Is Eric Alterman dumb or just evil? To equivocate between U.S. forces detaining women who have ties to terrorists and terrorists who kidnap, hold hostage, and threaten to murder civilians is dumb
evil, so I guess the answer is both.
Such equivocation minimizes the barbarity of hostage taking. Further, it gives aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States who fight us because they actually believe such equivocations are true. Next time bin Laden delivers an audio tape to al Jazeera, I fully expect him to quote Eric Alterman.
. Alterman is too stupid to realize that al Jazeera.com is not the actual al Jazeera you hear so much about on TV. No, al Jazeera.com is much much worse than al Jazeera. This is an English language outlet for the type of Muslims who think that the al Jazeera satellite television station is far too cozy with the West. These terror supporters simply grabbed the .com domain before the Qatar based station could buy it.
But that goes only to Alterman's stupidity. What about the evil accusation?
As regular readers know, I spend a good deal of my free time watching media produced by terrorists and reading what they say on bulletin boards. Alterman's accusations are identical to those made by jihadis all around the world. They justify the murdering of people like Jill Carroll as simple tit-for-tat.
They actually believe this. Why would they not? Their media tells them so. They even have images of crying women making the same accusations. It only makes matters worse that the American Left also seems to enjoy believing the most outrageous accusations made against the U.S.
So, we should not be surprised that when terrorists in Iraq cut off the head of an American civilian that they first dress him up in the orange jumpsuits so familiar from picturs of Abu Ghraib. They justify their actions because they equivocate the abuse at Abu Ghraib with torture and murder.
Just as Eric Alterman equivocates detaining security threats who happen to be women with the kidnapping of civilians.
The views of the people holding Jill Carroll hostage are shaped by the outrageous lies of the Arab, Islamist, and Western Leftist media. For nearly two years now, with every single female hostage that has been taken there has been a demand that all female Iraqi prisoners must be released from prison. These demands came long before Jill Carroll was taken hostage because these media outlets made outlandish accusations that thousands of Iraq women were in prison, being tortured, raped, forced to watch as American soldiers sadistically killed their small children, and murdered.
All of which are lies, and all of which outlets such as the one cited by the ignoramous Eric Alterman--al Jazeera.com--have been running for years.
So, when the U.S. military admits that it occassionally detains women for questioning in a country that has more than its fair share of female suicide bombers, how exactly are we to come to the conclusion that we are guilty of hostage taking? Even when these women are only detained for questioning because their husbands are terrorists, such equivocation is unfounded. The wives of criminals are routinely questioned in the United States, even in peacetime. And charging the loved ones of a criminal is routinely done in the U.S. as leverage against the real target of the criminal investigation--the husbands.
Under war conditions is it surprising that we might need to detain the wife of a terrorist who may know the time and location of the next bombing of a cafe that her husband is planning? That soldiers might occasionally overstep the normal bounds of detention if they think that holding a woman might lead to the arrest of the kind of man that beheads hostages? That the same procedural rules that apply in Chicago don't necessarily apply in Baghdad?
It takes a sick, demented, and perverted mind to come to the conclusion that American soldiers are engaged in the same activities as Islmic terrorists. Eric Alterman has such a mind.
1
I'd go with dumb and useful idiot.
He's not quite evil. Diet Evil perhaps. One calorie evil. /Dr. Evil...
Posted by: lawhawk at February 01, 2006 01:30 PM (eppTH)
2
It makes perfect sense that if Iraqis see their wives taken into custody (or hostage) without due process (or human rights) by Americans (fitting the pattern of prison abuse as directed by higher chain of command) then they of course will feel justified in taking American women hostage (or into custody). You use the semantics (or propaganda) sustains your arrogance or ignorance, I'm not sure which. Either way you are bliss, but this is what causes different peoples to fight for decades, centuries -- lack of understanding the other.
Posted by: Bob at February 01, 2006 01:40 PM (SXT77)
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Bob,
Words mean things. To equivocate a lesser evil with a greater evil is to diminish the greater. Many Sunnis in Iraq believe the U.S. is guilty of the worst crimes possible because of people, like yourself, who equivocate a naked pyramid with cutting out tongues.
