Category: Old Dish

As U.S. soldiers slowly decimate his militia, Moqtadr al Sadr is also losing the propaganda war. Just as interesting as the apparently decisive attack in Karbala is the following news:

Special Forces soldiers led teams of Iraqi commandos to the area and drove the insurgents from the shrine during an intense firefight. The two dozen or so Iraqi commandos who helped the Americans in the battle were part of the Iraqi Counter Terrorist Force, trained in Jordan to combat insurgents. They acted under the supervision of Special Forces, who instructed them on clearing munitions from the Mukhaiyam Mosque and shrine and from the high school. Special Forces soldiers guided much of the battle on the ground, storming the mosque and setting up a base there to direct troops.

This Counter-Terrorist Force is the spearhead of the future Iraqi army. The results were impressive:

The Special Forces soldiers appeared impressed by the weapons caches found in the area. Those included powerful 155-millimeter artillery shells, Italian land mines and sniper rifles. In all, the munitions were the equivalent of more than 100 roadside bombs, one of the most effective killers of American soldiers in Iraq, a military intelligence analyst said.

The battle against Sadr may be a turning point in Iraq’s transition. Which is why the story is buried inside the NYT.

WHAT THEY PUBLISH: The Boston Globe won’t publish the most graphic parts of beheading of Nick Berg, but they will publish fake photos of alleged G.I. The same goes for the London Daily Mirror, a rabid anti-war paper whose photographs of British abuses were “almost certainly faked,” according to Blair.

Well over 100,000 visits yesterday. A new record. Thanks.

EMAIL OF THE DAY: “I just saw the Nick Berg video in its entirety. It is a case study in evil personified. These guys are cowards. They are creatures. After seeing this video I was initially shocked, scared and deeply disturbed. 30 minutes later though I was very, very angry. My view of Islamic terrorism is now set in concrete. These Islamists must be defeated. We need to take off the gloves. Every American should see this video to see the true nature of these Islamic terrorists. If evil ever infected anybody, its those guys murdering Nick Berg and posting it for everyone to see. I really feel extremely bad for Nick’s family. I wish I could give each one of them a big hug and say “I love you” to them. I wish I could help them through this horror.”

SPINNING BERG: The NYT does its usual job of trying to find the anti-Bush line even on a story as gripping and complex as Nick Berg’s. When you read the story, you find no evidence that the government or U.S. military prevented him from leaving the country. you even find the following:

The F.B.I. released a statement indicating that coalition authorities had warned Mr. Berg that the environment was dangerous, but that he had refused their offers “to facilitate his safe passage out of Iraq.” ‘ Recalling Nicholas Berg’s independence, David Berg said such a refusal would not surprise his family, although he said he had no way of knowing whether Nicholas Berg had declined assistance. He had traveled to Iraq, in part, to generate business for his fledging telecommunications company, which specializes in servicing radio towers.

So why the NYT angle? If you hate the Bush administration and the war, it’s just reflexive to look at a story like Nick Berg’s and think of an angle to embarrass the administration. Yes, the family’s understandable anger should be reported. But their anger should not dictate the entire gist of your story.

“None of this happened by accident. It is directly due to cultural depravity advanced in the name of progress and amplified by a sensation-hungry media.
* We were told putting women into combat areas is progressive and enlightened.
* We were told pornography is liberating, and that anyone who objects is a narrow-minded Puritan who needs therapy. We have been flooded with porn imagery on mainstream television and in magazine ads. Where did those soldiers get the idea to engage in sadomasochistic activity and to videotape it in voyeuristic fashion? Easy. It’s found on thousands of Internet porn sites and in the pages of “gay” publications, where S&M events are advertised alongside ads for Subarus, liquor and drugs to treat HIV and hepatitis.
* We were told homosexuality is harmless and normal, and the military should live with a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that allows homosexuals to stay in the barracks. We were told that men “marrying” men and women “marrying” women is inevitable – not only for America, but for the world. Imagine how those images of men kissing men outside San Francisco City Hall after being “married” play in the Muslim world. We couldn’t offer the mullahs a more perfect picture of American decadence. This puts Americans at risk all over the world, especially Christian missionaries who are trying to bring the Gospel to people trapped in darkness for millennia.
This is a Perfect Storm of our own making, and it is up to normal Americans to unmake it.” – religious right leader, Robert Knight, blaming America again. Let me get this, er, straight: if we allow gays to marry, the terrorists will win?

