April 07, 2005

Oh, THAT Biased Media

John_Kerry_Shotgun.jpg

Click photo above. Related. More. And again.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:15 AM | Comments (16) | Add Comment
Post contains 15 words, total size 1 kb.

April 06, 2005

Editor and Publisher Apologizes for Terrorist Embeds *shock*

Editor and Publisher ought to be renamed, Apologist and Collaborater. Hey, and next time you mention my blog why not drop a link for all that is sacred and holy! You'd think your site wasn't html enabled......

And, as if on cue, you organize your story in such a way as to 1) set up claims of bias in the Pulitzer, in this case we are not talking about partisan bias but anti-American bias--a serious accusation 2) then refute those claims. Nice job.

Does the entire Associated Press corp pay you to kiss their asses or does your tongue just naturally like the brown eye?

And if the Pulitzer really shows war 'as it is', which is a terribly stupid claim given the limitations of space in any publication which inevitably leads to certain photos being picked which tell certain parts of the story and leaving out other photos which tell other parts of the war story, then why were not images of American victories shown or that of Americans happily getting along with children in the street? Or is that part of the war 'as it is' not worthy of the lauds of fellow journalists?

Our objections are not about the war photojournalists and the brave work they do. It is with the hiring of stringers such as Bilal Hussein who is comfortable enough with Abu Musab al Zarqawi's al Qaeda in Iraq or Sheik Abdullah al-Janabi's Mujahidin Shura Council of Fallujah that he can get up close and personal for some nice staged photos.

Our other objection is to the photos selected as worthy of the Pulitzer. Is the Associated Press an American organization or not? Cause, I was kind of under the impression that America was sort of in this little thing called a SHOOTING WAR!

Ernie Pyle is rolling over in his grave, right about now. I wonder if he ever got that up close and personal interview with the Waffen SS he always wanted to do? You know, to show their side of the story. Cause, you know, they had families too. And kids. And flower gardens. And kitties......

Please see these posts for clarification:
The Pulitzer and Terrorist Embeds
Pulitzer Prize Given to Terrorists

Thanks to TR at Exposing the Left for e-mailing me the article.

PS-Bunch, you're an idiot.

Posted by: Rusty at 05:29 PM | Comments (30) | Add Comment
Post contains 402 words, total size 3 kb.

Long Live Kurdistan!

There should be an independent Kurdish state. The blood, sweat, and tears of our Northern Iraqi allies have earned them this right. But if we cannot have a Kurdish state at this time, I guess the Presidency of Iraqi will do. For now.

Posted by: Rusty at 03:34 PM | Comments (43) | Add Comment
Post contains 49 words, total size 1 kb.

Lap Dances Not Protected by First Amendment

When lap dances are outlawed, only outlaws will do lap dances. Appeals court upholds ban on lap dances. Via Interested Particpant who has more. I blame Bush for this creeping fascism......

UPDATE: Related. Strippers arrested for not wearing pasties. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 02:37 PM | Comments (18) | Add Comment
Post contains 166 words, total size 1 kb.

Christian May Receive Death Penalty for Conversion

Yes, they kill you for leaving Islam. Many religions teach that apostates go to hell, but it is only in Islam that in modern times we find a willingness to send the unbeleiver there. In fact, all four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence still agree that the death penalty is acceptable in cases where the apostate refuses to come back to the true faith.

What is almost as troubling is that few moderate Muslims embrace liberal notions of religious freedom. At best, they renounce the death penalty in favor of other penalties--such as fines or jail.

Troubling article:

Christians in Iran have expressed great fears for the life of pastor Hamid Pourmand, a lay leader in a church and a convert from Islam, who will appear before an Islamic court next week to face charges of apostasy. If found guilty he is likely to face the death penalty.
more...

Posted by: Rusty at 02:09 PM | Comments (49) | Add Comment
Post contains 479 words, total size 3 kb.

