Gingrich Compares Media To Pravda

Newt goes Hydrogen-Bomb level nuclear on the News Media:



That, folks, is about 500 layers of pure awesomeness (Pravda!!!) - not to mention honesty. Indeed, aside from FOX News, every single one of the major media outlets and newspapers has been so blatantly biased towards Senator Obama that it goes beyond simple dishonesty and shame. As Newt points out, these people want Obama to win so badly that they are willing to go to any length to try and make that happen.

To quote Mark Twain:

"Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It is far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your honor. That awful power, the public opinion of a nation, is created in America by a horde of ignorant, self-complacent simpletons who failed at ditching and shoemaking and fetched up in journalism on their way to the poorhouse."

Vote McCain/Palin.

The News You Need To See

A bombshell news item out of Iraq today, albeit one you likely won't read in any newspapers or see on TV. Thankfully, however, we have Michael Yon, the tireless, freelance reporter, to give us the full story from Iraq. And the story that he reported earlier today is a stunning one; and that is that, according to the leader of the Iraqi Islamic Party "Al Qaeda in Iraq has been defeated."

Read the whole thing here.

And, for you doubters who might be a bit skeptical of the IIP's leader, consider this story from, of all places, the Washington Post just a few weeks ago. The U.S Military harbors similar sentiments on the state of Al Qaeda in Iraq - but, after President Bush's 'Mission Accomplished' fiasco, haven't come forth due to reservations about the political consequences of making such statements.

The task is not finished and there's some serious work left to be done - but the defeat of Al Qaeda sure would make things a hell of a lot easier. And for that, we offer the sincerest of thanks and the heartiest of salutes to General David Petraeus - the man who seems to be doing the impossible.

Why Does He Even Bother?

This article brings to mind that ol' story about President Bush and the Pope.

You know, the one where the two men are riding down the Potomac in a boat with several other diplomats and such, when the Pontiff's white hat thing blows off into the river. President Bush then calmly climbs over the side of the boat, walks across the top of the water to retrieve the hat, then walks back and hands it to the Pope. The headline in the media the next day: "Bush Can't Swim!!!"

Seriously, the number of civilian and Military deaths in Iraq is going down, so what do these brilliant reporters decide to write a story about? Why, how these declining casualty rates have negatively affected the funeral businesses in Iraq!

Spin that war coverage, baby - spin that shit like your life depends on it!

Come to think of it, it's no wonder most people in this country are opposed to The War - when you get media coverage as crappy as this, it's hard to be a fan.

The AP Goes Islamic!

Extremely interesting news on the Media front of the Iraq War. It seems that the Associated Press (one of the two biggest providers, along with Reuters, of Iraq news for Americans), has been relying heavily on two very untrustworthy sources for the last several months. As a result, stories that are either entirely or partially false have been depicted as fact back here in the U.S.

Specifically, in question is one 'source' who claims to be a member of the Iraqi Police. Only problem is, neither the U.S Central Command nor the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior has any record of this person even existing, much less being authorized to speak with the Western media! The man in question, who goes by the name of Capt. Jamil Hussein, has been heavily cited as a source by the AP since at least June. It is likely that this Hussein is simply a Sunni sectarian, who wishes to exaggerate the extent to which violence is occurring in Iraq, especially the Shiite attacks on Sunnis, and change American public opinion to anti-war.

Scary stuff! And, at least in any sensible person's view, a huge blow to the credibility of news reports coming out of Iraq. Interestingly enough, NBC cited on of the questionable Hussein's reports when they declared Iraq to be in 'Civil War' yesterday. That report talked about the supposed burning alive of 6 Sunnis; only problem is, the only person who can confirm the incident is Jamil Hussein - local civilians, U.S Central Command, and the Iraqi Government have all denied the incident ever occurred! So you see, all this unethical and questionable 'reporting' that is done by the AP really does have serious harmful consequences back here in the United States. Indeed, the biased ignorance of AP reporting has gone so far as to warrant an official letter of complaint from U.S Central Command.

