“U.S. Inspires World With Attempt at Democratic Election”–headline, the Onion, Nov. 3
“U.S. Vote ‘Mostly Free and Fair’ “–headline, BBC Web site, Nov. 5
(Shamelessly lifted from James Taranto’s Best of the Web Today)
The Beeb Imitates the Onion
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Ooops – Sorry for the double post, all!
THFC- of course if the aim of coalition bombs was to kill civilians then you could equate terrorist bombings/executions and those of the coalition, except of course it isn’t.
THFC – Of course, they might also be the remains of the Kurds, Shias, football players, or ex-girlfriends of the Saddam family, too. Best to withhold judgment until the BBC performs the autopsies and verifies their political affiliations.
BTW, I’d say the riots the other summer were an excellent example of integration. The violence was Muslims-on-coppers, not Muslims-on-whites; and setting fire to stuff and fighting policemen is a great British working class tradition.
I have been irritated by the BBC’s overt bias for years. I now however increasingly feel that I cannot even trust it as a news organisation. I have been able to put up with their endless left of centre progressive spin but now feel that they are not only biasing the news but filtering large chunks of it. That is a big difference and a shameful situation when the BBC is funded directly by taxation. The BBC is not a public service broadcaster in the real sense because far too much of its output, but especially the news, only serve the BBC’s own agenda.
Read this:
http://mondediplo.com/2004/10/02usa
“It is clear from what we saw in the Appalachians that the populism of the US right no longer feeds mainly on racism (West Virginia came out against slavery during the civil war) or on xenophobia. On the contrary it draws on resentment fuelled by the upper classes’ undisguised contempt for those not in the know. This particular kind of populism almost exclusively targets the cultural elite; it does not target business. This con trick is only possible because the smugness of those in the know is even more insufferable than the insolence of the rich.”
Smugness of those in the know = Maureen Dowd, Graydon Carter, Greg Pallast, the BBC, Islington.
That’s what Tom Wolfe and John Updike have been talking about; the insularity of the Intelectual Elite, who have hijacked and ruined the Democrats.
Uh oh, the Dutch have their hands full, grenades are being lobbed around the multi-cultural neighborhood. ( Drudge via the BBC)
Allo THFC, how wonderful to be afforded the company again of one of the unfortunates from the wrong end of the Seven Sisters Road. You’ll be glad to know all is well at Gooner Towers, we’re all revved up to hand out a good old fashioned thrashing to your heroes on Saturday, the Bollinger is on ice.
Don’t be too downhearted, however. Although your men in white shirts will be thrashed without mercy on Saturday, the BBC is doing its best to keep chins up in Fallujah (and what a fine away win this is proving to be for the US Marine Corps!) A fine win of course, because according to the BBC your heroes in Fallujah are showing “defiance amid carnage”.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3999899.stm
“Last Night’s BBC News” blog cast doubt on the credibility of BBC News reports of US mosque & hospital bombing in Fallujah
http://www.lastnightsbbcnews.blogspot.com/
Hmmmm, the Marines are reporting they’re in control of 70% of Fallujah, however, Fadhil Badrani, “The Bagdad Bob of the BBC” reports he “doubts” this is the case. I’m seriously impressed with the dedication of this man, he’s been wandering around ( and at night, no less!) Fallujah with impunity and talking to the freedom fighters, he must have quite a pair. I’d pay for a peek.
Pam
You pay for a peek at his pair? 😉
“ehem!” Anyway … it seems there’s quite some shindig going down in teh Hague following the righteous punishment handed out to the infidel van Gogh:
http://www.zachtei.nl/
And ‘British Muslims denounce Fallujah offensive’. I can’t see THFC quoted but we do have “Imran Waheed, Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman, said that UK Muslims “must be the voice of the Muslims of Fallujah against this brutal genocide and the silence of the spineless rulers of the Muslim world. The re-establishment of the Islamic Khilafah will end subservience to foreign colonialist powers.”
How comforting. I’m sure the BBC must have made mention somewhere of these events but I can’t seem to locate it.
Pete_London – er, yeah, on reflection, maybe not. ( got carried away, am blushing furiously in front of computer)
Recent trasngressions I;ve noticed:
Orla Guerin (the old dependable – and such a sweet smile): The news about Arafat is “grim”. Not presumably if you are one of his many victims or someone who thinks he has been a barrier to peace. We can do without being corralled into this “group hug” about Arafat.