Noam Chomsky Was Right, There is a Media Bias

When you sit right behind the 10 yard line, pretty much every play seems like it's on the other side of the field. Hence, when Noam Chomsky, who is far-left of even the farthest left Democrats (he calls himself an anarcho-syndicalist), says the Mainstream Media (MSM) is 'right-wing', he is really using the term to describe any one in favor of capitalism. To Noam Chomsky, Ted Kennedy is a raving right-wing lunatic. Ok, maybe not raving, but right-wing nonetheless.

It is therefore surprisig to most people that I am a big fan of Noam Chomsky & Edward S. Herman's General Propaganda Model as put forth their book Manufacturing Consent.

While Chomsky and Herman's theory was developed to show how corporations control the media for their own anti-democratic purposes, the same theory can also be used to explain all sorts of media biases. Cassandra (via Emperor Misha) has an interesting post on the subject, and does a great job in classifying media bias once it has hapened, but it lacks a theoretical causal underpinning.

When attempting to explain liberal media bias the Propaganda Model does not need any grand conspiracy as the causal mechanism. Instead, it relies on the every day mundane activities of the hiring and editorial process.

Further, the advent of blogging may eventually make this theory arcane. As media voices diversify, the number of actors responsible for making decisions increases. Bias becomes less a concern because the diversity of thes voices are all over the ideological spectrum.

Here are the main causal points of the Propaganda Model, in nutshell:

more...

Posted by: Rusty at 10:52 AM | Comments (21) | Add Comment
Post contains 1427 words, total size 9 kb.

The Pulitzer and Terrorist Embeds

Yesterday, a stringer for CBS News was shot by U.S. troops in Fallujah. Steve S. has the report here. So, why was the man shot at? Yahoo News:

The U.S. military said in a statement from Mosul released at the Pentagon that U.S. soldiers had been involved in an engagement with at least one suspected insurgent who was "waving an AK-47 (assault rifle) and inciting a crowd of civilians."

During the incident, "an individual that appeared to have a weapon who was standing near the insurgent was shot and injured. This individual turned out to be a reporter who was pointing a video camera," the military statement said.

Let's get a few facts straight. The individual shot at here may not have been embedded like AP photographers were. He may have just come across this scene after it began.

Maybe.

Paul at Wizbang makes the case and Rathergate note that it is quite possible that the AP stringer who shot this photo just happened upon the scene. Granted.

However, while most of the blogosphere is up in arms against that photo, the really troubling photo is this one.

bilal_hussein_photo_fallujah.jpg

This photo has no other explanation than that of the AP photographer being privy to the highest ranks of the insurgency. The photo was taken in Fallujah, where the 'resistance' was led by two well known terrorist groups, al Qaeda in Iraq and The Army of Ansar al-Sunna, and their salafist sympathizers of the Fallujah Mujahidin Shura Council--the religious leaders of the city that instituted a Taliban-like rule when the U.S. withdrew from the city.

As we noted when that photo was first taken, these 'insurgents' are in clear violation of the Geneva Convention because they wear no identifiable uniform. The photo also appears to be staged. All the evidence seems to suggest that the AP photographer, Bilal Hussein, had access to terrorist forces and was 'embedded' with them in every sense of the word.

Here is one more photo taken by the AP and which helped them win the Pulitzer. This time, the reporter is clearly embedded with Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army at a time when they were fighting U.S. troops. Note, again, the absence of identifiable uniforms. The dove on the fighters shoulder is just the icing on the cake.

mahdi_army_pulitzer.jpg

While it may be argued that the murder witnessed by an AP photographer in Iraq was not staged for his benefit, clearly the above photos were. The Pulitzer Prize was, in fact, given to an organization that has information, ties, and serves the propaganda purposes of terrorists.

Aiding the enemy in a time of war is treason. The AP, an American non-profit organization, is guilty of that crime.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:58 AM | Comments (40) | Add Comment
Post contains 457 words, total size 4 kb.

April 05, 2005

Fascism, thy name is Oh Canada!

