tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66520199236707238372024-03-16T17:26:38.356-07:00Media BlundersMEDIA GOOF UPS AND BLUNDERSMike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-87950189221079190882019-04-25T18:58:00.001-07:002019-04-25T18:58:09.173-07:00American Muslim Agenda - the book <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">If you are a conservative, then grudgingly you'll see the value in what this book offers, and if you are on the left, you want more of it, and if you are moderate, you will dance with joy.</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">HOSTING A BOOK TALK<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 28px;">The book is about building a cohesive America where each one of us feels secure about our faith, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual and political orientation. Who does not want to live a tension free life at home, workplace, and in the public space? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The "American Muslim Agenda” serves a two-fold purpose. On the one hand, it separates the chaff from the grain for fellow Americans to see Muslims for who they are and not how the media projects them. On the other hand, it challenges Muslims to restore Islam to its original purpose; that is to create cohesive societies, in our case, a coherent America, where each one of the 323 Million Americans feels proud of his or her uniqueness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The book presents many success stories to keep the reader bemused. I am pleased to submit three versions of the blurbs on the book talk. The format can be 10 minutes or 20 minutes presentation with room for Q&A. We want our esteemed guests to go home fully satisfied with all the questions they have had about Islam and Muslims. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Our conservative friends would grudgingly acknowledge the pathway laid out in the book, while the moderates will dance with joy. If your vision of America is in tune with the book, together as Americans, we can contribute towards the greatness of our nation.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Would this book bring a change? </span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Would this bring a change among Muslims towards others and others towards Muslims? Indeed, this book lays out a clear agenda to foster harmony among fellow Americans. It is akin to planting a seed and nurturing to give the beneficence to the next generation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Some of the reservations we have about Muslims is based on what we have heard from our parents, friends, teachers, pastors, and TV. It is time for us to learn first-hand about them and remove the misunderstandings and live freely. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">It is one of the bold books written about Muslims, and it highlights the sources of extremism and how to cure it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Unfortunately, some of the Muslim scholars from the past have reduced Islam to a religion of rituals and obedience. This book brings clarity to Muslims and fellow humans and separates the chaff from the wheat for you.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">What is the overall theme of your book?</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The overall theme of the book is to open people's hearts and minds towards each other. I believe that the ultimate ‘unexpressed’ purpose of humans is to live freely and be comfortable with one's culture, race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, and individuality.</span></div>
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<b style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Why do you think that this book will appeal to readers?</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">It will appeal to Muslims and Non-Muslims alike, as they have never seen the pristine, pluralistic Islam. Moreover, for the first time in Islamic history, the essence of Islam is explained. Also, for the first time, the book explains twelve values directly from the Quran that contributes towards building cohesive societies with no privileges to one over the other. It is human nature to get along with fellow beings, and this book will resonate with them and pave the path for them to see the light at the end of the tunnel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">TEN T<b>AKE AWAY POINTS FROM THE BOOK</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">1. The American Muslim Agenda challenges Muslims to think and restore Islam to its original purpose – i.e., to create a cohesive America, where each one of the 323 Million Americans feels secure with his or her faith, race, ethnicity culture, sexual and political orientation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">2. The American Muslim Agenda paves the way for Muslims to own their mistakes, and remedy them. It corrects how fellow Americans perceive Muslims.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">3. Islam is not about imposing (Sharia) your ideas or governing others. Islam is about living your life and letting others live theirs with freedom. That is the original Islam. Islam is about freedom and firmly stands for free will.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">4. The essence and purpose of Islam from a humanity’s (Aalameen) perspective for the first time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">5. Never before in Islamic history, twelve values of Islam that contribute to creating secure, orderly and cohesive societies have been articulated. Verses from the Quran fully back each value. Thus, the book becomes a reference manual to teach and learn about Islam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">6. The best way to combat Islamophobia is through education, engagement, and dialogue. There are many success stories narrated including dealing with Fox News, Sean Hannity, Stuart Varney and the supposedly most of the Islamaphobes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">7. This book is the product of twenty years of research and interviews with the right, left, and the moderate fellow humans from many faiths including 150 interviews at Fox News and its many right-leaning guests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">8. Can a Muslim become President of the United States? What does it take, there is a full chapter on the topic?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">9. In the end, it is learning to respect the otherness of the other and accepting the God given the uniqueness of each one of the 323 million Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">10. There is a whole lot more, and it is all in the book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Talk Version 1.0<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Title of the talk: Muslims making America the Greatest nation on earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Americans Muslims are committed to building a cohesive America, an inclusive America where each one of the 323 Million Americans feel secure about his/her faith, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual and political orientation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">When you are free from apprehensions, and connect with fellow workers, the workplace becomes a joy to be. You will give 100% of your heart and mind to your work, and your family benefits from having a whole of you, thus creating a little heaven for yourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Dr. Mike Ghouse, author, public speaker, pluralist, interfaith wedding officiant, and the president of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC., will discuss how Muslim efforts in building a cohesive America are working.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">He points out that we are Americans, we are free and brave people and must jettison our apprehensions about each other to live freely. Mike advises that if you are a conservative, then grudgingly you'll see a value in what this book offers, and if you are on the left, you want more of it, and the moderates will dance with joy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">He points out that we are Americans, we are free, and the brave people, and must jettison our apprehensions about each other to live freely. How do we accomplish that? It is by knowing each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">America has always led the world in science, medicine, math, agriculture, automation, information technology, exploration and all the advancements of the human race, and it is time for us to lead the world in building a cohesive nation. The book offers concrete solutions to Americans to make America a great and powerful model nation of inclusion for Americans to enjoy living their lives productively and purposefully, and the world to look up to us to emulate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">We have to assure each other and every American without exception that we are committed to each other's security, prosperity, and peace. Our goal is to reach out to every American who has not been reached before, particularly those who do not understand us. As American Muslims, we uphold, protect, defend and celebrate the values enshrined in our constitution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Mike will share a few incredible success stories of dealing with our friends on the right and answer questions about Muslim efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">The book “American Muslim Agenda” will become a reference manual to knowledge seekers and teachers of Islam, and those who want to see one nation, one people and one America. For Muslims, it is backed up with verses from the Quran. You can order this book from Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Google, and other book stores. See the talking points at http://www.AmericanMuslimAgenda.com and Mike’s profile appended at https://www.linkedin.com/inmikeghouse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Americans Muslims are committed to building a cohesive America, an inclusive America where each one of the 323 Million Americans feel secure about his/her faith, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual and political orientation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">When you are free from apprehensions, and connect with fellow workers, the workplace becomes a joy to be. You will give 100% of your heart and mind to your work, and your family benefits from having a whole of you with them creating a little heaven for yourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Dr. Mike Ghouse, author, public speaker, pluralist, interfaith wedding officiant, and the President of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC., will discuss how Muslim effort is ongoing in building a cohesive America, where each one of the 323 Million Americans feel secure about his/her faith, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual and political orientations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">He points out that we are Americans, we are free and brave people and must jettison our apprehensions about each other to live freely. Mike advises that if you are a conservative, then grudgingly you'll see a value in what this book offers, and if you are on the left, you want more of it, and the moderates will dance with joy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">The book paves the way for Muslims to own their mistakes, remedy them, and correct how fellow Americans perceive Muslims. Mike argues that Islam is not about imposing your ideas or governing others. Instead, Islam is about living your life and letting others live theirs with freedom. It is a bold challenge to Muslims. He shows a narration from humanity's (Aalameen) perspective of the essence and purpose of Islam for the first time in history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Mike articulates, for the first time in Islamic history, twelve values of Islam that contribute to creating secure, orderly and cohesive societies. He concludes that the best way to combat Islamophobia (and other phobias) is through education, engagement, and dialogue. Mike lays out a clear agenda to foster harmony among fellow Americans. It is akin to planting a seed and nurturing to give the beneficence to the next generation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Mike believes when Muslims become one with all and defend American values with their souls, they will become part of the American story, and everyone’s language will automatically shift from us vs. them to us, the one nation under God with liberty and justice for all. As American Muslims, we uphold, protect, defend and celebrate the values enshrined in our constitution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">This book will become a reference manual to teachers of Islam and knowledge seekers about Islam, as it is backed up verses from the Quran. You can order his book from Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Google, and other book stores. See the talking points at http://www.AmericanMuslimAgenda.com and Mike’s profile appended at https://www.linkedin.com/inmikeghouse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">The American Muslim Agenda is a primer, a blueprint, and a road map for Americans in general and Muslims in particular.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">A Muslim is someone who is a conflict mitigater and a goodwill nurturer, following the formula for peaceful societies practiced by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and guided by the Quran.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">As a community, American Muslims have not developed any concrete plans to extricate themselves out of the chaotic situations, hostility and incessant Islamophobic rhetoric we face. Each time a terrorist acts out, we start praying and wishing that the terrorist not be a Muslim. We are Americans, and we can do better than that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">There is only one America, and all of us are fully integrated parts of that nation. We need to learn to engage with those who are opposed to us, and reassure them that we are all in this together. Mike will share some success stories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">When we start defending America and the American values we are in! We become an integral part of American Fabric. That is the clear objective articulated in this book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">The book is available at Amazon, Kindle, Google, Xlibris, Barnes & Nobles, and other book stores. The softcover is priced at $19.99, and the hardcover is $29.99. It is also available as an eBook.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">The American Muslim Agenda will be in the hands of lawmakers, presidential candidates, media persons, lobbyists, think tanks, educators, interfaith activists, CEO, and fellow Americans. The book is about building a cohesive America where each one of us can live securely with our faith, race, ethnicity, and culture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">As American Muslims, we uphold, protect, defend and celebrate the values enshrined in our constitution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Mike is a public speaker, author, interfaith wedding officiant, a newsmaker and the executive director of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC. More about him at <span style="color: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeghouse/" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeghouse/</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Email to: SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com or text (214) 325-1916</span></div>
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Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-46099195025296483692011-12-24T10:39:00.001-08:002011-12-24T10:39:36.107-08:00A Muslim’s Christmas, Huffington Post<h3 class="post-title entry-title"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">As a Muslim I will be celebrating Christmas, recommitting myself to listen to Jesus and follow his path. And in my Islamic tradition, I will reflect on chapter 19 of Quraan, dedicated to Maryam, Mother Mary, and pray on his birthday. I will pray that we all honor his message of creating peace and building cohesive societies where no one has to be apprehensive of the other. Amen! </span></h3><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-5481214606519454865"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
Continued: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/a-muslims-christmas_b_1167258.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/a-muslims-christmas_b_1167258.html</a></span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and the public. He is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, Politics, Islam, interfaith, India and Peace; he is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and several nationally syndicated radio talk shows. Over a thousand articles have been published on the topics and two of his books are poised to be released on Pluralism and Islam in America. Mike's work is reflected in several websites and blogs indexed at <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=4ojnwzdab&et=1109001008417&s=0&e=001Hdmp1K15Io16BBjfFKgKApUNMpKXjLScaSHxhyUhtHCAfhdbs5MErtfaTqjE2JTVUMLaTrr5ja3qBbRklbXdVJbjvBuQrHQ6Ne2u5DvHf2o=" target="_blank" title="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=4ojnwzdab&et=1109001008417&s=0&e=001Hdmp1K15Io16BBjfFKgKApUNMpKXjLScaSHxhyUhtHCAfhdbs5MErtfaTqjE2JTVUMLaTrr5ja3qBbRklbXdVJbjvBuQrHQ6Ne2u5DvHf2o="><span style="color: windowtext;">http://www.mikeghouse.net/</span></a></span></span></div></div><div class="post-footer"><div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1"><br />
</div><div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-3"><span class="post-location"></span></div></div>Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-33885668288376600772011-12-24T10:38:00.001-08:002011-12-24T10:38:13.296-08:00Thanks to Dallas Morning News and Sean Hannity<h3 class="post-title entry-title"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">We hope to create comprehensive leadership programs to produce public leaders who would be committed to work towards building a cohesive America and put America's interests ahead of their own. </span></h3><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-8623945663186150678"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
Continued at: </span><a href="http://americatogetherfoundation.blogspot.com/2011/12/thanks-to-dallas-morning-news-sean.html" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://americatogetherfoundation.blogspot.com/2011/12/thanks-to-dallas-morning-news-sean.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><br />
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and the public. He is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, Politics, Islam, interfaith, India and Peace; he is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and several nationally syndicated radio talk shows. Over a thousand articles have been published on the topics and two of his books are poised to be released on Pluralism and Islam in America. Mike's work is reflected in several websites and blogs indexed at <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=4ojnwzdab&et=1109001008417&s=0&e=001Hdmp1K15Io16BBjfFKgKApUNMpKXjLScaSHxhyUhtHCAfhdbs5MErtfaTqjE2JTVUMLaTrr5ja3qBbRklbXdVJbjvBuQrHQ6Ne2u5DvHf2o=" target="_blank" title="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=4ojnwzdab&et=1109001008417&s=0&e=001Hdmp1K15Io16BBjfFKgKApUNMpKXjLScaSHxhyUhtHCAfhdbs5MErtfaTqjE2JTVUMLaTrr5ja3qBbRklbXdVJbjvBuQrHQ6Ne2u5DvHf2o="><span style="color: windowtext;">http://www.mikeghouse.net/</span></a>.</span></span></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="post-footer"> <div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1"> </div><div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-3"><span class="post-location"></span></div></div>Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-77485172109212247512011-09-18T07:14:00.000-07:002011-09-19T03:50:05.620-07:00RECOGNITION OF PALESTINE<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Contact: Mike Ghouse<br />
Tel. (214) 325-1916<br />
Text Message (214) 325-1916<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Email: <a href="mailto:MikeGhouse@aol.com"><span style="color: blue;">MikeGhouse@aol.com</span></a> </span><br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">PRESIDENT OBAMA, YOU MUST PASS THE VOTE ON PALESTINE NOW<br />
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Good for Israel, good for Palestine and good for America</span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">September 18, 2011 (Dallas, Texas). Mike Ghouse, President of America Together Foundation urges President Obama not to VETO the approval of statehood for the Palestine at the United Nations. </span><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It will do more damage to America’s stature in the community of nations besides keeping Israel in the state of anxiety until another Truman is born. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The following two videos are released on the occasion for the United Nations Vote on September 20, 2011</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">MR. PRESIDENT, YOU MUST VOTE FOR PALESTINE NOW<b><br />
</b></span><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hb0Y-4lRkM" target="_blank" title="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hb0Y-4lRkM"><span style="color: #0070c0;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hb0Y-4lRkM</span></a></span><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">---<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">YES TO PALESTINE</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WA2NlDU-LM" target="_blank" title="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WA2NlDU-LM"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WA2NlDU-LM</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">OP-ED <br />
