi, along with 20 other members of the Union of the Unemployed. The unionists had been conducting a sit-in to protest the treatment of unemployed Iraqi workers by the US occupation authority, and the fact that contracts for work rebuilding the country have been given overwhelmingly to US corporations.

“Their protest started when hundreds of unemployed workers gathered in front of an old bank building on Abu Nawas Street. From there they marched to the office of the ruling occupation council. According to Zehira Houfani, a member of the Iraq Solidarity Project in Canada, who witnessed the protest, workers in similar demonstrations in the past had normally dispersed at that point. Each time, however, Madi told Houfani, “the representatives of the occupation forces meet and discuss with us, promise to solve the problem, but each time their promises are not fulfilled and we are forced to take to the streets again.”

MILESTONES FROM THE TERROR WAR

Nightline last night said the new death tolls in Iraq are an “an unfortunate milestone.” Maureen Dowd writes in the New York Times about the fact that the number of postwar US military deaths has surpassed the number of those killed in the war.

“In yesterday’s milestones, the number of U.S. soldiers who have died since the war now exceeds the number who died during the war, and next year’s deficit was estimated at a whopping $480 billion, even without all the sky-high costs of Iraq.

“But Republicans suggest that Iraq’s turning into a terrorist magnet could be convenient - one-stop shopping against terrorism. As Rush Limbaugh observed: “We don’t have to go anywhere to find them! They’ve fielded a Jihad All-Star Team.”

“The strutting, omniscient Bush administration would never address the possibility that our seizure of Iraq has left us more vulnerable to terrorists. So it is doing what it did during the war, when Centcom briefings routinely began with the iteration: “Coalition forces are on plan;” “We remain on plan;” “Our plan is working.”

BUSH TO LEGION: NO DFEAT, NO SURRENDER

President Bush was out defending that plan to the American Legion convention reaffirming his commitment to the War on Terror. Meanwhile Susab Schuman, the mother of a soldier in Baghdad, said” “Living conditions are tough, but more importantly, my son and his colleagues are in constant danger. He said to me, ‘The U.S. just doesn’t understand, there are 30 to 40 major incidents here a day and the U.S. news does not report that. The news only shows one or two incidents, only talks about one or two deaths or one or two illnesses.’ The ground truth, as our troops who are in Iraq say, is chaos, lack of planning, lack of basic supplies and equipment, lack of personnel…. Our soldiers are demoralized. They are fighting in the illegal and unjustified war…. Meanwhile, at home Bush is cutting veterans benefits and assistance to military children and families…. Our sons and daughters have been betrayed by the Bush administration…. Soldiers are warned not to speak out by their superiors. It is an unspoken code to keep your political opinions to yourself and your mouth shut.”

REMEMBERING 9/11

As the second anniversary of 9/11 approaches, can we expect a new flurry of new TV investigative specials digging into what we know and still don’t know about what happened? Don’t count on it. In fact the New York Post reports “With the second anniversary of the 9/11 attacks only three weeks away, TV networks have planned nearly no special programming to commemorate the day.”

This shows you how out of it I am. The networks won’t even “commemorate” the day. I can just hear some suit saying “been there, done that.”

http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/4118.htm

FIRST AS HISTORY, THEN AS FARCE

But don’t despair, a TV Special is in the works–a TV special that will further fictionalize the event and our memory of it. Showtime is planning its own special as J. Hoberman writes in the Voice today. “In the end 9-11 turned out to be a made-for-TV movie, or rather, the basis for one–a shameless propaganda vehicle for our superstar president George W. Bush.

“The upcoming Showtime feature DC 9/11: Time of Crisis is a signal advance in the instant, ongoing fictionalization of American history, complete with the president fulminating most presidentially against “tinhorn terrorists,” decisively employing the word problematic in a complete sentence, selling a rationale for preemptive war, and presciently laying out American foreign policy for the next 18 months. “We start with bin Laden,” Bush (played by Timothy Bottoms) tells his cabinet. “That’s what the American people expect . . . So let’s build a coalition for that job. Later, we can shape different coalitions for different tasks.”