Here is a link to the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa's Visa services for Canadian citizens just in case you wish to escape before it is too late.

But I thought it was the other way around? Bush=Hitler, neocon cabal, Patriot act gulags, etc....?

Wrong. The name Michael J. Bryant should send more chills up your spine than John Ashcroft ever did. Captain Ed has the goods.

UPDATE: Either the Canadians have gotten to Ed or he's way over his bandwidth limit. His site is down. Here is the article in question.

Posted by: Rusty at 06:23 PM | Comments (88) | Add Comment
Post contains 103 words, total size 1 kb.

Jawapalooza Coming to Washington, D.C.

Your chance to meet the Rusty Shackleford will be soon if you live in and around our Washington, D.C. I will be there from May 14th to the 22nd. If you'd like to get together for a little shin-dig, some drinks, food, laughs, and maybe see the new Star Wars drop me a line at mypetjawa-at-gmail-dot-com.

Pimps and hoes, all invited!

Posted by: Rusty at 05:09 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
Post contains 71 words, total size 1 kb.

Pakistani Nuke Maker A.Q. Khan met Osama bin Laden

Holy freaking schneike! No, this doesn't mean bin Laden has the bomb. What it does mean is that state sponsors of terror, like Pakistan was (and to a lesser extent still is) have (or had) the motivation if not the means of passing on WMD to terrorist organizations.

Via Chad at In the Bullpen who has more analysis here. Sifi (Indian website):

Pakistani scientists Abdul Qadeer Khan and Sultan Bashiruddin Mehmood had held meetings with Osama bin Laden and other Al-Qaeda leaders, exchanged letters with militant organisations like the Lashkar-e-Toiba and attended their gatherings and rallies, a media report said.

Posted by: Rusty at 04:43 PM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
Post contains 117 words, total size 1 kb.

Scott Baio Thread

scott_baio.jpgThe people have spoken. We aims to please.

UPDATE: AS A CITIZEN JOURNALIST I DEMAND A SCOTT BAIO INTERVIEW!

Related.

Heh.

UPDATE II: What does Oliver Willis have that Scott Baio doesn't have. I mean, except for this? Or this. Or this. And then there's this. Oh and don't forget that.

Posted by: Rusty at 04:12 PM | Comments (41) | Add Comment
Post contains 57 words, total size 1 kb.

Google is the 'Beast', Al Gore the 'Antichrist'

The Unpopulist reports that Google has put his site up for sale.

My theory? more...

Posted by: Rusty at 04:03 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 121 words, total size 1 kb.

Taliban Kills 3 Truckers (Calling all Hackers!)

The Taliban is back online. Their site is here, and it's in English. Calling all hackers!

Today the Taliban announced they had killed three truckers near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Way to go Taliban! We see your taking on the big fish these days. What, no women or children to murder?

Posted by: Rusty at 01:35 PM | Comments (19) | Add Comment
Post contains 64 words, total size 1 kb.

Bloggers Helping Hot Protester Babes Forward Democracy in Lebanon

Michael J. Totten e-mails me that he is in Lebanon with Spirit of America founder Jim Hake. They are there to raise money for the pro-democracy/anti-Syrian occupation movement--ostensibly.

My own opinion is that Totten is just there to pick up on one of those hot protester babes. I mean, check out the Spirit of America page right now and tell me that wasn't Totten's underlying motive? Perv.

Anyway, perv or no, Totten and Hake have the right idea. This is an extrememly important cause if we want to see the Middle East come out of the political Dark Ages and join modernity. Give a little or give a lot. Every penny counts.

HERE IS THE DONATION PAGE

Totten will be blogging from Lebanon for the next couple of weeks. Would you do us all a favor Mike? How about some more hot protester babe pics!!

Posted by: Rusty at 12:32 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 163 words, total size 1 kb.

