TRUTH TRICKLES DOWN

INVESTIGATING “VOICES OF IRAQ”

WINNING THE BATTLE, LOSING THE WAR

Why does it take so long for truth to trickle out? This morning, the NY Times tells us that the Red Cross, set up to protect rights of prisoner of war among its other humanitarian missions, has issued “a confidential report (that) states that the U.S. military has used psychological and sometimes physical coercion “tantamount to torture” on prisoners.”

Let’s play three questions: Why is this report “confidential?” Why is it so late? Why the equivocations with phrases like “tantamount to torture?” Unfortunately, we are living in a “tantamount to truth” era.

And one more: why the often lack of news in the news? Today, the Financial Times of London consults someone who should know: “Barbara Walters says US TV is losing interest in hard news.” Oh, really?

US ARMY PR FIRM BOOSTS NEW IRAQ WAR FILM

I know that some of you may be tired of hearing my critique on the reporting of the Iraq War or about my new film on the subject, WMD. And yet, as our film prepares to open this Friday night in Boston, Austin and Denver, (see www.wmdthefilm.com for details), I was alerted to some competition.

Yup, ANOTHER “Indy” film is out attacking the media for its war reporting. Another film about the Iraq War. This one was made with about ten times my budget and is opening in twice as many cities, And it is apparently getting a big PR boost around the country. I must have missed it because of the all the traveling I have been doing.

Significantly, this movie is being is being touted as an “Anti-Michael Moore film.”How about that? After spending a few hours checking it out, I became convinced that this movie actually belongs in MY movie because it smells positively Rumsfeldesque and appears to be a weapon of mass deception in its own right.

Read on.

This film is called “Voices Of Iraq.” I was alerted to its existence yesterday by retired Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner who is the best informed expert I know on Pentagon propaganda and information dominance strategies. I interviewed him for WMD and the two of us often correspond about new developments in the selling of the war.

Yesterday, Gardiner wrote to ask a question:

“In your travels, have you run into any discussion of the documentary “Voices of Iraq?” Looks, from a number of perspectives, to have been an inside job (which would be illegal). Publicity was by a PR firm with an Army contract.” In a later note, Sam added that the film was promoted on a November 24th Voice of America story, noting that the nominally independent “VOA sits in on strategic communications meetings held by the White House Office of Global Communications.”

Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

A DISSECTOR INVESTIGATION

So off to Google my fingers dashed, there to find a blow job review for Voices of Iraq on none other than David Horowitz’s Front Page website. I once worked with David at Ramparts magazine and was friendly with him until he took a hard right turn to become a commisar for the Reaganauts spending his time attacking all of his old colleagues and progressives of every stripe. He came after our South Africa Now program years ago with a false red-baiting attack on Nelson Mandela and the ANC.

Horowitz’s site features a story by Joel Mowbray, author of a book attacking our State Department as a den of subversives. He loves Voices of Iraq which he describes this way:

“Two former MTV producers have accomplished what the entire mainstream media thus far has not: they’ve captured the real life and times of the Iraqi people.

“They didn’t do it alone, however. Producers Eric Manes and Martin Kunert sent 150 digital cameras into Iraq this April with very simple instructions: “Videotape your neighborhood, shopping area, where you live and work, pray, relax, and play” and interview “people who have the most meaning in your life.”

“… The finished product, Voices of Iraq, is a taut 75-minute documentary, opening in limited release in ten cities. .. Infused throughout with an Iraqi hip-hop soundtrack, the briskly edited film is hands-off in letting ordinary Iraqis drive the storyline. That it won’t realistically have much of an impact on the election is the only disappointing thing about this film.

“Groundbreaking and instantly compelling, VOI is sort of the anti-Michael Moore film. There’s no narration, no heavy-handed editing. And whereas the man from Flint started with his premise and assembled his film to support it, the only goal when making VOI was to emulate the producers’ trailblazing MTV show Fear, which gave cameras to everyday youths who filmed themselves at supposedly haunted locations. Defying expectations, the show was a hit.”

www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=15739

VOICES MASKS ITS POLITICAL AGENDA

I can’t comment on the film itself since I haven’t seen it, but once I saw who is boosting this “anti-Michael Moore” film, I started digging into its hidden political orientation.

Voices of Iraq claims to be produced and directed by the Iraqi people. But the film was financed by investors in the “voices of freedom” LLC in California, certainly an indication of its politics. (Voices of Iraq melds into voices of freedom — get it?) I don’t know who the funders are yet. They are not disclosed.