“Scheduled for cablecast on September 7, DC 9/11 inaugurates Bush’s re-election campaign 50 weeks before the 9-11 Memorial Republican National Convention opens in Madison Square Garden.”

PPP: PROPAGANDA PROPAGANDIZES PROPAGANDISTS

I am sure this film will just reinforce a phenomenon already underway as propaganda becomes facts and is believed even by those that invent it. The Washington Post reports, via PR Watch:

“Perhaps even more disturbing than the administration’s indifference to the truth or falsity of the various claims it made before the war is the fact that it seemed to believe its own propaganda,” the Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne, Jr. writes. “President Bush and Vice President Cheney really thought that if they wished it, it would come — ‘it’ in this case being not only a quick victory in the war but also a rapid rallying of Iraqis to the American standard afterward. Last March on ‘Meet the Press,’ moderator Tim Russert asked Cheney: ‘If your analysis is not correct and we’re not treated as liberators but as conquerors, and the Iraqis begin to resist, particularly in Baghdad, do you think the American people are prepared for a long, costly, bloody battle with significant American casualties?’ Cheney replied: ‘Well, I don’t think it’s likely to unfold that way, Tim, because I really do believe that we will be greeted as liberators.’”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29303-2003Aug21.html

STOP THE SETTLEMENTS

As violence in the Middle East escalates, some Jewish leaders are criticizing Israeli policy. Arthur Hertzberg writes today in the New York Times: “The most effective way to force a reduction of the violence on both sides is to take punitive economic measures. The United States finances about $4 billion a year, on average, of Israel’s national budget. The continuing effort to defend, support and increase settlements in the West Bank and Gaza costs at least $1 billion a year. The money spent annually in directly subsidizing the existing settlements was estimated in 2001 at $400 million.

“An American government that was resolved to stop expansion of the settlements would not need to keep sending the secretary of state to Jerusalem to repeat that we really mean what we say. We could prove it by deducting the total cost of the settlements each year from the United States’ annual allocation to Israel. To show that we were not being unfeelingly mean, the United States should add that we would hold $1 billion a year in escrow to help those settlers who would peacefully move back into Israel’s pre-1967 borders.

“No doubt there would be an outcry among some supporters of Israel, especially the ultranationalists, whose goal is to realize their vision of the “undivided land of Israel.” But an American government that had the courage to force the end of settlement activity would find far greater support among Jews both in Israel and in the United States than many people in Washington imagine.”

DEAN “DAZZLES” NEW YORK

In US politics, Howard Dean was in New York last night for a late night in the park behind our main public library. I was turned off by a flyer urging us to go to “thrill as thousands of Dean supporters cheer the man with the vision, the momentum and the dynamism to be our next president. Maybe it was the bad lighting (Dean could learn from Bush about the importance of lighting) but Dean struck me as more impressed by the baseball bat he carries around and the money he was raising on the Internet than the message he was delivering. He must have said “Thank you, Thank You, Thank you very much” a zillion times. The “take this country back” message was on target but they need some better producers and speech writers. It was part of “the sleepless summer tour.” Get some sleep, Howard.

WAS CNN PRESSURED?

Fox News reported “The White House pressured CNN to fire former military analyst Gen. Wesley Clark (search), the retired Army chief told a Phoenix radio station on Monday.”

“The White House actually back in February apparently tried to get me knocked off CNN and they wanted to do this because they were afraid that I would raise issues with their conduct of the war,” Clark told Newsradio 620 KTAR. “Apparently they called CNN. I don’t have all the proof on this because they didn’t call me. I’ve only heard rumors about it.”

CNN had no immediate comment on the general’s allegations. White House officials told Fox News that they are “adamant” that they “never tried to get Wesley Clark kicked off the air in any way, shape or form.” Beyond that, the White House “won’t respond to rumors.” After watching the Discovery Times Channel history of the fall of Milosevic, I was reminded of Clark’s massive bombing campaign in Serbia that killed 500 people and dropped cluster bombs all over the country. How different was he as NATO commander than any of the Generals who waged the Iraq war?

