NOON UPDATE

Ms. Rice has reversed her self and will now testify under oath. Tra.La. The Progress Report explains:

Rice’s Big Reversal

Just last week Condoleezza Rice told Sean Hannity that her decision not to testify in public before the committee was “not a matter of preference. It is a matter of long-standing constitutional principle.” She repeated the claim two days ago on CBS 60 minutes. But her statements turned out to be false, with no basis in legal reality. Facing a political firestorm over her refusal, it is now the preference of the White House to have her testify publicly under oath -– and she will do so. Her appearance is “conditioned on the Bush administration receiving assurances in writing from the commission that such a step does not set a precedent.” But, of course, obtaining such an assurance was always an option. Moreover, no precedent will be set –- national security advisors have already appeared before Congress and the 9/11 commission is an independent committee, whose chairman was appointed by the President, not a congressional committee.

On to today’s blog…

THE TERROR WARS

ASSASSINATION AS POLICY

GLOBAL WARMING WARMING

We begin this morning by paying our respects to the actor, Peter Ustinov, who left this world yesterday. He left behind a saying that merits some attention:

“Terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich.”

Terrorism is the new red menace of these times, the definition of a crime and the inspiration for anti-terror units that have been licensed to kill. Invariably, the terror groups are depicted as men who hate us and want to kill us. Years ago, it was often said that “one man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter.” We spoke of “state-sponnsored terrorism” as opposed to individual acts of terrorism. Not any more. Both sides of the terror war have their killer units and both employ theological or strategic rationalization to justify their actions.

Richard Clarke was frustrated because the Administration did not kill them all fast enough. The Administration was frustrated because it couldn’t. The war goes on with neither side ever really comprehending the other, and with those caught in the middle explained away as unfortunate casualties. (I have taken a look at the media coverage of the Clarke testimony in a separate piece on Mediachannel’s front page. Have a look here ).

WHO IS ABDULLAH?

The news from the from the “frontlines” of the terror war is confusing. Last night, BBC reported “A senior al-Qaeda figure has been killed in Pakistan’s latest offensive against militants near the Afghan border, the military has said. A Pakistani army spokesman identified the dead man as `Mr Abdullah’ and described him as an intelligence chief. But US officials have told the BBC they were not aware of any such person…..” This morning the story was changed. Now they are saying they didn’t get Mr. Abdullah. …In England, the UK police say they have arrested five terror suspects, all British subjects. There were no details at this writing.

INTERESTS DRIVE THE CONFLICT

Truth is often buried in shadowy conflicts like these. Michael Meacher, an MP and Britain’s environment minister from May 1997 to June 2003, believes that behind all the rhetoric lies a multiplicity of interests, not just the ostensible simple “interest in combating evil doers.” What are those interests? Meacher wrote in the Guardian back in September ‘03 that:

“The conclusion of all this analysis must surely be that the `global war onterrorism’ has the hallmarks of a political myth propagated to pave the wayfor a wholly different agenda - the US goal of world hegemony, built aroundsecuring by force command over the oil supplies required to drive the wholeproject. Is collusion in this myth and junior participation in this projectreally a proper aspiration for British foreign policy? If there was everneed to justify a more objective British stance, driven by our ownindependent goals, this whole depressing saga surely provides all theevidence needed for a radical change of course.”

ELIMINATING THE DANGER?

In US newspapers like The New York Times the Terror war is a necessary evil. Craig Whitney writes:

“In the war on terrorism, Osama bin Laden is now the prime target. FewAmericans would argue that assassinating the terrorist they hold responsiblefor the deaths of more than 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001, would becontrary to either American or international law.

But before Sept. 11, as testimony in last week’s hearings on the governmentresponse to the attacks made clear, the Central Intelligence Agency, forone, had its doubts about assassinating even a terrorist. And after angererupted across the Arab world last Monday over an Israeli helicopteroperation in Gaza that killed Sheik Ahmed Yassin, leader of the Palestinianmovement Hamas, even the Bush administration felt constrained at one pointto say it was `deeply troubled’ by Israel’s action, though later it vetoed aUnited Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel.

