Imus' Firing Means Nothing

What is worse than Imus' racial slur is the way the mainstream media has been covering for his hateful rhetoric. The argument about how "everyone has called someone a "ho" at one point", or how "we all have nappy hair in the morning" is a blatant disregard of the context and an obvious case of sidestepping the real issue. Numerous examples of black culture, rap lyrics and video's are used to subtly prove how the American black community degrades its own people. Of course this self-degenerating "hiphop" culture is worthy of condemnation, but does it justify that anybody of any race can come out and spew racial slurs against that particular group?

Imus' phrase was not an attempt at "being cool" or "acting hiphop". The slur in its entirety against an all-girls basketball team with majority black players was racially motivated. His sacking had nothing to do with morals or the fact that racism is wrong. Unfortunately for him, station sponsors started pulling out due to bad publicity that resulted in his demise. In the end, its money and not morals that determines most outcomes in today's world. However, Imus apologists need not worry as Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly and others will ensure that America's culture of hatred remains intact for years to come.

New Iraqi Radio Station anything but Independent

Recent reports of Americans guiding Iraqis in creating an "independent" Iraqi radio station is laughable.

It is difficult to believe that the so-called “independent” radio station will be entirely devoid of American influence. Allowing total control to the Iraqi’s would prove disastrous to American occupation efforts in Iraq and would further bolster the resistance. Obviously, the occupation is just as unpopular in Iraq as it is all over the world. US authorities have already labeled it an “independent” station, but I question that claim as American propaganda in Iraq has been part and parcel of the occupation since the very beginning.

During the war the US hired the Lincoln Group, an external PR firm which has placed over one thousand articles in 15 to 17 Iraqi and Arab newspapers (Static p.64). The US has also created the “Iraqi Media Network”, a network of 30 TV and radio transmitters, three broadcast studios, and 12 bureaus around Iraq to disseminate American propaganda (Static p.66).

Further still, the American military’s continuous targeting of Al-Jazeera stations in Iraq is more than a just a simple mistake, there seems to be a purpose behind it. It seems as though the US is unwilling to tolerate coverage that runs counter to its overall agenda. Whatever happened to the role of free media in a democratic society?

The "independent" radio station is not only a PR stunt aimed to strengthen the declining Western support for a failed war, but it is also an alternate means by which the US can continue and try to shape Iraqi public opinion. It's a classic case of killing two birds with one stone. Unfortunately for them, the informed public can see right through their desperate charade.

Immortal Technique -- The Poverty of Philosophy

Here is some classic political commentary by independent hip-hop artist Immortal Technique. The context of this is South American, but applies to all Third World exploitation carried out by hegemonic powers.

Iranian Decision to free prisoners will slow American war efforts

As the Bush administration continually ratchets up the propaganda campaign against Iran, the recent surprise move by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to free the British captives has slowed the momentum of neoconservative war aspirations. The initial dim-witted action by the Iranians is now seeming to pay dividends from an international perception standpoint.

If the prisoners were held indefinitely, the US could have framed a potential conflict under the pretext of “coming to the aid of allies in the face of evil”. Now with the hostages on their way home, the US has to counter the positive image that Iran has crafted for itself by returning them without a hint of torture or wrongdoing. The same cannot be said of the US, and the thousands of prisoners it holds in Guantanamo Bay and CIA black sites around the world.

The release of the navy personnel may not elicit instant feelings of sympathy for Iran, but it concludes the initial purpose without penalty and improves Iran's image, albeit to a limited degree. The initial purpose being the message sent to the US: Iran is no slouch militarily, will not tolerate incursions into its territory, and an attack on its soil will increase oil prices of which the effects will be felt all over the world.

Of course the US can still attack Iran based on ideological rhetoric, but it will only be digging its grave even deeper and without help from the international community.

Iran is only playing the US at its own game as they know half the battle is fought through the media airwaves.

Call that Humiliation?

No hoods. No electric shocks. No beatings. These Iranians clearly are a very uncivilised bunch.

Terry Jones
Saturday March 31, 2007
The Guardian

I share the outrage expressed in the British press over the treatment of our naval personnel accused by Iran of illegally entering their waters. It is a disgrace. We would never dream of treating captives like this - allowing them to smoke cigarettes, for example, even though it has been proven that smoking kills. And as for compelling poor servicewoman Faye Turney to wear a black headscarf, and then allowing the picture to be posted around the world - have the Iranians no concept of civilised behaviour? For God's sake, what's wrong with putting a bag over her head? That's what we do with the Muslims we capture: we put bags over their heads, so it's hard to breathe. Then it's perfectly acceptable to take photographs of them and circulate them to the press because the captives can't be recognised and humiliated in the way these unfortunate British service people are.

It is also unacceptable that these British captives should be made to talk on television and say things that they may regret later. If the Iranians put duct tape over their mouths, like we do to our captives, they wouldn't be able to talk at all. Of course they'd probably find it even harder to breathe - especially with a bag over their head - but at least they wouldn't be humiliated.
And what's all this about allowing the captives to write letters home saying they are all right? It's time the Iranians fell into line with the rest of the civilised world: they should allow their captives the privacy of solitary confinement. That's one of the many privileges the US grants to its captives in Guantánamo Bay.

The true mark of a civilised country is that it doesn't rush into charging people whom it has arbitrarily arrested in places it's just invaded. The inmates of Guantánamo, for example, have been enjoying all the privacy they want for almost five years, and the first inmate has only just been charged. What a contrast to the disgraceful Iranian rush to parade their captives before the cameras!

What's more, it is clear that the Iranians are not giving their British prisoners any decent physical exercise. The US military make sure that their Iraqi captives enjoy PT. This takes the form of exciting "stress positions", which the captives are expected to hold for hours on end so as to improve their stomach and calf muscles. A common exercise is where they are made to stand on the balls of their feet and then squat so that their thighs are parallel to the ground. This creates intense pain and, finally, muscle failure. It's all good healthy fun and has the bonus that the captives will confess to anything to get out of it.

And this brings me to my final point. It is clear from her TV appearance that servicewoman Turney has been put under pressure. The newspapers have persuaded behavioural psychologists to examine the footage and they all conclude that she is "unhappy and stressed".
What is so appalling is the underhand way in which the Iranians have got her "unhappy and stressed". She shows no signs of electrocution or burn marks and there are no signs of beating on her face. This is unacceptable. If captives are to be put under duress, such as by forcing them into compromising sexual positions, or having electric shocks to their genitals, they should be photographed, as they were in Abu Ghraib. The photographs should then be circulated around the civilised world so that everyone can see exactly what has been going on.

As Stephen Glover pointed out in the Daily Mail, perhaps it would not be right to bomb Iran in retaliation for the humiliation of our servicemen, but clearly the Iranian people must be made to suffer - whether by beefing up sanctions, as the Mail suggests, or simply by getting President Bush to hurry up and invade, as he intends to anyway, and bring democracy and western values to the country, as he has in Iraq.

· Terry Jones is a film director, actor and Python www.terry-jones.net

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2047128,00.html