Iraqi Murdered in New Al Qaeda Beheading Video

iraqi_soldier_beheaded1.jpg
UPDATE: For the latest information on al Qaeda, Islamic Army in Iraq, Ansar al-Sunna, and other terrorist videos please go to the MAIN PAGE HERE. This is an archive page.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Al Qaeda in Iraq has posted a video at an Islamic bulletin board showing the gruesome beheading murder of an Iraqi security guard. The Jawa Report has obtained a copy of the video. Images from the video are posted below. The video may be downloaded via Vlad here (see April 5th, second video).

The name of the murdered victim is Jassim Mohammed Hussein Mahdi.

Photo Right: An image of the victim taken from the video.

Unlike previous beheadng murder snuff films, the terrorists actually edit together several scenes of Jassim Mohammed Hussein Mahdi. The lighting indicates that the victim was forced through several tapings. Mahdi sits on the floor and 'confesses' to the 'crime' of 'collaboration'. His captors then condemn him for the crime of apostasy. Under Islamic law the maximum punishment of apostasy is death. He is forced to answer these accusations and to implore other Iraqis not to fight with the 'Zionist Crusader Forces'.

Later Mahdi is taken outside and thrown on the ground by two masked terrorists. One of them then holds him down while the other slowly cuts his head off with a small knife. Death does not come quickly and Mahdi struggles against the human scum that murder him in the name of their religious convictions. The terrorist is forced to rest and is offered another, presumably sharper, knife.

The video is the first one in months in which the victim of Zarqawi's al Qaeda group ( formerly known as Tawhid and Jihad ) is beheaded. It may be a sign of the group's growing irrelevancy and weakness. The group is thought to have abandoned the once constant barage of beheading videos because they led to criticism from even the most radical salafist elements. The new video may show that the group no longer expects support from such Islamists and is turning once again to terror as a tactic for control.

AP:

video posted Tuesday on the Internet showed purported al-Qaida in Iraq militants beheading a man said to be an Iraqi security force member.

A statement shown on the video identified the Iraqi National Guard member as Jassim Mohammed Hussein Mahdi, who appeared to be in his early 20s, and the black banner of al-Qaida in Iraq, which is headed by wanted Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The video, posted on a militant Web site that carries most al-Qaida in Iraq statements, could not be immediately authenticated. It showed an unidentified interrogator talking to Mahdi said he had received orders from his superiors "to kill the mujahedeen anywhere and without hesitation."

Mahdi was shown squatting on the ground in an empty room while wearing full military gear and his hands tied behind his back. He said he was a member of the Iraqi National Guard's 4th Brigade, but did not say when or where he had been captured by militants.

Mahdi said he "regretted" working with the U.S.-allied Iraqi government and urged "all members of the police, National Guard and army to abandon this work, which is religiously prohibited."

"God's verdict against this renegade, who was tempted by dollars, has been carried out," said a statement shown on the video. "Let everyone who sold his religion and joined this unit know that he will have the same fate."

The video later showed Mahdi lying blindfolded on the ground before two masked men appeared. One held Mahdi's legs while the other severed his head with a knife with shouts of "Allahu akbar!" or "God is great!" heard from the background.

Below: An image from the video before Mahdi is murdered.

iraqi_soldier_beheaded_graphic_1a.jpg

Warning: Graphic images below. Do not proceed if under 18. These images show the disgusting reality of the 'insurgency' which is fighting the U.S. in Iraq. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 09:36 AM | Comments (33) | Add Comment
Post contains 752 words, total size 6 kb.

More Terrorist Propaganda Videos

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al Qaeda in Iraq terorist organization released a video of the assault on Abu Ghraib prison. Evan Kohlmann has details here. What is not shown in the video or in the accompanying announcement are the 50 dead or wounded al Qaeda gunmen, nor an explanation as to only 2 of the 7 suicide bombers were able to explode themselves.

Chad at In the Bullpen has a very odd propaganda video produced by the Mujahidin Army in Iraq. The oddly edited video claims that Dale Stoffel, an American civilian contractor killed in Iraq last December, was really a CIA agent. The video then says Bush is trying to cover this fact up. Odd indeed.