“As for political commentary, the late night comedy shows are still more pointed than most of our newspapers and news programs. Herewith, a sampling:

“President Bush has been silent on Schwarzenegger. Of course, he can’t pronounce Schwarzenegger.” –David Letterman

“Here’s how bad California looks to the rest of the country. People in Florida are laughing at us.” –Jay Leno

“Well, we’re all excited because President Bush has started his 35-day vacation. He’s down there in Crawford, Texas and on the first day of his vacation he went fishing. He didn’t find any fish but he believes they’re there and that his intelligence is accurate.” –David Letterman

“President Bush’s economic team is now on their jobs and growth bus tour all across America. I think the only job they created so far is for the guy driving the bus.” –Jay Leno

“President Bush has refused to declassify portions of the congressional 9/11 reports about the Saudis, because he says it will help the enemy. Not Al Qaeda, the Democrats.” –Jay Leno

MEDIA NEWS: MONITORING THE FCC “The Christian Science Monitor surmises that FCC Chairman Powell’s localism task force is a maneuver to “sideline a hot issue by throwing it to a study committee.” Although Powell isn’t convinced that allowing greater concentration of broadcasting ownership could diminish the amount of local news coverage, he is seemingly willing to look for solutions. The task force may or may not allay public fears that the new ownership rules will stifle diversity and further homogenize radio and television programming. The article argues that Powell’s actions are based on the view that new technologies, from satellite TV to Web radio, will bring more media diversity and meet local consumer demand. For low-power FM radio in particular, Powell said he would rapidly expand the number of licenses. This should increase the opportunities for local companies to find market niches that many national media companies won’t fill, he says. Still, the opening of more local radio may not be enough to satisfy critics of the new media ownership rules, argues the Monitor; only a presidential veto may save Powell’s plan.”

UK: TORIES THREATEN BBC

The Guardian reports: “One of the crucial claims of the government’s case for war - that Saddam Hussein could threaten the west within 45 minutes with chemical and biological weapons - was seriously undermined at the Hutton inquiry yesterday. John Scarlett took 49 minutes to admit there was disquiet in the intelligence community over the inclusion of the so-called 45-minute claim. The Conservative party yesterday warned it would switch off a range of the BBC’s digital services, including its website and youth channel BBC3, if it won the next election.” Tomorrow is the big day in the Hutton inquiry, as Tony Blair will speak.

YOUR LETTERS FROM ALL OVER

Lee Ferrel writes: “Your Israeli source’s reactions to violence sound like an echo of nearly _all_ reactions to violence, whatever the weapon or the cause. Such folk, in Iraq, in Bechistan, in Chiapas, Mex., in Palestine, on the streets of the U.S. of Amnesia, in Bombay, everywhere, often need to find a “biased” source “misreporting” the “reasons” for their suffering, especially if its a BIG state with lots of “Honor to Uphold.”

“Understanding her feelings is essential, but we must not let the feelings of the traumatized rule our perceptions - as the Bushwhackers did after 9/11. Those with Imperial agendas use these _traumatic reactions_ to their own purpose. Indeed, they are not above creating the terror. Read John Le Carre. Remember the poor Polish idiot left with purpose in the Reichstag building - and then how the Nazi’s _used_ that crafted scenario? _Apparent terror_ is very useful.

“Terrorists also depend on just such reactions. Created “security responses” can be used to reveal Reactionary Imperialist designs which must be undermined, in most “revolutionary” thinking, certainly in ‘jihad.’ So, the terror goes on and on, finger-pointing goes on and on, and charge/counter charge of opinions go on, and…. Tedious, isn’t it? The innocent still die. They will in Chiapas, Mex. soon. Watch for it. “Expect more bombings,” is repeated so often.