Killing Sheik Yassin could even increase the threat of terrorist violenceagainst Israel, at least in the short run. Thousands of his Palestinianfollowers vowed last week to avenge his death by attacking Israeli leaders,or Americans. As with Al Qaeda and groups associated with it around theworld, not only the leadership but the entire milieu and the root causesthey feed on need to be dealt with to eliminate the danger. The point of warhas always been killing enough of the enemy to render him harmless, and boththe United States and Israel consider themselves at war - not with otherstates, but with Islamic militants dedicated to destroying all that Americaand Israel stand for, in the Middle East and elsewhere.”

The Israeli peace activist and journalist Uri Avneri sees it differently and has spoken out against the assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Yassin. He writes:

“The martyrdom of Sheikh Yassin pushes even further awaythe chance of Israel ever attaining peace andtranquility, normal relations with its neighbors, witha flourishing economy

In the short run, this action endangers our personalsecurity; in the long run it represents an even greaterdanger to our national security. In the short run, ithas increased the motivation for Hamas to carry outdeadly attacks. Every Israeli understands this and istaking extra precautions these days. But the lessobvious results are much more threatening.

In the hearts of hundreds of thousands of children inthe Palestinian territories and the Arab countries,this murder has raised a storm of rage and thirst forrevenge, together with feelings of frustration andhumiliation in view of the impotence of the Arab world.This will produce not only thousands of new potentialsuicide bombers inside the country, but also tens ofthousands of volunteers for the radical Islamicorganizations throughout the Arab world. (I know,because at the age of 15 I joined the armed undergroundin similar circumstances.) There is no stronger weaponfor a fighting organization than a martyr. Suffice itto mention Avraham Stern, alias Ya’ir, who was killedby the British police in Tel-Aviv in 1942. His bloodgave an impulse to the emergence of the Lehiunderground (nicknamed `the Stern gang’) which onlyfour years later was playing a major role in theexpulsion of the British from Palestine.

But Ya’ir’s standing was nothing compared to thestanding of Sheikh Yassin. The man was practically bornto fulfil the role of a sainted martyr: a religiouspersonality, a paraplegic in a wheelchair, broken inbody but not in spirit, a militant who spent years inprison, a leader who continued his fight aftermiraculously surviving an earlier assassinationattempt, a hero cowardly murdered from the air whileleaving the mosque after prayer. Even a writer ofgenius could not have invented a figure more suited tothe adoration of a billion Muslims, in this and cominggenerations.”

NOW WE FIND OUT

CNN says:

“A report released Monday by U.S. Central Command recommends disciplinary action against a U.S. Marine Corps captain who called in airstrikes on his fellow Marines in the deadliest `friendly fire’ incident of the Iraq war.

Eighteen Marines were killed during a battle March 23, 2003, in Nasiriya. But because some of the bodies had been hit by both U.S. and Iraqi weapons, investigators could confirm only eight deaths by hostile fire. The source of the fire that killed the other 10 Marines cannot be determined, according to the report.”

THIS JUST IN

IT is chilling. It is hard to read. But it brings home of the horror of the war if you can stand it. Memory Hole.org publishes a document today on the mortuary procedures at the Dover Air Force Base in Deleware, the shipmment point for soldiers’ bodies coming home from Iraq and other conflicts. The press has been barred from the base. This document describes how the dead are to be handled. Viewers of “Six Feet Under” may be shocked.

MEDIA NEWS: NO MORE VERBS

IwantMedia.com passes this NY Times report along: “News Reports for Ultra-Short Attentions.” The article notes, among other things, that “Shepard Smith of Fox News often skips verbs in his rapid-fire delivery. `We don’t need all those words,’ he says. Smith is winning over younger audiences that are used to getting news in `quick bursts’ on the Web.”

ON THE RADIO

The New York Post is reporting that Howard Stern wants to to start a pay-radio channel to broadcast his show … The Boston Phoenix’s media analyst Dan Kennedy reports: “Boston Herald columnist Mike Barnicle today apologized on his WTKK Radio (96.9 FM) program for using the word `Mandingo’ on Tuesday in referring to the marriage of former secretary of defense William Cohen, who’s white, and former Boston television news personality Janet Langhart, who’s black.”