The Magnolia distribution company picked up the film. The Washington Times, that fount of objectivity, says it is “neither partisan or conservative.” Gulf War veteran, ex- marine and actor Archie Drury says the film is about the choices Iraqs will make and speaks of “the run-up to historic elections.” Their website carries links to organizations like the Iraq America Freedom Alliance and similar front groups, even as the film is being presented as just a cross section of Iraqi voices and politically neutral. No wonder Sam Gardiner is suspicious. Nary a critical word about the war is to be found on the site.

This “independent film” has PR support from the PR bigs of Manning Selvage & Lee. The firm describes itself this way on its website (www.mslpr.com) where its government and Iraq links are barely to be found: “With more than 950 employees, 2001 fee income of $118 million and a network of 100 offices and affiliates, Manning Selvage & Lee is one of the world’s leading global public relations firms.”

A KEY GOP-ARMY LINK

I then read about its principals. Bingo. “Don Hannaford, a managing director handles the firm’s work with the US Army” What Army work? It does not appear on the website. His bio explains Don’s background and work as a political operative:

“Hannaford began his public affairs career on Capitol Hill, serving in the office of a U.S. Senator. He subsequently worked for the U.S. Department of the Interior, first in the Office of Territorial and International Affairs and then as a public affairs manager with the Minerals Management Service. Upon leaving government, Hannaford served as director of political communications and advertising for the Republican National Committee.”

Checking on, I found that the publicist on the film is named Mark Bennett. I called but he wasn’t there. I checked his name and an earlier project association. Dig this project:

“U.S. Army Joins With NASCAR to Enhance Recruiting; Official Military Partner NASCAR and Sponsor of the Army 01 Winston Cup Pontiac. (Source: PR Newswire, Jan 23, 2003)

“We chose the number 01 to reinforce our slogan ‘An Army of One’. The individual talents of each soldier are melded to create a single-minded team. NASCAR fans understand that kind of teamwork, because they see it in action every weekend in the pits. I firmly believe through our participation in NASCAR, they’ll begin to understand that the U.S. Army lives it everyday,” said Cavin.

“For more information about the U.S. Army and its racing programs, visit goarmy.com.

CONTACT: Mark Bennett, +1-202-261 2872, for the U.S. Army

“FOR THE US ARMY?”

The plot thickens. I came across another site at http://cryptome.org/voi-who.htm. I don’t know who runs it but it sure is on target. It offers a number of links that reveals that at this firm MS&L “The U.S. Army account [is] one of the largest and most visible accounts at one of the world’s leading PR shops”

www.diversityinbusiness.com/dib2004/dib20404/Adv_NuTalent_SJhnsn.htm

Digging can be fun. I went deeper to discover how this firm echoes the Pentagon’s “perception management” strategy: “At MS&L, we have a new and higher purpose. We don’t just change perceptions, because perceptions can be fleeting. What we do - in every sense of the words - is this: Change Minds.”

“They’ve recently won P.R. industry awards for their Army work:
www.publicity.org/trumpet2002winners.htm
www.publicity.org/trumpet2003silver.htm

DECEPTION

“The bottom line, the film and its PR firm are concealing their real agenda in Iraq. MS&L’s website contains zero references to Iraq, perhaps due to the flash interface (I spidered the site through their sitemap, and in ~850 pages there is no tangible reference to Iraq.) However, other folks have tracked some of MS&L’s work in Iraq

“The film’s producers put out press releases stating that the film was directed by Iraqis themselves. However, their press releases say they sent out 150 cameras and received them back with 450 hours of footage - who edited the footage? What was their criteria for the footage selected and the ~448 hours left on the cutting room floor?

“More ponderage: when you’re handing out what has to be at least US$150,000 worth of mini-DV cameras and stock, you want to get that back. So you choose carefully. It’s just a guess that these cameras weren’t handed to insurgents or poor folk, but to the educated class.”

FOLLOW THE MONEY

Now lets go back to their funding entity. It’s called: Booya Studios, LLC and:

Voices of Freedom, LLC
11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13
Studio City, CA 91604
818-769-7558

Whoever is writing on this critical site then adds: “Having lived in that area for a number of years, I somewhat familiar with the area. Be advised that quite a number of addresses on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City, CA, are mail drops. I searched GOOGLE on this: 11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13

“Found this also…
“Boyfriend Cosmetics 11026 Ventura Blvd., Suite 13 Studio City, CA 91604″

Address appears to me as a “mail drop” as opposed to a “real” office.

I will have to leave this investigation here but you can see what I/we are up against. Tracking this film could become film in itself, a film investigating the shadowy world of covert ops and the uses made of film to push government policy while appearing to be independent of it.

WHY IS MAGNOLIA FILMS BEHIND THIS?