Clive Myrie: Tells us that Donald Ashcroft was “unpopular” and “distrusted”. No evidence given – just an assertion. I have my doubts. I imagine he was respected if not loved.
Various: Reminding us reprots from the coalition may be subject to censorship but not reminding us of that fact when relaying news from Al Queda’s side.
David – ( thank goodness, a chance to recover…) May I add my personal, recent favorite to the list? The lovely, but perenially hairstyled challenged, Lyse Doucet’s interview with Hamid Karzai. I was cringing!!!For HER!!! Pretty bad when you start to pity a BBC presenter, huh?
BBC reporting on Fallujah has been atrociously biassed. Their whole tone is disapproval of the military aiding the UN-approved civil power, if necesary using totally spurious “witness” accounts. Plus bleating on about any Brit casualties nearby.
Nothing has changed since Hutton.
Anyway, today is the anniversary of the formation of the US Marine Corps.
Semper Fi, and HOOAH !!!
David
Don’t forget Orla’s ‘come-to-bed eyes’.
The BBC’s reports may well be subject to military censorship but I honestly fail to see other networks slip it in a la the BBC. In any case, I’d have said ALL news stories filtered through the Guardian-BBC complex are subject to censorship!
Pete_London,
“Good economic news in America reports are subject to socialist restrictions”.
Should be tacked on every Business section report!
BBC delendum est!
Newsnight is priceless tonight (Wednesday). Re. Fallujah , we had Paxman debating events with Mark Urban. Firstly, isn’t he the BBC’s Diplomatic Correspondent? If so, I’d say he’s not quite up there with General Patton on military matters. Second, we had the ubuquitous snide questioning of how the US Marines firing on a mosque will go down badly in the famed Arab Street. unfortunately, half an hour before this David Chater on Sky News (and embedded with the USMC in Fallujah) stated that the very same mosque was fired on only after the USMC were fired on themselves from that mosque. No mention of this on Newsnight …
con’t …
We then see footage of a Marine using what Urban called a ‘mini gun’ which is in fact a Gatling Gun. Urban questioned “whether this is an approriate weapon to use in the circumstances.”
WTF?!! The BBC’s Diplomatic Correspondent is question a US Marine’s choice of weapon ina battle zone while he himself is sitting on his arse in London.
Finally, Urban annotated the course of the battle over a map of Fallujah. Oh dear, he got it all wrong. According to him parts of Fallujah which have been in US hands for days are in fact in rebel hands. The ‘old city’ has also moved. For the love of God, they are an utter shambles.
WHAT A PATHETIC RIGHT WING BLOG.
OH, AND DON’T DELETE *THIS* MESSAGE THIS TIME.
biased it’s a shame you can’t beat the arguments isn’t it. You’re not a left- wing facist are you? Deal with what’s being said please.
biasedmyarse – I have an article to recommend:
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/2203
Enjoy!
Pete “WTF?!! The BBC’s Diplomatic Correspondent is question a US Marine’s choice of weapon ina battle zone while he himself is sitting on his arse in London.”
Quite! what a ridiculous exercise. Urban is usually quite good, I thought that he must just be following orders but he really should have refused. To produce examples of inappropriate use of weapons, assessed by a non-military person, thousands of miles from the action on the basis of snatches of video was a new low. The BBC desperate to produce evidence to support a pre-determined editorial stance.
At least this blog makes its bias plain in its title. The BBC claims its objective when it is run by people who are philosophically and ideologically opposed to the very notion of objectivity. Now, undoubtedly there are exceptions. I’m an American liberal and I truly appreciate the BBC because it does make an effort to be serious. But its reporters could work harder to conceal their anti-US and anti-Israel biases.
edit: change “conceal” to “control”
Mark Urban’s new book ‘Rifles’ is excellent. Can’t remember him suggesting the use of 9 pounders at Badajoz was innappropriate, though.
“…a Marine using what Urban called a ‘mini gun’ which is in fact a Gatling Gun.”
The term “mini gun” is probably correct, small Gatling guns that fire rifle bullets are called indeed called “mini guns”.