The Fanonite

After listening to Democracy Now’s appalling interview in its Tuesday, June 10 broadcast, I sent Amy Goodman a letter of complaint which I had also CCed to a few friends with interest in the subject. One of them had passed the letter on among other people to Counterpunch, who recognizing the urgency of the issue published it as an article, typos and all. The article has since generated a lot of reaction, nearly all of it positive (I have received more mail in response to this article than I have to all my past writings combined). Since today it has also been quoted by Alexander Cockburn, let me just add a note of qualification. The tone of the letter, a follow up to an earlier complaint about the lack of coverage of the AIPAC conference, was harsh because it was an immediate response and was not intended for publication. However, the substance of the complaint remains valid. This is not to say, as some have construed, that DN is abandoning its principles. I just think they have shown poor judgement (and they are not alone in this unfortunately; the whole US left, with the exception of the Cockburns, Chris Hedges, Philip Weiss and Ralph Nader, has given the lobby a free pass) which becomes all the more egregious given the particular time in history, the nature of the threats emanating from AIPAC’s podia, and the failure to investigate a power that imposes unanimity on politicians who otherwise have little in common. Other than that I remain a devoted listener, and I hope DN rectifies by giving Mearsheimer and Walt a chance to present their own case.

Following is a more precise, typo-free version of the letter:

It is with some alarm and dismay that I watched Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now! provide platform to right-wing Paksitani journalist Ahmad Rashid, long an apologist for Bush’s war-on-terror, to recycle propaganda from British tabloid press and other discredited sources. His tale about al-Qa’ida recruiting “white European converts” for terrorist acts in Europe originated with the British security services as part of their fearmongering campaign to build support for the 42-day detention without charge plan. No shred of evidence was ever offered.

Equally bogus are his claims of organized al-Qa’ida “training camps with language facilities” etc. Once again, these claims are the products of the vivid imaginations of the terrorologists proliferating in the war on terror fear factory. I suggest Amy ask Rashid to substantiate his claims or issue a retraction. (When he claims Iraq is an “Arab Middle East problem” and that it would be resolved when its neighbours “stop interfering”, I would have liked Amy to at least ask if he was aware the country is under U.S. occupation.)

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Jeffrey Goldberg is one of the Israel Lobby’s most prominent propagandists. Besides his anti-Palestinian reportage, this former Israeli prison guard also played a key role in selling the Iraq war touting the fabled Iraq-911 link. (see Alexander Cockburn, Jebediah Reed, and Spencer Ackerman’s reports on his war-pimping) Far from costing him his job, being wrong has elevated him since to the position of a sought after columnist for major US publications. And he has been unabashed in using this perch in the service of his ideology. He used the Washington Post as a platform for an attack on Jimmy Carter, as he used the extreme-Zionist The New Republic for an attack on Mearsheimer and Walt. More recently he has been vetting Barack Obama for his commitment to Israel, but interestingly enough, he has since written an article critical of the Right-wing of the Israel lobby. Even though some of his arguments echo Mearsheimer and Walt, he goes ahead and disparages them once again. Both responded in the letters page the next day. But a more thorough debunking of Goldberg’s arguments and his method comes today on Philip Weiss’s indispensable blog by scholar Jerome Slater.

Jeffrey Goldberg is perhaps today’s most prominent American journalist specializing in Israel and the U.S.-Israeli relationship. His work regularly appears in all the best places: the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Atlantic, the New Republic. That fact alone reveals the wretched state of American discourse on Israeli matters.

Here are just a few of Goldberg’s recent contributions to public discourse:

In a 2006 Washington Post review of Jimmy Carter’s book, Palestine: Not Apartheid, Goldberg wrote: “Carter, not unlike God, has long been disproportionately interested in the sins of the Chosen People. He is famously a partisan of the Palestinians…And God, unlike Carter, does not manufacture sins to hang around the necks of Jews when no sins have actually been committed.”

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There’s a south asian joke where a cuckold sighs relief at the death of his illegitimate son ‘because he looked like a dick anyway’. It would seem the father of this cretin (Ben Whitford) in the Guardian has not been afforded such satisfaction yet. However, this fellow doesn’t just look like a dick, he also acts like one. Look at this pathetic propaganda screed — this hack, to use Robert Newman’s words, has all the credulity of a 70s porn actress (’Gee mister, you mean the time machine only works if I take off all my clothes?’). This may very well have been dictated by the US state department (and there is no reason to believe it wasn’t).

In the following, Forrest Hylton tells tells the Real News this is really about manufacturing threats. (Also check toni solo’s excellent analysis of the US-Colombian propaganda campaign)

‘The price was right for some’, writes The Fanonite contributor Paul de Rooij in his sharp critique of the propaganda being churned out by the UK ‘liberal’ press on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war.

The fifth anniversary of the US-uk war of aggression against Iraq is upon us and with it the obligatory discussion about the consequences and whether it “was worth it” — to use Madeleine Albright’s infamous response. Raymond Whitaker and Stephen Foley penned The Independent’s evaluation of the war and proceeded to create a balance sheet with pluses and minuses, and discussed whether the war was justified at all. It is worth discussing their ledger and their cursory justifications of this war.

