Re: [Biofuel] Bill Maher's closing bit
Brian Rodgers a écrit : >A friend who recently returned from England to the US wrote: >Yes, I'm back with a whole new perspective on politics here in >America. Helloo, sheeple. We are being fed the White House line by >the unquestioning TV news, and print journalism isn't much better. No >one is searching for the truth, they're just swallowing the Bush spin >whole. > > (...) Reuters says U.S. troops obstruct reporting of Iraq Wed 28 Sep 2005 7:11 AM ET By Barry Moody LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The conduct of U.S. troops in Iraq, including increasing detention and accidental shootings of journalists, is preventing full coverage of the war reaching the American public, Reuters said on Wednesday. In a letter to Virginia Republican Sen. John Warner, head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Reuters said U.S. forces were limiting the ability of independent journalists to operate. The letter from Reuters Global Managing Editor David Schlesinger called on Warner to raise widespread media concerns about the conduct of U.S. troops with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who is due to testify to the committee on Thursday. Schlesinger referred to "a long parade of disturbing incidents whereby professional journalists have been killed, wrongfully detained, and/or illegally abused by U.S. forces in Iraq." He urged Warner to demand that Rumsfeld resolve these issues "in a way that best balances the legitimate security interests of the U.S. forces in Iraq and the equally legitimate rights of journalists in conflict zones under international law". At least 66 journalists and media workers, most of them Iraqis, have been killed in the Iraq conflict since March 2003. U.S. forces acknowledge killing three Reuters journalists, most recently soundman Waleed Khaled who was shot by American soldiers on Aug. 28 while on assignment in Baghdad. But the military say the soldiers were justified in opening fire. Reuters believes a fourth journalist working for the agency, who died in Ramadi last year, was killed by a U.S. sniper. "The worsening situation for professional journalists in Iraq directly limits journalists' abilities to do their jobs and, more importantly, creates a serious chilling effect on the media overall," Schlesinger wrote. "By limiting the ability of the media to fully and independently cover the events in Iraq, the U.S. forces are unduly preventing U.S. citizens from receiving information...and undermining the very freedoms the U.S. says it is seeking to foster every day that it commits U.S. lives and U.S. dollars," the letter said. "SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL" Schlesinger said the U.S. military had refused to conduct independent and transparent investigations into the deaths of the Reuters journalists, relying instead on inquiries by officers from the units responsible, who had exonerated their soldiers. The U.S. military had failed even to implement recommendations by its own inquiry into one of the deaths, that of award-winning Palestinian cameraman Mazen Dana who was shot dead while filming outside Abu Ghraib prison in August 2003. Schlesinger said Reuters and other reputable international news organisations were concerned by the "sizeable and rapidly increasing number of journalists detained by U.S. forces". He said most of these detentions had been prompted by legitimate journalistic activity such as possessing photographs and video of insurgents, whichU.S. soldiers assumed showed sympathy with the insurgency. In most cases the journalists were held for long periods at Abu Ghraib or Camp Bucca prisons before being released without charge. At least four journalists working for international media are currently being held without charge or legal representation in Iraq. They include two cameramen working for Reuters and a freelance reporter who sometimes works for the agency. A cameraman working for the U.S. network CBS has been detained since April despite an Iraqi court saying his case does not justify prosecution. Iraq's justice minister has criticised the system of military detentions without charge. Schlesinger's letter said: "It appears as though the U.S. forces in Iraq either completely misunderstand the role of professional journalists or do not know how to deal with journalists in a conflict zone, or both." Reuters and other media organisations in Iraq had repeatedly tried to hold a dialogue with the Pentagon to establish appropriate guidelines on how to safeguard journalists. These efforts had failed "and the situation is now spiraling out of control", Schlesinger said. He asked Warner to question Rumsfeld specifically about the rules of engagement towards professional journalists, the failure to hold independent investigations into shooting incidents and to ask what was the guidance to U.S. forces on how to distinguish legitimate journalists from insurgents. ___ Biofuel ma
Re: [Biofuel] Bill Maher's closing bit