I'm not going to write anymore on the story, however, here's the link to Flopping Aces' (who originally broke the story) detailed and excellent presentation/analysis:

Flopping Aces

"Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It is far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your honor. That awful power, the public opinion of a nation, is created in America by a horde of ignorant, self-complacent simpletons who failed at ditching and shoemaking and fetched up in journalism on their way to the poorhouse." ~ Mark Twain

Because You Won't See This On CNN

So what is this mysterious item you won't see on CNN? Why, good news from Iraq, of course.

Here's the article.

Here's two excerpts just to give you a taste:

"While the world’s attention has been focused on Baghdad’s slide into sectarian warfare, something remarkable has been happening in Ramadi, a city of 400,000 inhabitants that al-Qaeda and its Iraqi allies have controlled since mid-2004 and would like to make the capital of their cherished Islamic caliphate.

A power struggle has erupted: al-Qaeda’s reign of terror is being challenged. Sheikh Sittar and many of his fellow tribal leaders have cast their lot with the once-reviled US military. They are persuading hundreds of their followers to sign up for the previously defunct Iraqi police. American troops are moving into a city that was, until recently, a virtual no-go area. A battle is raging for the allegiance of Ramadi’s battered and terrified citizens and the outcome could have far-reaching consequences."

Another:

"Colonel MacFarland estimates that 70 per cent of Ramadi’s population now openly backs the security forces, and says that his priority is to get the telephones working so that people can provide tips about weapons caches without fear of reprisals.

He predicts that by some time next year the Iraqi security forces will be able to take over from the US military and “dominate the security environment in Ramadi”."

Read the whole thing, because, if you care, its worth it. And Remember, just because you don't see any good news from Iraq on your TV; don't mean it ain't happenin'.

Good Evening! And Thanks For Watching al-CNN!

I have completely and utterly lost all respect for CNN. Not that I had a whole lot to begin with, but still; what they did yesterday was utterly disgusting. In case you haven't heard; CNN obtained a video produced by al-Qaeda that showed American soldiers being killed by Islamo-fascist snipers. You may be wondering what, exactly is so unacceptable about this video - well, I'll tell you. Better yet, why don't I simply reprint the letter of complaint I sent to CNN late yesterday/early this morning! Here it is:

"Yesterday, your, normally, reputable news organization severely tarnished its reputation. On your website, you headlined a video in which Iraqi insurgent snipers targeted and killed American Soldiers. This is highly inappropriate content to display on a legitimate news webpage. I would expect to see this kind of content in the dark corners of the internet or the discussion boards frequented by members of al-Qaeda - not on a mainstream website such as CNN.com. Not only is the violent content of this video disconcerting and unworthy of your presentation; but the utter disregard which you have shown for the American Troops in the video and their families is truly disgusting. How many of the producers, anchors, and employees of CNN would like to have the brutal death of their son, husband or father broadcast to the entire world? My guess is a paltry number, if any.

Furthermore, in captioning this video, your organization stated that, despite its content, it was still necessary for this video to be shown. Would you have done the same had this been simply a criminal domestic incident? I highly doubt you would have considered video footage (had there been any) of the DC sniper, from a few years back, ‘headline worthy’ – and for good reason. The way to detail the murder of an individual at the hands of a sniper is simply to write an article in which you note the deceased and their tragic cause of death. Using video footage goes ‘over-the-top’ in delineating this particular type of story. Moreover, when news reports become ‘over-the-top’ this indicates that the objectivity of the news reporters has been lost; and they have attempted to make an additional, subjective, point or argument with their story. That is not the job of a news reporter.

I hope you will reconsider your dissemination of this video. Furthermore, in the future, I sincerely expect that your news organization will utilize better judgment when deciding what content to place on its website.

Thank you for your time."