Press release:

“XM Satellite Radio, the pioneer and leader in satellite radio, on Wednesday, March 31, debuts XM America Left, Channel 167, a new talk radio channel dedicated to progressive political viewpoints. Broadcasting coast-to-coast from its headquarters less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, XM provides the highly-anticipated Air America Radio with its first national platform. XM’s fast-growing nation of more than 3 million listeners now can tune in daily to Air America’s talented and opinionated on-air personalities including popular satirist Al Franken, comedienne Jeanene Garofalo, hip hop icon Chuck D. and environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy. Jr….”

AUDIENCE FOR NEWS IN ENGLISH FLAT

The Philanthropy News Digest reports: “Audience for English-Language News Flat or Shrinking”

“According to a new report from the Project for Excellence in Journalism ( http://www.journalism.org/ ), the short- term prospects for newspapers and broadcast television news are grim. But the report finds signs of hope in the growing popularity of Spanish-language newspapers, alternative weeklies, and news Web sites.

Funded by the Philadelphia-based Pew Charitable Trusts, the report, `The State of the News Media 2004,’ notes that the circulation of English-language newspapers in the United States has declined by 11 percent since 1990. Over roughly the same period, however, the circulation of the country’s Spanish-language daily newspapers has more than tripled, to 1.7 million. The study also found that the combined circulation of alternative weeklies more than doubled, to 7.5 million, in 2002.”

“WE WILL ALL BE DEAD, THANK GOD”

The issue of the changing population of the United States was discussed by Bill O’Reill on Fox. Atrios publishes a transcript on Eschaton:

“O’REILLY: “‘IN THE FACTOR `Follow-Up’ Segment tonight, we’ve been following the various demographic shifts throughout America, and now the Census Bureau estimates, by the year 2050, white Americans will make up less than 50 percent of the population. How will that change the USA?

Joining us now from Washington is Dr. William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. Here in the studio, John McManus, the editor in chief of “American Demographics” magazine.

So I guess this is being driven by Hispanics, right, with all the illegal immigration, millions of people coming in here and the higher birth rate among Hispanics in America. That’s what’s driving this?’

JOHN MCMANUS, “AMERICAN DEMOGRAPHICS”: The Hispanic population is the greatest increase that we’ll see over the time period that we’re talking about. Illegal immigration is a portion of the story, but it’s the increase in — rapid increase in immigration and birth rate in people of Hispanic origin that we’ll see.

O’REILLY: All right. Because black birth rate is fairly stable, right?

MCMANUS: Proportionately, black birth rate and increases in their population will level out and be less significant in growth in that time period. I think Bill will be able to address the numbers better than I can, but…

O’REILLY: OK. And how about Asian? What’s the situation with that?

MCMANUS: Asian — we’re going to see a 213 percent increase, according to the Census Bureau projection, and so that will be a very rapid increase of the percentage of their population in the U.S. as well.

O’REILLY: All right. Now, Doctor, the Census Bureau really doesn’t tell us how this is going to affect the country. Do you have any theories on it?

WILLIAM FREY, PH.D., BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Well, I really think what’s happening is going to be this phasing out or fading out of the white baby boom population. It is a 50-year time period we’re talking about…

O’REILLY: Yes. We’ll all be dead. Thank God, right?”

YOUR LETTERS

Marrion Steele writes from Lantana, CA and asks:

“Teddi Curtis, Corona, CA, said 6000 voters in Florida voted for `no one.’ When was this? I recently moved to Florida from Calif. March 9th, 130 in Broward county “voted for no one” and I think 20-30 in Palm Beach county [did the same]. But 6000? Rep Wexler here is trying hard for a paper trail. Or we could do like Oregon, vote by mail! — no machines, no polling places. But I heard people in high places here makes the software these machines use. So there goes vote by mail. Like Teddi said, Absentee voting is safest, so far.”

Josh Honn writes:

“Saw you led with a story about AIDS in Africa today. I had a similar lead planned over at my blog (followed by some hype for your new book which I just finished) and wanted to pass it along to you. There is also a link to a great 30-page report which exposes the Bush plan.”