THE ROOTS OF ANTI-AMERICANISM: Here’s a fascinating account of an American’s tour in Central Asia. The author captures the level of propaganda and misinformation that is out there. Here’s an exchange with some post-Sovietized Muslim students:

The quietest girl in the class shyly suggested, “Muslims have to defend other Muslims against attack” I stopped her mid-sentence. “What if the Muslims are in the wrong? And what happens when Muslims attack other Muslims?” “Muslims don’t attack other Muslims,” she insisted. “Iran and Iraq? The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait? Should I go on?” A boy in the back raised his hand. “But Muslims have no choice but to hate the United States and declare a jihad, since the United States is always attacking Muslims,” he said. “Is that true?” I pressed. “Where have we attacked Muslims?” “I don’t know. That’s what people say.” “In Bosnia and Somalia, we were supporting Muslims,” I said. “And in the war against Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait, we were supporting Muslims who were attacked by other Muslims.” A stony silence, more of bewilderment than hostility, enveloped the room, as if I’d just announced to a group of American students that the earth wasn’t round, or that Utah was just a cartographer’s fantasy.

When people are indoctrinated, it is hard to get through. But elsewhere, there is much hope:

Nothing I heard or saw on my travels offered a single, practical clue about how to turn back the global tsunami of anti-Americanism. In fact, in Iran, where I spent my winter break reporting and vacationing, I couldn’t detect so much as a glimpse of it. No matter where I wandered there —from Qom, home of the revolution that toppled the shah, to old Bam and Tehran, passers-by stopped to chat or invite me to tea, their warmth to an old enemy perhaps the clearest reflection of their animosity toward their own government. “Why don’t more Americans come to Iran?” they asked. “We love Americans.” In Afghanistan, where I sneaked in to do some reporting just as the Taliban were sneaking out, women peeked out of their doorways, kissed my hands, and murmured, “Thank you.” The following summer, in Myanmar, strangers approached me and whispered, “Why won’t the United States do for us what you did for Afghanistan?”

We should perhaps recognize that there is much in anti-Americanism we cannot change; but that the truth of our intentions and actions will eventually be rewarded by wider recognition. The deep truth is that we are doing an amazing job for Iraqis – losing lives, spending billions. But no one enjoys being occupied and no one enjoys being reminded that they were unable to liberate themselves. Useful to remember about our current problems. Useful to remember, also, about the French.

Well, if not vice-president, defense secretary? A fascinating wrinkle on my suggestion yesterday.

“My name is Ahmad Hamza and I am an Arab American, I have been a police officer in the state of Texas for 10 years and I have seen it all. Like you and many others what happened to Nick Berg really upset me and hit me double hard because Nick is an American and his perpetrators were sadly enough Arabs. Like you said in your article, those radicals that do things in the name of Islam are no better than the KKK that claim to be true Christians. One day I would like everyone to know that true Muslims are kind and good hearted like True Christians, and people like the KKK, Al Qaeda, and other militant groups only make it worse for everyone else. Thank you for defending Islam and Muslims the way you did because I knew deep down in my heart that there were people in the US that were fair, after all we are all human and America was created by people who sought freedom of religion. I am deeply sorry for the malicious murder of Nick Berg and I hope to God that they catch those responsible. I also extend my deepest sympathies to the Berg family and tell them that my prayers are with them.”

Here’s a new slogan for the state: “Virginia Is For Haters.” And a new website. Makes sense, given the fact that the Virginia legislature has just passed a veto-proof bill to prevent gay couples from even having private, legally-enforceable contracts to protect their relationships. The social right is still silent. Will the free market right come to the defense of the formation of private contracts? Or will they wait until “activist, rogue judges” strike it down as plainly unconstitutional? Meanwhile, there is a place where a clear majority would vote – with no judicial prodding or “tyranny” – for equal marriage rights. It happens to be where I live. But in Washington, D.C., the citizens do not have any right to govern themselves (that’s left to Congressmen from elsewhere). The residents of Baghdad will soon have more democratic rights than the people who live here. I keep hearing about an American empire, but few people notice that the first colony is in the U.S. itself: the capital.

