Fit To Print
Good morning from mentally ill headquarters located in Vancouver’s sunny Downtown Lower Eastside. Here at MI HQ we do our best to cover the day’s events from the perspective of the mentally ill prior to our mid afternoon tee-off times (and to think there was a time when I was younger that I had a 15 handicap – just ask Salros).
Painting 2 Billion People With A Single Brush
Sheldon Richman of The Future Of Freedom Foundation penned a piece yesterday entitled Why the Peaceful Majority of Muslims Are Not Irrelevant, something that every hack out there that loves to employ the term ‘Islamofascism’ should read (not that it would make a ton of difference)…
“A few years ago, FrontPageMag.com columnist Paul Marek wrote an article titled “Why the Peaceful Majority Is Irrelevant.” His thesis was that even if the majority of Muslims abhor violence, it doesn’t matter because “the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history…. The hard quantifiable fact is, that the ‘peaceful majority’ is the ‘silent majority’ and it is cowed and extraneous.”
For Marek, the upshot is this: “We must pay attention to the only group that counts: the fanatics who threaten our way of life.”
He’s wrong. No, he’s worse than wrong, because his position could be used to justify mass murder.
Marek and those who have applauded his column point out that most Germans and Japanese during World War II were not warmongers, but warmongers controlled policymaking. The implication is that the United States was right to regard the peaceful majority as nonexistent. That’s exactly what the Allies did. Under Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Winston Churchill hundreds of thousands of German and Japanese civilians were targeted and killed in bombings that had no direct relationship to military objectives. Most people consider this morally defensible. It’s regarded as a normal part of war, although it violates traditional just-war doctrine. But why isn’t it understood to be mass murder? Marek’s answer would be that, since the peaceful majority did nothing to stop the warmongering minority, the majority — men, women, and children — were fair game.
This dubious principle has been applied to the Middle East: If the majority are peaceful, why don’t its members speak out — and act — against the radical minority? Since they don’t, “we” have the right to ignore them when “we” devise strategy and tactics to defend “ourselves.” If they die or otherwise suffer in the attacks, they have only themselves or the radical minority to blame. This principle goes beyond chalking up the deaths of innocents to “collateral damage,” because it suggests that no one is truly innocent.”
I invite you to read Paul Marek’s original piece written in 2006 published by FrontPage Magazine. When doing so, for the sake of ‘objectivity’, keep in mind that FrontPage Magazine is the anti-Islamic propaganda brainchild of David Horowitz. Beyond that, read the piece and then read Richmond’s article in full and decide for yourself which is the more intelligent and well rounded argument.
Photoshop, Not Just For Graphic Designers
Wired Magazine points out that some of the images used to bolster anti-Russian sentiment during its recent conflict with Georgia were tampered with by an Associated Press photographer. The AP has denied the accusations.
Again, read the article and come to your own conclusions.
Poland And Black Sites
When news first broke that the United States had been using secret locations in Europe to hold and interrogate detainees illegally rendered to them, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice scoffed at the assertion. Of course, as time passed, it became clear that her rejection of the idea was little more than hot air.
Yesterday’s Telegraph contains an explosive article pertaining to the uncovering of evidence that numerous key Polish Cabinet Ministers knew of the existence of a CIA Black Site in the country…
“A Polish radio station has claimed that prosecutors possess a 2006 report confirming the jail’s existence, written by Roman Giertych, a cabinet minister in Poland’s previous government, who was then head of a committee monitoring the secret services.
The station, Radio Zet, says that at least two ministers, including then justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, saw the report.
The revelations have been supported by similar claims by one of Poland’s most respected newspapers. Gazeta Wyborcza says that it has seen a document, possessed by prosecutors, proving the existence of a key CIA centre in Poland, which was set up under a secret Polish-US agreement in 2002.
The paper adds that the secret service presented the report to Poland’s then chief prosecutor, Janusz Kaczmarek and two ministers in 2006. Mr Kaczmarek confirmed he met the ministers but has refused to disclose what was discussed.
Prosecutors began their probe under orders from Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, in order to investigate persistent accusations that Szymany, an air force base in north-east Poland, was the location of a key centre in US’s campaign against terrorist networks.
They are also investigating claims that US interrogators used practices such as water-boarding, regarded by many as torture, in Poland.”
I would imagine that, somewhere out there, there are articles that contradict this. If you can find them, feel free to post them in the comments.
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September 6th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
you’re hilarous:)….
