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Communists are, in my opinion, as bad as Nazis: mass murder, totalitarianism, etc. Going to a march organized by Communists doesnt make you a Communist, any more than going to a march organized by Nazis makes you a Nazi. And calling it McCarthyism when people point that out, or point out that the Communists really are Communists, makes you either dishonest, or stupid. Of course, that was when Glenn was talking about people with whom he disagreed. Today, Glenn Reynolds approvingly posts pictures of an anti-terrorism rally in Baghdad and wonders why its not covered by the media: I just searched Iraq on the NYT website. Not only did I find absolutely no reference to the anti-terror protests in Iraq, the search results brought home to me just how relentlessly negative the spin is on the stories that they do report. This is an absolute embarrassment to the American media - even Reuters and Al Jazeera are doing a better job!
Readers report that CNN did run clips of the marches, as did Fox see above. But the biggest story in the NYT on Iraq is that two GIs were killed during a robbery. Rogers basic point holds: Had these demonstrators been marching on the other side, this would have been a big story instead of the closest thing to a non-story. Or at least, because they are, as Noah Oppenheim suggests, consciously or unconsciously seeking vindication of their anti-war views? I dont deny that it wasnt covered, and I do think it should have been. I dont think it has anything to do with anti-war views - I think the corporate media has a very strong anti-Arab bias. Or at least, the notion of Arabs/Muslims protesting terrorism doesnt fit the story so it doesnt get aired. This is why you almost never see pro-peace rallies in Palestine and Israel, for example, but you always hear when someone gets blown up by an asinine suicide bomber. Aside: Ever notice how the Right never complains that you only hear bad things from Israel? Only time Israel makes the news is when terrorists blow things up, or when the IDF accidentally kills some kids. Why isnt the news media covering the good parts of the occupation? Anyway, Glenn thinks this is good news for his side and so he cheers on the protesters. And, as you can see from these pictures from Zeyad, of Healing Iraq , not an ANSWER member in sight: Wait, hold on a sec. Well, maybe its innocent, maybe theyre with the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq , like these guys: Although, these guys here with red flags dont look very Islamic: I wish I could see those flags a little better. Wait, some guy posed in front of a couple: So just remember, these are the marchers who Glenn Reynolds is cheering on.
In the Sunni town of Ramadi west of Baghdad, a hotbed of anti-US sentiment, about 100 people protested after a call by the local council. They gathered under the protection of American troops while a counter-demonstration of about 70 people threw stones at the Americans. Update 3: Apparently this post got some attention, including from Atrios and Hesiod , and trackback pings from The Road to Surfdom , Not Geniuses , Antinome , and Lean Left . An interesting take is Philosoraptor , who wonders a little about what my point is. She mentions another protest that took place today: Today well, technically, yesterday there was another large demonstration in Baghdad which was a peaceful anti-occupation demonstration. The demonstrators were mainly university students and teachers who were opposing the raids occurring in some colleges and universities. They were demanding the release of three women who were detained when the Technology University in Baghdad was raided. Their spokesperson, a professor, I think, said that this was going to be the first demonstration in a long series of anti-occupation activism being organized by teachers and students. Dont hold your breath waiting for Instapundit to condemn the liberal media for not highlighting this demonstration. Glenn links approvingly to a Rocky Mountain News story from a reporter on the scene . Unfortunately, Glenn doesnt seem to have read the whole damn thing, because it doesnt paint the happy happy joy joy picture of Iraq that Glenn wishes wed see more of: Two things are readily inescapable here: The sheer number of men, young and old, who do nothing all day but stand around.
Posted by: barry at December 11, 2003 12:54 PM Permalink The Iraqis carrying communist flags were risking their lives to march against terrorist oppression. ANSWER was risking nothing to protest the actions of democratically elected governments. The criticism against so-called anti war activists doesnt concern their liberal ideals. They say that they are opposed to war yet they peacefully allow genocide, oppression and terrorism to thrive. Theyre about as far from liberal as you can get, and theyre not in any way comparable to the Iraqis who were marching in a genuine protest against oppression. Posted by: mary at December 11, 2003 12:55 PM Permalink Shorter Mary: Commies are like Nazis, but its okay when youre a Commie and we have a worse enemy to point to. You saw people protesting against a war that we shouldnt have fought and which seriously hampers our effectiveness as a democratic vanguard around the world, and all you can come up with is bizarre trains of bad logic. Posted by: jesse at December 11, 2003 01:00 PM Permalink Yes, thats why we fought this war! Posted by: renato at December 11, 2003 01:10 PM Permalink Mary posts: These are anarchists who support bureaucratic UN hegemony.
Are you sure youre qualified to be commenting on political ideology? And Iraqi Marxist-Leninists are still Marxist-Leninists, even if they are marching in genuine protest againsty oppression. Posted by: Stu at December 11, 2003 01:10 PM Permalink Sorry, I should have linked to that bit about anarchists. Many followers of Noam Chomsky call themselves anarchists, despite the fact that they are nothing of the kind. They also call themselves libertarian socialists without even a hint of irony. From Wikipedia: Libertarian socialism is a political philosophy dedicated to opposing what its advocates regard as illegitimate forms of authority and social hierarchy, most famously the institution of government. It has gone by various names: libertarian communism, anarcho-communism, left-anarchism, and, most commonly, anarchism.
Posted by: anna at December 11, 2003 02:05 PM Permalink The only definitional aspect of communism that matters is that communism rejects private property. Because thats all our century-long fight against communism was about. We were always willing to support dictators every bit as authoritarian and brutal as any found in communist nations, as long as these dictators were anti-communist. Therefore, logically, our fight against communism was never more than a fight in support of private property. I agree with that fight - capitalism is the only workable economic system - but I hate to see anti-communism confused with anti-authoritarianism. The two, especially in terms of United States policy, are unrelated, and always have been.
Posted by: Contrarian at December 11, 2003 02:14 PM Permalink Good show, Kynn. Mary, youd do well to look up the definitions of political philosophies before commenting on them, not after. Theres plenty of other people only too happy to go around ignorant. Posted by: Joshua H at December 11, 2003 02:18 PM Permalink Anyway, Glenn thinks this is good news for his side and so he cheers on the protesters. Glenn makes a stink about it not being covered and then does his usual praise of the blogosphere as being superior because they did cover it. In addition, did the Communist Party in Iraq actually organize these or have a hand in organizing or did they just participate? Doenst change the fact that ANSWER is a bunch of stalinist wannabes using peoples opposition to the war as a means of recruitment and fundraising. Posted by: Contrarian at December 11, 2003 02:27 PM Permalink Mary, how can you keep posting stuff that doesnt convey information? The quote from Chomsky says nothing other than he thinks there will be a social revolution some day in the US. Last I heard, Cho...
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