"Wrong Target"
"Al-Haditha, a town on the Euphrates northwest of Baghdad, is still a place where fighters blend into the populace and literally use civilians as cover. Coalition forces may shoot only when threatened, ground rules that call for exemplary discipline and courage in conditions where their observance increases the risk of injury or death.
That should be acknowledged in the context of what appears to have been an appalling collapse of US military discipline in al-Haditha, where 24 Iraqi civilians were allegedly murdered by a company of US Marines after a member of their patrol was killed and two were injured by a roadside bomb. America’s determination to demonstrate zero tolerance of such crimes should also be acknowledged; they in no way reflect US policy, or typify the conduct of American forces. Al-Haditha must not be made the subplot of a spurious morality play whose demon king is not terrorism, but the use and alleged abuse of US power"
Terrific piece of editorial in todays Times.
and here (thanks Jonz) "Come to Londonistan, our refuge for poor misunderstood Islamist victims"
posted by Alison @ 10:42 am
15 Comments:
Oh well done The Times. I thought via the BBC the US soldiers had already been tried and found guilty!
'vaunted bullshit'? Oh jesus Rasta knock it off.
Its a good article which expresses the sentiments of a good nos of europeans and brits.
And since the US exports its own brand of anti americanism quite happily through Michael Moore and co little wonder the MSM dance to that tune on a regular basis since you hand it to them on a plate. The US embodies everything the Euros spent centuries achieving and im sick to death of this competition. Im proud of English history and at every opportunity you are here to knock it. Tell me why you do that? When did terrorism become a dirty word in the US? At what point will you start worrying about US citizens like Babar or dont they count? So yeah lets all fire broadsides at each other in this time wasting bullshit and see where that gets the West.
My comment was in proportion to what you had posted before it was deleted Rasta and was fair enough.
You should be aware of the Michael Moore effect.
If i want superior attitudes churlishly thumbing their noses at the Brits and our culture then I need only pick up a copy of the NYT, listen to CNN, or watch any one of, oooh, about a hundred thousand american films that portray the Brits and our culture. The snobbery works both ways which is what ive always maintained. And why i dont get it at all when you are so heavy handed back at Britain or Europe here when i post this stuff. You ask why there arent too many blogs out there that do and theres your answer.
Ask yourself why I am posting this? And then by all means have a dig at the liberal intelligentsia (Yours aswell as ours) who perpetuate the rubbish. Rather than slating the ones who are trying to uproot it.
Also Rasta - you're tired? Read the post below on the flag and step over to 'Drinking from Home' for an article in our own MSM to see just how much shit we are putting up with trying to protect even the smallest symbol of our culture - the english flag.
Chas - the effect the MSM/pr has had on the decision making process in Iraq is worrying. Im not sure what happened until all the facts emerge and support fullest punishment but as the article says
"Al-Haditha must not be made the subplot of a spurious morality play whose demon king is not terrorism, but the use and alleged abuse of US power"
Alison to the majority of Americans the Brits are part of the family, our two inteligence services refer to each other as the cousins across the pond. We are in a lot of ways one people seperated by a common language...
I like some Brits and dislike others. I like some Americans and dislike others. I like some New Yorkers and dislike others. I like some of the people on my block and I like some of the people I'm related to....
Whats the point? Anti-Angloism or anti-Americanism are both based on idiotic generalizations. If you buy that that the English are snobbish, then you should also believe that Americans are ignorant cowboys.
I have no patience for people who non-satirically deal in sweeping generalizations. Only beret-wearing, boujoulais sipping, croissant munching effiminate Frenchmen have girly arguments like this one.
Rastaman,
NO mate! If Europeans think they are superior its because Americans seem so insular, generally speaking (as i noticed you do as much as anyone else) they seem to be less concerned about whats going on outside the US. and thats not me
Personally i dont think the UK is superior, your stereotyping an old School Right Wing attitutde.
sorry i know its a bit out of context now but IM sick of beiong told that im a right wing facist superior bastard, because im british
Rastaman,
Nothing gets by you, does it? You have a mind like steel trap.
Now then, I see very little (if any) anti-English reporting in the American press (which I am no defender of, mind you).