<a href="http://israel-palestine-dialogue.blogspot.com/2011/09/president-obama-you-must-vote-for.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://israel-palestine-dialogue.blogspot.com/2011/09/president-obama-you-must-vote-for.html</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The real enemies of Israel are those who are milking monies in the name of Israel. It is business to them, they are the Madoffs whose sincerity to Israel is doubtful but loyalty to cashing in the name of Israel is certain. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shamelessly, anti-Semitism continues to operate under the radar in the United States. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a month passes here in the United States without the markings of Anti-Semitism. Some one’s house is painted with Swastika, someone yells at them “you people” or opens the fire in the Holocaust Museum or demonstrates hateful placards like “Christ Killers”, there are still a few Christians out there who cannot shake this off from their DNA.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Recognition of Palestine will put an end to the phobias and fears. The Jewish anxieties will subside when they realize for the second time in their history (first one was creation of Israel) that they are able to live a life of justice, which is a central tenet of Judaism that they had abandoned for security. It will free their psyche. It will have a domino effect, one by one, the Arab nations will recognize Israel’s right to exist over a few years. It simply means acceptance of Israel and a welcome call to the neighborhood.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jews need sincerity and not duplicity to feel secure. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Let’s recognize Palestine and continue the peace process. It will abate the strife between Jews and Muslims and restore the cordiality that existed prior to the World War I. It is good for Israel, good for Palestine, good for America and good for the Middle East and the World. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span># # #</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">If you ‘d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Mike Ghouse, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>please contact or text him at (214) 325-1916. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>America Together Foundation, 2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206, Dallas, TX 75234 – <a href="http://www.mikeghouse.net/"><span style="color: blue;">www.MikeGhouse.net</span></a> </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkrasNq7kQFAttX1L6PK1slIZDJneom93sjIxIPkehXVzeVZ8c-AIGTGs-CDmvf0RCr3jHErTpJUlE9SzvdW0y-rotieFjRBKAJ7pmMz37-arOpdzyOr7lvd4Y_b9bWBVD8_M0029J6ML/s1600/AmericaTogetherfoundation.MikeGhouse.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkrasNq7kQFAttX1L6PK1slIZDJneom93sjIxIPkehXVzeVZ8c-AIGTGs-CDmvf0RCr3jHErTpJUlE9SzvdW0y-rotieFjRBKAJ7pmMz37-arOpdzyOr7lvd4Y_b9bWBVD8_M0029J6ML/s1600/AmericaTogetherfoundation.MikeGhouse.bmp" /></a></div>Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-88515708358668179092011-09-18T05:58:00.001-07:002011-09-19T03:49:30.373-07:00Missing Media support for Palestinian Statehood<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Since President Truman, none of the American presidents have had the balls to take a stand and do the right thing; facilitate a lasting solution for the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The talk of two states remains a hoax without recognition of Palestine as a nation. It is a necessity for the security of Israel to recognize Palestine; it will tie the loose ends. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NZnxuGn5Qih3Teko8s3sBjDke791bN5o4qablvQKXsZDUBTSKPNx8SS388e4Qym13AfQ0oJJuSFx7JRDm3rJVDodWrQopuLoIjnMsDANW7gmXF_YkOPzpQW2qydh75h2KiEtkCzxB3o/s1600/Vote+YES.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_ibhu3p="3" closure_uid_t1osn0="3" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NZnxuGn5Qih3Teko8s3sBjDke791bN5o4qablvQKXsZDUBTSKPNx8SS388e4Qym13AfQ0oJJuSFx7JRDm3rJVDodWrQopuLoIjnMsDANW7gmXF_YkOPzpQW2qydh75h2KiEtkCzxB3o/s320/Vote+YES.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Two videos:..<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">MR. PRESIDENT, YOU MUST VOTE FOR PALESTINE</span></strong><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hb0Y-4lRkM" target="_blank" title="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hb0Y-4lRkM"><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v<wbr></wbr>=6Hb0Y-4lRkM</span></span></a></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">YES TO PALESTINE </span></strong><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WA2NlDU-LM" title="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WA2NlDU-LM"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WA2NlDU-LM</span></a></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Sixty three years have been squandered with no signs of genuine security for the Jews; they have been living with an unsettling fear and have been on-the-run for their whole history. Not a week goes by where Anti-Semitism is not countered in Europe, it is there in Latin America and it is there in Asia. <br />
</span><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Jews have not been able to breathe freely. There is a genuine phobia that someday a segment of radical Christians will uproot them as Germany did in the recent past and Spain some five hundred years ago, those were the only nations where the Jews felt home twice in their history but were betrayed both the times.<br />
<br />
Shamelessly, anti-Semitism continues to operate under the radar in the United States. Not a month passes here in the United States without the markings of Anti-Semitism. Some one’s house is painted with Swastika, someone yells at them “you people” or opens the fire in the Holocaust Museum or demonstrates hateful placards like “Christ Killers”, there are still a few Christians out there who cannot shake this off from their chests. <br />
<br />
Shame on our civilization that one group of people has to live in apprehensions of the other. It is just not the Jews but many a minorities in the world live in fears of the other. Shouldn’t we feel bad about it? Are we evil that someone has to be afraid of us? It has got to change.<br />
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Recognition of Palestine will put an end to the phobias and fears. The Jewish anxieties will subside when they realize for the second time in their history (first one was creation of Israel) that they are able to live a life of justice, which is a central tenet of Judaism that they had abandoned for security. It will free their psyche. It will have a domino effect, one by one, the Arab nations will recognize Israel’s right to exist over a few years. It simply means acceptance of Israel and a welcome call to the neighborhood.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The real enemies of Israel are those who are milking monies in the name of Israel. It is business to them, they are the Madoffs whose sincerity to Israel is doubtful but loyalty to cashing in the name of Israel is certain. They are manipulators and constantly coerce our congress and senate and get their way. Heck, they have made it worse for Israel by aggravating the conflicts.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Judeo-Christian phrase was thrown around 40's to make up for the guilt. A whole industry of opportunists was born from that. The two faced support for Jews by Billy Graham, Richard Nixon, Pat Robertson, John Hagee, Glenn Beck and other chest thumpers had ulterior motives. They wanted to cash in on the name of Israel and perhaps convert them or pre-empt God for the Armageddon.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Jews need sincerity and not duplicity to feel secure. A genuine security is like a child in mother’s lap; safe and free from fears. Jews need to feel there is a home for them, where they can chat with friends in a café and carry on conversations without any fear, have zero fears for their school going children or ride the bus without fear. More than that, Jews can live their life again as they wanted to; to be a just people. <br />
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All of that is possible once the Palestinians feel justice is finally served to them. Shame on our cvilization, we have not cared for the lives of Palestinians, they are deprived of the very basics of life; a home and a nationality. We have stripped them from their hopes, it will change with this recognition.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">President Obama has an opportunity to finalizing the transaction for Israel which was opened by President Truman. Prior to President Truman’s decision to recognize Israel, he was vehemently opposed by many in his administration including the Secretary of State George Marshall, Truman was threatened that his administration will be wrecked, indeed “the wise men” firmly opposed recognition of Israel. Did Truman budge?<o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
President Obama will be equally hounded by Fox News and the right wingers. He has a choice to stand up and act with courage and become a one term president with balls and leave a lasting legacy of bringing genuine security to Israel and hope for the Palestinians.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">If President Obama vetoes for Palestinian Statehood, he will do more damage to America’s stature in the community of nations besides keeping Israel in the state of anxiety until another Truman is born. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Let’s recognize Palestine and continue the peace process. It will abate the strife between Jews and Muslims and restore the cordiality that existed prior to the World War I. It is good for Israel, good for Palestine, good for America and good for the Middle East and the World. </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive Societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and the public. He is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, Politics, Islam, interfaith, India and Peace. Over a thousand articles have been published on the topics and two of his books are poised to be released on Pluralism and Islam. Mike's work is reflected in 4 website's and 27 Blogs indexed at </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.mikeghouse.net/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.mikeghouse.net/</span></span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> and you can find all of his current articles at </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.theghousediary.com/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: blue;">www.TheGhousediary.com </span></span></a></span></div>Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-60427462041344561732011-06-30T20:55:00.000-07:002011-06-30T20:55:46.802-07:00Glenn Beck duped AmericansHere are today's news items from <em>Media Matters for America</em>, click on the title or 'read more' to read the entirety of each story.<br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300001?lid=1173076&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300001?lid=1173076&rid=62083151">Fox's "Straight News" Campaigns For Estate Tax Repeal</a></strong><br />
While guest hosting Fox's "straight news" program, <em>Special Report</em>, Shannon Bream did a report suggesting that the estate tax hurts small businesses and therefore causes the economy to hemorrhage jobs. But the report failed to mention that a vanishingly small number of businesses and individuals are subject to the estate tax. <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300001?lid=1173077&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300001?lid=1173077&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300002?lid=1173078&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300002?lid=1173078&rid=62083151">Lila Rose Pushes Falsehood That Abortion Is How Indiana Planned Parenthood "Makes Money"</a></strong><br />
Appearing on Fox News to push her most recent attack on Planned Parenthood, Lila Rose claimed that abortions are how Planned Parenthood of Indiana "makes money." In fact, abortions account for only an estimated 16 percent of its total annual revenue in 2010. <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300002?lid=1173079&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300002?lid=1173079&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300014?lid=1173080&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300014?lid=1173080&rid=62083151">Seeing Red: After Decrying Communist Name-Calling, Beck Repeatedly Smeared His Opponents As Communists</a></strong><br />
In a January 2009 promo for his Fox News show shortly before it debuted, Glenn Beck claimed that he was "tired of the politics of left and right. It's about right and wrong. We argue back and forth -- 'If you haven't voted for the donkey, you're just a hatemonger.' The other side -- 'Oh, those donkeys trying to turn us into communist Russia.' Stop!" But despite this professed disgust with communist name-calling, Beck proceeded to use his Fox News show to relentlessly smear people and groups as Communists, Marxists, and Socialists. <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300014?lid=1173081&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300014?lid=1173081&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300015?lid=1173082&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300015?lid=1173082&rid=62083151">Glenn Beck's Top 5 Moments Invoking Violence As A Response To "Progressives"</a></strong><br />
Glenn Beck's tenure at Fox News was marked by exceedingly violent rhetoric as he obsessively invoked violence as a possible response to "progressives." Here are five of the worst examples. <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300015?lid=1173083&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300015?lid=1173083&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300019?lid=1173084&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300019?lid=1173084&rid=62083151">Beck's Golden Ticket: Gold Sellers Stayed Loyal While Other Advertisers Fled</a></strong><br />
Even as scores of advertisers abandoned Glenn Beck's Fox News show, it continued to attract sellers of gold and other precious metals. Meanwhile, Beck used his show to tout gold ownership as a way to "be prepared." <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300019?lid=1173085&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300019?lid=1173085&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300021?lid=1173086&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300021?lid=1173086&rid=62083151">Glenn Beck's Top 5 Failed Predictions</a></strong><br />
Glenn Beck has claimed: "I have been given the gift, the blessing, or the curse" to see "slightly over the horizon" and said that on his "big predictions, we have about a 90 percent accuracy rate." But Beck's ability to see "slightly over the horizon" certainly isn't a gift, given how wrong his bizarre predictions often are. With that said, <em>Media Matters</em> presents the top five failed Beck predictions from his time on Fox News. <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300021?lid=1173087&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300021?lid=1173087&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300023?lid=1173088&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300023?lid=1173088&rid=62083151">Glenn Beck's Top 5 Worst Smears</a></strong><br />
In more than two years on Fox News, Glenn Beck has repeatedly smeared those with which he disagrees. <em>Media Matters</em> presents a selection of Beck's worst smears. <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300023?lid=1173089&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300023?lid=1173089&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300024?lid=1173090&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300024?lid=1173090&rid=62083151">"They Think You're Stupid": Glenn Beck's Manipulation Of His Audience</a></strong><br />
Glenn Beck frequently pitted his Fox News audience against his foes, telling his viewers that progressives and the media "think you're stupid." Beck also praised his viewers' intelligence while attempting to sell them on his theories, claiming that his audience "will change the course of a nation." <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300024?lid=1173091&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300024?lid=1173091&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300027?lid=1173092&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300027?lid=1173092&rid=62083151">The 50 Worst Things Glenn Beck Said On Fox News</a></strong><br />
In light of Glenn Beck's transition from Fox News, <em>Media Matters for America</em> recalls the 50 worst things Beck has said on Fox. <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300027?lid=1173093&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300027?lid=1173093&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300030?lid=1173094&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300030?lid=1173094&rid=62083151">Glenn Beck's Perpetual Self-Promotion Machine</a></strong><br />
Throughout his career on Fox News, Glenn Beck shamelessly used the platform to promote a variety of his own ventures outside Fox News. Both on his own show and in guest appearances on other shows,<em> </em>Beck promoted his books, tours, subscriber-only Web content, and the Restoring Honor and Restoring Courage rallies. <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300030?lid=1173095&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300030?lid=1173095&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300031?lid=1173096&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300031?lid=1173096&rid=62083151">Adopting GOP Talking Point, Fox Claims That Obama Wasn't Involved In Default Crisis Talks</a></strong><br />
Following President Obama's Wednesday press conference in which he chided Congress for failing to resolve the default crisis, Fox News immediately began echoing the GOP's bogus attack that the president has been "AWOL" or disengaged from the debate over solving the default crisis. In fact, President Obama has been involved from the beginning and has repeatedly met with members of Congress from both parties to negotiate a solution<strong>.</strong> <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300031?lid=1173097&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300031?lid=1173097&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300033?lid=1173098&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300033?lid=1173098&rid=62083151">Glenn Beck's Obsession With Slavery</a></strong><br />
In the past two years, Glenn Beck has repeatedly invoked slavery to attack President Obama, progressives, and progressive policies, among other things. Here is a sampling. <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300033?lid=1173099&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300033?lid=1173099&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300038?lid=1173100&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300038?lid=1173100&rid=62083151">Glenn Beck's Top 5 Least Credible Sources</a></strong><br />
During his time at Fox News, Glenn Beck regularly turned to disreputable sources to back-up his wild and unfounded conspiracy theories. Here are five of Beck's least credible sources. <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300038?lid=1173101&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300038?lid=1173101&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300039?lid=1173102&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300039?lid=1173102&rid=62083151">Parents Shouldn't Trust Beck To Educate Their Kids</a></strong><br />
Glenn Beck has said he is leaving Fox News in part to "target the youth" and pitch his distinctive brand of right-wing misinformation to a younger demographic. But Beck's long history of misleading his viewers demonstrates why no one should trust him to educate his or her children. <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300039?lid=1173103&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300039?lid=1173103&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300040?lid=1173104&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300040?lid=1173104&rid=62083151">The Glenn Beck Shopping Network</a></strong><br />
Glenn Beck leaves behind a dubious ethical legacy: On his Fox show, he would promote companies with which he had a financial relationship, but without disclosing that relationship to his viewers. He also used the program as a forum to nudge viewers toward buying products like gold and a library's worth of books. <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300040?lid=1173105&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300040?lid=1173105&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300043?lid=1173106&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300043?lid=1173106&rid=62083151">Glenn Beck's Top 5 Most Inflammatory Moments</a></strong><br />
In more than two years on Fox News, Glenn Beck inundated his viewers with violent, inflammatory rhetoric. <em>Media Matters</em> presents a selection of his worst offenses. <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300043?lid=1173107&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300043?lid=1173107&rid=62083151">Read More</a><br />
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<strong><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300048?lid=1173108&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300048?lid=1173108&rid=62083151">Conservative Media Shout "Class Warfare" To Defend Tax Breaks On Corporate Jets</a></strong><br />