The article starts by suggesting that the war’s rationale was correct (fear of WMD, Al Qaeda, etc.), even if none of these fears actually materialized. In fact, Whitaker and Foley simply ignore all the evidence demonstrating that the stated aims of the war were all a ruse, a pretext for the war. In light of subsequent revelations, in particular the Downing Street memo, it is absurd to suggest that the motivation was anything but a deliberate lie to sell the war. Just like at the beginning of this war in 2003, no valid justification has been proffered by George Bush et al. Soldiers in Iraq today don’t know why they are there, why they are fighting and risking their lives; they merely are told to “do their job”. It is the hidden motives that are most important to provide an assessment of this war and whether it was really worth it. Alas, that is not Whitaker and Foley’s line of inquiry. It is surprising that the real reasons for the war, its geopolitical rationale (control of resources, the creation of an Israeli sphere of influence and US control of the region), don’t feature anywhere in the article.

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‘The public has to be more alert’, because Scotland ‘is set to become another Israel within five years due to the growing terror threat, it was claimed yesterday’. Who claimed? ‘Amnon Maor, head instructor of counter-terrorism warfare for the Israeli Defence Force and Israeli police’. He then goes on to announce the good news that ‘anti-terror measures will soon become a common feature of life.’

One wonders why a British daily would publish this kind of propaganda from an agent of a state which has a known interest in generating a climate of fear through which it can cultivate support for its own brutal policies, and also create opportunities for its growing ’security’ industry. But considering that this is from a story by Graham Grant in the tabloid Daily Mail (or more commonly known as the ‘Hate Mail’), one is not entirely surprised as given the paper’s editorial line, one could easily imagine a story in its january 1939 issue urging public caution against the growing threat posed by the Jew, quoting a Nazi. More from the ‘news’ item:

The international terrorism expert, who is training Scottish police, military and civilians in security tech-niques, says bag searches and metal detectors outside shops and leisure complexes will become the norm as a way of weeding out potential suicide bombers. Mr Maor also called for anti-terrorism lessons in schools to increase public vigilance and the routine arm-ing of police officers.
His warning came a day after the new head of Scotlands biggest police force said he anticipated another terror attack north of the Border within the next few years.

Is that not nice. Get them early, in the schools. Before they can think for themselves, scare the bejesus out of them and throw in a few hints about the potential ‘terrorists’. I am sure its going to do wonders for race relations.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Gordon Brown unveiled plans for Fortress Britain, announcing a raft of anti-terror measures such as bag searches and airport-style scanners in railway stations.

Yes, Gordon Brown, one of the leaders of the ‘free world’ building a bridge to the middle ages. Fortress Britain! According to Timothy Garton Ash, the British state already ‘collects more data than the Stasi ever did‘.

But Mr Maor said more must be done to ensure the public are fully
aware of the threat. He added: Scotland cannot consider itself to be immune to terror, especially after what happened in Glasgow. The public has to be educated to be more alert to whats happening or the whole of Europe, including Scotland, could be like Israel now within five years.

At least on this count — education — I agree with Maor: UK needs to be educated on what waging a needless war against an Arab country for Israel has wrought on its people. Fear. Generated by the undisputed masters of the art. The public has to be educated to be more alert to the fifth columnists who would no doubt like to turn Scotland into another Israel.

Mr Maor is working with security firm 360 Defence, based near Glasgow, to teach Scottish police and military instructors specialist anti-terror techniques such as disarming suicide bombers. The company is working with a couple of Scots police forces but refuses to name them for security reasons. Mr Maor said: In Israel, all levels of society are taught to become aware o f what’s around them. Its not because theyre paranoid its because it saves lives.

An awareness programme for crime, terrorism and drugs all rolled into one for schools and universities would greatly reduce the chances of terrorist incidents happening. Its up to government to lead the way. In Britain, not every police officer has a gun and disarming a suicide bomber without a gun is difficult not impossible, but difficult. Routine arming is a good idea but also proper training and training in verbal tech-niques so, hopefully, the weapon wont be required.

360 Defence director Simon Leila said: Just a little knowledge could save lives. If people see something out of the ordinary, they should tell the police we have to get over our British re-serve of not wanting to make a fuss in case we look silly.

In brief: ‘give me a job, dammit!’.

Today’s guest editorial is my friend toni solo’s response to the Observer smear against Chavez.

Majority world opinion was not stunned on February 3rd when the UK Observer’s web site reported a fact about Venezuela. Perhaps it should have been. After extensive investigative research with my own insecure image in the mirror, I can reveal that this undiplomatic low-level unintelligent source commented, “well, chop me off at the knees and call me tripod….” Fact : Hugo Chavez is the Venezuelan President.

John Carlin’s anti-Chavez propaganda piece, datelined the February 3rd, really does contain just that single item of substance, buried deep inside yet another fact-impoverished Observer report on Venezuela. It is the only relevant substantive fact in the article. The rest of Carlin’s piece consists almost entirely of allegations plucked from thin air and quotations from Colombian government patsies or from unidentified “high-level security, intelligence and diplomatic sources”.

