MEDIA SCREWS UP AGAIN
Media chose the title: Muslim-American body issues fatwa against airport body scanners
The actual title: The statement of the FCNA on the use of full body scanners for security at the airports and other places
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
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”.
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.
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.
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.
All I ask of you is to sign it.
Mike Ghouse
~~~
The statement of the FCNA on the use of full body scanners for security at the airports and other places
http://www.fiqhcouncil.org/
(Issued on February 9, 2010)
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.
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.
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.
~ ~ ~
Now read the media report:
Muslim-American body issues fatwa against airport body scanners
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Muslim-American-body-issues-fatwa-against-airport-body-scanners/articleshow/5564134.cms
IANS, 12 February 2010, 12:47pm IST
Text Size:
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.
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.
"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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
In a statement, the TSA said it is committed to keeping passengers safe and also protecting their privacy.
"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.
"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."
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".
"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."
Body scanners "do not produce photos", the agency said. Rather, the images "look like chalk outlines".
~~~
My Original comments to the above:
Bad Fatwa by Muslim-American body about airport body scanners
Speak up Muslims
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Speak up Muslims, silent no more
Mike Ghouse
World Muslim Congress
27 Comments were made at Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/MikeGhouse#!/note.php?note_id=330955317773
~~~
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Monday, June 22, 2009
Biased Media reporting on Pregnant women
Biased Media reporting;
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.
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.
If you are weak at heart - please do not open this immediate link, it is too graphic
http://taptaan.blogspot.com/2009/06/blog-post_4495.html
You can read the following;
Pregnant woman thrown out of train, dies
http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/20/stories/2009062056521200.htm
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.
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.
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
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
________________________________
Pregnant Woman Shot To Death While Calling 911 - Houston News ...
Pregnant Woman Shot To Death While Calling 911. Husband Charged With Murder In Wife's Death. POSTED: Wednesday, December 28, 2005 ...
www.click2houston.com/news/5689238/detail.html
Bangkok Post : Pregnant schoolteacher shot to death
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 -
Abortionist Dr. George Tiller Shot to Death at Church on Sunday ...
May 31, 2009 ... Abortionist George Tiller was shot to death around 10:00 am Sunday, ... relieve "temporary depression" in pregnant women and for reportedly ...
www.associatedcontent.com/.../abortionist_dr_george_tiller_shot_to.html -
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.
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.
If you are weak at heart - please do not open this immediate link, it is too graphic
http://taptaan.blogspot.com/2009/06/blog-post_4495.html
You can read the following;
Pregnant woman thrown out of train, dies
http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/20/stories/2009062056521200.htm
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.
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.
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
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
________________________________
Pregnant Woman Shot To Death While Calling 911 - Houston News ...
Pregnant Woman Shot To Death While Calling 911. Husband Charged With Murder In Wife's Death. POSTED: Wednesday, December 28, 2005 ...
www.click2houston.com/news/5689238/detail.html
Bangkok Post : Pregnant schoolteacher shot to death
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 -
Abortionist Dr. George Tiller Shot to Death at Church on Sunday ...
May 31, 2009 ... Abortionist George Tiller was shot to death around 10:00 am Sunday, ... relieve "temporary depression" in pregnant women and for reportedly ...
www.associatedcontent.com/.../abortionist_dr_george_tiller_shot_to.html -
Free Press - New York Times
Old, but so true even today - maybe even more so!
John Swinton, the former Chief of Staff at the NEW YORK TIMES
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]:
"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.
"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."
#
John Swinton, the former Chief of Staff at the NEW YORK TIMES
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]:
"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.
"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."
#
Saturday, June 13, 2009
The truth about 9/11 and the essence of Freedom
http://mediamuddles.blogspot.com/2009/06/truth-about-911-and-essence-of-freedom.html
The Essence of Freedom
Mike Ghouse, Dallas
The essence of freedom is our ability to question; question everything including our belief and what our government dishes out for us to believe.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 http://www.mikeghouse.net/
# # #
The following posting comes from Tom Theimer with North Texans for 9/11 Truth posts the following;
WHAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT 9/11: Building 7 - Gone in 7 spacer
You can see a tidbit of the promotion here: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2744396/
The Essence of Freedom
Mike Ghouse, Dallas
The essence of freedom is our ability to question; question everything including our belief and what our government dishes out for us to believe.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 http://www.mikeghouse.net/
# # #
The following posting comes from Tom Theimer with North Texans for 9/11 Truth posts the following;
WHAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT 9/11: Building 7 - Gone in 7 spacer
You can see a tidbit of the promotion here: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2744396/
WHAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT 9/11: Building 7 -
Gone in 7 spacer
Buy Tickets
Saturday July 11, 2009
Plano - Conference Center at Collin College, Spring Creek Campus
2800 E Spring Creek PkwyPlano, Texas 75074 Get Directions
"WHAT YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT 9/11:
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.