The right-wing media responded with outrage after President Obama called on Congress to eliminate tax breaks on corporate jets in order to help stave off a default crisis -- accusing Obama of waging "class warfare." <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300048?lid=1173109&rid=62083151" title="http://mediamatters.org/research/201106300048?lid=1173109&rid=62083151">Read More</a>Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-26490744683274622192011-04-14T19:54:00.001-07:002011-04-14T19:54:43.242-07:00Muslim Speaker Mike Ghouse<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">NURTURING PLURALISTIC VALUES EMBEDDED IN ISLAM </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;">A Muslim Speaker, thinker, organizer and an activist committed to building cohesive societies with a belief that what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world and vice versa to sustain peace, harmony and prosperity. <br />
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To be a Muslim is to be a peace maker, one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence of humanity. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; Life and Matter. Over 1000 articles have been published on a range of topics in Islam and Pluralism. Insha Allah, a book outlining the Muslim vision is on the horizon.</span><shape adj="0,,0" coordsize="" fillcolor="#fefdfa" id="_x0000_s1026" o:spt="100" path="m200,250r,59910at200,60160,300,60260,-300,60160,200,60660l5970,60260at5970,60160,6070,60260,5970,60660,6470,60160l6070,250at5970,200,6070,300,6470,200,5970,-300l250,200at200,200,300,300,200,-300,-299,225e" stroked="f" style="height: 4533pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; position: absolute; width: 468pt; z-index: 1;"><stroke joinstyle="round"></stroke><formulas></formulas><path o:connecttype="segments"></path></shape><shape adj="0,,0" coordsize="" fillcolor="black" filled="f" id="_x0000_s1027" o:spt="100" path="m200,245r,59970at200,60160,300,60260,-300,60160,324,60644e" strokecolor="#aab123" style="height: 4533pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; position: absolute; width: 468pt; z-index: 2;"><stroke joinstyle="miter" miterlimit="10"></stroke><formulas></formulas><path o:connecttype="segments"></path></shape><shape adj="0,,0" coordsize="" fillcolor="black" filled="f" id="_x0000_s1028" o:spt="100" path="m250,60260r5775,at5970,60160,6070,60260,5970,60660,6470,60160e" strokecolor="#aab123" style="height: 4533pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; position: absolute; width: 468pt; z-index: 3;"><stroke joinstyle="miter" miterlimit="10"></stroke><formulas></formulas><path o:connecttype="segments"></path></shape><shape adj="0,,0" coordsize="" fillcolor="black" filled="f" id="_x0000_s1029" o:spt="100" path="m6070,60210r,-59965at5970,200,6070,300,6470,200,5970,-300e" strokecolor="#aab123" style="height: 4533pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; position: absolute; width: 468pt; z-index: 4;"><stroke joinstyle="miter" miterlimit="10"></stroke><formulas></formulas><path o:connecttype="segments"></path></shape><shape adj="0,,0" coordsize="" fillcolor="black" filled="f" id="_x0000_s1030" o:spt="100" path="m6020,200r-5770,at200,200,300,300,324,-284,-284,324e" strokecolor="#aab123" style="height: 4533pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; position: absolute; width: 468pt; z-index: 5;"><stroke joinstyle="miter" miterlimit="10"></stroke><formulas></formulas><path o:connecttype="segments"></path></shape><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<h3 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="" name="2995520960605150884"></a> </h3><h3 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://muslimspeakermikeghouse.blogspot.com/2011/04/in-defense-of-islam-pursuing-civil.html"><span style="color: black;">In defense of Islam, pursuing a civil dialogue</span></a> </span></h3><h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;"></span> </h1><h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt;"><a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/steve-blow/20100919-In-defense-of-Islam-pursuing-9397.ece"><span style="color: black; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/steve-blow/20100919-In-defense-of-Islam-pursuing-9397.ece</span></a> <br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; font-weight: normal;">Over and over you hear it said: If Muslims oppose terrorism, why don't they stand up and say it?</span></h1><h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; font-weight: normal;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span> </h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">If that has been you, Mike Ghouse ought to be your hero.<br />
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It is hard to imagine that anyone has worked harder than the <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Carrollton</place></city> resident to demonstrate the peaceful and moderate side of Islam.<br />
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And that effort includes personally visiting <city w:st="on">Dallas</city>' <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">First</placename> <placename w:st="on">Baptist</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Church</placetype></place> last Sunday just to put a friendly face on the "evil, evil religion" that the Rev. Robert Jeffress denounced a few weeks before.<br />
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"It was wonderful," Ghouse said of the visit. "We were so warmly received."<br />
He hopes a quick chat with Jeffress will be the start of deeper discussion about Islam and the importance of respect between religions.<br />
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"I want to have a dialogue with him, not to say he is wrong but to share another point of view," Ghouse said.<br />
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The 57-year-old Muslim was born in <a href="http://topics.dallasnews.com/topic/India"><span style="color: black;">India</span></a> and has lived in the <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">United States</place></country-region> for 30 years. He owns a small property management firm. But most of his day is devoted to building bridges between people of different faiths.<br />
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"It is my passion," he said in his distinctive raspy voice.<br />
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He has been a guest a dozen times on <a href="http://topics.dallasnews.com/topic/Sean_Hannity"><span style="color: black;">Sean Hannity's</span></a> TV and radio talk shows. "I don't like the way Sean cuts me off, but I have to honor him for giving the American public a semblance of another point of view."<br />
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Ghouse said he can understand fear and criticism of Islam because he went through a time of similar feelings. As a teen, he was troubled by passages of the Quran. He called himself an atheist for a while.<br />
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But he said deeper study led him to realize the Quran had been purposely mistranslated down through history.<br />
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In the Middle Ages, European leaders commissioned a hostile Quran translation to foster warfare against Muslim invaders.<br />
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Later, Muslim leaders produced another translation to inflame Muslims against Christians and Jews.<br />
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"It was all for politics," he said.<br />
Ghouse said he hopes to present Jeffress with a modern, faithful translation and challenge him to find evil verses.<br />
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"If he can, I will convert. I will join his church," Ghouse said. "If he can't, I will call on him to retract his statements and become a peacemaker."<br />
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Ghouse acknowledges that deep problems persist within Islam. "Three steps forward, two steps back," he said with a sigh.<br />
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And he agrees that mainstream Muslims have not done enough to counter violent images of their faith.<br />
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"That is very true," he said. "But part of it is that many Muslims have given up hope that we will ever be heard."<br />
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He said repeated denunciations of terrorism seem to fall on deaf ears.<br />
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And some efforts have backfired - like the proposed Islamic information center in <state w:st="on"><place w:st="on">New York</place></state>. He said it should be hailed for furthering the moderate Muslim cause.<br />
Instead, it has deepened hostility toward Muslims.<br />
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I have been astounded by the amount of anti-Islam propaganda that circulates via e-mail. Tons of it has come my way in the last few weeks.<br />
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One theme is that people like Mike Ghouse can't be trusted, that Islam encourages deception.<br />
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But Ghouse says actions speak louder than words. And he points to elections in Muslim nations.<br />
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More than half of Muslims live in countries with some degree of democracy. And time and time again, Islamist parties are overwhelmingly rejected in favor of secular, mainstream parties.<br />
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"The religious parties don't get more than 3 percent of the vote," Ghouse said.<br />
Polls show deep mistrust of Muslims. "But the most important question in those surveys is: 'Do you know anything about Islam?' " Ghouse said. "Most people say no."<br />
What keeps him going is faith in Americans, he said.<br />
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"The majority of Americans, if they know the truth, they will change their minds."<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"># # #</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">M</span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">ike Ghouse is a speaker, writer, thinker, futurist and an activist of Pluralism, <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Islam</city>, <country-region w:st="on">India</country-region></place> and Civil Societies passionately offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">He is a commentator at Fox News on the Hannity show, nationally syndicated Radio shows along with Dallas TV, Print and Radio networks and occasional interviews on NPR. He has spoken at international forums including the Parliament of Worlds Religions in <city w:st="on">Melbourne</city>, Middle East Peace initiative in <city w:st="on">Jerusalem</city>, International Leadership conference in <state w:st="on">Hawaii</state>, <state w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Washington</place></state> and elsewhere. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Concerned by the divisiveness, he saw the need to bring Americans together and founded America Together Foundation committed to building a cohesive <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">America</place></country-region>, indeed it is in response to ACT America which is bent on pitching one American against the other. We will be holding series of educational programs, conferences and workshops to address the issues that divide us such as Civil Right, GLBT, Quraan, Abortion, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Racial Profiling and Stereotyping. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Annual Unity Day USA is in its 7<sup>th</sup> year now, it is a purposeful event to bring Americans together, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">on this Unity Day, we the people of the <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">United States of America</place></country-region> of every faith, race, ethnicity, culture and background will gather to express our commitment to co-existence, unity, prosperity and wellbeing of our nation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Thanksgiving Celebration is in its 15<sup>th</sup> year showcasing cultural diversity. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The 5<sup>th</sup> Annual Reflections on Holocaust and Genocides is to </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">learn and to acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other and commit to avert such tragedies. Through this event non-Jewish people have consciously learned about Holocaust for the first time, it was also for the first time that people of 14 faiths came together to join in to commemorate the Holocaust that commemorated within the Jewish Community for years. They are not alone anymore in their anguish, we are all in it together with them, and it is a Muslim initiative to effect a positive change.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The programs, seminars and workshops conducted by the Foundation for Pluralism have become a part of the America Together Foundation. While the Foundation for Pluralism continues championing the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other, the commitment to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress continues.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"># # #</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Full Profile at:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="color: navy; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp"><span style="color: navy;">http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Mike is working on two </span><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">books scheduled to be released this year; The American Muslim Agenda and My Journey to Pluralism.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Mike has written over 1000 Articles on Pluralism, <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Islam</city>, <country-region w:st="on">India</country-region></place>, Peace & Justice and civil societies published in a wide spectrum of Newspapers and Magazines around the world. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Locally, he is a panelist at Dallas Morning News's and writes weekly on a range of issues facing the nation. Washington Post, Huffington Post and other news papers and sites regularly publish his work. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Mike is available to speak on Pluralism, Islam, Civil Societies, and Peace & Justice at your place of worship, school, work place, seminars, workshops or conferences. His work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at <a href="http://www.mikeghouse.net/"><b><u><span style="color: black;">http://www.MikeGhouse.net/</span></u></b></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div>Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-73820806543663204182011-03-14T19:46:00.000-07:002011-03-14T19:46:29.649-07:00Media liesTony, my friend from Thailand sends this:<br />
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The mainstream media lies to you. This isn’t a new or groundbreaking idea for most of our readers. With that said, the truth of this statement is most obvious when it comes to issues surrounding organized labor.<br />
Most major news outlets choose to ignore the plight of working people in the United States. Many actually help to subvert the attempts of working people to assert their power. The Sunday talk shows actually attempted to prevent the inclusion of union voices on the air during discussions of the ongoing labor protests across the country in February.<br />
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On top of all of this, mainstream media outlets are paid to feature attack advertisements packed full of spurious claims against labor unions, as CNN did recently when it featured this ad.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umXIFPIU25s">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umXIFPIU25s</a><br />
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Obama's statements about his supporters were inserted as though he was telling that Union workers supported him and worked for him. It is a big lie and hope we can stop this.<br />
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Mike GhouseMike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-19898471087670896282010-10-14T03:36:00.001-07:002011-03-14T19:53:22.768-07:00Quraan (Koran) Conference in Dallas, an American effort to build cohesive societies<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><span style="color: black; font-weight: normal;">The Conference puts a Quraan in the hands of panelists made up of Pastors, Rabbis, Pundits, Shamans, lay persons, elected officers and the public. It is to demystify the myths about Quraan and Islam. An American effort to build cohesive societies.</span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><i><span style="color: black;">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</span></i><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i><span style="color: black;">Oct 10, 2010</span></i><span style="color: black;"> – <city w:st="on">DALLAS</city>, <state w:st="on">TEXAS</state> – The Foundation for Pluralism and the World Muslim Congress have announced a conference on Quraan in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Dallas</place></city> to be held between 3:00 PM and 6 PM on Sunday, December 5, 2010 at the Unity Church of Dallas. <br />
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Representing the organizations, Mike Ghouse adds, “As members of diverse family of faiths, we seek to demystify the myths and falsification of our respective faiths. It is time for all of us to gather and understand the Qur’aan, the holy book of Muslims, which has been the subject of attack by a few among us. Indeed, the conference is a positive response to negative sermons delivered from a few pulpits of <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">America</place></country-region> this year.” <br />
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The uniqueness of the event is highlighted by facing the “terrifying passages” of Quraan. For the first time in history, the actual verses from Quraan will be read directly and explained by non-Muslim panelists made up of Pastors, Rabbis, Pundits, Shamans, Clergy, lay persons and elected officials who have a deep interest in bringing Americans together on common grounds. The Muslim scholars either affirm their reading or refer to the Quraan for further understanding. It would be indeed a first hand educational experience. <br />
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It is time now to replace the ill-will with goodwill; no American has to live in anxieties, discomfort or fear of the other. The purpose of this conference is to remove such myths in an open forum in the public and restore the cohesiveness of our society and work towards building a safe and secure <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">America</place></country-region>. <br />
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Bring your children to experience the multi-cultural costumes in a designated room for them. <br />
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Refreshments will be served after the event. <br />
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<b>THE EVENT IS FREE</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
Please R.S.V.P. to <a href="mailto:confirmattendance@gmail.com"><span style="color: blue;">confirmattendance@gmail.com</span></a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