Please see this post for elucidation: http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/153317.php
Further, since the vast majority of Iraqis support the American presence in the exact way that the majority of Americans do--as a temporary state until Iraq is capable of self-sustaing government--your statement shows your own ignorance. It would be well if the American and European Left remembered that al Jazeera is not the mouthpiece of the Iraqi people, the duly elected government there is.
As you say, ignorance is bliss.
Posted by: Rust at February 01, 2006 01:54 PM (JQjhA)
4
Both Alterman and Bob prefectly represent those who constitute the greatest threat to Western civilization - the traitors. Following Cicero, the enemy at the gate is less to be feared than the traitor who goes about whispering of defeat and despair.
Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at February 01, 2006 02:02 PM (0yYS2)
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These people like Alterman don't seem to realize that everything they say is out there for the public to see. And there will soon come a time when these traitors will be required to explain their actions. It won't come soon enough for me.
Posted by: jesusland joe at February 01, 2006 03:39 PM (rUyw4)
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This always seems coordinated to me. Jill Carroll is kidnapped and the media is outraged (always when a media member is involved.) A week later, Amnesty International comes out with an accusation that the US puts pressure on terrorists in Iraq by detaining their wives (a tactic used by US prosecutors to some extent). This press release is put on the wires with no origianl reporting by Reuters and AP.
Then comes Wesley Clarke.
So, it's the terrorists to AI to left media. See, the US is to blame for poor Jill, not the terrorists.
I read somewhere that to the global left the entire nation of Iraq is one huge friendly fire zone where negative thing that happens is the fault of the US>
Posted by: Kate at February 01, 2006 04:09 PM (0DFVm)
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Rusty - they believed all this long before Iraq - and will continue long afterwards. It is all so transparent! Iraq is just the vehicle for the continuing domestic cultural divide - a battle begun in the 60's - and one they have been slowing losing for sometime now.
I welcome their antics - everyday they alienate more and more of the fence-sitters.
Posted by: hondo at February 01, 2006 04:32 PM (3aakz)
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I got here via one of my Google News alerts.
I am astounded by the nationalism and patriotism in the writing here and in the comments -- it defies reason and empirical evidence.
How do you justify the 30,000+ Iraqi's and 2,000+ Americans who have been killed thanks to the US invasion of Iraq?
Do you believe it is justified to kill over a dozen civilians to achieve a military aim (cf. the Damadola bombing in Pakistan)? If so, welcome to the mind of the terrorist because that is exactly how they think -- the end justifies the means.
I am not partisan. I am not a nationalist. I am a patriot, but I don't recall anywhere it said I had to support Bush or the "War on Terror" to be an American.
I refuse to believe much of anything I hear from the media unless I cross validate it with sources outside the US. I've seen too much sloppy reporting on both sides.
But to bring things back down to this topic for a second, how can you justify imprisoning a woman to coerce her husband? Without equivocating anything at all can't you see that that is wrong? Don't let the extreme left "pundits" or whomever push you so far away that you begin to believe the bullshit of politicians. If you aren't just as suspect of what the US is doing over there in the Middle East as what al Qaeda is up to, then I think you've lost perspective. Who's the one dropping the bombs on other countries day after day? Who's the one forcing their admirable but highly culturally and religiously biased message down the throats of other peoples? Hmm, I think anyone with a little imagination can make a case that it's the US or it's the Muslim extremists, Israel or Palestine, etc. Don't choose sides. Be shocked and disgusted at all of it, all of the war mongers who choose violence and threats instead of compassion and diplomacy.
Posted by: Scott Stirling at February 01, 2006 05:59 PM (/of+J)
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Guess someone misses the days when pulling the comforter over their head and turning on a nightlight made everything right in the world.
Posted by: hondo at February 01, 2006 06:09 PM (3aakz)
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That's the problem, Scott, you're using outside sources not to corroborate your findings, but to justify your beliefs.
"...how can you justify imprisoning a woman to coerce her husband?" If you want to believe that's why they are in custody for any period of time at all and that's what some "partisan" media hack says, then fine with me. We've already had that discussion here. You're a couple of days late.
