The Maverick Conservative

Who is the most damaging enemy of the United States of America in the world today--at least in terms of intangibles rather than using guns and explosives?  I think that there is no doubt that it is the mainstream news media of our own country (AOL News, the AP, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Time, etc.).  And I think they are doing it on purpose (no, not because they exactly want to damage this country, but because they are so interested in trashing the present Administration that they are willing to unfairly trash this country if that is what it takes). 

AOL News yesterday carried on its welcome screen a link to the AP non-story about the 3 year old allegation of a terrorist imprisoned in Cuba that an American guard had flushed the Koran down the toilet.  Similar, or worse, stories appeared in the other mainstream news media.  The story was three years old (the terroist made the allegation in 2002, not long after 9/11).  The story had never been corroborated, despite the FALSE story in NEWSWEEK to the contrary--a false story that caused people to die.  The terrorist himself had in effect recanted the story.  There was actually little mention in the news media that this was the SAME story that NEWSWEEK had retracted because there was no confirmation that the event ever happened.  The mainstream media played this as a fresh story, instead of a rehash of the NEWSWEEK story--albeit correctly stating that the Koran down the toilet story was based on ONE allegation by ONE terrorist,  without confirmation.

This story was not newsworthy.  At most, it was worth an offhand blurb that the military had investigated allegations of abuse of prisoners and the Koran in our base in Cuba, and had found no credible evidence of flusing the Koran down the toilet, and only isolated instances of minor mishandling of the Koran.  But it was played like a major news story by the mainstream meda.  WHY.

There are two reasons.  First, the mainstream news media was trying to acquit NEWSWEEK of the type of murder by irresponsible news reporting dramatized by Hollywood as early as the movie, "Five Star Final,"  in the early 1930's  (girl to newpaper editor Edward G. Robinson:  "Why did you muder my mother").  To anyone who understands the facts, the indictment of NEWSWEEK is only made stronger by the new reports.   Second, the news media wants to portray the United States of America as an evil bully in the world under George W. Bush, and this kind of story (taking minor incidents and unconfirmed incidents out of context and blowing them out of proportion) aids in this effort.  Yes, I believe that these journalists DON'T CARE that this reporting is used by our enemies to inflame people against us--they somehow convince their conscience that it is the Bush Administration that is inflaming our enemies and not the journalists.  This is NOT correct.  It is the journalists that are aiding and inflameing our enemies--and NOT be legitimate reporting of important news stories.

You think not?  Remember that the prisoners in Cuba are primarily terrorists captured in Afghanistan.  Yet they are being given a world stage to make unconfirmed allegations.  Remember when Afghanistan was the "good" war, as distinguished from the "bad" war in Iraq.  You wouldn't know it from present news reports making "innocents" out of members of the Taliban.

Now the news media, when confronted with this type of criticism, says that it is merely reporting the news.  In the words of the surrounded general to the Nazis in the Battle of the Bulge--NUTS.  The news media is trying to make news when it doesn't exist, or is not very important--even if it has to misreport it (like NEWSWEEK) to do it.   Say a guard, not too long after 9/11, had actually flushed the Koran down the toilet (an allegation, again, for which NO credible evidence has been found).  Does that mean the United States of America, or even the Bush Administration, is disrespecting the Koran (you might contrast this type of officially condemned incident, were it to occur, with the OFFICIAL, and not condemned, schools all over the Arab world that routinely trash Christianity and don't even pretend to honor other religious feelings).   Unless this is part of some kind of official policy or extensive pattern (yes, like Abu Ghraib), this type of small incident SHOULD NOT EVEN BE REPORTED AT ALL, EVEN IF TRUE.   Anyone with the judgment of a gnat (no, I know that doen't include the New York Times), would conclude that the news value of an isolated incident like that is not worth the distortion such a report will be given in the Arab world. 

Take Abu Ghraib itself, where the pattern of significant abuse needed to be reported.  Did that mean our news media needed to dwell on it as if it represented a typical part of the American character--trying to tar our entire country with the actions of a few (even if those few may have included something more than privates).  I say no.  I say you report it and move on (following up any trails to official sanction you can find).   If you pound on it day after day, like our news media did, I say you are more interested in trashing our country than in the news.

Some questions are in order.  Are there lots of incidents of anti-Muslim actions and rhetoric in this country, even in Christian schools?  No, there aren't.  Note again I am not saying there is never any discrimination against Arabs in this country.  There is still discrimination against Catholics or Jews, for God's sake. BUT IT IS NOT A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM.  But from our news media, especially if you are in the Arab world, you would get the idea that our country is out to get Arabs and/or Muslims.  If you are reporting the news in that manner, you are reporting it WRONG.  You are blowing things out of proportion to advance an idea that is not true.  That is what our news media is doing.   We investigate allegations of unfair or illegal actions against Arabs--even Arab terrorists.  That doesn't mean we are perfect, but it is malicious, hateful, and gives aid and comfort to our enemies to take the position that our country is always wrong.  Our news media has virtually backed itself into this position. 

Is this treason?  I never avoid the tough questions (like should women have the vote--see prior entries).  No, it is not legally treason.  I think it has become so pervasive that it is now close to moral treason--giving a false idea of this country for the purpose of hurting our image at home and abroad.  "My country right or wrong" is often equated to a jingoistic idea that patriotism is defending every action our country takes (despite the news media, every action of every American guard or soldier is not the action of our country).  That is obviously false patriotism.  But I think it is equally false patriotism to take the view that I dislike our present Administration so much that everything they are doing in the world must be wrong--and I intend to show it, even if I have to distort the facts and aid our enemiesto do it. 

I am afraid I think NEWSWEEK and all of the "usual suspects" referred to above deserve to be shunned, disregarded, and held in contempt by the American people.  I hope we are getting to that point.  I note that an AOL poll on whether journalists are trusted in connection with the NEWSWEEK story was about 82%-18% to the negative (at least when I looked at it).   The number should have been higher. 

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