Direct your inquiries to <a href="mailto:QuraanConference@gmail.com"><span style="color: blue;">QuraanConference@gmail.com</span></a> . <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;">For details visit website <a href="http://www.quraanconference.com/">http://www.quraanconference.com/</a> </span></div><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer, optimist, educator and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam and Civil Societies. He heads the Foundation for Pluralism and World Muslim Congress and offers Pluralistic solutions to the media and the public on issues of the day. Mike's work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at <a href="http://www.mikeghouse.net/" target="_blank" title="http://www.mikeghouse.net/"><span style="color: #003366;">http://www.mikeghouse.net/</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-44679615819917705692010-07-25T03:37:00.000-07:002010-07-25T03:39:02.222-07:00Unity Day USA - a 911 Memorial event<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gRwcf4ISX4WUpt_BuRThikzTdw3k_xF6PHFC8648m_pOUApwfx_-ZuUe4fcYNpF79NQJm5v0DgRoLLe0r8I7uSgAZMxftRZj_9RbmaMwgLly9j_sxdZyGpSq92K0wtoLF9zWSXlhFlxo/s1600/UnityDayUSA-SQ-IMAGE-2010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497791471252560338" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 186px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gRwcf4ISX4WUpt_BuRThikzTdw3k_xF6PHFC8648m_pOUApwfx_-ZuUe4fcYNpF79NQJm5v0DgRoLLe0r8I7uSgAZMxftRZj_9RbmaMwgLly9j_sxdZyGpSq92K0wtoLF9zWSXlhFlxo/s200/UnityDayUSA-SQ-IMAGE-2010.jpg" border="0" /></a>We are pleased to invite you to Unity Day USA; a purposeful event to bring Americans together. The idea for Unity Day USA was first <a href="http://www.mikeghouse.net/UnitydayUSA_conceived.asp">conceived</a> on Tuesday, September 11, 2001 and took its current form on Sunday, September 11, 2005. We cannot let things happen and drift into the abyss of incoherence. It is an initiative to come together to stand up for the safety, security and cohesiveness of America.<br /><br />Continued: <a href="http://911unitydayusa.blogspot.com/">http://911unitydayusa.blogspot.com/</a>Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-43762636176040774972010-07-01T16:58:00.000-07:002010-07-01T17:00:03.214-07:00Burqa Ban - Hannity, Gabrielle and Ghouse on Fox TV<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwvF5OI3CCfjhZeqa61WQPnuKP1toSCeYCEt5vCTTsFpR4lhEMWCvk3FV8dGJK5bQMbdxMnUqn55k6-X9TWE27Kj5yFSAzouH5tkudgg6kI4yOzxOe820VQofMmK1mEFHJbI_UYmvuh9d/s1600/Fox_hannity_Gabrielle_Ghouse_06292010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489091861008437554" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 182px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwvF5OI3CCfjhZeqa61WQPnuKP1toSCeYCEt5vCTTsFpR4lhEMWCvk3FV8dGJK5bQMbdxMnUqn55k6-X9TWE27Kj5yFSAzouH5tkudgg6kI4yOzxOe820VQofMmK1mEFHJbI_UYmvuh9d/s320/Fox_hannity_Gabrielle_Ghouse_06292010.jpg" border="0" /></a>Burqa Ban – Hannity, Gabrielle and Ghouse on Fox TV<br /><div><br />On Hannity Show June 29, 2010Mike Ghouse live from Nashville, Tennessee. Of course we could not get all the talking points in to the show, but you can read it.Let's do some serious critical thinking. French commies now want to tell their people what they eat, believe, pray and WEAR? How dumb!<br /><br />Link on you tube: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnnGQB9tPyg">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnnGQB9tPyg</a><br /><br />Click to continue: <a href="http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/06/burqa-ban-hannity-gabrielle-and-ghouse.html">http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/06/burqa-ban-hannity-gabrielle-and-ghouse.html</a><br /><br /><br />Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker, writer, optimist, educator and an activist of Pluralism, Justice, Islam, India, Peace and Civil Societies. He is a conflict mitigater and a goodwill nurturer offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day and is a frequent guest on the media. Mike's work is reflected at three websites & twenty two Blogs listed at <a onmousedown="'UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this)," href="http://www.mikeghouse.net/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.mikeghouse.net/</a><a href="http://www.mikeghouse.net/ProfileMikeGhouse.asp"></a><br /></div>Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-41027330628870960522010-02-14T01:03:00.000-08:002010-02-14T01:08:06.772-08:00Media screws up again, misusing the word FatwaMEDIA SCREWS UP AGAIN<br /><br />Media chose the title: Muslim-American body issues fatwa against airport body scanners<br />The actual title: The statement of the FCNA on the use of full body scanners for security at the airports and other places<br /><br />The criticism of the word usage in the article above serves to point how the media morons continue to falsify the statements, not pointing out the suggestions and alternatives FCNA had offered, instead choosing the words that will make a mockery with ill-intentions<br /><br />I went to FCNA site as suggested by Dr. Louay Safi, Ibrahim Hooper and Dr. Adrian Decker, they actually used the word “Statement” and not “Fatwa” as the media across the world reported through the not so “free press”.<br /><br />FCNA made aware of the alternatives, but the media presented it differently. Media used the words "religious rulings" and “Fatwa” concoction to mis-lead the public.<br /><br />It puts a burden on the society, at least on the ones reading it, to stop the malignant propaganda from spreading, peace and good will should be the foundations of the society and not falsities and propaganda.<br /><br />My burden is to let the idiots in media know, not to misquote and spread it around the globe. An appeal will be designed to go the list of all newspapers, appealing them to take the responsibility for quoting correctly from here on.<br /><br />All I ask of you is to sign it.<br /><br />Mike Ghouse<br /><br />~~~<br /><br />The statement of the FCNA on the use of full body scanners for security at the airports and other places<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fiqhcouncil.org/">http://www.fiqhcouncil.org/</a><br /><br /><br />(Issued on February 9, 2010)<br /><br />The Full Body Security Scanners (also called Nude-body scanners) are being installed at various airports in United States and Europe. Several human rights and religious groups have expressed their concerns and disapproval of such scanners on the grounds of violation of privacy and human dignity. The Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) emphasizes that a general and public use of such scanners is against the teachings of Islam, natural law and all religions and cultures that stand for decency and modesty.<br /><br />It is a violation of clear Islamic teachings that men or women be seen naked by other men and women. Islam highly emphasizes ‘haya’ (modesty) and considers it part of faith. The Qur’an has commanded the believers, both men and women, to cover their private parts. Human beings are urged to be modest in their dress. See Holy Quran, 7:26-27; 24:30-31; 33:59. Exception to this rule can be made in case of extreme necessity, such as medical treatment, to investigate a crime or in a situation of imminent danger. There must be a compelling case for the necessity and the exemption to this rule must be proportional to the demonstrated need.<br /><br />FCNA fully supports the necessary measures for the safety and protection of all passengers. It is, however, deeply concerned about the use of nude body scanners for this purpose. FCNA recommends that instead of producing and displaying a picture of the body, software should be designed to produce only the picture of questionable materials on an outline of the body. Further, other technologies could be used that detect the presence of explosives without infringing on modesty as some European leaders have pointed out. FCNA appreciates the alternate provision of pat-down search (when needed) and therefore recommend to Muslims to avail this option over the nude body scanners.<br /><br />~ ~ ~<br /><br />Now read the media report:<br /><br />Muslim-American body issues fatwa against airport body scanners<br /><a onmousedown="'UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this)," href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Muslim-American-body-issues-fatwa-against-airport-body-scanners/articleshow/5564134.cms" target="_blank">http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Muslim-American-body-issues-fatwa-against-airport-body-scanners/articleshow/5564134.cms</a><br /><br />IANS, 12 February 2010, 12:47pm IST<br /><br />Text Size:<br /><br /><br />WASHINGTON: Some Muslim-American groups are supporting a fatwa issued by a body of Islamic scholars forbidding Muslims from going through full body scanners at airports, a media report said.<br /><br />The Fiqh Council of North America issued the religious ruling this week that says going through the airport scanners would violate Islamic rules on modesty, Free Press reported.<br /><br />"It is a violation of clear Islamic teachings that men or women be seen naked by other men and women," reads the fatwa issued Tuesday. "Islam highly emphasises haya (modesty) and considers it part of faith. The Quran has commanded the believers, both men and women, to cover their private parts."<br /><br />After the Christmas Day bombing attempt in Detroit by a Muslim suspect from Nigeria, some US airports are now in the process of buying and using the body scanners to find explosives and other dangerous materials carried by terrorists.<br /><br />But Muslim groups say the scanners, which show in graphic detail the outlines of a person's body, go against their religion. One option offered to passengers who don't want to use the scanners would be a pat down by a security guard. The Muslim groups are urging members to undergo those instead.<br /><br />The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says it endorses the fatwa. "We support the Fiqh Council's statement on full-body scanners and believe that the religious and privacy rights of passengers can be respected while maintaining safety and security," Nihad Awad, national executive director of CAIR was quoted as saying.<br /><br />Currently, there are 40 full-body scanners at 19 airports in the US, including two in Detroit, said spokesman Jim Fotenos of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). There are plans for 450 more body scanners in US airports, he said.<br /><br />In a statement, the TSA said it is committed to keeping passengers safe and also protecting their privacy.<br /><br />"TSA's mission is to keep the travelling public safe. Advanced imaging technologies are an important tool in a multi-layered security system to detect evolving threats such as improvised explosive devices.<br /><br />"TSA's use of these technologies includes strong protections in place to safeguard passenger privacy. Screening images are automatically deleted, and the officer viewing the image will never see the passenger."<br /><br />The TSA stressed that the body scanners are "optional to all passengers". Those who turn them down, "will receive equivalent screening that may include a physical pat-down, hand-wanding, and other technologies".<br /><br />"Physical pat-downs are performed by transportation security Officers of the same sex as the passenger in a private screening area, if the passenger requests."<br /><br />Body scanners "do not produce photos", the agency said. Rather, the images "look like chalk outlines".<br />~~~<br /><br />My Original comments to the above:<br /><br />Bad Fatwa by Muslim-American body about airport body scanners<br /><br />Speak up Muslims<br /><br />The word "Fatwa" is wrongfully associated with "death threats", it may be wise for us, until we educate the public that it is merely an opinion, and instead use the word "Opinion". The word Fatwa carries a negative perception and until it is removed, it is not wise to use the word in this context. After all, we are using the English language to communicate and let the language be in English.<br /><br />Furthermore, this "Fatwa" will be wrongfully propagated as Anti-American, which it is not, but the right wing media thrives on it, hate is their food and they will spew it out in the media. I just want to assure you, the majority, indeed the overwhelming majority of Americans would understand and silently support it, but they are good for nothing, just like the majority of Jews, Christians, Muslims or Hindus are good for nothing, they do nothing about anything.<br /><br />Our wisdom should prevail and as Muslims one of our roles is to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill, it was one of the first examples set by the prophet when he reset the Aswad stone back into the wall of Kaaba.<br /><br />I would urge Muslims to use the word "Opinion", that is what it is, it is not a legal binding enforceable opinion, at least in America.<br /><br />The question is the safety of 301 Million Americans and we cannot compromise that, if we take the opposite stance, it will become an instrument of wedge. We had better think about such pronouncements. Work with the system, the system will work with you. America is the best hope for mankind.<br /><br />Rogue run states like France may take the cue from it, and just to piss off Muslims, they may go ahead and do it, the idiot Geert Wilders will feast on it. What are we going to do about it? Nothing! What have we done with Switzerland, France, Australia and some other nations, nothing! What have we done with the human rights violations in Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran, nothing! Then let's not give thoughtless opinions that affect the average Muslim, who is living his American dream of a home, a family, kids and retirement.<br /><br />Did any scholar have had a chance to look at it and speak up against it? Let no opinion come out without any one opposing it, opposing has a corrective and tempering element in it that sets things right. Even the Prophet invited opinions, for what? To understand if there is another point of view.<br /><br />Speak up Muslims, silent no more<br /><br />Mike Ghouse<br />World Muslim Congress<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">27 Comments were made at Facebook:</span></strong><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/MikeGhouse#!/note.php?note_id=330955317773">http://www.facebook.com/MikeGhouse#!/note.php?note_id=330955317773</a><br /><br />~~~Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-70078722111918575482009-06-22T05:48:00.000-07:002009-06-22T06:00:56.220-07:00Biased Media reporting on Pregnant womenBiased Media reporting;<br /><br />It is a shame that as a society we tolerate these events, and it is a greater shame that the media flaunts if the involved is a Muslim.<br /><br />This week, at least 10 Pregnant women were shot all over the world, including one in Iran, you can guess which item was most publicized in the News papers in America? Google them you find it.<br /><br />If you are weak at heart - please do not open this immediate link, it is too graphic<br /><a href="http://taptaan.blogspot.com/2009/06/blog-post_4495.html">http://taptaan.blogspot.com/2009/06/blog-post_4495.html</a><br /><br />You can read the following;<br /><br /><strong>Pregnant woman thrown out of train, dies</strong><br />http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/20/stories/2009062056521200.htm<br /><br />Lucknow: A pregnant woman died and her three-year-old daughter injured when they were allegedly thrown out of a running train by two constables of the Government Railway Police in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh.<br /><br />GRP constables Ram Singh and Sudhir Singh have been arrested for the incident that took place on Thursday, official sources said here on Friday. Dinesh Kumar boarded the Mailani-Gonda passenger train along with his wife Kavita and their child.<br /><br />Mr. Dinesh had an altercation with the constables who allegedly demanded money from him as he was carrying a cycle in the train, they said. Later, the GRP personnel allegedly threw Kavita and her daughter out of the train at a place 180 km from here. — PTI<br /><br />http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=RSSFeed-India&id=0a233a4c-536d-4d1c-8862-5f40c56a03b7&Headline=Pregnant+woman+thrown+out+of+train%2c+dies+on+the+spot<br />________________________________<br /><br /><br /><a class="l" onmousedown="return clk(this.href,'','','res','1','&sig2=v3InNB4_yQvr9NUxSLitRw')" href="http://www.click2houston.com/news/5689238/detail.html">Pregnant Woman Shot To Death While Calling 911 - Houston News ...</a> <a id="XPLSS_699843733" href="javascript:void(0)"></a><br />Pregnant Woman Shot To Death While Calling 911. Husband Charged With Murder In Wife's Death. POSTED: Wednesday, December 28, 2005 ...<br />www.click2houston.com/news/5689238/detail.html<br /><br /><a class="l" onmousedown="return clk(this.href,'','','res','2','&sig2=OdSO_WgRmBtJJ02zZaEmsQ')" href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/17847/pregnant-schoolteacher-shot-to-death">Bangkok Post : Pregnant schoolteacher shot to death</a> <a id="XPLSS_1776442820" href="javascript:void(0)"></a><br />Jun 4, 2009 ... NARATHIWAT : Insurgents have brutally shot dead a pregnant woman as ... but also all the death and killed people in the south should be ...www.bangkokpost.com/.../pregnant-schoolteacher-shot-to-death -<br /><br /><a class="l" onmousedown="return clk(this.href,'','','res','3','&sig2=xjv0r0URY9ZduAc5V1K6mQ')" href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1801336/abortionist_dr_george_tiller_shot_to.html">Abortionist Dr. George Tiller Shot to Death at Church on Sunday ...</a> <a id="XPLSS_1240510908" href="javascript:void(0)"></a><br />May 31, 2009 ... Abortionist George Tiller was shot to death around 10:00 am Sunday, ... relieve "temporary depression" in pregnant women and for reportedly ...<br />www.associatedcontent.com/.../abortionist_dr_george_tiller_shot_to.html -Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-31698934587315678712009-06-22T05:44:00.000-07:002009-06-22T05:45:58.111-07:00Free Press - New York TimesOld, but so true even today - maybe even more so!<br /><br />John Swinton, the former Chief of Staff at the NEW YORK TIMES<br /><br />Asked to give a toast before the prestigious New York Press Club in 1953, John Swinton, the former Chief of Staff at the NEW YORK TIMES, made this candid confession [it's worth noting that Swinton was called "The Dean of His Profession" by other newsmen, who admired him greatly]:<br /><br />"There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history, as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinions out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job.<br /><br />"If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my paper, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone. The business of the journalist is to destroy the truth; to lie outright; to pervert; to vilify; to fawn at the feet of mammon, and to sell the country for his daily bread. You know it and I know it and what folly is this toasting an independent press. We are the tools and vassals of the rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes."<br /><br />#Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-9019777517747372792009-06-13T18:26:00.000-07:002009-06-18T16:11:02.050-07:00The truth about 9/11 and the essence of Freedom<a href="http://mediamuddles.blogspot.com/2009/06/truth-about-911-and-essence-of-freedom.html">http://mediamuddles.blogspot.com/2009/06/truth-about-911-and-essence-of-freedom.html</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">The Essence of Freedom</span></strong><br /></span>Mike Ghouse, Dallas<br /><br />The essence of freedom is our ability to question; question everything including our belief and what our government dishes out for us to believe.<br /><br />Many of us do not want to know the truth about 9/11 or simply write it off us a conspiracy theory, meanwhile the multiplier effect of our silence continues to wreak havoc on American families. You may not be a victim of the bad economy, but some one you know may be struggling these days to make ends meet.<br /><br />It is time for us to see another point of view, there is a smoking gun out there and we need to know the truth. Evil will continue to flourish, if we don’t do anything about it.<br /><br />Our Media has failed us, they never had the balls to ask tough questions to the President and his gang, they were afraid to question lest they be called unpatriotic. Indeed, their irresponsibility has caused us so much grief and has ruined our financial institutions and finally has hurt the average American.<br /><br />I am glad even the Neocon outfits like Fox has displayed this event on their calendar along with the other TV, Print and Radio outlets in Dallas.<br /><br />Neocon is a general term used to mean extremist Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus or others. They do not have the capacity to dialogue or see another point of view. Their version of peace is annihilation of those who differ with them. We the average Americans have shamelessly let them represent us with different religious labels. Jesus, Allah or Yahweh would not approve any of their actions. Their actions have nothing to do with the religion they claim to represent; a bad Muslim is a bad guy and a bad Jew is a bad guy and a bad Christian is a bad guy too.<br /><br />Neocons will frighten you or label you as anti-American if you seek the truth. The difference between conservatives and Neocons is simple; conservatives want strong national defense to keep our nation safe, where as the Neocons want a strong national defense, but with the ill-intention of threatening other nations. They end up messing others as much as they mess us up, that has been their record. They can't get the idea that you cannot be secure and safe if you keep messing with others. These guys pretend to be conservative but their values are based on extremism.<br /><br />The other evil idea that Neocons propagate is that they are the sole defenders of the nation, heck what do they know? They don’t even understand the polls, the American Public, including the Moderate Republicans were crying out loud, but what did McCain and Palin campaign? They continued to augur hatred and chaos instead of peace and security of our nation.<br /><br />We need to take the responsibility to at least explore the truth. Our Media has failed us, they never had the balls to ask tough questions to the President and his gang, they were afraid to question lest they be called unpatriotic. Indeed, their irresponsibility has caused us so much grief and has ruined our financial institutions and finally has hurt the average American. Every American is as patriotic as they are and our patriotism means creating peace to us and to others and their version is creating chaos for every one, they are motivated by fear.<br /><br />I urge you to see the movie, buy the ticket and think about the good you can do for our nation in the long haul.<br /><br />Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker, Writer, Moderator and a Blogger on Pluralism, Interfaith, civil societies, Terrorism, Peace, Islam, and India. He is a frequent guest on talk radio and local television networks offering a pluralistic perspective on issues of the day. His comments, news analysis and columns can be found on the Websites and Blogs listed at his personal website <a href="http://www.mikeghouse.net/">http://www.mikeghouse.net/</a><br /><br /># # #<br /><br />The following posting comes from Tom Theimer with North Texans for 9/11 Truth posts the following;<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">WHAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT 9/11: Building 7 - Gone in 7 spacer<br /></span></strong><br />You can see a tidbit of the promotion here: <a title="http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2744396/" href="http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2744396/">http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2744396/</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><p>WHAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT 9/11: Building 7 -<br />Gone in 7 spacer</p><p><a id="buy-tickets" title="$10 donation includes ALL DAY PASS and Free DVD film" href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=ArviOkXTQnmPAIHe0DeNJejPa80F/SIG=11c2h3fqb/**http%3A//www.building7symposium.webs.com/">Buy Tickets</a><br />Saturday July 11, 2009 </p><p><a href="http://upcoming.yahoo.com/venue/561220" rel="vcard:urlofvenue">Plano - Conference Center at Collin College, Spring Creek Campus</a><br />2800 E Spring Creek PkwyPlano, Texas 75074 <a class="get-directions" href="http://maps.yahoo.com/dd?taddr=2800+E+Spring+Creek+Pkwy&tcsz=Plano%2CTX%2C75074&tcountry=us">Get Directions</a><br /><br />"WHAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT 9/11:<br />Building 7 - Gone in 7"Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 11th for a landmark, all day event entitled "WHAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT 9/11: Building 7 - Gone in 7". A vast array of the very best documentary films will be screened in different theatres throughout the entire day. There will be 9/11 exhibits, special guest presentations, scientific articles, government documents, and experts on hand for Q&A. </p><p>Special guests include Lt Col Bob Bowman, one of the country's foremost authorities on national security and past director of the Star Wars Program.Expect to see tons of compelling, explosive film and video footage which most Americans have never seen, due to a virtual media blackout.Expect to find out "WHAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT 9/11". With your DAY PASS, 'Come and Go' from 10am-10pm to the Film Theatres of your choice. Don't miss this dynamic event held at the Conference Center which is located at the Spring Creek Campus of Collin County Community College in Plano, TX.For more information visit <a href="http://www.711911.webs.