"...forcing their admirable but highly culturally and religiously biased message down the throats of other peoples?" Yep, the Iraqis in particular! We're forcing them to the polls and the election centers. They didn't
want to go! We made them.
You may not want to choose sides. That too is your perogative. Not me. I
know who the bad guys are. I don't sit around equating Islamic extremists and suicide bombers with the US military.
You're confused. I understand.
Posted by: Oyster at February 01, 2006 06:21 PM (YudAC)
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Does anyone else get the impression that Scott still sleeps with a night light on?
Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at February 01, 2006 09:29 PM (0yYS2)
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If you peruse Scott Stirling's blog, you will discover that Scottie opposed the Alito nomination to the Supreme Court and supported the Kerry call for a filibuster.
Uh, Scottie, my investment in Reynolds Aluminum seems to be paying off. Keep it up, please.
Posted by: jesusland joe at February 01, 2006 09:49 PM (rUyw4)
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Quothe Scott: "...I don't recall anywhere it said I had to support Bush or the "War on Terror" to be an American."
Yeah, you can still be a patriot
and cheer for the enemy. Sure.
Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at February 02, 2006 10:14 AM (0yYS2)
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Update: I dropped Eric an email, yesterday. It wasn't very nice. I can provide a copy, if any would like.
He actually responded. I'll give him props for that.
After spewing forth my displeasure with his story and commenting on his journalistic prowess and ethics (or lack thereof), he replied:
"blow me"
... it made me laugh.
Now, if only I could get Rall to respond. Then again, I was much more ... um ... what's a word or term that better states that I was being "a complete dick, but he deserved it"?
Posted by: Pete at February 02, 2006 11:33 AM (Stkxb)
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The war we are fighting in the Middle East could possibly turn into another Viet Nam. There are simularities between the two wars. First of all, we wanted something from both countries. Second of all, we lost many American lives; and last of all, neither country never had or wanted democracy. I thought it rather interesting when in one of Pres. Bush's speeches, he said: "We will give Irag back their democracy". How can we give them something they never had in the first place? The Middle East has been fighting between themselves for two thousand years. They are not going to abide by some some ballot box for very long. And who are we? The United States should take care of our own people and not become global police. We have people in our country in need of healthcare, housing, social security, homeless, and other social issues that needs to be on the list of priority.
Posted by: Margaret at February 02, 2006 11:35 AM (GtykD)
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No black pajamas - and definitely noooooo putang! If those are your top 3 comparisons then you got some seriously weak poo!
Posted by: hondo at February 02, 2006 12:03 PM (3aakz)
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If things like securing our southern borders and limiting chinese imports were addressed,then I think more Americans would support the war effort.If the administration was serious about homeland security,it would agressively curved illegal entry into the country.We are talking millions entering illegally each year and I consider the trade deficit very serious as well.
Posted by: mitch at February 02, 2006 08:51 PM (xd6Dx)
18
Honestly Margaret, you idiot socialist, if that's the best argument you can come up with, then you should pat yourself on the back, because you're almost stupid enough to be chairman of the DNC, but not quite stupid enough to me a senator from Taxachusettes.
Let me point out your mistakes, if you're bright enough to comprehend: First, South Vietnam was invaded by North Vietnam, with backing from China and Russia. And we still kicked their asses. We didn't lose the war, our politicians just lost their nerve and made the sacrifices of 58,000 Americans and countless South Vietnamese in vain. We quit in Vietnam, just like you and the rest of your idiot libtard friends want us to quit Iraq and Afghanistan, and condemn them to the same fate as they were already suffering. You liberals are so stupid it's really beyond words.
Second, Iraq did have democracy for a short while after WW2, but British meddling and other factors did away with that, so that's two points you got wrong, moron. As for our healthcare, housing, etc., if you want the government to provide that for you, they will, but you have to join the military first, or just get yourself put in prison, but otherwise, this is no place for the stupid, lazy, or liberal, so you should move to Cuba or something. Idiot.
Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at February 03, 2006 02:24 AM (0yYS2)
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Challenge your preconceptions before they challenge you.
Posted by: fuk-u at February 03, 2006 08:14 AM (lHwhe)
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War is in "Our" hearts.
Posted by: Yidmar at February 05, 2006 12:14 PM (w94tQ)
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