The worst English steriotypes are in American movies (My fave is prolly 'The Patriot' w/ Mel Gibson-the dumbest, most simplistic film of all time aside of Pearl Harbor and/or V for Vendetta), where English are almost always portreyed as snobbish, aloof, cold, wooden, and domineering.
In both the Euro media and in film(its worse on the continent and among the Al-Beeb aristocracy), on the other hand, there is an almost patholgical Anti-American venom. Its not in Tory sources like the London Times (or the Sun, but is that even really a source?), but its very palpable in BBC and in other British tabloids.
To address anonymous, Subjectively, my feeling is that the general American public is no dumber then the general public of France, England, or Italy. Its just that our respective news medias and political parties feed us different kool aid.
For example, while its embarassingly true that the American public is geographically ignorant, its probably due to the fact that the USA is so vast and we rarely have to deal with non-Americans in close proximity (lets face it, Canada isnt even a real country). Europeans have to be more externally oriented because they are totally surrounded by many different cultures.
If the boujoulais sipping Frenchie can point out Iran on a map whereas Bubba from Alabama can't, does that mean Frenchie is more intelligent? No, because Frenchie, although cognizant of geography, totally belives that GMO Corn will turn his child into a three headed freak and that irradiated carrots glow and will make him radioactive.
To make a long story short, I think baseline dumbness is pretty constant among the Western general public. The local media and the entertainment industry sets the tone for what the general public believes to be true.
If Frenchie immigrated to Alabama and raised little Jacques there since the age of 1, Jacques would know or care little about geography but he'd definately know most stock car drivers, "European" or not.
Me too Anonymous.
Yes L.A defo re the film industry. Id also add in CNN and the NYT as dreadfully anti English, they love thumbing their noses at us....The reporting of July 7 in the NYT was absolutely appauling!
But youre right that anti americanism in the British press is probably higher b/c you guys are the superpower thats why, youre their obsession. EQUALLY though the majority of those anti US media bastions are also VERY anti English. So theres a nice thread there.
Im trying to fight them on ALL these levels as its pretty destructive overall.
I think the main source of Anti-Americanism at the moment is the American government's stunning success at boosting Islamic terrorist activities by invading Iraq; thus bringing the axe down on our necks too. I think that's how a lot of people see it.
Then there was all those trade-tariffs on European goods (including British steel), though lifted now it made a lot of people wonder why we were helping the US.
Those endless movies featuring nasty upper-class Brits don't help either. Believe me, thanks to those I get a lot of shit from none-too-bright English people who think that because I sound like Prince bloody Charles that I must be a baby-eating rapist.
The Nobel Laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz has a philosophy of life that would seem to apply here. It’s called The Theory of Escalating Commitment:
"The cost of continuing mistakes is borne by others, while the cost of admitting mistakes is borne by yourself."
Wolfie,
I think Islamic terrorism was coming for you regardless of what Bush has done in Iraq. For example, why did Muslims plot to blow up Toronto and behead the Canadian PM? What has Canada done except whine over Iraq? There can be no avoidance of the problem that Islam poses to Western Civilization.
As a matter of fact, I'm willing to argue that Iraq may have provided an outlet for terroristic people; all the real jihadis go to Iraq and get smoked by the Marines. Thus, you don't have to deal with them at home. Many of them, that wouldn't have ordinarily been, are flame-broiled extra crispy right now.
In my estmation, anti-Americanism stems from 1) natural jelousy of the big dog (which the Brits were well used to during the 19th and early 20th centuries) and 2) scapegoatism. When you mismanage a nation like Schroeder did in Germany or Chirac has done in France, what better way to divert attenion from yourself than to blame the Americans for something? What better way to divert attention from 10% unemployment than to run article after article about Guantanimo Bay (p.s. do any of my British collegues really give a flying f*ck about what the US does to the hajis we've captured in Afganistan in Iraq? Do tell.)
Allie,
I don't read the NYT or watch CNN(I get enough lefty propaganda, thank you), but I will pay closer atention now for an anti-English slant. I simply do not doubt you reagrding this; I know the media has an axe to grind with any nation it consideres to be a Western power (especially England, which is seen by the lefty elite as the major protagonist of the mortal sin of colonialism).
Excellent Melanie Phillips article you linked to there. I'm amazed you're still allowed to hold such views, never mind publish them.
Sorry Tom ididnt see this comment...check out the BBC Have Your Say stuff today!
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