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.711911.webs.com/</a> or <a href="http://www.building7symposium.webs.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.building7symposium.webs.com/</a><br />function displaySpecial(desc)</p><p>Ticket Info: $10 donation includes ALL DAY PASS and Free DVD film<a title="$10 donation includes ALL DAY PASS and Free DVD film" href="http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AmO419dUi6Yh_AansCY5eT7Pa80F/SIG=11c2h3fqb/**http%3A//www.building7symposium.webs.com/"><br /></a>Buy Tickets Website: <a class="url" href="http://www.711911.webs.com/" rel="vcal:website">http://www.711911.webs.com/</a></p><p><a title="http://www.northtexas911truth.com/" href="http://www.northtexas911truth.com/">http://www.northtexas911truth.com/</a> </p><p>Cindy Sheehan... <a title="http://www.911blogger.com/node/20348" href="http://www.911blogger.com/node/20348">http://www.911blogger.com/node/20348</a> </p><p>Here are a few places where the event is currently displayed.</p><ol><li>FOX 4 - <a title="http://community2.myfoxdfw.com/_60seconds-Dont-Miss-This-EVENT-/audio/467493/78592.html" href="http://community2.myfoxdfw.com/_60seconds-Dont-Miss-This-EVENT-/audio/467493/78592.html">http://community2.myfoxdfw.com/_60seconds-Dont-Miss-This-EVENT-/audio/467493/78592.html</a></li><li><a title="http://community2.myfoxdfw.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=" href="http://community2.myfoxdfw.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7821119&as=78592&b" as="78592&b">http://community2.myfoxdfw.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7821119&as=78592&b</a>=<br /><br /><a title="http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2744396/" href="http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2744396/">http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2744396/</a> </li><li><a title="http://www.pegasusnews.com/events/2009/jul/11/148820/" href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/events/2009/jul/11/148820/">http://www.pegasusnews.com/events/2009/jul/11/148820/</a></li><li><a title="http://www.dfwinternational.org/calendar/event.php?m=" href="http://www.dfwinternational.org/calendar/event.php?m=200907&i=4a1d32dc1d66f" i="4a1d32dc1d66f">http://www.dfwinternational.org/calendar/event.php?m=200907&i=4a1d32dc1d66f</a></li><li><a title="http://thingstodo.msn.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911" href="http://thingstodo.msn.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911">http://thingstodo.msn.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911</a></li><li><a title="http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/1155160" href="http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/1155160">http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/1155160</a></li><li><a title="http://events.linkedin.com/WHAT-ARE-NOT-SUPPOSED-KNOW-ABOUT-9-11/pub/77555" href="http://events.linkedin.com/WHAT-ARE-NOT-SUPPOSED-KNOW-ABOUT-9-11/pub/77555">http://events.linkedin.com/WHAT-ARE-NOT-SUPPOSED-KNOW-ABOUT-9-11/pub/77555</a></li><li><a title="http://www.when.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911" href="http://www.when.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911">http://www.when.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911</a></li><li><a title="http://listings.guidelive.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911" href="http://listings.guidelive.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911">http://listings.guidelive.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911</a></li><li><a title="http://www.topix.com/forum/city/plano-tx/TUCJJO61NRUPH0CRT" href="http://www.topix.com/forum/city/plano-tx/TUCJJO61NRUPH0CRT">http://www.topix.com/forum/city/plano-tx/TUCJJO61NRUPH0CRT</a></li><li><a title="http://www.oodle.com/view/WHAT-YOU-ARE-NOT-SUPPOSED-TO-KNOW-ABOUT-9-11:-Building-7---Gone-in-7/1405147865/usa/?k=" href="http://www.oodle.com/view/WHAT-YOU-ARE-NOT-SUPPOSED-TO-KNOW-ABOUT-9-11%3A-Building-7---Gone-in-7/1405147865/usa/?k=1491a9bb84b66af4&actionMsg=1&reportCreated=1" actionmsg="1&reportCreated=">http://www.oodle.com/view/WHAT-YOU-ARE-NOT-SUPPOSED-TO-KNOW-ABOUT-9-11%3A-Building-7---Gone-in-7/1405147865/usa/?k=1491a9bb84b66af4&actionMsg=1&reportCreated=1</a><br /><br />Channel 33 <a title="http://www.the33tv.com/community/calendar/kdaf-community-94,0,3293116.htmlstory" href="http://www.the33tv.com/community/calendar/kdaf-community-94,0,3293116.htmlstory">http://www.the33tv.com/community/calendar/kdaf-community-94,0,3293116.htmlstory</a></li><li>Channel 5 <a title="http://events.nbcdfw.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911" href="http://events.nbcdfw.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911">http://events.nbcdfw.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911</a></li><li>Channel 8 <a title="http://www.wfaa.com/membercontent/videos/gallery.html?plckGalleryID=" href="http://www.wfaa.com/membercontent/videos/gallery.html?plckGalleryID=63bdd1aa-e0be-4cf3-a895-4aaa4bd60a92">http://www.wfaa.com/membercontent/videos/gallery.html?plckGalleryID=63bdd1aa-e0be-4cf3-a895-4aaa4bd60a92</a><br /></li></ol>Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-59190409921866148282009-06-08T06:24:00.000-07:002009-06-08T06:29:57.740-07:00Fox Propaganda SiteIt amazes me that there are few people out there who actually think Fox propaganda is the truth. Fox dudes of course cannot be called a Journalists, they are propagandist. I am glad it exists, as it assembles all the hate mongers in one place.<br /><br />These guys are all about ratings and not the truth.<br />They dupe a few Americans well.<br /><br />- Mike Ghouse<br /><br />Fox Propaganda Site Goes to New Lengths to Distort Reality<br />By Karl Frisch<br /><br />He's <a title="http://mediamatters.org/research/200807250005" href="http://mediamatters.org/research/200807250005" target="_blank">called</a> former Vice President Al Gore an "evil enabler" for speaking at <a title="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=" href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=http%3A%2F%2Fnetrootsnation.org%2F" target="_blank">Netroots Nation</a> -- an annual conference that draws thousands of progressive blog enthusiasts. He's <a title="http://mediamatters.org/research/200805150003" href="http://mediamatters.org/research/200805150003" target="_blank">likened</a> Markos Moulitsas, founder of the progressive blog powerhouse <a title="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=" href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailykos.com%2F" target="_blank">Daily Kos</a>, to white supremacist David Duke. He's even <a title="http://mediamatters.org/research/200803100005" href="http://mediamatters.org/research/200803100005" target="_blank">accused</a> <a title="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=" href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2F" target="_blank">The Huffington Post</a> of using the "same exact tactics that the Nazis used."<br /><br />To say that Fox News golden boy Bill O'Reilly is no fan of progressive blogs is an understatement akin to claiming the Hatfields and McCoys were mildly displeased with each other.<br />In fact, just last week, O'Reilly hosted a panel of lawyers who <a title="http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200905290050" href="http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200905290050" target="_blank">attempted</a>, in vain, to explain that the conservative host's "rights" aren't violated by private criticism.<br /><br />Back in March, while promoting its <a title="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=" href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2009%2F03%2F30%2FAR2009033000741.html" target="_blank">newly launched</a> website <a title="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=" href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thefoxnation.com%2F" target="_blank">TheFoxNation.com</a>, Fox News <a title="http://mediamatters.org/research/200903310013" href="http://mediamatters.org/research/200903310013">ran advertisements</a> telling viewers that it was "time to say 'no' to biased media and 'yes' to fair play and free speech."<br /><br />In short, Fox News was jumping headfirst into the blogging world with just the snake oil necessary to cure what ailed O'Reilly -- a fair, honest, bias-free version of what he sees the left serving up. It didn't take long for The Fox Nation to prove those fancy Fox News promos demonstrably inaccurate -- instead, it seems to have said "yes" to biased media and "no" to "fair play" from Day One.<br /><br />In its first 24 hours, the website labeled Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) a "[d]angerous duo," linking to an Agence France-Presse <a title="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=" href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fhostednews%2Fafp%2Farticle%2FALeqM5ghyKas7_tIYge_GvmXP8JvYZtueA" target="_blank">article</a> that simply reported that Dodd and Frank "promised President Barack Obama on Monday they would work with the White House to enact a sweeping overhaul of US financial regulatory structures by year's end."<br />Visitors to The Fox Nation were no doubt confused when they clicked on the link provided by the website to the AFP article in question <a title="http://mediamatters.org/research/200903310013" href="http://mediamatters.org/research/200903310013" target="_blank">only to find</a> that it in no way characterized Dodd or Frank as "[d]angerous."<br /><br />That was Day One. In the two months that followed the website's launch, The Fox Nation has displayed an <a title="http://mediamatters.org/search/tag/fox_nation" href="http://mediamatters.org/search/tag/fox_nation" target="_blank">uncanny ability</a> to mislead readers, twist the truth, spread wild conspiracy theories, and misrepresent the reporting of legitimate journalists and media outlets.<br /><br />At times, the website has been downright frightening. In early May, it <a title="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200905040026" href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200905040026">ran a photo</a> of a rifle pointed in the direction of a photo of Obama's head. The headline associated with the rifle image asked: "Why Are Gun Sales Surging?" One can only imagine what O'Reilly and his ilk would have said if a progressive blog -- or a legitimate news outlet, as Fox purports to be, for that matter -- had done the same thing to President Bush.<br /><br />Debunked conspiracy theories are also finding new life on the website. A headline in late May asked: "<a title="http://mediamatters.org/research/200905280018" href="http://mediamatters.org/research/200905280018" target="_blank">Should Obama Release Birth Certificate? Or Is This Old News?</a>" But contrary to the question, the Obama campaign released a copy of Obama's <a title="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=" href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=http%3A%2F%2Ffightthesmears.com%2Farticles%2F5%2Fbirthcertificate" target="_blank">birth certificate</a>, posting it on the campaign's website last year. It also reportedly provided the original document to FactCheck.org, whose staff concluded in an August 2008 <a title="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=" href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.factcheck.org%2Felections-2008%2Fborn_in_the_usa.html" target="_blank">post</a> that it "meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship."<br /><br />About the use of questions like the one just highlighted: In what appears to be an attempt to ward off criticism, The Fox Nation, like the on-screen text on Fox News, often employs the use of questions for its headlines rather than straightforward assertions. It's as if they are pre-emptively saying, "We made no such statement. We simply asked a question."<br /><br />What has the website asked its readers? Of same-sex marriage, it wondered, "<a title="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200905070025" href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200905070025" target="_blank">Are 'Triad' Marriages Next?</a>" Following the reported suicide of a Freddie Mac executive, one headline asked, "<a title="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200904230001" href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200904230001" target="_blank">Was It Suicide?</a>" After the Department of Homeland Security declassified an April <a title="http://mediamatters.org/research/200904150014" href="http://mediamatters.org/research/200904150014" target="_blank">report</a> detailing potential increases in right-wing extremism, the website queried, "<a title="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200904160016" href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200904160016" target="_blank">Is Homeland Security Targeting Tea Parties?</a>" Of course, these are the very same tea parties that Fox News and The Fox Nation <a title="http://mediamatters.org/columns/200904100001" href="http://mediamatters.org/columns/200904100001" target="_blank">went to great lengths promoting</a>.<br /><br />The Fox Nation has had loads of questions, especially when it comes to Obama's Supreme Court deliberations and his nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. The website asked, "<a title="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200905040008" href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200905040008" target="_blank">Why Aren't White Males Being Considered for Supreme Court?</a>" and "<a title="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200905130009" href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200905130009" target="_blank">Is it Empathy? Or Is Obama Shredding the Constitution?</a>" Of Obama's nominee, the website inquired, "<a title="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200905290008" href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/200905290008" target="_blank">Sotomayor Argued Death Penalty Is Racist... Is She?</a>"<br /><br />So, is TheFoxNation.com simply the seedy underbelly of Fox News parent company chairman Rupert Murdoch's evil, right-wing media empire?<br />Boy, that was easy, wasn't it?<br /><br />© 2009 Media Matters for America All rights reserved.View this story online at: <a title="http://www.alternet.org/story/140498/" href="http://www.alternet.org/story/140498/">http://www.alternet.org/story/140498/</a><br /><br />.Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-37196690957336009712009-06-06T15:20:00.001-07:002009-06-06T15:23:53.519-07:00New York Times intimidated by the Lobby<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwL1h1WYvX-wO919GAg37qaqVvx2zXbBue_lHrbKxioIx_nFXzGBgFA1yP6EqtQdb5iIxNyhs3d6u1DEuIWJf_IrZq6mBhKMemo_BESZ_BhNQ0J8abk7SfwdEZVnwuUS2-f2XX1iZVngR/s1600-h/cartoon-showing-israel-lobby-stepping-on-us-media.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344343303244709842" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 286px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwL1h1WYvX-wO919GAg37qaqVvx2zXbBue_lHrbKxioIx_nFXzGBgFA1yP6EqtQdb5iIxNyhs3d6u1DEuIWJf_IrZq6mBhKMemo_BESZ_BhNQ0J8abk7SfwdEZVnwuUS2-f2XX1iZVngR/s320/cartoon-showing-israel-lobby-stepping-on-us-media.jpg" border="0" /></a>Intimidation at the New York Times: How the Israel Lobby Silenced 2 Leading Columnists<br />by Kitchen Table Cartoons on June 2, 2009<br /><br />Thomas Friedman was once brave. This New York Times columnist and author established his reputation reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His early work gave objective accounts of the suffering of the Palestinian people, placed blame for the failed peace talks squarely on the Israeli government, and exposed the undue influence that pro-Israel lobbyists wield on policies of the U.S. government.<br /><br />Then the Israel lobby went to work on him.<br /><br />In July 2001, the Media Monitor of the Jewish Press put Mr. Friedman on their Enemies List. Groups like CAMERA and AIPAC castigated his reporting as being anti-Semitic. The president of the Zionist Organization of America claimed "Friedman’s language conjures up disturbing stereotypical images of Jews conspiring to manipulate world leaders and events." He was branded a "self-hating Jew."<br /><br />These relentless attacks worked their desired effect.<br /><br />A "re-educated" Mr. Friedman suddenly embraced the pro-Israel position to go to war with Iraq. Famously, in his column of August 18, 2002, he coached President Bush on how best to begin that war, then subsequently called the invasion of Iraq "one of the noblest things this country has ever attempted abroad." And he began denigrating the Palestinian people and their struggle for self-determination.<br /><br />Today, Thomas Friedman receives $75,000 per talk to Jewish organizations. He lives in an $9 million mansion in Maryland. His change of message seems not to have hurt his career.<br /><br />Columnist Frank Rich , too, once offered intelligent criticism about events in the Middle East.<br /><br />Early on, he wrote about Baruch Goldstein, the Brooklyn-born settler who attacked a mosque during prayers, murdering 29 men and boys. Mr. Rich called him a Jewish terrorist for his "savage mass murder of praying Muslims " and lamented that a shrine was erected by Israelis, celebrating Goldstein as a hero. For expressing this opinion, Jewish groups pilloried Mr. Rich for being anti-Semitic and disloyal to Israel.<br /><br />In his May 11, 2002 column, "The Booing of Wolfowitz ," Mr. Rich defended then Deputy-Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz for acknowledging at a large pro-Israel rally in Washington that "innocent Palestinians are suffering and dying in great numbers as well" in the Middle East. Wolfowitz, whose father’s family was killed in the Holocaust, was effectively heckled off stage and called an anti-Semite. Mr. Rich’s forthright essay rebuked such knee-jerk responses of anti-Semitism by American Jewish groups and dared to opine that right-wingers who tolerate no criticism of Israel undermine their own cause.<br /><br />Predictably, these pro-Israel forces then turned on Mr. Rich and the New York Times . They threatened to boycott the paper, ceasing all advertising, even withholding Jewish death notices. Their response to Mr. Rich was more personal. He suffered a fusillade of attacks, "self-hating Jew" being their favored and highly effective calumny.<br /><br />Frank Rich has learned the lesson. You will not be reading any more Baruch Goldstein or Paul Wolfowitz columns by him. Nowadays, cowed like Mr. Friedman, he toes the line, and is largely silent on Israeli-Palestinian issues. (See the following entry, "Frank Rich: Moral Hypocrisy? ")<br /><br />So, am I anti-Semitic? No. I am against the Israel lobby that attempts, through intimidation (and rewards) to corrupt the critical role of the media in America — a role founded on the belief that an informed citizenry, engaged in open and public debate, is essential for our democracy. Thomas Friedman and Frank Rich are only two examples of many reporters who have been pressured to abandon their professional responsibility in covering the Middle East.<br /><br />Mainstream media has failed us. America will live with the consequences<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Mike's comments:</span></strong><br /><br />The enemies of Israel are not Palestinians or the Arabs; it is the leadership of Israel, the Israel Lobby, and a few American Neocons who are messing up the peace and security of Israel.<br /><br />Mr. Pipes and his likes have not done much towards reconciliation and mitigating the conflicts, instead they are master aggravators. I hope they reconsider their approach towards peace; they may become actual contributors towards the peace and I would welcome it and the people of Israel would love them for it.<br /><br />If the Netanyahu’s, the Pipes and their likes can think of the safety and security of Israel for generations to come, they would act smart. Security comes when the Israelis don’t have to think twice about going to shopping or the kids going to schools, it is dropping all the guards and living a life of freedom. The Israeli leadership like the Palestinian leadership has screwed their people over the last sixty years, and they want to continue with what has not worked? You simply cannot have peace and feel secure when you deny the same to others around you.<br /><br />More on the panel of my blog:<a href="http://israel-palestine-dialogue.blogspot.com/2009/06/harsh-turn-against-israel.html" rel="nofollow">http://israel-palestine-dialogue.blogspot.com/2009/06/harsh-turn-against-israel.html</a>Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-28313265925477411412009-03-22T19:04:00.000-07:002009-03-22T19:33:43.455-07:00The road not taken by the Media<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5S0D1Xqx3mCPLhCtkzMKJPDi2HfoOU75URTCdchPnPc_xPfUh_TYfTCSuKWJNVy_WV4kZwI0zNczQ4Tve17scOkWqvayb22wxZDLsu4RTEK6-6ljKUSwncR8JTiesSeLAucQ-9uiOJzD/s1600-h/theroadnottaken.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316199240203116114" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 122px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5S0D1Xqx3mCPLhCtkzMKJPDi2HfoOU75URTCdchPnPc_xPfUh_TYfTCSuKWJNVy_WV4kZwI0zNczQ4Tve17scOkWqvayb22wxZDLsu4RTEK6-6ljKUSwncR8JTiesSeLAucQ-9uiOJzD/s400/theroadnottaken.