Josh, thank you for the kind words on the blog. The report he cites –”Debunking The Myths In The U.S. Global AIDS Strategy: An Evidence-Based Anaylsis”– is available (PDF) from the Center for Health and Gender Equality”.

OPERATION IRAQI INFOGANDA

Peter & Trudy Johnson-Lenz write from Lake Oswego, OR to call our attention to Frank Rich’s piece in the New York Times on Sunday, “Operation Iraqi Infoganda.” Here’s a select:

“Yet the fake narrative of Sept. 11 has been scrupulously maintained by the White House for more than two years. Although the administration has tried at every juncture to stonewall the Sept. 11 investigative commission, its personnel, including the president, had all the time in the world for the producer of a TV movie, Showtime’s `DC 9/11: Time of Crisis.’ The result was a scenario that further rewrote the history of that day, stirring steroids into false tales of presidential derring-do. To shore up the Karl Rove version of Sept. 11 once Richard Clarke went public with his alternative tale on last Sunday’s `60 Minutes,’ the White House placed Condoleezza Rice on all five morning news shows the next day. The administration is confident that it can reinstate its bogus scenario - particularly given that Rice, unlike Clarke, is refusing to take the risk of reciting it under oath to the Sept. 11 commission.”

THE CONDI CONUNDRUM

Robert Drewlow writes:

“Danny, great article.Has anyone taken on Ms. Rice’s ‘long-standing tradition’ comment defending her non-discussibility position? The nat sec advisor postwas created just a few decades back ….and at the time wascriticized as being in violation of the long standing tradition ofallowing the legislature to have some sort of approval /review processof high level post personnel. The nat sec advisor stands in a vacuum ofexception to the historic structure of checks and balances set forthin the Const’”

Bradley Laing comments:

“Something fishy is going on with the Clarke business. Two conservative congresmen want testimony Clarke gave in secret declassified to compare it to testimony he is giving now.

If all they have to do is declassify some testimony to discredit him, Clarke should know it. So why is he saying these things in public if he can be discredited so easily? Hubris by Clarke? Or is the testimony is the same, and the declassification idea a bluff by the congressmen?

Secondly, if Clarke’s testimony is delcassified, won’t pressure mount to declassify more of the testimony, unraveling the secreacy blanket that Clarke, Condoleezza Rice and everyone else wanted over the information?”

Liz Burbank passes along a piece by Elaine Cassel in which she dissects the latest round of convictions in the war on terror, and discusses why what we have to fear may not be paint-ball wielding terrorists, but the manner and mode of prosecutions bythe Department of Justice in “When Playing Paintball is Terrorism”, available on Progressivetrail.

Producer Robert Greewald was very kind about my take on Richard Clarke: “great article …. really smart, important,, thanks for doing it. Robert.”

ENVIRONMENTAL WORD

Last night I had a last-minute invite to the annual fundraising dinner for NRDC, the National Resource Defense Council. Robert Redford was one of the honorees. The organization has more than a million e-activists fighting on environmental issues against what the organization’s Chairman said was an Administration with the worst environmental record in history. The paparazzi turned to snap Redford and Meryl Streep, but my hunch is that the environmental message was not covered. I came home to find this item from the Independent in London:

“Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have jumped abruptly, raising fears that global warming may be accelerating out of control.

Measurements by US government scientists show that concentrations of the gas, the main cause of the climate exchange, rose by a record amount over the past 12 months. It is the third successive year in which they have increased sharply, marking an unprecedented triennial surge.

Scientists are at a loss to explain why the rapid rise has taken place, but fear that it could show the first signs thatglobal warming is feeding on itself, with rising temperatures causing increases in carbon dioxide, which then go on todrive the thermometer even higher. That would be a deeply alarming development, suggesting that this self-reinforcing heating could spiral upwards beyond the reach of any attempts to combat it.

Have a great day.

We pause to say good bye and thank you to the great Alistair Cooke, who died last night at age 95. He was one of the more memorable broadcasters in my youth, adding erudite cultural perspectives to our TV viewing with a show my folks turned me on to…. And we thank you for making Mediachannel part of your reading diet. Please sign up for our newsletters and Media for Democracy campaign. Write to me at:dissector@mediachannel.org