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The War on Dissent

By Hidari, Section Anti-war tactics
Posted on Fri Oct 05, 2007 at 03:22:58 AM EST

The story is simple: as has been the case frequently in the past, the anti-war movement will be holding a peaceful march on Monday 8th October to protest against Britain's continuing presence in Iraq. These marches and demonstrations are invariably peaceful with a low number of arrests (if anyone is arrested at all), and are an essential part of the democratic process given that the supine media have now forced the war off the front pages and replaced it with endless stories about Diana and Madeleine.

The March that is proposed for Monday, however, will be different, because the British Government has banned it.

'The Government has decided to ban a peaceful march called by the Stop the War Coalition on 8 October. The protest has been called to demand all the troops withdrawn from Iraq immediately. The police have said all protests within one mile of Parliament are now prohibited. This is an affront to democratic rights and contradicts the Prime Minister's commitment to liberalising protest laws. We urge the authorities to review this decision.'

The Govt is using a law dating back to 1839 to protect our poor, intimidated MPs.

(1 comment, 326 words in story) Full Story

Myths about Europe

By Hidari, Section Propaganda and media manipulation
Posted on Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 03:00:06 AM EST

There's a persistent myth about Europe that is held by many 'liberal' Americans. This is the idea that whereas the United States' media is of course completely controlled by giant corporations, right wing, favours the Bush administration etc., in Europe things are different. Social democracy remains on the agenda for politicians. The press is less hysterical, less savage, less 'right wing'. Stories which are prioritised in Europe are sometimes barely even covered in the US. And so on. I'm sure you must have encountered this meme before: how many times have you read some critique of the American media, which has, at some point in the article a sentence beginning: 'in contrast, the European media....' etc.

Like most cliches this is a cliche because it is partly true. But only partly.

(1344 words in story) Full Story

Telegraph 9/16: "Bush setting America up for war with Iran"

By Michael, Section Iraq-Iran-Syria
Posted on Sun Sep 16, 2007 at 07:41:06 PM EST

Oh, lovely. A rare look inside the gut-wrenchingly Soviet manipulations of the Bush administration today, as we find that "Senior American intelligence and defence officials believe that President George W Bush and his inner circle are taking steps to place America on the path to war with Iran".

What? Is this even America any more? Parts of the government don't know what the people in power will do about taking us to war or not? This is sad commentary on the ruination of a great nation, isn't it? It is exactly the same as if, in the 80's, we had read something like, "Senior Kremlin officials belive that Premier Gorbachev and his inner circle are taking steps to place the Soviet Union on the path to war with Iran." And we would have marvelled at the corruption that allows a communist and authoritarian nation to override the interests of its people so...

(1 comment, 323 words in story) Full Story

Was Israeli raid a dry run for attack on Iran?

By Hidari, Section Iraq-Iran-Syria
Posted on Sun Sep 16, 2007 at 02:31:52 PM EST

The title of this story. (Apologies for dealing so myopically with this possible attack on Iran, but it seems to be of so much more importance than anything else at the moment, despite the fact that most of the mainstream media seem to be ignoring it).

This story is also interesting in that it is actually a story, written by someone who isn't content merely to repeat verbatim the propaganda spin of US or Israeli official, the normal style of the pro-war Observer.

(1017 words in story) Full Story

'Proxy war could soon turn to direct conflict'

By Hidari, Section Iraq-Iran-Syria
Posted on Sat Sep 15, 2007 at 03:21:25 AM EST

Remember this date. Saturday September 15, 2007. It may become remembered as the day in which the slowly turning winds of the Middle East began to turn faster and faster, to create a whirlwhind which will, make no mistake, eventually engulf as all.

'The growing US focus on confronting Iran in a proxy war inside Iraq risks triggering a direct conflict in the next few months, regional analysts are warning.

US-Iranian tensions have mounted significantly in the past few days, with heightened rhetoric on both sides and the US decision to establish a military base in Iraq less than five miles from the Iranian border to block the smuggling of Iranian arms to Shia militias.'

(Note: one must forgive excusable lapses that are inevitable given the tight editorial guidelines under which Guardian subs work. What the writer of course means is 'to block the alleged (by the US Government) smuggling of Iranian arms to Shia militias').

(816 words in story) Full Story

Attytood 9/13: "Disgraced ABC consultant and push for war in Iran"

By Michael, Section Propaganda and media manipulation
Posted on Fri Sep 14, 2007 at 03:24:48 PM EST

An interesting tidbit here, from Attytood.

Seems one Alexis Debat, a (now ex-) ABC consultant, has been responsible for a number of alarming stories about the global terror threat which, um, turn out not to be, well, you know, true in any way. Those stories include:

The Pentagon's blitzkrieg plan for Iran (Times, here)
Massive suicide bomber training in Pakistan (ABC, here)
And possibly the reports of Iran's sudden expansion of nuclear facilities (ABC, here)

It would be cool, had I the time, to build a meme tracking database for this kind of stuff, but I don't. If you have anything to add, add it in comments.

Oh -- final tidbit. Mr. Debat worked for the Nixon Center.

Attytood's article is here, with much more careful attention to detail. Read it.

(1 comment) Comments >>

Pushing for a Fight.

By Hidari, Section Iraq-Iran-Syria
Posted on Fri Sep 14, 2007 at 06:24:45 AM EST

Yet again, we have to pinch ourselves, and remind ourselves of some objective facts. Here are the objective facts which constitute the backdrop to this 'story'.

Iran has no nuclear weapons.
Iran, overtly, has no nuclear weapons programme.
It is not at all clear that Iran even has a covert nuclear weapons programme. We just don't know. That might mean it does but (and this is far less frequently pointed out in the Western media) equally, it might not.

So this is the context for the following story.

(773 words in story) Full Story

It Begins

By Hidari, Section Iraq-Iran-Syria
Posted on Wed Sep 12, 2007 at 12:41:08 AM EST

'British forces have been sent from Basra to the volatile border with Iran amid warnings from the senior US commander in Iraq that Tehran is fomenting a "proxy war." Reports Today's Independent

'In signs of a fast-developing confrontation, the Iranians have threatened military action in response to attacks launched from Iraqi territory while the Pentagon has announced the building of a US base and fortified checkpoints at the frontier.

The UK operation, in which up to 350 troops are involved, has come at the request of the Americans, who say that elements close to the Iranian regime have stepped up supplies of weapons to Shia militias in recent weeks in preparation for attacks inside Iraq.'

(731 words in story) Full Story

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