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The road not taken<br />Mike Ghouse<br /><br /><a href="http://interjunction.org/article/the-road-not-taken/">http://interjunction.org/article/the-road-not-taken/</a><br /><br />Could the Iraq war have been prevented had the American media asked the right questions? How do conservative media commentators frame the actions of different religious communities? Does the media pay due attention to history? Mike Ghouse reflects on the political impact of mainstream media decisions.<br /><br />INCREASINGLY FOCUSED ON competitiveness and profits, the mainstream American media is under pressure for its own survival. Indeed, it is at a critical juncture of having to choose between fulfilling its societal responsibility or succumbing to the political compulsions of our times. As a society we need to evaluate the importance of the media in our American system of governance. Does it still play the crucial role the founding fathers of our nation had envisioned for it?<br /><br />Thomas Jefferson made a strong statement about the role of the media in a democracy when he noted, “If it were left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” Describing the role of the press, George A. Krimsky, the former head of news for the Associated Press’ World Services and co-author of Hold the Press, writes, “In the wake of America’s successful revolution, it was decided there should indeed be government, but only if it were accountable to the people. The people, in turn, could only hold the government accountable if they knew what it was doing and could intercede as necessary, using their ballot, for example. This role of public ‘watchdog’ was thus assumed by a citizen press, and as a consequence, the government in the United States has been kept out of the news business.”<br /><br />Could one say that the government in the United States was kept out of the news business in the past, but not any more?<br /><br />In the recent past, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams told host Howard Kurtz that the Bush administration had “the right” to pay a columnist to tout its views in his column. As this article notes, Kurtz spoke of the “Pentagon planting positive stories, in some cases paying for positive stories in Iraqi newspapers.” The administration also paid journalist Armstrong Williams to promote its No Child Left Behind education policy. The Government Accountability Office, however, determined that the Bush Administration was wrong in promoting its educational policy through Armstrong’s column.<br /><br />The essence of democracy is the ability to question everything in fairness and without worrying about censure against such inquiry. How many journalists from the mainstream media have failed this test in recent times? Let us examine a few situations and see the specific failures of the American media in each case.<br /><br />The qualities of a commander-in-chief<br /><br />As we speak, the airwaves are saturated with coverage of the presidential nominees in both parties. Why aren’t journalists questioning the rhetoric from McCain and Clinton that they are fit to be the commander-in-chief of the nation? We are a democracy, and it is not essential that our government should be run by a military expert. That was not the intent of our system.<br /><br />I do not expect my president to be an expert in nuclear, biological, botanical, or other sciences and certainly not a military expert. I want a judicious person who can call on real experts as the situation demands and make the right decision in each case.<br /><br />Journalists can still ask the candidates this question. Will they?<br /><br />Precedent and patterns in the Rev. Wright controversy<br /><br />The second week of March 2008 witnessed relentless coverage of Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s sermon, “God Damn America,” in the American media. It was all one could hear on the cable channels. The pundits were suggesting that this might indicate the end of presidential candiate Barack Obama’s political aspirations, given that Wright was Obama’s pastor.<br /><br />In the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Ralph Luker pointed out that “the quotation comes not from Wright, but from the Rev Martin Luther King Jr’s first address to the Montgomery Improvement Association on December 5, 1955. Both African-American preachers have understood prophetic biblical preaching far better than those who feign shock at and condemn Wright’s words.”<br /><br />“Obama’s Minister ‘Hates America’ But When My Father Said the Same Sort of Things He Became a Hero To The Republicans” wrote Frank Schaeffer in the OpEdNews. Schaeffer quoted his father, religious right leader, Francis Schaeffer, expressing similar sentiments. “Take Dad’s words” Frank Schaeffer went on to say, “and put them in the mouth of Obama’s preacher (or in the mouth of any black American preacher) and people would be accusing that preacher of treason. Yet, when we the white Religious Right denounced America, the white conservative Americans and top political leaders, called our words ‘godly’ and ‘prophetic’ and a ‘call to repentance.’”<br /><br />The mainstream media largely failed to investigate if there was a precedent, if some one else had used this kind of language, if the reaction had been different, and why that might have been the case.<br /><br />The burning of the US embassy in Kosovo<br /><br />While driving around on Friday, February 22 earlier this year, I listened to every news channel. Our embassy was torched in Kosovo by radicals on that day. The media did not describe the violence as religiously motivated nor name any religious community as the culprit. I believe that was the right approach on the part of the media.<br /><br />But I wondered: had those radicals been Muslims, what kind of demonization would mainstream conservative commentators like O’Reilly, Hannity, Beck, and Limbaugh have engaged in?<br /><br />The war in Iraq<br /><br />As the Bill Moyers Journal’s special edition program, “Buying the War,” compellingly demonstrated, the mainstream American media uncritically accepted the administration’s claims about Saddam Hussein’s ambition to acquire nuclear weapons and his links to Al-Qaeda. The five chapter report speaks for itself.<br /><br />Had the media stood their ground, perhaps our administration would not have engaged in policies that have resulted in the deaths of over half a million Iraqis as per the figures provided by the medical journal Lancet estimate, 4,000 of our men and women, and a cost of anywhere from 1 to 2 trillion dollars.<br /><br />Was their inability to ask the right questions of the administration not a colossal blunder on the part of the mainstream media?<br /><br />Mike Ghouse is a writer and activist based in Dallas. He runs the blogs Foundation for Pluralism and World Muslim Congress.Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-30146009849709589042009-03-21T18:03:00.000-07:002009-03-21T18:08:33.222-07:00Death of American NewspapersThe death and life of great American Newspapers<br /><br />Most news papers do deserve the death, they might want to rename themselves as “, Dallas Morning News Propaganda” or “ Miami Herald Opinion”, “Fox Propaganda” “CNN Opinion” or some such name to indicate that they are not produced by Journalist, nor they are inclined to present another point of view. <br /><br />I have no problems if they tell the truth that they are paid to write or speak certain way and that they have to be loyal to those who write their check.<br /><br />They failed to fulfil their responsibility during the Bush Admin, they were the mouth pieces for the Admin - even stalwarts on print and TV like like Koppell, Russert and other fell in for their propaganda. They did harm the nation, and todays economic woes and deficits were part responsibilty of the journalist for not have the balls to speak up or question the admin. They are our defence against fascism from within, they failed us.<br /><br />It has been sickening to see the newspapers produce on sides, opinionated columns. It is a betrayal to the American public, who are deprived of honest reporting. Even the South Asian Journalist association is biased when you audit their postings on the forums. <br /><br />Mike Ghouse<br /># # #<br /><br />http://reclaimthemedia.org/journalistic_practice/death_and_life_great_american_2012<br /> <br />by : John Nichols and Robert McChesney, The Nation <br />Communities across America are suffering through a crisis that could leave a dramatically diminished version of democracy in its wake. It is not the economic meltdown, although the crisis is related to the broader day of reckoning that appears to have arrived. The crisis of which we speak involves more than mere economics. Journalism is collapsing, and with it comes the most serious threat in our lifetimes to self-government and the rule of law as it has been understood here in the United States. <br /><br />After years of neglecting signs of trouble, elite opinion-makers have begun in recent months to recognize that things have gone horribly awry. Journals ranging from Time, The New Yorker, The Atlantic and The New Republic to the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times concur on the diagnosis: newspapers, as we have known them, are disintegrating and are possibly on the verge of extinction. Time's Walter Isaacson describes the situation as having "reached meltdown proportions" and concludes, "It is now possible to contemplate a time in the near future when major towns will no longer have a newspaper and when magazines and network news operations will employ no more than a handful of reporters." A newspaper industry that still employs roughly 50,000 journalists--the vast majority of the remaining practitioners of the craft--is teetering on the brink.<br /><br />Blame has been laid first and foremost on the Internet, for luring away advertisers and readers, and on the economic meltdown, which has demolished revenues and hammered debt-laden media firms. But for all the ink spilled addressing the dire circumstance of the ink-stained wretch, the understanding of what we can do about the crisis has been woefully inadequate. Unless we rethink alternatives and reforms, the media will continue to flail until journalism is all but extinguished. <br /><br />Let's begin with the crisis. In a nutshell, media corporations, after running journalism into the ground, have determined that news gathering and reporting are not profit-making propositions. So they're jumping ship. The country's great regional dailies--the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Philadelphia Inquirer--are in bankruptcy. Denver's Rocky Mountain News recently closed down, ending daily newspaper competition in that city. The owners of the San Francisco Chronicle, reportedly losing $1 million a week, are threatening to shutter the paper, leaving a major city without a major daily newspaper. Big dailies in Seattle (the Times), Chicago (the Sun-Times) and Newark (the Star-Ledger) are reportedly near the point of folding, and smaller dailies like the Baltimore Examiner have already closed. The 101-year-old Christian Science Monitor, in recent years an essential source of international news and analysis, is folding its daily print edition. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is scuttling its print edition and downsizing from a news staff of 165 to about twenty for its online-only incarnation. Whole newspaper chains--such as Lee Enterprises, the owner of large and medium-size publications that for decades have defined debates in Montana, Iowa and Wisconsin--are struggling as the value of stock shares falls below the price of a single daily paper. And the New York Times needed an emergency injection of hundreds of millions of dollars by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim in order to stay afloat. <br /><br />Those are the headlines. Arguably uglier is the death-by-small-cuts of newspapers that are still functioning. Layoffs of reporters and closings of bureaus mean that even if newspapers survive, they have precious few resources for actually doing journalism. Job cuts during the first months of this year--300 at the Los Angeles Times, 205 at the Miami Herald, 156 at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 150 at the Kansas City Star, 128 at the Sacramento Bee, 100 at the Providence Journal, 100 at the Hartford Courant, ninety at the San Diego Union-Tribune, thirty at the Wall Street Journal and on and on--suggest that this year will see far more positions eliminated than in 2008, when almost 16,000 were lost. Even Doonesbury's Rick Redfern has been laid off from his job at the Washington Post. <br /><br />The toll is daunting. As former Washington Post executive editor Leonard Downie Jr. and Post associate editor Robert Kaiser have observed, "A great news organization is difficult to build and tragically easy to disassemble." That disassembling is now in full swing. As journalists are laid off and newspapers cut back or shut down, whole sectors of our civic life go dark. Newspapers that long ago closed their foreign bureaus and eliminated their crack investigative operations are shuttering at warp speed what remains of city hall, statehouse and Washington bureaus. The Cox chain, publisher of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Austin American-Statesman and fifteen other papers, will padlock its DC bureau on April 1--a move that follows the closures of the respected Washington bureaus of Advance Publications (the Newark Star-Ledger, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and others); Copley Newspapers and its flagship San Diego Union-Tribune; as well as those of the once great regional dailies of Des Moines, Hartford, Houston, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Toledo. <br /><br />Mired in debt and facing massive losses, the managers of corporate newspaper firms seek to right the sinking ship by cutting costs, leading remaining newspaper readers to ask why they are bothering to pay for publications that are pale shadows of themselves. It is the daily newspaper death dance-cum- funeral march. <br /><br />But it is not just newspapers that are in crisis; it is the institution of journalism itself. By any measure, journalism is missing from most commercial radio. TV news operations have become celebrity- and weather-obsessed "profit centers" rather than the journalistic icons of the Murrow and Cronkite eras. Cable channels "fill the gap" with numberless pundits and "business reporters," who got everything about the last decade wrong but now complain that the government doesn't know how to set things right. Cable news is defensible only because of the occasional newspaper reporter moonlighting as a talking head. But what happens when the last reporter stops collecting a newspaper paycheck and goes into PR or lobbying? She'll leave cable an empty vessel and take the public's right to know anything more than a rhetorical flourish with her. <br /><br />The Internet and blogosphere, too, depend in large part on "old media" to do original journalism. Web links still refer readers mostly to stories that first appeared in print. Even in more optimistic scenarios, no one has a business model to sustain digital journalism beyond a small number of self-supporting services. The attempts of newspapers to shift their operations online have been commercial failures, as they trade old media dollars for new media pennies. We are enthusiastic about Wikipedia and the potential for collaborative efforts on the web; they can help democratize our media and politics. But they do not replace skilled journalists on the ground covering the events of the day and doing investigative reporting. Indeed, the Internet cannot achieve its revolutionary potential as a citizens' forum without such journalism. <br /><br />So this is where we stand: much of local and state government, whole federal departments and agencies, American activities around the world, the world itself--vast areas of great public concern--are either neglected or on the verge of neglect. Politicians and administrators will work increasingly without independent scrutiny and without public accountability. We are entering historically uncharted territory in America, a country that from its founding has valued the press not merely as a watchdog but as the essential nurturer of an informed citizenry. The collapse of journalism and the democratic infrastructure it sustains is not a development that anyone, except perhaps corrupt politicians and the interests they serve, looks forward to. Such a crisis demands solutions equal to the task. So what are they? <br /><br />Regrettably the loud discussion of the collapse of journalism has been far stronger in describing the symptoms than in providing remedies. With the frank acknowledgment that the old commercial system has failed and will not return, there has been a flurry of modest proposals to address the immodest crisis. These range from schemes to further consolidate news gathering at the local level to pleas for donations from news consumers and hopes that hard-pressed philanthropists and foundations will decide to go into the news business. And they range from ineffectual to improbable to undesirable. Walter Isaacson has proposed that newspapers come up with a plan to charge readers "micropayments" for online content. Even if such a system were practically possible, the last thing we should do is erect electronic walls that block the openness and democratic genius of the Internet. <br /><br />Don't get us wrong. We are enthusiastic about many of the efforts to promote original journalism online, such as ProPublica, Talking Points Memo and the Huffington Post. We cheer on exciting local endeavors, such as MinnPost in the Twin Cities--a nonprofit, five-day-a-week online journal that covers Minnesota politics with support from major foundations, wealthy families and roughly 900 member-donors contributing $10 to $10,000. But even our friends at MinnPost acknowledge that their project is not filling the void in a metro area that still has two large, if struggling, daily newspapers. Just about every serious journalist involved in an online project will readily concede that even if these ventures pan out, we will still have a dreadfully undernourished journalism system with considerably less news gathering and reporting, especially at the local level. <br /><br />For all their merits and flaws, these fixes are mere triage strategies. They are not cures; in fact, if there is a risk in them, it is that they might briefly discourage the needed reshaping of ownership models that are destined to fail. <br /><br />The place to begin crafting solutions is with the understanding that the economic downturn did not cause the crisis in journalism; nor did the Internet. The economic collapse and Internet have greatly accentuated and accelerated a process that can be traced back to the 1970s, when corporate ownership and consolidation of newspapers took off. It was then that managers began to balance their books and to satisfy the demand from investors for ever-increasing returns by cutting journalists and shutting news bureaus. Go back and read a daily newspaper published in a medium-size American city in the 1960s, and you will be awed by the rich mix of international, national and local news coverage and by the frequency with which "outsiders"--civil rights campaigners, antiwar activists and consumer advocates like Ralph Nader--ended up on the front page. <br /><br />As long ago as the late 1980s and early 1990s, prominent journalists and editors like Jim Squires were quitting the field in disgust at the contempt corporate management displayed toward journalism. Print advertising, which still accounts for the lion's share of newspaper revenue, declined gently as a percentage of all ad spending from 1950 to '90, as television grew in importance. Starting in 1990, well before the rise of the web as a competitor for ad dollars, newspaper ad revenues went into a sharp decline, from 26 percent of all media advertising that year to what will likely be around 10 percent this year. <br /><br />Even before that decline, newspaper owners were choosing short-term profits over long-term viability. As far back as 1983, legendary reporter Ben Bagdikian warned publishers that if they continued to water down their journalism and replace it with (less expensive) fluff, they would undermine their raison d'être and fail to cultivate younger readers. But corporate newspaper owners abandoned any responsibility to maintain the franchise. When the Internet came along, newspapers were already heading due south. <br /><br />We do not mean to suggest that '60s journalism was perfect or that we should aim to return there. Even then journalism suffered from a generally agreed-upon professional code that relied far too heavily on official sources to set the news agenda and decide the range of debate in our political culture. That weakness of journalism has been magnified in the era of corporate control, leaving us with a situation most commentators are loath to acknowledge: the quality of journalism in the United States today is dreadful. <br /><br />Of course, there are still tremendous journalists doing outstanding work, but they battle a system increasingly pushing in the opposite direction. (That is why some of the most powerful statements about our current circumstances come in the form of books, like Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine; or documentaries, like Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine; or beat reporting in magazines, like that of Jane Mayer and Seymour Hersh at The New Yorker.) The news media blew the coverage of the Iraq invasion, spoon-feeding us lies masquerading as fact-checked verities. They missed the past decade of corporate scandals. They cheered on the housing bubble and genuflected before the financial sector (and Gilded Age levels of wealth and inequality) as it blasted debt and speculation far beyond what the real economy could sustain. Today they do almost no investigation into where the trillions of public dollars being spent by the Federal Reserve and Treasury are going but spare not a moment to update us on the "Octomom." They trade in trivia and reduce everything to spin, even matters of life and death. <br /><br />No wonder young people find mainstream journalism uninviting; it would almost be more frightening if they embraced what passes for news today. Older Americans have been giving up on old media too, if not as rapidly and thoroughly as the young. If we are going to address the crisis in journalism, we have to come up with solutions that provide us with hard-hitting reporting that monitors people in power, that engages all our people, not just the classes attractive to advertisers, and that seeks to draw all Americans into public life. Going backward is not an option; nor is it desirable. The old corporate media system choked on its own excess. We should not seek to restore or re-create it. We have to move forward to a system that creates a journalism far superior to that of the recent past. <br /><br />We can do exactly that--but only if we recognize and embrace the necessity of government intervention. Only government can implement policies and subsidies to provide an institutional framework for quality journalism. We understand that this is a controversial position. When French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently engineered a $765 million bailout of French newspapers, free marketeers rushed to the barricades to declare, "No, no, not in the land of the free press." Conventional wisdom says that the founders intended the press to be entirely independent of the state, to preserve the integrity of the press. Bree Nordenson notes that when she informed famed journalist Tom Rosenstiel that her visionary 2007 Columbia Journalism Review article concerned the ways government could support the press, Rosenstiel "responded brusquely, 'Well, I'm not a big fan of government support.' I explained that I just wanted to put the possibility on the table. 