Month: October 2006

Crisis Management By William Bowles

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30 October 2006

Perhaps the most difficult thing to do when dealing with current events is to establish the link between economics and politics. Thus the corporate press never, ever present an event, the invasion of Iraq for example as having any connection with economics, indeed any attempt to do so is ridiculed (eg it’s not all about oil). The modus operandi is, keep it simple stupid, it’s good versus evil, don’t confuse the public’s mind with the complexities of real life for once you do so, an awful lot of explaining has to be done as to why countries act the way they do, none of which is in accord with the way events are portrayed in the MSM.

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Leaving the scene of the crime? By William Bowles

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27 October 2006 

“The Armed Forces Press Service recently quoted Army Chief of Staff General Peter J. Schoomaker as saying that the current level of soldiers in Iraq could remain constant through 2010.” — ‘Iraq and Afghanistan: Staying Until the Fight is Over’ October 25, 2006

The Independent’s front page head for Wednesday 25 October proclaimed loudly “We’re out of here” purportedly the words of General George Casey, the US’s head military honcho in Iraq. Of course the devil lives in the small print as any reading ‘between the lines’ reveals. And in any case, Casey’s comments are designed precisely to give the impression that a pullout is imminent when in reality, there is no way the US can leave voluntarily, there is simply too much at stake.

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Book Review: Israel and the US – Two nations under one flag? By William Bowles

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24 October 2006

Book Review: The Power of Israel in the United States by James Petras

There is perhaps no better example of the corrosive and divisive nature of racism as a weapon of imperialism than the debate (such as it is) about the power of the (misnamed) ‘Jewish Lobby’ and its relationship to or influence over US imperial strategy. I say misnamed because in reality it should be called the Israeli lobby. After all, there are many Jews who not only do not support Israel’s colonial and genocidal policies but who also do not even subscribe to the idea of a ‘Jewish Homeland’, thus the connection between being Jewish (whatever that is) and Israel has first to be defined, not in racial/ethnic or religious terms but in interests, both real and perceived, before we can attempt to get a handle on the issue. Continue reading →

Media Lens: Eating the Planet – Swallowing The Context Of “Earth’s Ecological Debt Crisis”

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24 October 2006 — Media Lens

The Bland Leading The Bland

October 9 saw one of the Independent’s explosive front-page stories on the global environment: “Earth’s ecological debt crisis.” According to a new study, humanity is “putting an intolerable strain on nature”. Martin Hickman, the Independent’s consumer affairs correspondent, explained: Continue reading →

A beginner’s guide to creating a ‘crisis’ By William Bowles

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15 October 2006

“Each party shall in exercising its national sovereignty have the right to withdraw from the Treaty if it decides that extraordinary events, related to the subject matter of the Treaty, have jeopardized the supreme interests of its country.” — Article X of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Poor old North Korea, the latest bogeyman, its leader variously described as a tyrant, psychopath etc, etc. is once more the focus of Western ire. Now in all likelihood the reason is because things ain’t going too well in Iraq or Afghanistan and the Iranians have told the West to shove it, so isn’t it real convenient to have North Korea, waiting in the wings as it were, to frighten the kids with.

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Media Lens: The Fictitious Firewall – The Mythical Divide Between Journalism And Advertising

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10 October 2006 — Media Lens

In its latest annual report on media performance, US-based watchdog Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) noted that:

“Most people are aware that news media rely on corporate advertising dollars – though the fact is rarely discussed, and when it is, editors and producers will generally insist that there’s no connection between the companies that buy ads and the content of the news.” (’Fear and Favor – FAIR’s Sixth Annual Report,’ Extra!, March/April 2006; www.fair.org/index.php?page=2848)

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Been there – done that, so it’s time to do it all over again By William Bowles

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9 October 2006

Victoria

If Queen Victoria was on the throne today I’m sure she would find the current situation comfortingly familiar and no doubt would be issuing proclamations about ‘our brave boys over there’ and the usual crop of medals would be flying out of her very royal hands along with all the usual platitudes about defending ‘civilisation’ against the heathen hordes ‘over there’.

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Lies by Omission By William Bowles

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6 October 2006

“An increasing number of people see a dark cloud hanging over Europe. They fear that the birthplace of the Enlightenment and the cradle of free speech is being silenced by the growing assertiveness of an intolerant strain of Islam.” — The Independent Editorial, Wednesday, 4 October 2006.

The London Independent’s editorial headed “Beware loose talk about a clash of civilisations” boggles the mind and my pen trembles and threatens to skitter right off the page of my ‘little red note book’ as I transcribe the words from this misleading and dangerous distortion of the facts. Continue reading →