He sent it to me yesterday wanting to know my thoughts. Honestly, this one is too bizarre for analysis. It is, however, worth a look just for the sheer entertainment value of seeing Bush photos next to prominent Jews.

This is the same group that produced another propaganda video in English aimed at pursuading the American people the justness of the terrorist cause. One terrorist expert has told me he is not even sure whether this group is even Iraqi. My own assessment of the Mujahidin Army in Iraq is that they are probably Baathist remnants given the nationalistic themes of their propaganda.

Posted by: Rusty at 09:19 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 227 words, total size 2 kb.

Ironical: Israel to use Palestinian land for GARBAGE DUMP

Looking through today's fair and unbiased Google News links I noticed a group of articles about the prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Which article gets the lead? Is it the article about one of the sides (I wonder which one?) planning civil-disobedience to protest? Or how about an article by a promulent J-O-O-ish publication on the unwise policy of continuing with settlements? Nope. At the time of this writing the lead goes to Turkey's Zaman online: Israel to Use Palestinian Land as a 'Garbage Dump':

According to the news reported by the pro-Israeli government newspaper Haaretz, the garbage, which is collected particularly from Tel Aviv and Saron Valley, will be dumped at the Abu Susha region in the north of the West Bank. The news highlighted that this unprecedented decision, except for the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967, is against international law and would cause environmental pollution. Experts are also warning that the garbage would pollute Palestinian water source. The paper informed that Israeli bulldozers and trucks have been recently begun working to dig in order to create a place for the garbage. Israel's decision to turn Abu Susha into a "garbage dump" has been linked to financial issues, "it will be cheaper". It is said that to transfer a ton of garbage picked up from Tel Aviv to the dump in Israel would cost three or four times higher than the West Bank.
It's funny because it's true.

Reminder: Today is day 8 of Jawa-Googlegate.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:57 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 269 words, total size 2 kb.

Pakistani Militants Murder Suspected American Agent

Via Blogs of War this Pakistan Daily Times article. Murdering suspected collaboraters, as we have oft noted, seems to be the national past time in a few promulent countries with large populations of a certain religion of peace....

Suspected Islamic militants opened fire on a man in a crowded bazaar in this tribal town on Monday, killing him before fleeing, an intelligence official said.

No one claimed responsibility for the shooting in Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan. The official, on condition of anonymity, said that authorities found some evidence suggesting the man may have been killed on suspicion that he was spying for the United States on militants in the area.

And here is the shocker.
The 35-year-old local tribesman, identified as Fazal Rahman, was shot twice in the head by fire from an AK-47 rifle. No one was arrested and a probe into the shooting has been started, he said
Maybe they ought to set up a blue-ribbon commission to tackle the incredibly difficult question of who was behind this?

UPDATE: The small minority of extremists are at it again in Pakistan. This time they're pissed because a few women decided to run in public.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:44 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 207 words, total size 2 kb.

My Thoughts on UNC's NCAA Basketball Win

D'oh!. Update: What is this base-a-ball you speak of?

Posted by: Rusty at 08:33 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 23 words, total size 1 kb.

Bridging the Left-Right Blog Divide

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a study on the influence of blogs in the 2004 election. What was most interesting to me was that The Jawa Report was named 20th most influential conservative blog for that time period. The crux of the report, though, was that left and right leaning blogs rarely communicate with one another. For instance, this site had the distinction of not a single influential left-leaning blog linking to The Jawa Report. Probably because not a single influential left-leaning blog knows The Jawa Report exists!

Simon has a great essay on this divide between left and right and encourages some more civil intra-blogosphere debate. I agree.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:25 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 122 words, total size 1 kb.

<< Page 199 of 284 >>
286kb generated in CPU 0.1665, elapsed 0.3934 seconds.
136 queries taking 0.3461 seconds, 732 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.