'Well, I'd take it off the table,' he said." <br /><br />We are sympathetic to that position. As writers, we have been routinely critical of government--Democratic and Republican--over the past three decades and antagonistic to those in power. Policies that would allow politicians to exercise even the slightest control over the news are, in our view, not only frightening but unacceptable. Fortunately, the rude calculus that says government intervention equals government control is inaccurate and does not reflect our past or present, or what enlightened policies and subsidies could entail. <br /><br />Our founders never thought that freedom of the press would belong only to those who could afford a press. They would have been horrified at the notion that journalism should be regarded as the private preserve of the Rupert Murdochs and John Malones. The founders would not have entertained, let alone accepted, the current equation that seems to say that if rich people determine there is no good money to be made in the news, then society cannot have news. Let's find a king and call it a day. <br /><br />The founders regarded the establishment of a press system, the Fourth Estate, as the first duty of the state. Jefferson and Madison devoted considerable energy to explaining the necessity of the press to a vibrant democracy. The government implemented extraordinary postal subsidies for the distribution of newspapers. It also instituted massive newspaper subsidies through printing contracts and the paid publication of government notices, all with the intent of expanding the number and variety of newspapers. When Tocqueville visited the United States in the 1830s he was struck by the quantity and quality of newspapers and periodicals compared with France, Canada and Britain. It was not an accident. It had little to do with "free markets." It was the result of public policy. <br /><br />Moreover, when the Supreme Court has taken up matters of freedom of the press, its majority opinions have argued strongly for the necessity of the press as the essential underpinning of our constitutional republic. First Amendment absolutist Hugo Black wrote that the "Amendment rests on the assumption that the widest possible dissemination of information from diverse and antagonistic sources is essential to the welfare of the public, that a free press is a condition of a free society." Black argued for the right and necessity of the government to counteract private monopolistic control over the media. More recently Justice Anthony Kennedy, a Reagan appointee, argued that "assuring the public has access to a multiplicity of information sources is a governmental purpose of the highest order." <br /><br />But government support for the press is not merely a matter of history or legal interpretation. Complaints about a government role in fostering journalism invariably overlook the fact that our contemporary media system is anything but an independent "free market" institution. The government subsidies established by the founders did not end in the eighteenth--or even the nineteenth--century. Today the government doles out tens of billions of dollars in direct and indirect subsidies, including free and essentially permanent monopoly broadcast licenses, monopoly cable and satellite privileges, copyright protection and postal subsidies. (Indeed, this magazine has been working for the past few years with journals of the left and right to assure that those subsidies are available to all publications.) Because the subsidies mostly benefit the wealthy and powerful, they are rarely mentioned in the fictional account of an independent and feisty Fourth Estate. Both the rise and decline of commercial journalism can be attributed in part to government policies, which scrapped the regulations and ownership rules that had encouraged local broadcast journalism and allowed for lax regulation as well as tax deductions for advertising--policies that greatly increased news media revenues. <br /><br />The truth is that government policies and subsidies already define our press system. The only question is whether they will be enlightened and democratic, as in the early Republic, or corrupt and corrosive to democracy, as has been the case in recent decades. The answer will be determined in coming years as part of what is certain to be a bruising battle: media companies and their lobbying groups will argue against the "heavy hand of government" while defending existing subsidies. They will propose more deregulation, hoping to capitalize on the crisis to remove the last barriers to print, broadcast and digital consolidation in local markets--creating media "company towns," where competition is eliminated, along with journalism jobs, in pursuit of better returns for investors. Enlightened elected officials, media unions and public interest and community groups that recognize the role of robust journalism are going to have to step up to argue for a real fix. <br /><br />Fortunately, an increasing number of veteran journalists, scholars and activists are beginning to grasp the historical significance of the present moment and the central role of public policy. It was the late James Carey, decorated University of Illinois and Columbia journalism professor and no fan of government power, who saw this before almost anyone else, writing in 2002: "Alas, the press may have to rely upon a democratic state to create the conditions necessary for a democratic press to flourish and for journalists to be restored to their proper role as orchestrators of the conversation of a democratic culture." <br /><br />We have to ask where we want to end up, after the reforms have been implemented. In our view we need to have competing independent newsrooms of well-paid journalists in every state and in every major community. This is not about newspapers or even broadcast media; it entails all media and accepts that we may be headed into an era when nearly all of our communication will be digital. Ideally this will be a pluralistic system, where there will be different institutional structures. Varieties of nonprofit media will have to play a much larger role, though not a monopolistic one. <br /><br />We recognize and embrace the need for a system in which there will be a range of perspectives from left to right, alongside some media more intent on maintaining a less explicitly ideological stance. We must have a system that prohibits state censorship and that minimizes commercial control over journalistic values and pursuits. The right of any person to start his or her own medium, commercial or nonprofit, at any time is inviolable. From this foundation we can envision a thriving, digital citizen's journalism complementing and probably merging with professional journalism. What will the mix be? It would vary, with more not-for-profit and subsidized media in rural and low-income areas, more for-profit media in wealthier ones. The first order of any government intervention would be to assure that no state or region would be without quality local, state, national or international journalism. <br /><br />We begin with the notion that journalism is a public good, that it has broad social benefits far beyond that between buyer and seller. Like all public goods, we need the resources to get it produced. This is the role of the state and public policy. It will require a subsidy and should be regarded as similar to the education system or the military in that regard. Only a nihilist would consider it sufficient to rely on profit-seeking commercial interests or philanthropy to educate our youth or defend the nation from attack. With the collapse of the commercial news system, the same logic applies. Just as there came a moment when policy-makers recognized the necessity of investing tax dollars to create a public education system to teach our children, so a moment has arrived at which we must recognize the need to invest tax dollars to create and maintain news gathering, reporting and writing with the purpose of informing all our citizens. <br /><br />So, if we can accept the need for government intervention to save American journalism, what form should it take? In the near term, we need to think about an immediate journalism economic stimulus, to be revisited after three years, and we need to think big. Let's eliminate postal rates for periodicals that garner less than 20 percent of their revenues from advertising. This keeps alive all sorts of magazines and journals of opinion that are being devastated by distribution costs. It is these publications that often do investigative, cutting-edge, politically provocative journalism. <br /><br />What to do about newspapers? Let's give all Americans an annual tax credit for the first $200 they spend on daily newspapers. The newspapers would have to publish at least five times per week and maintain a substantial "news hole," say at least twenty-four broad pages each day, with less than 50 percent advertising. In effect, this means the government will pay for every citizen who so desires to get a free daily newspaper subscription, but the taxpayer gets to pick the newspaper--this is an indirect subsidy, because the government does not control who gets the money. This will buy time for our old media newsrooms--and for us citizens--to develop a plan to establish journalism in the digital era. We could see this evolving into a system to provide tax credits for online subscriptions as well. <br /><br />None of these proposed subsidies favor or censor any particular viewpoint. The primary condition on media recipients of this stimulus subsidy would be a mild one: that they make at least 90 percent of their content immediately available free online. In this way, the subsidies would benefit citizens and taxpayers, expanding the public domain and providing the Internet with a rich vein of material available to all. <br /><br />What should be done about the disconnect between young people and journalism? Have the government allocate funds so every middle school, high school and college has a well-funded student newspaper and a low-power FM radio station, all of them with substantial websites. We need to get young people accustomed to producing journalism and to appreciating what differentiates good journalism from the other stuff. <br /><br />The essential component for the immediate stimulus should be an exponential expansion of funding for public and community broadcasting, with the requirement that most of the funds be used for journalism, especially at the local level, and that all programming be available for free online. Other democracies outspend the United States by whopping margins per capita on public media: Canada sixteen times more; Germany twenty times more; Japan forty-three times more; Britain sixty times more; Finland and Denmark seventy-five times more. These investments have produced dramatically more detailed and incisive international reporting, as well as programming to serve young people, women, linguistic and ethnic minorities and regions that might otherwise be neglected by for-profit media. <br /><br />Perhaps in the past the paucity of public media in the United States could be justified by the enormous corporate media presence. But as the corporate sector shrivels we need something to replace it, and fast. Public and community broadcasters are in a position to be just that, and to keep alive the practice of news gathering in countless communities across the nation. Indeed, if a regional daily like the San Francisco Chronicle fails this year, why not try a federally funded experiment: maintain the newsroom as a digital extension of the local public broadcasting system? <br /><br />Currently the government spends less than $450 million annually on public media. (To put matters in perspective, it spends several times that much on Pentagon public relations designed, among other things, to encourage favorable press coverage of the wars that the vast majority of Americans oppose.) Based on what other highly democratic and free countries do, the allocation from the government should be closer to $10 billion. All totaled, the suggestions we make here for subscription subsidies, postal reforms, youth media and investment in public broadcasting have a price tag in the range of $60 billion over the next three years. <br /><br />This is a substantial amount of money. In normal times it might be too much to ask. But in a time of national crisis, when an informed and engaged citizenry is America's best hope, $20 billion a year is chicken feed for building what would essentially be a bridge across which journalism might pass from dying old media to the promise of something new. Think of it as a free press "infrastructure project" that is necessary to maintain an informed citizenry, and democracy itself. It would keep the press system alive. And it has the added benefit of providing an economic stimulus. If these journalists (and the tens of thousands of production and distribution workers associated with newspapers) are not put to work through the programs we propose, their knowledge and expertise will be lost. They will be unemployed, and their unemployment will contribute to further stagnation and economic decline--especially in big cities where newspapers are major employers. <br /><br />These proposals are a good start, but then the really hard work begins. We have to come up with a plan to convert failing newspapers into journalistic entities with the express purpose of assuring that fully staffed, functioning and, ideally, competing newsrooms continue to operate in communities across the country. The only way to do this is by using tax policies, credit policies and explicit subsidies to convert the remains of old media into independent, stable institutions that are ready to compete and communicate in the decades to come. To get from here to there, and especially to make possible multiple competing newsrooms in larger communities, policy-makers should be open to commercial ownership, municipal ownership, staff ownership or independent nonprofit ownership. Ideally the next media system will have a combination of the above; and the government should be prepared to rewrite rules and regulations and to use its largesse to aid a variety of sound initiatives. <br /><br />We confess that we do not have all the answers. Neither, we have discovered, does anyone else. The fatal flaw in so many sincere but doomed responses to the current crisis is that they try to do the impossible, to create a system using varying doses of foundation grants, do-gooder capitalism, citizen donations, volunteer labor, the anticipation of a miraculous increase in advertising manna and/or a sudden--and in our view unimaginable--reversal on the part of Americans who have thus far shown no inclination to pay for online content. At best, these are piecemeal proposals when we are in dire need of building an entire edifice. The money from these sources is insufficient to address the crisis in journalism. <br /><br />We have to open the door to enlightened public policies and subsidies. We need our members of Congress and our leading scholars to approach this matter with the same urgency with which they would approach the threat of terrorism, pandemic, financial collapse or climate change. We need an organized citizenry demanding the institutions that make self-government possible. Only then can we, like our founders, build a free press. The technologies and the economic challenges are, of course, more complex than in the 1790s, but the answer is the same: the democratic state, the government, must create the conditions for sustaining the journalism that can provide the people with the information they need to be their own governors.<br /><br /> <br />Mike Ghouse<br />www.MikeGhouse.net<br />www.FoundationforPluralism.com<br />www.WorldMuslimCongress.com<br /><br />Mike Ghouse is a Dallas based writer, blogger, speaker and a thinker. A frequent guest on talk radio and local television networks offering pluralistic perspectives on issues of the day. His comments, news analysis and columns can be found on the Websites and Blogs listed at his personal website.Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-36873308584960906492009-03-09T05:50:00.000-07:002009-03-09T05:52:38.394-07:00Global Media ManupulationGlobal Media Managers<br /><a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html">http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html</a><br />by Michael Barker<br /><br />(Swans - March 9, 2009) On January 13, 2009, the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), a recently formed <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art14/barker05.html">international media manipulator</a>, released a report titled, "<a href="http://cima.ned.org/624/soft-censorship.html">Soft Censorship: How Governments Around the Globe Use Money to Manipulate the Media</a>." The report documents the manner in which various governments manipulate media systems within their own countries (e.g., the Ukraine and Chile). Significantly the report fails to identify the US government's extensive efforts to manipulation of media systems in those same countries or the conduct of CIMA itself. When it is revealed that CIMA is a project of the US government's CIA-inspired National Endowment for Democracy (NED) this failure is contextualised. <a name="01">For</a> example, by providing strategic support to local media projects the NED played a key role in facilitating Ukraine's Orange Revolution (in 2005), and in catalysing the ouster of Chile's resident dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1987. <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#1">(1)</a><br /><br />The first sentence of the executive summary of CIMA's report notes, without irony, that: "As once openly authoritarian regimes have moved toward more democratic societies -- or at least toward the appearance of democratic ones -- an insidious form of censorship has arisen." <a name="02">Such</a> a statement expresses the anti-democratic function of the media in the United States itself. <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#2">(2)</a> That is, the media empire in the U.S. operates to bring pressures upon mainstream US journalists to self-censor and conform to capitalist ideology. Such pressure facilitates the transition from pseudo democratic forms of governance to openly authoritarian (media-backed) regimes.<br /><br /><a name="03">This</a> short article does not critique the content of CIMA's latest report; however, it is necessary to point out that almost all of the "independent" media groups referred to within the report have secured support from the National Endowment for Democracy at some point of their operations. <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#3">(3)</a> Instead this article scrutinizes a number of rarely mentioned democracy-manipulators whose work can be indirectly connected to Don Podesta, the author of the CIMA report. The point of this scrutiny is to demonstrate how deeply such media manipulators have insinuated themselves into global civil society, so that concerned activists can more effectively resist their hegemonic influence.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Don_Podesta">Don Podesta</a> presently serves as consultant to CIMA. Prior to his engagement as consultant he served as a board member of the Inter American Press Association, and acted as "an assistant managing editor/copy desks at The Washington Post, where he worked for 27 years." His ties to the Inter American Press Association help explain his current role as consultant, as in earlier years this association had formed an alliance with the corporate media to help oust the Allende government in Chile in 1973. More recently the Inter American Press Association has acted in a <a href="http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/3308">similar fashion</a> against President Chávez in Venezuela. An understanding of this background makes it relevant that The Washington Post's deputy managing editor, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Milton_Coleman">Milton Coleman</a>, served alongside Podesta, until recently, on the board of the Inter American Press Association -- a group that might be considered to be just one of many CIMA precursors.