The anti-gay crusader, Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave, needs to do a little more work on her own turf. Her own county Republican party in Colorado just voted against the Musgrave Amendment to the U.S. constitution, backed by president Bush, that would strip gay couples of any enforceable legal protections for their relationships. She cannot even win the Republicans in her own county. Maybe they realize that the amendment, by writing discrimination into the Constitution and ripping up states’ rights, is, in fact, the opposite of what real conservatives would support. May the rebellion against the theocrats continue.

The Iraqi writing about the emerging new Iraq, at the blog, IraqtheModel, is well worth a read. He captures both the enormous success the U.S. is having in parts of Iraq, alongside the resentment that we still provoke. He challenges his countrymen’s cognitive dissonance:

My uncle had some unusual sense of humor that didn’t fit quite well in his somewhat religious family. He winked at me and turned to his son and asked him “What do you think of the Americans?” His son answered,
“They are occupiers”.
“So you think we should fight them?” his father asked.
Ibrahim said “No, but I don’t like them”. My uncle said, pretending to change the subject
“Do you like your new computer that no one shares with you?” “Yes of course dad”. “Ok, are you satisfied with the satellite dish receiver we have or do you need a better one?”
“This one is fine but I heard there’s a better one that gets more channels”
“ok I’ll get you that next week”. Then he said, “Is there anything else you’d like to have son?”
“No dad I have all that I need”.
“Ok but how about a car?”
Ibrahim was astounded and said “Really? a..a CAR.. for me!?”.
“Of course for you! I’m too old to drive now and my eyes are not that well and you are the older son. So whom else would it be for!?”
“Oh, dad that will be great! When will that happen?”
“Just finish you’re exams and you’ll have it”.
“I will dad”.
“Are you happy now son?”
“Yes dad, sure I am!”
“Then why do you hate the Americans you son of a b***h!? I couldn’t get you a bicycle a year ago, I could hardly feed you and your brothers and sisters. You didn’t know what an apple or a banana tasted like, I couldn’t buy you a damned Pepsi bottle except in occasions, and now you can have all that you wish, and a car of your own! Who do you think made that possible!?”
My cousin’s face turned red and didn’t answer as we laughed and I said “What do you think Ibrahim?”

We must hang in there. It would be insane, after all we have gone through – and the Iraqis have gone through – to snatch defeat from victory now.

I can see where he’s coming from, but Jonah Goldberg is surely wrong when he writes: “Well, CBS’ scoop has gotten someone killed and there will be more deaths, on both sides, as a result of this story before it becomes history.” The photographs emphatically did not get Berg killed, no more than they got Daniel Pearl killed. Al Qaeda may have exploited the photographs as a propaganda tool, but we know they need no “reason” to behead or massacre Americans. The only reason they need is that the person is an infidel and in their captivity. Believing that this is an actual response by Zarqawi to Abu Ghraib is to accept Zarqawi’s own spin.

This is the really striking thing about the Zarqawi execution of Nick Berg. Al Qaeda never learns. Listening to the hooded coward shriek on that video and reading what he says can only remind us that these people are a) vile, b) as alien to true Islam as the KKK was to the Gospels, c) pathetic and d) dumb. They think they terrify us by this? The gang-murder of an unarmed, innocent civilian? And they think that it will add to the shame of Abu Ghraib, demoralize Americans still further, and prompt a withdrawal? In fact, of course, the Berg beheading does a grim but salutary service. In the midst of our own deserved self-criticism, we are suddenly reminded of the larger stakes, the wider war, why we are in Iraq in the first place. Most Americans do not in any way excuse Abu Ghraib, but also see that any sort of moral equivalence between our flawed democracy and Islamism’s pathological hatred is obscene. In a purely strategic sense, stiffening American resolve and inflaming American outrage at this juncture is exactly what a smart al Qaeda would avoid. But there is no such thing as a smart al Qaeda. Evil can sometimes be stupid, and often is. Hitler, remember, invaded the Soviet Union. For our part, we must not take the deeper bait, which is to polarize this still further and associate these fanatics with Arabs or Islam as a whole. This is not a war against Islam. It is a war to defend Islam. And a democratic Iraq – not run by mullahs – is indispensable to that end.