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 http://www.711911.webs.com/ or http://www.building7symposium.webs.com/
function displaySpecial(desc)
Ticket Info: $10 donation includes ALL DAY PASS and Free DVD film
Buy Tickets Website: http://www.711911.webs.com/
http://www.northtexas911truth.com/
Cindy Sheehan... http://www.911blogger.com/node/20348
Here are a few places where the event is currently displayed.
- FOX 4 - http://community2.myfoxdfw.com/_60seconds-Dont-Miss-This-EVENT-/audio/467493/78592.html
- http://community2.myfoxdfw.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=7821119&as=78592&b=
http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2744396/ - http://www.pegasusnews.com/events/2009/jul/11/148820/
- http://www.dfwinternational.org/calendar/event.php?m=200907&i=4a1d32dc1d66f
- http://thingstodo.msn.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911
- http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/1155160
- http://events.linkedin.com/WHAT-ARE-NOT-SUPPOSED-KNOW-ABOUT-9-11/pub/77555
- http://www.when.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
- http://www.topix.com/forum/city/plano-tx/TUCJJO61NRUPH0CRT
- 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
Channel 33 http://www.the33tv.com/community/calendar/kdaf-community-94,0,3293116.htmlstory - Channel 5 http://events.nbcdfw.com/plano-tx/events/show/87531437-building-7-gone-in-7-what-you-are-not-supposed-to-know-about-911
- Channel 8 http://www.wfaa.com/membercontent/videos/gallery.html?plckGalleryID=63bdd1aa-e0be-4cf3-a895-4aaa4bd60a92
Monday, June 8, 2009
Fox Propaganda Site
It 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.
These guys are all about ratings and not the truth.
They dupe a few Americans well.
- Mike Ghouse
Fox Propaganda Site Goes to New Lengths to Distort Reality
By Karl Frisch
He's called former Vice President Al Gore an "evil enabler" for speaking at Netroots Nation -- an annual conference that draws thousands of progressive blog enthusiasts. He's likened Markos Moulitsas, founder of the progressive blog powerhouse Daily Kos, to white supremacist David Duke. He's even accused The Huffington Post of using the "same exact tactics that the Nazis used."
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.
In fact, just last week, O'Reilly hosted a panel of lawyers who attempted, in vain, to explain that the conservative host's "rights" aren't violated by private criticism.
Back in March, while promoting its newly launched website TheFoxNation.com, Fox News ran advertisements telling viewers that it was "time to say 'no' to biased media and 'yes' to fair play and free speech."
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.
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 article 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."
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 only to find that it in no way characterized Dodd or Frank as "[d]angerous."
That was Day One. In the two months that followed the website's launch, The Fox Nation has displayed an uncanny ability to mislead readers, twist the truth, spread wild conspiracy theories, and misrepresent the reporting of legitimate journalists and media outlets.
At times, the website has been downright frightening. In early May, it ran a photo 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.
Debunked conspiracy theories are also finding new life on the website. A headline in late May asked: "Should Obama Release Birth Certificate? Or Is This Old News?" But contrary to the question, the Obama campaign released a copy of Obama's birth certificate, 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 post that it "meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship."
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."
What has the website asked its readers? Of same-sex marriage, it wondered, "Are 'Triad' Marriages Next?" Following the reported suicide of a Freddie Mac executive, one headline asked, "Was It Suicide?" After the Department of Homeland Security declassified an April report detailing potential increases in right-wing extremism, the website queried, "Is Homeland Security Targeting Tea Parties?" Of course, these are the very same tea parties that Fox News and The Fox Nation went to great lengths promoting.