What’s a reputable distribution company like Magnolia doing in this swamp? (Disclaimer: They “passed” on WMD. ) They do distribute Control Room, and other good films. Mark Cuban of the firm defends his apolitical posture in a blog:

http://tinyurl.com/3mnnf

Another pro-war Blog of War blog claims that Voices of Iraq represents the good news that the media leaves out. The site also contains an ad for a T-SHIRT making a hero out of a marine accused of murdering a wounded civilian in Fallujah:

“The US Military can not accept donations from the public to pay for the Marine’s defense. So, in lieu of money for that purpose we are assisting local military wives and families while their men are away taking care of the Nation’s business.

“In addition to helping a worthy cause, it’s important to make sure the public does not forget about this brave Marine, who acted swiftly, in defense of his brothers.

“Wear this shirt as often as possible. You can even wear it under your work shirt or under your business suit.

“The Marine who killed the wounded insurgent in Fallujah deserves our praise and admiration. In a split second decision, he acted valiantly. CAPTION READS: “The Gods of War Hate those who Hesitate.”

Printed on high quality superheavyweight, preshrunk cotton (6.1oz)…”

Once I see Voices, I will share my take. Before you see it, be warned.

MEANWHILE ON THE BATTLE GROUND

Yes, Napalm was dropped on Fallujah. And its associated gas:

“US troops are secretly using outlawed napalm gas to wipe out remaining insurgents in and around Fallujah. News that President George W. Bush has sanctioned the use of napalm, a deadly cocktail of polystyrene and jet fuel banned by the United Nations in 1980, will stun governments around the world.”

http://tinyurl.com/5rro3

Ivan Eland of the independent institute writes:

“The U.S. military “victory” in Falluja is unlikely to change the dismal course of the guerilla war in Iraq. Military history has repeatedly shown why the cliché “winning the battle and losing the war” has crept into popular culture. Moreover, winning back Falluja the way the U.S. did is likely to be a sure prescription for military defeat in the wider Iraq war.”

Anwaar Hussain, of the Pak Tribune notes that “Known as the “city of mosques” for its more than 200 mosques, Fallujah is also known for refusing to add Saddam’s name to the call for prayers from its ancient minarets. …

“Fallujah has been laid waste. It has been bombed, re-bombed, its citizens gunned down, its structures devastated by powerful weapons. It is a hell on earth of crushed bodies, shattered buildings and the reek of death.

“In addition to the artillery and the warplanes dropping 500, 1000, and 2000-pound bombs, 70-ton Abrams Tanks and the murderous AC-130 Spectre gunship that can demolish a whole city block in less than a minute, the Marines had snipers crisscrossing the entire town firing at will at whatever moved outside the buildings. For those inside, the US troops were equipped with thermal sights capable of detecting body heat. Any such detection was eagerly assumed to indicate the presence of “insurgents” inviting a deadly salvo.

“No body has an accurate idea of how many Iraqis — combatants and noncombatants — have been killed by the thousands of tons of explosives and bullets let loose upon the city. Mortuary teams collecting the dead rotting in the city streets are fighting the wandering dogs that are busy devouring their former masters. The hundreds buried beneath the rubble and debris will be dug out later. A US marine spokesman, Colonel Mike Regner, estimated 1,000 and 2,000 Iraqis dead. The world is awaiting the toll from more reliable sources with a wincing anticipation.”

www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=84915

AIDS: A FORM OF MASS MURDER

“The severity of HIV/AIDS in Africa is tantamount to ‘mass murder by indifference’, the UN special envoy for AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, said in the German weekly, Die Zeit.

“Speaking ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December, Lewis said: ‘Africa lost its geostrategic interest after the Cold War … But there has always also been underlying racism towards [the continent] … This is why I speak of mass murder through indifference.’

“‘Rich countries don’t worry enough about poor countries,’ Lewis said, noting that that UNAIDS had spent US $4.3 billion dollars on AIDS last year, while the war and reconstruction in Iraq will cost $200 billion dollars by the end of 2004.”

MEDIA NEWS: C-SPAN CRITICIZED

Guests from conservative think tanks outnumber guests from progressive ones by a margin of over three to one (48 percent from conservative think tanks versus 13 percent from progressive think tanks) on C-Span’s daily TV talk show, Washington Journal, according to a one-year study released today by Rocky Mountain Media Watch (www.bigmedia.org).

UK: Media Guardian reports “The BBC is to axe around 350 people from its news operation, around 15 per cent of staff, as part of swinging cuts to be announced by director general Mark Thompson next month. The service, frequently described as being ‘at the core’ of the publicly-funded organisation, will be cut back as part of a purge of up to 6,000 jobs across all departments.