September 6th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
..um..that is: **hilarious…. I’m a bit handicapped too…So when is tee off time?
September 6th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
If you’re MI HQ, can I be a branch office?
I don’t know what to think about those photographs. As a general rule, I’m cynical but don’t buy into conspiracy theories… but some of their evidence is awfully interesting.
September 6th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Those neurotics from Politically Incorrect will love the Horovitz piece. I am currently writing on a piece of work about the rise of the nazi regime. It were excact these types of sentiment towards minorities or alleged “lower cultures” that nobody wanted to have heard those days. The actual difference is: today we KNOW what came out of it and we still ignore such signs.
September 6th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Matt, don’t forget group therapy next week. It’s at your place this month. Do you think you’ll have enough room to fit all of us? :)
September 6th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
[quote comment="64111"]Matt, don’t forget group therapy next week. It’s at your place this month. Do you think you’ll have enough room to fit all of us?
:)[/quote]
I’ll bring the stale cookies and shitty coffee.
(Sorry, stole that joke from a friend of mine since I’m incapable of having any original thoughts…but that’s why we all hang out here, right?)
September 6th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Some of the photographs are a bit more convincing than others. One of the links they gave (http://www.byzantinesacredart.com/blog/2008/08/deceiving_the_world_with_pictu.html) had two pictures of a body where it looks like the body was moved, but as someone argued, I think it’s perspectives and lenses that make it look that way. If you look immediately behind the body, there is the same curb and branches in the same place.
That said, there does seem to be a surprising number of pictures of the same grieving man. I’m not sure what to think. I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if some of the pics weren’t genuine though.
September 6th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
When properly motivated, Matt played much better than a 15 handicap. Usually my wallet was lighter after a walk.
I have always wondered if we had reacted to 9/11 the same way the Amish reacted to their school shooting when a higher % of their community were killed then Americas on 9/11. If we had reached out to the Muslim community, used them to educate Americans about what being Muslim really means. It could shocked most right-wing Americans to know how conservative most Muslim live. And most Americans have no clue that the Angel Gabriel gave the word of Allah to Muhammad. With all the treasure spent, could we have wiped out poverty in the Middle East as well as North America? At least we could have made a good start.
I really believe Bush/Cheney will be remembered as the worst administration in modern history. The secrecy and pompousness of the leadership to make War in a manner that will take decades for America to recover has crippled present American Foreign Policy. At this point, anything said about American covet illegal activities is believed without much evidence. For this reason alone, Obama must be President. The world will give America a small window of time to show its intentions to work with the world instead of telling everyone its our way or the highway. I hope the Neo-Cons end up living a life of obscurity.
September 6th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
I don’t know of any articles contradicting the Telegraph’s piece about Polish ministers and the CIA sites, but Reuters has a piece about it (nothing about ministers’ knowledge though):
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL557283920080905?sp=true
This quote from the Polish foreign minister is pretty nuts though:
“Asked about the case during a visit to France, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski urged discretion.
“I think this is all speculation about things that should be kept secret among all countries which take part in such cooperation. Let’s leave it alone. The less we talk about it the better,” Sikorski told reporters in Avignon.”
The international relations version of “Hush now. The grown ups are talking.”
September 6th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
I know a fifteen year old who is still bugged about being painted as a paper cut out in an auditorium of people. Funny how some comments just bug your ass.
September 6th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
I love handicapped golf. it’s only for the mentel… dude, hubby golfs super early… you and Danno should give him a call sometime, I think his swing is totally whacked so it’s all good.
September 7th, 2008 at 4:36 am
“Marek’s answer would be that, since the peaceful majority did nothing to stop the warmongering minority, the majority — men, women, and children — were fair game.”
I wonder if Mr. Marek is prepared to say the same about us. I believe Ward Churchill did, and for it, he was eschewed from academia. This goes to show that, collectively, we lack theory of mind.
September 7th, 2008 at 10:18 am
“If the majority are peaceful, why don’t its members speak out — and act — against the radical minority? Since they don’t, “we” have the right to ignore them when “we” devise strategy and tactics to defend “ourselves.” If they die or otherwise suffer in the attacks, they have only themselves or the radical minority to blame. This principle goes beyond chalking up the deaths of innocents to “collateral damage,” because it suggests that no one is truly innocent.”
Well it sounds like Marek and radical Islam have more in common than they’ll ever admit to.
September 11th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Golf. It spoils a good walk. And don’t try to pull the wool over us graphic designers :0)