So there you have it! If you can't tell by now I really thought this was an extremely inconsiderate and stupid thing for them to run. One thing that I didn't mention in the letter, that I think is worth noting here, is that this type of 'news reporting' is what plays directly into the hands of the enemy and gives them better and better odds of winning. Al-Qaeda and the other Islamo-fascists cannot beat us militarily. They just can't. There is no way that insurgents can defeat the Marine Corps. The way that the Jihadists will win is by winning the P.R war. That's how Hezbollah was able to 'defeat' Israel despite getting the shit kicked out of it militarily. They win by breaking our will; not by out-fighting us.

So congratulations to CNN for receiving the most recent edition of the Walter Cronkite "Doing Our Best to help America Lose" Award!

You know, whenever Conservatives point out the terrible Left-Wing media bias, Liberals are always quick to shout "FOX News is Right-Wing;" which to a minor extent is true. But regardless of how biased you think FOX News actually is - at least they're on our side.

The English al-Jazeera

In what must be an effort to make it easier for all us infidels to understand how dumb we are the famed al-Jazeera network has now decided to do broadcasts in the English language. So, in case CNN messed up any of the translations, or if you were unsure exactly what their News broadcasts were saying, I've discovered a clip for you on YouTube.

So here it is.

Enjoy! ;-)

The Eye of the Media

As I briefly mentioned in my last post, the role of the media in warfare has changed dramatically with the advances of technology. Media outlets such as CNN and FOX are able to report on the spot, without delay. In 2003 we were able to watch live pictures of Baghdad being bombed. From the First Gulf War to the conflict in Kosovo, all military movements in the 1990's were closely monitored by the mainstream media and, as the decade progressed, cable news. Perhaps most importantly, the media is able to bring us up-close and personal with the suffering that war entails. Specifically that felt by civilians, soldiers and their families.

The value of this coverage, however, is another story. Does it do us, as a Nation at war, any good to hear about all of these things so personally and so soon? In her book Statecraft, Margaret Thatcher notes that "by dramatising even more the grieving of the families of servicemen who are lost, [the media undermine] national resolve to fight and risk casualties." And I couldn't agree more.

In the past, part of what made Nations or peoples willing to fight and support wars was the fact that they were rarely confronted with the true tragedies of the war. Sure, you might have to drive your car less, or conserve more food, but the actual suffering never hit home unless you were one of the few who knew someone that died. On top of that, the Government usually did a pretty good job of propagandizing its citizens, or at least keeping them up to date with the good news. And this was for good reason. Most people just don't have the stomach to witness a war up-close and personal, the way the modern media likes to give it to them.

Most people have a sort of 'pity complex' built in to them that prevents them from pursuing the ultimate objective when they find death in the way. They want to find a way to come up with a 'safer plan,' or one 'that will cost fewer lives.' The only problem is that in war, time is blood. Or, as George Patton once put it, "A good plan implemented now, is better than a perfect plan implemented next week." Most politicians, and any good General, understand this; the majority of the public usually doesn't.

For example, D-Day in World War II came at an immense cost of life, but no one would be foolish enough to deny its importance. Conservatives often joke about how the modern media would portray the D-Day invasion - with a sensationalized importance on the cost of life, and only a passing mention of the grand achievements of that day. However, underlying the sarcasm of that remark is a hard truth. And that is simply that the modern media gives the public too much of the bad, and not enough of the good. The modern media hurts war efforts. The exposure that people get to a War nowadays, is simply too much for them to handle.

Now, this is not to say that human life is trivial and unimportant. Please don't try use that naive argument, I understand the 'cost of war.' The thing is, that in trying to find the most efficient outcome, with, interestingly enough, the lowest cost of human life in the long run, moves have to be made that don't usually set well in the court of public opinion. Unfortunately, any modern war, thanks to the media, will have most of these moves put out in the open. As such, fighting a war in modern times, and maintaining support for that war, will be much, much more difficult.