The weblog of Christiaan Briggs
U.S. to Fund Pro-American Publicity in Iraqi Media
The Defense Department will pay private U.S. contractors in Iraq up to $300 million over the next three years to produce news stories, entertainment programs and public service advertisements for the Iraqi media in an effort to “engage and inspire” the local population to support U.S. objectives and the Iraqi government.
I love how they refer to it as “Pro-American Publicity.”
It’s called a straw man and, if I recall correctly, it’s not the first time it’s been employed on Hard News:
I have no patience for the “war is hell” walk-away argument.
Well that’s great Russ but this is not the argument put forward by those serious about ending U.S. and British crimes in Iraq.
If you want a serious argument to throw around in your musings on Western crimes in Iraq can I suggest this response on the question of withdrawl from Noam Chomsky:
There is a certain principle that we should adhere to. The principle is that invading armies have no rights whatsoever. They have responsibilities. The prime responsibility is to heed the will of the victims and to pay massive reparations to the victims for the crimes they’ve committed. In this case, the crimes go back through the sanctions which were a monstrous crime, through the support for Saddam Hussein, right through his worst atrocities, but particularly, those of the invasion. Those are the two responsibilities of an occupying army.
Well, you know, the population has made it pretty clear. Even U.S. and British polls make that clear. Overwhelming majorities want the U.S. to set a timetable to withdraw and adhere to it. Britain and the United States refuse. Reparations, we can’t even talk about; that’s so far from consciousness in the doctrinal system. Well, I think that answers the question. Doesn’t really matter what I think. What matters is what Iraqis think, and I think we know that pretty well. The reason the U.S. and Britain aren’t withdrawing are those I mentioned. You know, the consequences of independence for Iraq would be an ultimate nightmare for them. And they’re going to try to do anything they can to prevent Iraqi democracy, as they’ve been trying in the past.
Update: Turns out I misunderstood Russell’s musings. See comments for clarification.
This is similar to general U.S. public opinion, which polls in 2003 and 2004 indicated that 70% of Americans believed Saddam was involved with 9-11.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people don’t even bother to question authority, let alone find out the easily verifiable truth.
It’s a trivial matter to dismiss the idea that Saddam was “protecting al Qaeda in Iraq,” and although they’ve mentioned Saddam, 9-11 and “al Qaeda” in the same breath over and over again, subtlely reinforcing the myth, even the Bush regime had to admit there was no link between Saddam and 9-11.
Truth is the first casualty of war.
Often uttered, rarely learned.
On the other hand 72% of those surveyed are perceptive enough to realise they should leave within the next year. At least that’s in line with Iraqi public opinion.
In response to a blog of mine in which I made fun of George Bush Junior a friend of mine wrote to me, oh christiaan, it’s sad that you enjoy other’s people misery!
This surprised me; to me Bush is not some other person.
To me he’s a very important person, a war criminal to be precise. Below you’ll find photos of real misery, of Iraqi people who have been burnt to the bone by chemical weapons because this person and others like him continue to hold positions of power, because the rest of us allow them to.
Back in June I wrote about an attempted cover up by cowards in the Pentagon regarding the use of firebombs (a.k.a. Napalm) in Iraq.
Now RAI, Italy’s state-owned radio and television broadcasting corporation, has broadcast a documentary—Fallujah - the hidden massacre—that details the use of white phosphorus against Iraqi people during the U.S. assault on Fallujah in November last year.
It’s available online at RAI’s News 24 website or on Information Clearing House.
Apart from showing the heinous damage wrought by the U.S. bombardment of Fallujah, and the carnage to Iraqi people, some of whom lay sleeping, the documentary also uses witness accounts from former U.S. soldiers, Fallujah residents, video footage and photographs, to support its claim that contrary to U.S. State Department denials, white phosphorous was used indiscriminately on the city, causing terrible injuries to Iraqi people, including women and children.
In the documentary a former U.S. soldier who fought at Fallujah comments, ‘I heard the order to pay attention because they were going to use white phosphorus on Fallujah. In military jargon it’s known as Whiskey Pete. Phosphorus burns bodies, in fact it melts the flesh all the way down to the bone … I saw the burned bodies of women and children. Phosphorus explodes and forms a cloud. Anyone within a radius of 150 metres is done for.’
On top of this a document in the report claims to prove that the U.S. forces have used Mark 77 firebombs—the direct successor to Napalm—in the bombing of Iraq. As I pointed out in my blog in June, Colonel James Alles, commander of Marine Air Group 11, has already confirmed its use on Iraqi soldiers during the invasion:
We napalmed both those [bridge] approaches. Unfortunately there were people there … you could see them in the [cockpit] video. They were Iraqi soldiers. It’s no great way to die. The generals love napalm. It has a big psychological effect.
Photos sourced from RAI News 24.
Update, 29 Sep 2008, a few links added:
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