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, "Why Aren't White Males Being Considered for Supreme Court?" and "Is it Empathy? Or Is Obama Shredding the Constitution?" Of Obama's nominee, the website inquired, "Sotomayor Argued Death Penalty Is Racist... Is She?"
So, is TheFoxNation.com simply the seedy underbelly of Fox News parent company chairman Rupert Murdoch's evil, right-wing media empire?
Boy, that was easy, wasn't it?
© 2009 Media Matters for America All rights reserved.View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/140498/
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These guys are all about ratings and not the truth.
They dupe a few Americans well.
- Mike Ghouse
Fox Propaganda Site Goes to New Lengths to Distort Reality
By Karl Frisch
He's called former Vice President Al Gore an "evil enabler" for speaking at Netroots Nation -- an annual conference that draws thousands of progressive blog enthusiasts. He's likened Markos Moulitsas, founder of the progressive blog powerhouse Daily Kos, to white supremacist David Duke. He's even accused The Huffington Post of using the "same exact tactics that the Nazis used."
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.
In fact, just last week, O'Reilly hosted a panel of lawyers who attempted, in vain, to explain that the conservative host's "rights" aren't violated by private criticism.
Back in March, while promoting its newly launched website TheFoxNation.com, Fox News ran advertisements telling viewers that it was "time to say 'no' to biased media and 'yes' to fair play and free speech."
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.
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 article 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."
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 only to find that it in no way characterized Dodd or Frank as "[d]angerous."
That was Day One. In the two months that followed the website's launch, The Fox Nation has displayed an uncanny ability to mislead readers, twist the truth, spread wild conspiracy theories, and misrepresent the reporting of legitimate journalists and media outlets.
At times, the website has been downright frightening. In early May, it ran a photo 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.
Debunked conspiracy theories are also finding new life on the website. A headline in late May asked: "Should Obama Release Birth Certificate? Or Is This Old News?" But contrary to the question, the Obama campaign released a copy of Obama's birth certificate, 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 post that it "meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship."
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."
What has the website asked its readers? Of same-sex marriage, it wondered, "Are 'Triad' Marriages Next?" Following the reported suicide of a Freddie Mac executive, one headline asked, "Was It Suicide?" After the Department of Homeland Security declassified an April report detailing potential increases in right-wing extremism, the website queried, "Is Homeland Security Targeting Tea Parties?" Of course, these are the very same tea parties that Fox News and The Fox Nation went to great lengths promoting.
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, "Why Aren't White Males Being Considered for Supreme Court?" and "Is it Empathy? Or Is Obama Shredding the Constitution?" Of Obama's nominee, the website inquired, "Sotomayor Argued Death Penalty Is Racist... Is She?"
So, is TheFoxNation.com simply the seedy underbelly of Fox News parent company chairman Rupert Murdoch's evil, right-wing media empire?
Boy, that was easy, wasn't it?
© 2009 Media Matters for America All rights reserved.View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/140498/
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Saturday, June 6, 2009
New York Times intimidated by the Lobby
Intimidation at the New York Times: How the Israel Lobby Silenced 2 Leading Columnistsby Kitchen Table Cartoons on June 2, 2009
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.
Then the Israel lobby went to work on him.
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."
These relentless attacks worked their desired effect.
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.
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.
Columnist Frank Rich , too, once offered intelligent criticism about events in the Middle East.
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.
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.
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.
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? ")
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.
Mainstream media has failed us. America will live with the consequences
Mike's comments:
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.
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.
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.
More on the panel of my blog:http://israel-palestine-dialogue.blogspot.com/2009/06/harsh-turn-against-israel.html
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The road not taken by the Media
The road not taken
Mike Ghouse
http://interjunction.org/article/the-road-not-taken/
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.
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?
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.”
Could one say that the government in the United States was kept out of the news business in the past, but not any more?
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.
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.
The qualities of a commander-in-chief
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.
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.
Journalists can still ask the candidates this question. Will they?
Precedent and patterns in the Rev. Wright controversy
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.
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.”
“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.’”
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.
The burning of the US embassy in Kosovo
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.
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?
The war in Iraq
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.
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.
Was their inability to ask the right questions of the administration not a colossal blunder on the part of the mainstream media?
Mike Ghouse is a writer and activist based in Dallas. He runs the blogs Foundation for Pluralism and World Muslim Congress.
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