FRANCE: The editor of Frances’s Le Monde has resigned. For background, see DIRELAND, “The Crisis at Le Monde: the Inside Story,” at http://direland.typepad.com/direland/2004/11/the_crisis_at_l.html

YOUR LETTERS

I was sent a letter criticizing Canada’s CBC for its coverage of the Ukraine elections from Marjaleena Rep:

“Once again, CBC is covering a political development in Eastern Europe, with a combination of extreme bias and glaring superficiality. You have accepted, with indecent haste, that the election was fraudulent, and you jump in to urge that “something” be done about it. (No such insistence when it came to U.S. election fraud that got President Bush elected for the first time, and no investigation whatsoever of the countless misdeeds in the most recent election, so thoroughly documented and discussed on the internet.

“The Ukrainian election is a carbon copy of two previous ones, Yugoslavia in 2000 and Georgia last year, in both cases election results were forcibly changed in a coup d’etat fashion., while mobs shouted “Democracy Now!” and “People Power.” The violent overthrow was accomplished with the aid of American dollars and the full involvement of U.S. government agencies, with significant financial and organizational help from the likes of George Soros and his “Open society,” both of which have played a significant role in the dismantling and “rearranging” of former Soviet Bloc countries, readying them for the joys of the “free market.”

Note: it now appears that new elections may occur.

Some one who preferred not to give us his name — just the initials bjc — blasts yesterday’s blog. Here’s a taste what passes for an argument:

“Re: VOTER FRAUD IN THE USSA?

“Yeah, that’s right. The President’s really is a communist dictator. Soon he’ll appoint Fidel Castro as Secretary of Keeping The Populace In Line. Too bad Uday Hussein is dead, huh? And once all of those who never got over the 2000 election, and who keep telling the rest of us (the majority) who “should have” won the election can haul those truckloads of fraudulent ballots to the U.S. Capitol and show us how the election was stolen, we’ll NEVER be free!!

“Re: IS THE US USING POISON GAS?

“That’s right. The U.S. military is pulling out all stops to murder “civilians” in Fallujah. Those innocent, unarmed civilians, who do nothing all day but play soccer and fly kites, are getting a full dose of mustard gas and nerve gas and any other chemical agent we can gather, just like they deserve. “Gas them all” is the new motto. In fact, you can ask some of the soldiers’ families to forward you letters home from Iraq and find all the soldiers gushing about how many innocent, harmless people they’ve meanlinglessly slaughtered in recent days. It gives them a warm and fuzzy feeling to know that they’ve gassed and blown up women and children all day long. Just wait until we break out the biological agents!

“AND NOW SOME NEWS FOR YOU

1. The 2000 election is now moot. Get over it.
2. The 2004 election was almost a month ago. George W. Bush won fair and square.
3. You can’t fly around the world like Superman and change the election…

“And that’s the news flash for today. But feel free to call me crazy, stupid, a moron, misinformed, a puppet, hypnotized, duped, and just plain ignorant. Because everybody else who disagrees with you is just that. Right?”

In a similar vein, Noirman Toback comments on two stories I shared yesterday on Poison gas and Israelis in Iraq: “Yeah, and this from the same source that claimed the Mossad did 9/11, right? You know, even when painful, a bit of common sense and objectivity can do wonders.”

David Schwartz writes re: Air America “I live in West Los Angeles. Where is “Air America?” on the radio or on the web. I’m a intellectually starved, culture shocked, transplanted New Yorker and I need to find the news!” Try KPFK.

RATHER VINDICATION TO COME?

Da’ud X Mohammed:

“Glad you and the blog are back.

“What is your guess on Rather’s vindication coordinated with his bowing out?

“I always believed Rather went for the bait set in the Rove trap (the forged documents were in fact “planted” after the originals were actually seen by the CBS producer - that’s how the forgeries were accepted as the originals, before the switch), and the CBS “investigation” will uncover just that. Maybe.”

HATING AMERICA

Bob Hadley: Thought you would find this op-ed on Fox News’s John Gibson’s special “Hating America” of interest, as well as pretty darned funny:

www.rawstory.com/exclusives/blyler/fox_news_hating_america_1125.htm

FAMILY SECRET

On a personal note, in a column often filled with personal notes, I would like to tell the world how proud I am of my brother Bill for an article he wrote yesterday for the Boston Globe on a fascinating development affecting our family. Since it is no longer personal, allow me to share our “family secret” with you:

www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2004/11/29/family_secret/

MAY THE REIGN OF THE WITCHES PASS

Finally, for some inspiration, I close with some words from Tom Jefferson. slave owner though he was. In a letter written in 1789, he called for a “little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt … If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience until luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake.”

Feedback welcome to dissector@mediachannel.org