<br /><br />Given that both Podesta and Coleman have ties to The Washington Post an examination of other links that <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Washington_Post_Company">The Washington Post Company</a> has to various philanthropic media manipulators is informative. This is because the long serving vice president of the Washington Post Company, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Patrick_Butler">Patrick Butler</a>, also currently serves on CIMA's advisory council. In addition, two other board members of the Washington Post Company are affiliated to important democracy-manipulating media ventures: these are the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Warren_E._Buffett">Warren Buffett</a> (who serves on the advisory board of the International Center for Journalists -- a group that in turn obtains funding from the National Endowment for Democracy), and the former president and publisher of Akron Beacon-Journal, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_L._Dotson%2C_Jr.">John Dotson, Jr.</a> (who serves on the journalism advisory committee of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation).<br /><br />The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (also known as the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Knight_Foundation">Knight Foundation</a>), is a major supporter of seemingly "independent" media projects, and was created in 1940 with monies generated from the Akron Beacon Journal. Since 2005, the president and CEO of the foundation has been <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alberto_Ibarguen">Alberto Ibarguen</a>, the former publisher of The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald. Ibarguen maintains impressive democracy-manipulating credentials, as he is a US member of the <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker12.html#11">imperialist</a> Inter-American Dialogue, board member of the <a href="http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/16649">CIA-linked</a> Council on Foreign Relations, and has held high-level appointments within a number of media-manipulating groups like the Freedom Forum's Newseum, and the Inter American Press Association. Ibarguen, however, is a board member of the newly formed and ostensibly progressive investigative journalism project, Pro Publica -- for a critique of this organization's work see "<a href="http://www.spinwatch.org/-articles-by-category-mainmenu-8/42-media-spin/4706-investigating-the-investigators">Investigating the Investigators: A Critical Look at Pro Publica</a>."<br /><br /><a name="04">The</a> Knight Foundation supports a number of media projects, one of which is the Internews Network. This is a significant show of support as the Internews Network is a large media agency that has a <a href="http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/3724/">long history</a> of collaboration with the US government and the National Endowment for Democracy. Created in 1982, Internews, like CIMA, promotes a special brand of independent media; that is, media that is independent -- or free -- of any questioning of the hegemonic US media.<a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#4">(4)</a> In 2005, the president of Internews, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=David_Hoffman">David Hoffman</a>, co-wrote an article (with conservative commentator <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Helle_Dale">Helle Dale</a>) in which he observed that his network played a crucial role in the "<a href="http://www.internews.org/articles/2005/20050624_washtimes_oped.shtm">war of ideas</a>," a war that he believes should rely upon the "two pillars of American democracy -- free enterprise and free media." According to many critical media scholars these "pillars" are more likely to undermine American democracy than strengthen it. For instance, with regard to US mainstream media consumers, Michael Parenti writes:<br /><br /><a name="05">The</a> sinister commandant who tortures Winston in [George] Orwell's 1984 lets us know he is an oppressor. The vision of the future is of a boot pressing down on a human face, he tells his victim. The ideological control exercised in the United States today is far more insidious. Power is always more secure when cooptive, covert, and manipulative than when nakedly brutish. The support elicited through the control of minds is more durable than the support extracted at the point of a bayonet. The essentially undemocratic nature of the mainstream media, like the other business-dominated institutions of society, must be hidden behind a neutralistic, voluntaristic, pluralistic facade. "For manipulation to be most effective, evidence of its presence should be nonexistent.... It is essential, therefore, that people who are manipulated believe in the neutrality of their key social institutions," writes Herbert Schiller. <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#5">(5)</a><br /><br />Returning to Internews, strong criticisms of their ambitions to promote US foreign policy interests in the global war of words have come from foreign governments all over the world. It is correctly argued that Internews, along with other foreign NGOs, are operating illegally by manipulating their political systems in the same way that the U.S. would cry foul if China or Venezuela were bankrolling independent media outlets in the U.S. Following on from this point, some leaders have fittingly restricted the ability of foreign-financed NGOs to operate within their countries, as such selectively backed NGOs are considered to play an important role in what have been referred to as post-modern coups, for example Eastern Europe's "colour revolutions." Thus resistance from foreign governments towards US media interventions formed a major rationale for CIMA to publish the "Soft Censorship" report.<br /><br /><a name="06">Bringing</a> us back to the present, just last week CIMA organized a workshop titled "<a href="http://cima.ned.org/797/green-journalism.html">Green Journalism: Environmental Reporting in Developing Countries</a>" with featured speakers including <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sanjeev_Chatterjee">Sanjeev Chatterjee</a>, the executive director of the Knight Foundation-supported Knight Center for International Media, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Rob_Taylor">Rob Taylor</a>, the director of Science and Environment Programs at the NED-funded International Center for Journalists, and <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jon_Sawyer">Jon Sawyer</a>, the executive director of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#6">(6)</a> Needless to say, the environment is not a new area of concern for democracy manipulators like the NED or CIMA, and the NED has been channelling funds to environmental causes and journalists for years. Instead, it is more likely that CIMA's leading concern at this meeting was not the protection of the environment, but rather ensuring that the environmental writers who influence the public are able to suitably balance the "need" for economic growth with environmental sustainability. That is, CIMA sees an urgent need for environmental journalists -- especially those based in countries that are being exploited by Western corporations -- to report in an "objective," professional manner that highlights individual cases of corruption and exploitation and thus avoid public exposure of the systemic governmental, economic, structural, and institutional reasons enabling the degradation of the world's environment. <a name="07">Last</a> week's meeting was undertaken as a means of reviewing and renewing commitment to the manipulation of environmental media networks. <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#7">(7)</a><br /><br />This article, in examining CIMA's recent work, has touched, in broad terms, on the magnitude of the US government's aim to manipulate the media. Regrettably -- other than exposing the subtle processes of philanthropic global media colonisation -- there is little that can be done to seriously reduce such influence. Thus the onus is on progressive citizens concerned with elite media manipulation to create and support vibrant media alternatives devoid of elite funding, which with persistence will allow us to build local and global movements that can ultimately render all attempts of elite manipulation futile.<br /><br />Notes<br /><a name="1">1.</a> "Chile has a long history of political inference relayed through 'independent' media. During the 1960s the newspaper El Mercurio received a helping hand from covert CIA funding to assist in the destabilization of the democratically elected Allende government, whose leadership was abruptly terminated when President Allende was assassinated in 1973 by a CIA-led coup. With Allende's government deposed, the following Pinochet dictatorship heavily censored the media, an action ignored by the U.S. However, in the late 1980s when the U.S. decided that it was time to replace Pinochet, the NED was used to provide aid to politically favoured groups -- like the Christian Democrats -- who in 1987, were able to break through the communicative barriers erected by Pinochet with their newly established newspaper, La Epoca, 'which quickly became one of the country's main dailies'. Later on in 1990, to support a US bid to oust the incumbent party, the NED provided Demokratzia (the newspaper of the opposition party -- Union of Democratic Forces) with 'US$233,000 worth of newsprint, to allow it to increase its size and circulation for the period leading up to the national elections'." See Michael Barker, <a href="http://www.uq.edu.au/sjc/docs/AMIC/Michael_Barker_Mediating_Protests.pdf">Civil Society, Empowered or Overpowered: The Role of The Mass Media in 'Promoting Democracy' Worldwide</a> (PDF), Referred paper presented to the Australian & New Zealand Communication Association International Conference, University of Adelaide, July 4-7, 2006.<br />For information about the NED's role in the Ukraine, see Michael Barker, <a href="http://www.uq.edu.au/sjc/docs/AMIC/Michael_Barker_Mediating_Protests.pdf">Mediating Protests: A Critical Examination of the Relation Between the Mass Media and Social Movements</a> (PDF), Referred paper presented to the Convergence, Citizen Journalism & Social Change: Building Capacity conference, University of Queensland, March 25-27, 2008. <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#01">(back)</a><br /><a name="2">2.</a> David Edward, "<a href="http://www.medialens.org/articles/the_articles/articles_2001/de_Rusbridger_interview.html">Interview with Alan Rusbridger (Editor, The Guardian)</a>," Media Lens, December 2000; James Petras, "<a href="http://petras.lahaine.org/articulo.php?p=1761&more=1&c=1">Mass Media and Mass Politics: Conservative, Liberal and Marxist Perspectives</a>," The James Petras Website, May 11, 2008; UKWatch, "<a href="http://www.fifth-estate-online.co.uk/comment/johntheobaldandthemedia.html">John Theobald and the Media: An Interview with David Berry</a>," Fifth-Estate-Online, April 2007. For an assortment of online documentaries that critique the US mainstream media, <a href="http://www.teachpeace.com/movies6media.htm">see here</a> (collated courtesy of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Teach_Peace_Foundation">Teach Peace Foundation</a>). <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#02">(back)</a><br /><a name="3">3.</a> A couple of examples from the introductory pages of the report include two Argentinean groups, the Association for Civil Rights and Citizen Power Foundation, and the Columbia-based Foundation for New Iberian-American Journalism. For further criticisms of the work of these groups see my articles, "<a href="http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/14419">Washington Promotes 'Independent' Media in Venezuela</a>," and "<a href="http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/17340">Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the Democracy Manipulators</a>." <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#03">(back)</a><br /><a name="4">4.</a> The "Soft Censorship" report cites <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ann_C._Olson">Ann Olson</a>, "deputy chief of party and senior advisor for Internews Network in Ukraine," as an authority on independent media. Olson is a former Knight Foundation international journalism fellow who herself recently served as a CIMA consultant, writing a report for them last year. This makes it very clear what CIMA means by really be independent. <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#04">(back)</a><br /><a name="5">5.</a> Michael Parenti, <a href="http://www.michaelparenti.org/InventingReality.html">Inventing Reality: The Politics of News Media</a> (St. Martin's Press, 1986), p.24. <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#05">(back)</a><br /><a name="6">6.</a> Headed by <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jon_Sawyer">Jon Sawyer</a>, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting describes its mission as "supporting the independent international journalism that U.S. media organizations are increasingly less willing to undertake." The Center "functions as an independent division of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=World_Security_Institute">World Security Institute</a>," a non-profit group that ostensibly supports "independent research and journalism on global affairs." <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bruce_G._Blair">Bruce Blair</a> founded the World Security Institute in 2000 (and still heads the organization), and prior to launching this group he served as a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution for thirteen years. In addition to being the president of the World Security Institute, Blair also helps head up an independent division of the institute called <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Center_for_Defense_Information">Center for Defense Information</a>, and is the executive producer for yet another division called <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Azimuth_Media">Azimuth Media</a> -- which produces the (liberal foundation supported) PBS show, Foreign Exchange, a show that was formerly hosted by "<a href="http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3593">Spokesperson for the Global Elite</a>," <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Fareed_Zakaria">Fareed Zakaria</a>. (Zakaria is the editor of Newsweek International, a board member of the <a href="http://books.google.com.au/books?id=IaKm2H-7FQoC&dq=Trilateralism&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=glWrSb6IBIT06QOwg4i0Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result">elite planning group</a> the Trilateral Commission, and he formerly acted as the managing editor of the Council on Foreign Relations journal Foreign Affairs from 1992 until 2000.)<br />Returning to the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, two particularly interesting members of the Center's six-person-strong advisory council are <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Charlayne_Hunter-Gault">Charlayne Hunter-Gault</a> (who is a former National Correspondent for PBS, and in 1992 served as a board member of the Council on Foreign Relations) and <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Geneva_Overholser">Geneva Overholser</a> (who formerly served on the editorial board of The New York Times, is a board member of the <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art14/barker05.html#07">CIMA-linked</a> Center for Public Integrity, and sits on the Knight Foundation's journalism advisory committee).<br />Finally, if the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting is not just an elite front group and is truly interested in reporting on stories that are rarely covered in the US media then they might want to investigate the acquaintances of one of their three trustees, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=William_Bush">William Bush</a>. This is because Bush is currently the partner-in-charge of <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Fulbright_%26_Jaworski">Fulbright & Jaworski LLP</a> ("one of the largest law firms in the United States"), a firm whose current executive committee chair, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Steven_Pfeiffer">Steven Pfeiffer</a>, was a former board member of the <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2112015/">CIA-linked</a> Riggs National Corporation (whose board members included the brother of George H.W. Bush, Jonathan J. Bush). A critical investigation of Pfeiffer's background might for instance examine his role as a board member of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Africa-America_Institute">Africa-America Institute</a> (which formerly received NED-funding in the early 1990s), because fellow board members with equally unsavoury backgrounds (to just mention two) include the president of the world's largest diamond supplier De Beers Inc. USA (<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Rosalind_Kainyah">Rosalind Kainyah</a>), and <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Maurice_Tempelsman">Maurice Tempelsman</a>, who similarly "has a long and bloody history in Africa." In addition, Pfeiffer is linked to a long-running "humanitarian" project known as Project HOPE, which according to their Web site, "first pioneered medical diplomacy by developing friendly relationships with peoples of different cultures and orientations, through sharing of medical knowledge and treating patients alongside health professional counterparts." Indeed, the current chair of Project HOPE, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Charles_A._Sanders">Charles Sanders</a>, is a trustee of the neoliberal Center for Strategic and International Studies, and is a board member of <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Genentech">Genentech</a> (one of the world's most successful biotechnology corporations); while another notable board member is <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=J._Michael_McQuade">J. Michael McQuade</a> (who is a senior vice president for Science and Technology for the major defence contractor, United Technologies). Project HOPE appears to play a key "humanitarian" function for corporate elites in Africa, and it even works with another controversial group known as Engender Health that undertakes "health" work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- a country that should certainly be the focus of critical "crisis reporting" by the Pulitzer Center. <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#06">(back)</a><br /><a name="7">7.</a> For instance, as reported in an <a href="http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/15896">earlier article</a>, in Russia the NED has provided support to the Environmental Rights Center's Environment and Rights Journal (which has been published since February 2002), and whose editor-in-chief, Grigory Pasko, was awarded the Fondation de France Prize in 2002 from the NED-connected Reporters Without Borders. <a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker15.html#07">(back)</a><br /><br />· · · · · ·<br /> If you find our work useful and appreciate its quality, please consider<br />making a <a href="http://www.swans.com/about/donate.html">donation.</a> Money is spent to pay for Internet costs, maintenance<br />and upgrade of our computer network, and development of the site.<br />· · · · · ·<br /><br />Internal Resources<br /><a href="http://www.swans.com/library/subjects/patterns.html">Patterns which Connect</a><br /><a href="http://www.swans.com/library/subjects/act.html">Activism under the Radar Screen</a><br /><br />About the Author<br />Michael Barker has recently handed in his PhD thesis at Griffith University in Australia. 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Scott Porter<br /><a href="http://www.swans.com/library/art15/letter160.html">Letters to the Editor</a>Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6652019923670723837.post-29084325317373813152008-02-10T22:51:00.000-08:002008-02-10T22:57:42.807-08:00Terrorists Kill Politician<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-India-Politician-Killed.html?scp=4&sq=india&st=nyt">http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-India-Politician-Killed.html?scp=4&sq=india&st=nyt</a><br /><br />Imagine if this mob was Muslim, the title would have been;<br /> <strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;">"Muslim Terrorist kills politician in Western India"</span></strong><br /><br />It is dumb and stupid to blame the religion for the acts of individuals, the title below does not mention the religion of the mob, and that is the right thing to do.<br /><br />February 9, 2008<br />Mob Kills Politician in Western India<br />By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS<br /><br />Filed at 12:03 p.m. ET<br /><br />NAGPUR, India (AP) -- A local politician was stripped, stoned and beaten to death by a mob during a rally of nearly 500 people in western India, police and party workers said Saturday.<br /><br />Dynaneshwar Sathawane, a local leader of the ruling Congress party, was campaigning for council elections in Maharashtra state Thursday when a mob of about 150 people attacked him, said local police official Y. Yadav.<br /><br />While one of his allies addressed the crowd, a mob throwing stones stormed the stage to attack Sathawane, Yadav said.<br /><br />Other officials on stage escaped, but the crowd pounced on Sathawane and beat him to death with batons and metal rods, Yadav said.<br /><br />Police have arrested 19 supporters of Shiv Sena, a powerful hardline Hindu party, over the attack. They have not been charged with murder, said state police official P.S. Pasricha. Investigations were continuing.<br /><br />The Shiv Sena, or Shiva's Army, has been blamed for instigating Hindu-Muslim clashes and for violent attacks that have set off countrywide riots. They are political rivals of the Congress party.<br /><br />Sathawane's supporters said Shiv Sena workers killed him in revenge for the slaying of a Shiv Sena official last August, said Sunil Kedar, an independent state legislator and an ally of Sathawane.<br /><br />''Shiv Sena was behind this,'' Kedar said.<br /><br />Police had not linked Sathawane to the Shiv Sena official's death, but several Congress party supporters were arrested over it, Yadav said.<br /><br />Neelam Gorhe, a Shiv Sena spokeswoman, denied her party was involved in Sathawane's death.<br /><br />''We have nothing to do with this,'' Gorhe said.Mike Ghousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01647894600183489442noreply@blogger.com0