Loathing the Media
Base10 has been a little introspective of late. There are major things going on in Iraq and elsewhere. Base10 had the usual shoutfest with the Sunday morning pundits yesterday. Remarkably, Colin Powell was able to appear on every major talk show! This in spite of being in Jordan! I guess those wacky guys over at DARPA have finally gotten the bugs worked out of that space/time continuum teleportation device. The biggest thing about Powell's appearances was the abrupt attempt to cut Tim Russert's interview short by one of Powell's press flak's. I didn't see this, but Russert's reaction was a little overblown since it seemed to be a misunderstanding over NBC going over it's allotted time.

But what is going on? The press has been curiously MIA on a lot of issues. But why is there this continued outrage about the Iraqi prisoner scandal and a complete failure to cover the following?

Nicholas Berg. Before I write anything, I just want to say that no one deserves to be executed like Nicholas Berg. The US would not have treated its worst enemy this way. Even Osama, should he be captured alive, will be given a trial. Saddam sure is. Assuming that the facts about 9/11 are as true as they obviously are, when Osama receives the death penalty, he will likely be given lethal injection. The most powerful nation on earth does not engage in brutality for brutality's sake. Kudos to Colin Powell on Sunday for criticizing the Arab world for its insufficient reaction to the tragedy of Nicholas Berg. (And don't forget Daniel Pearl, who suffered the same fate, though less publicized). Mr. Powell, didn't you know? The Berg execution didn't happen.

That being said, who is this guy Berg? What was he doing in Iraq. A couple of facts just begging for explanation:

- His father is obviously a left-wing nut-job. In the immediate aftermath of his son's death in hideous fashion at the hands of Arab extremists, the senior Berg placed blame squarely on the President and the Secretary of Defense. I realize people as upset as this can say dumb things, but after a career's worth of seeing people react to the deaths of loved ones, Base10 thought his reaction at a press conference was a little unusual.

- The senior Berg also had "proof" that Nicholas Berg had been in US custody and warned to leave Iraq. After his release, Berg fell into the hands of his executioners. It is possible that Beg was in the custody of Iraqi security forces. Where is the investigation?

- What exactly was Berg doing in Iraq? He has been described as an adventurer and entrepreneur. Right. This is like Base10 describing himself as a "noted political commentator." In any event, the few media outlets picking up on this have largely ignored the obvious questions.

- Don't forget the granddaddy of all coincidences. Berg had contact with Zacarias Moussaoui and even gave him his email password. His father's response, "It turned out this guy was a terrorist and that he ... used my son's e-mail, amongst many other people's e-mail who he did the same thing to" is retarded. The answer is no; rational college students do not give their email passwords to total strangers.

Where is big media on this? Doesn't this issue cry for further investigation?

The DoD Program to Interrogate Terrorists That Was So Secret, Even the Pentagon Didn't Know About It. In a story breaking Sunday, Seymour Hersh in Monday's New Yorker, cites unnamed officials in new allegations that the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal was due to the application of a top secret intelligence gathering program designed for use against top al-Qaida operatives. The use of intimidation techniques as shown in the digital photos was expanded to Iraqi prisoners as the insurgency became more widespread. The expansion of this program was reportedly due to--a drum roll please, as if you didn't already guess--Donald Rumsfeld. (Oh and the President knew about it too). Of course this story was immediately picked up by Al Jazeera and reported as fact.

Gay Marriage. Today a small part of democracy died in Massachusetts. A group of unelected judges decreed that gay couples can get married. I've written about this before. To reiterate, Base10 does not have strong feelings about the substantive issue of allowing gay couples to marry. He has seen the widespread acceptance of the concept of domestic partners in his field, and it did not result in the end of civilization as we know it. Base10 sees two issues here, again ignored by big media, which basically reflect his reservations about the gay marriage issue:
(1) What Happened to Democracy? The infuriating thing about the Mass. Supreme Judicial Court's ruling is that it seems to take all authority away from the elected representatives. Under the seemingly bizarre legal system of the Bay State, no law overturning the court's ruling can take effect until 2006! However you look at it, this is not in any way democratic.
(2) Coverage of this issue is broken down into two halves. The first half has a quote or sound-bite from an articulate and respected and reasonably sounding member of the gay rights community. The "opposition" quote is from some yahoo far-right religious zealot claiming that gays are evil. For example, check this out in Reuters:

First Quote:
"This is a great moment for equality and liberty that will have tremendous significance for families across the country," Compton [one of the named party in the original lawsuit] told reporters.

Second Quote:
"[A] handful of anti-gay protesters turned out with signs like 'God Hates Fags' and one conservative activist said a 'death certificate' had been issued for the institution of marriage.

The media seems to have forgotten that there are thoughtful sincere people who are not evil but are uncomfortable about the idea of gay marriage. These people have not only been disenfranchised by the usurpation of political power by the courts, they have even been denied a right to be heard by the media. People opposed to this measure are not evil simply by virtue of their opposition. And if you can't feel strongly about a moral issue or have your elected representatives act upon it prior to 2006, can you really expect anything from civil government?

The Death of Democracy? Not so fast!
Another thing that made Base10 angry during the Sunday Morning Shoutfest was the suggestion by Senator Joe Biden on Meet the Press, that we might as well give up on democracy in Iraq. He said the most we can hope for is a "stable" and "representative government." Stupid Arabs! They can't possibly be civilized enough to appreciate democracy and the feckless politicians that go along with it. Fledgling Arab democracies like Iraq only have politicians that are willing to die to save their country from extremists and dictators. Interim Council Chief Izzadine Saleem was killed during a terrorist attack. He was quickly replaced by Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer who apparently isn't petrified by fear like his American political counterparts since he stated that "the march toward building a democratic, federal, plural and unified Iraq" would continue. "God willing, the criminal forces will be defeated despite all the pain they are causing to our people and their heroic leaders." Here here, sir! Let's hope Senator Biden remembers to send a sympathy card.

Those Pesky Weapons of Mass Destruction.
In a breaking story, military official are investigating reports of the use of a sarin gas laden artillery shell in a roadside booby-trap in Iraq today. Of course, the reporters were careful to point out that the bomb maker may not have known the artillery shell contained sarin.

For the Love of the French. Film Director/Imbecile and Ruthless Self-Promoter Michael Moore got standing ovations at Cannes today after the screening of his new movie. He gave a speech excoriating George Bush, which naturally played well to his French audience. If there's one thing worse than an actor making a comment about politics, it's a director making a political statement. I suppose when Michael Moore went to film school he took courses in such things as "strategic deterrence" or "political theory" between courses in "film composition" or "history of cinematic expression." Of course, since my educational background obviously makes me an expert in film making, let me say it right now. Your movies suck.
- posted by Base10 @ 12:25 PM