Nice! Joe Brian Rodgers wrote: >A friend who recently returned from England to the US wrote: >Yes, I'm back with a whole new perspective on politics here in >America. Helloo, sheeple. We are being fed the White House line by >the unquestioning TV news, and print journalism isn't much better. No >one is searching for the truth, they're just swallowing the Bush spin >whole. > >I watched the BBC news the last two weeks and then came back to see >the same stories spun from the other side on our news. For example, >according to US news outlets, there is great progress in training >Iraqi troops to take over. According to BBC, ain't happening, ain't >gonna happen anytime soon and may never happen. Who do you believe? >Also, the Brits have a very poor opinion of the Dubya and question why >their sons and daughters are also being sent to fight for the Bush >dynasty oil. Good question. > >When I returned, I found a friend of mine had sent me this. I think it >makes a very legitimate point. It's something Bill Maher said on his >show, which I don't see often enough as I don't get premium cable. > >His closing bit the other night: > >"Mr. President, this job can't be fun for you any more. There's no >more money to spend--you used up all of that. You can't start another >war because you used up the army. And now, darn the luck, the rest of >your term has become the Bush family nightmare: helping poor people. >Listen to your Mom. The cupboard's bare, the credit cards maxed out. >No one's speaking to you. Mission accomplished. > >"Now it's time to do what you've always done best: lose interest and >walk away. Like you did with your military service and the oil >company and the baseball team. It's time. Time to move on and try >the next fantasy job. How about cowboy or space man? Now I know what >you're saying: there's so many other things that you as President >could involve yourself in. Please don't. I know, I know. There's a >lot left to do. There's a war with Venezuela. Eliminating the sales >tax on yachts. Turning the space program over to the church. And >Social Security to Fannie Mae. Giving embryos the vote. > >"But, Sir, none of that is going to happen now. Why? Because you >govern like Billy Joel drives. You've performed so poorly I'm >surprised that you haven't given yourself a medal. You're a >catastrophe that walks like a man. Herbert Hoover was a shitty >president, but even he never conceded an entire city to rising water >and snakes. > >"On your watch, we've lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four >airliners, two trade centers, a piece of the Pentagon and the City of >New Orleans. Maybe you're just not lucky. I'm not saying you don't >love this country. I'm just wondering how much worse it could be if >you were on the other side. > >"So, yes, God does speak to you. What he is saying is: 'Take a hint.' " > >___ >Biofuel mailing list >Biofuel@sustainablelists.org >http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org > >Biofuel at Journey to Forever: >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > >Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): >http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > > > ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Bill Maher's closing bit
A friend who recently returned from England to the US wrote: Yes, I'm back with a whole new perspective on politics here in America. Helloo, sheeple. We are being fed the White House line by the unquestioning TV news, and print journalism isn't much better. No one is searching for the truth, they're just swallowing the Bush spin whole. I watched the BBC news the last two weeks and then came back to see the same stories spun from the other side on our news. For example, according to US news outlets, there is great progress in training Iraqi troops to take over. According to BBC, ain't happening, ain't gonna happen anytime soon and may never happen. Who do you believe? Also, the Brits have a very poor opinion of the Dubya and question why their sons and daughters are also being sent to fight for the Bush dynasty oil. Good question. When I returned, I found a friend of mine had sent me this. I think it makes a very legitimate point. It's something Bill Maher said on his show, which I don't see often enough as I don't get premium cable. His closing bit the other night: "Mr. President, this job can't be fun for you any more. There's no more money to spend--you used up all of that. You can't start another war because you used up the army. And now, darn the luck, the rest of your term has become the Bush family nightmare: helping poor people. Listen to your Mom. The cupboard's bare, the credit cards maxed out. No one's speaking to you. Mission accomplished. "Now it's time to do what you've always done best: lose interest and walk away. Like you did with your military service and the oil company and the baseball team. It's time. Time to move on and try the next fantasy job. How about cowboy or space man? Now I know what you're saying: there's so many other things that you as President could involve yourself in. Please don't. I know, I know. There's a lot left to do. There's a war with Venezuela. Eliminating the sales tax on yachts. Turning the space program over to the church. And Social Security to Fannie Mae. Giving embryos the vote. "But, Sir, none of that is going to happen now. Why? Because you govern like Billy Joel drives. You've performed so poorly I'm surprised that you haven't given yourself a medal. You're a catastrophe that walks like a man. Herbert Hoover was a shitty president, but even he never conceded an entire city to rising water and snakes. "On your watch, we've lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four airliners, two trade centers, a piece of the Pentagon and the City of New Orleans. Maybe you're just not lucky. I'm not saying you don't love this country. I'm just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the other side. "So, yes, God does speak to you. What he is saying is: 'Take a hint.' " ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