NEWS FROM INDIA

Rakesh S. Katarey, an Associate Professor, MIC, in Manipal India writes “I think your reference to the Mumbai blasts is rather futile. Within a day of the blasts occurring, India’s politicians got more busy with the fall of government in the state of Uttar Pradesh and the latter promptly climbed to the top of the running orders on all major TV channels. Incidentally, Uttar Pradesh is geographically closer to the headquarters of India’s national news channels as well as to the nation’s political capital: New Delhi. And as should have been obvious to people like us by now, loss of power and govt. in one of the states is more important than loss of life of the commoners. This sense of what is more important is a shared value of the ruling elite and the journalists alike. Sadly, even in their deaths can people make no difference to either our media’s news values or its dependence on the ruling class for regular news feed. But no, it does not speak for how poorly equipped media is - despite tall claims on how it has the entire world in an inescapable grasp - in dealing with accidents and other unforeseeable events like bomb blasts. If anything, the media behaviour speaks for our utter callousness towards loss of civilian life.

“Now I only wonder if the media was only heeding the official word of the CII, our body of rich private businessmen, that chose to see and define bravery of Mumbai in its ability “to spring back to life,” as its spokesperson put it on TV. Obviously, to the CII and its ilk, not even is loss of life is more important than loss of further business on the BSE (Stock Exchange) at India’s business capital. No wonder, most business channels and a majority of business sections in general news channels played out loss of points on the senses for almost as much length as the blasts themselves did. It was as if the media joined the prayers of the businessmen that life returns quickly to normal. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. But I only hope the reasons for their prayers for restoration of normalcy are the same as ours.”

WE ARE BEING MONITORED

Steve Rush writes from these United States: “Hi Dan, If you control what Americans think about and the manner in which they think about it (the frame work) you effectively control their thoughts. We have constant polls to determine if we’re thinking properly. If we’re not, the appropriate “Spin” or misinformation is applied to shift public opinion. It can come from any number of trusted sources. I wonder just how many of us actually recognize this fact.”

ON ANTI-SEMITISM

Da’ud X Mohammed responds to a letter carried yesterday from a German journalist: “How do you view the ‘anti-Semite’ accusation in the German context? In any context, German or not, criticism of nearly any individual if he happens to be a Jew, by nearly any Jew or non-Jew, is considered by the psychotics to be a kind of anti-Semitism that says the one who criticizes would push the Jews into the sea or into ovens, or would look the other way if someone else did it.

“Criticism of Jews who en masse give a blind eye to the IDF treatment of the Palestinians (even before the first Intifada and the suicide bombings) is considered an act of anti-Semitism, as defined above. Same goes for criticism of Israel and Israelis, Zionists and Mossad. The psychotics bristle when Zionist Israel is compared to Apartheid South Africa. There is no difference for a Palestinian worker under Zionist controlled Israel than there was for black or “colored” workers during the Apartheid South Africa era. Second-class citizenship status imagined or imposed is a drag. Where does “reconciliation” fit in as a piece of this peace puzzle?” More to come.

FROM IRAN ON ISRAEL

Reza Noroozpour, writing from Iran, passes along an item: “Management at the Israel Broadcasting Authority are considering a new journalistic policy of replacing references to the Palestinian “intifada” and the “hudna” (the truce that collapsed last week), with their Hebrew equivalents. Amongst other changes under consideration are replacing references to “the radical Islamic movement Hamas” with “the terrorist organisation Hamas. Journalists would also be asked to refer to Palestinian activists as “terrorists,” or “mehablim” in Hebrew, whether they are accused of carrying out attacks on occupied Palestinian territory or in Israel itself. The occupied West Bank would be called by its biblical name, Judea and Samaria. The IBA has stressed that no final decision on these proposals has been taken.”

http://www.ejc.nl/medianews.asp

WE HAD A DREAM

Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the historic August 28, 1963, March on Washington for Jobs and Justice. I was there. I even played a small role in organizing it. I will share my recollections and reminiscences tomorrow in this space. If you enjoy or learn from this blog, please share it with others. Sign them up for free sub. And to add your voice to this interactive conversation about the news and our discontents, write dissector@mediachannel.org. Keep us keeping on.