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So here is UK’s esteemed Sunday publication Observer with a major ‘revealed’ story: turns out Chavez has been filling Venezuela’s coffers not from the sale of the $100 a barrel petrol, but with money made shipping cocaine for the Colombian rebel group, FARC. A revelation made by a personality no less than the Food and Cuisine columnist John Carlin for the paper, and based on evidence no less credible than the testimony of four anonymous former guerrillas. But in case you thought the ‘former guerrillas’ — if they exist — would be making such claims in the interest of self-preservation in an unforgiving climate which would otherwise ensure their certain elimination at the hands of the paramilitary death squads, rest assured, Carlin has more. He also spoke to ‘high-level security, intelligence and diplomatic sources from five countries’, all unnamed of course, ’some of them face to face in Colombia and London’. Presumably including ‘high-level security, intelligence and diplomatic sources’ from Colombia, a government with known hostility towards the Chavez government, and London, where the foreign office actually celebrated when Chavez was briefly overthrown by a coup d’etat. ‘All of them insisted on speaking off the record’, he tells us. By this time, even the most avid neoconservative would have tuned out.

Here is where it gets more curious. Carlin tells us he originally published this impeccable piece of ‘investigative’ journalism at the ‘centre-left’ (in the same sense that Tony Blair was centre-left) Spanish newspaper El País (The report he tells us was denounced in apparently the customary ‘leftist’ way as “part of a ‘racist’ and ‘colonialist’ campaign against Venezuela”.) Relations between Spain — another country which had welcome the coup and more recently whose King was involved in a verbal spat with Chavez — and Venezuela are hardly cordial, but if this isn’t really the racist and colonialist campaign against Venezuela, what would explain Spain’s largest circulation daily commissioning a UK tabloid’s food and cuisine columnist to write an unsubstantiated smear?

As Poodle begins to reap deferred bribes for services rendered in his capacity as Prime Minister, the excellent Media Lens exposes the sordid record of his Ziocon enabler, David Aaronovitch in selling the Iraq war.

If “The wages of sin is death”, the returns must seem altogether less bleak to Tony Blair. In November, Blair was reported to have received £237,000 for a 20-minute speech before an audience of Chinese entrepreneurs. While his salary as prime minister was £186,429 a year, it now takes him two high-profile speeches to earn the same amount. Analysts estimate that he could earn £3m simply by speaking 50 nights a year. Blair will also supplement his income as an adviser to international investment bank JP Morgan - a job that could net him £500,000 a year. This is all in addition to the £4.5m he is being paid for his memoirs.

Blair also finds himself in a position to reward the journalists who loyally supported him as he deceived the public and waged his wars. A notable example is Times columnist David Aaronovitch who, last November, published an article in the Times based on a three-part BBC TV interview with Blair, The Blair Years, shown later that month. Last July, Peter Oborne commented in the Daily Mail on the news that Aaronovitch had been chosen to interview Blair:

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 Too bad not every blowhard gets his due in such timely fashion. (Thanks Dave)

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has admitted he was wrong to brand the scandal of lost CDs containing the personal data of millions of Britons a “storm in a teacup” after falling victim to an internet scam.

The outspoken star printed his bank details in a newspaper to try and make the point that his money would be safe and that the spectre of identity theft was a sham.

He also gave instructions on how to find his address on the electoral roll and details about the car he drives.

However, in a rare moment of humility Clarkson has now revealed the stunt backfired and his details were used to set up a £500 direct debit payable from his account to the British Diabetic Association.

The charity is one of many organisations that do not need a signature to set up a direct debit.

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In the expanding stable of mediocrities who serve as columnists for the Guardian, Brian Whitaker is certainly not the worst. Six years back, he did write one decent article. His subject at the time were the Neocons and the various Israel lobby institutions. As any careerist hack would know, this doesn’t do one’s career much good. As a consequence,  Whitaker has turned to a subject that guarantees popularity with the powers that be: bashing Islam. These days his average article is a collection of trite quotes gleaned from random blogs which then serve as evidence of whichever prevailing prejudice he has chosen to recycle in the article.

As a born again Orientalist, Whitaker’s new shtick is the argument that the West needs to civilize the Islamic world (how original!). In his present one he is speaking about ‘honour killings’. According to him, this practice is exclusive to the Muslim world. I had to shake my head as only recently I had discovered that the primary cause of death for women under 35 in UK is domestic violence. Whitaker does quote Joseph Massad pointing out that one third of all women killed in the US are at the hands of boyfriends and husbands, but he says this is a false comparison as this is not condoned in the West. Presumably it is condoned in the East? Perhaps Whitaker knows something about the place that I missed growing up in, of all places, Peshawar. But even in Peshawar I couldn’t miss one of Jimi Hendrix’s more famous songs, Hey Joe. Subject of the song? Honour killing.

Hey Joe – by Jimmy Hendrix

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