MEDIA LENS: Correcting for the distorted vision of the corporate media

September 29, 2004

RAPID RESPONSE MEDIA ALERT: IMMORAL MILESTONES

The Guardian Responds To Blair’s Speech

Tony Blair's speech yesterday to the Labour Party Conference in Brighton was "low-key, conversational and reasoned" the Guardian informs us (Leader, September 29, 2004). And his “long-awaited apology on Iraq, as far as it went, was a rightly well-received milestone in his fragile rehabilitation with his critics”.

How nice. No matter that Blair lied about intelligence on WMD, ignored security warnings about unleashing more terrorist attacks, and deceived Parliament and the country over the nonsensical “serious and current threat” posed by a strangled Third World nation. No matter that he launched an illegal and immoral invasion and occupation that has led to tens of thousands of violent and cruel deaths, untold misery, further destabilised the Middle East, weakened the UN, and increased the threat to Britons everywhere.

Even a neutral, albeit myopic, critic might conclude that Blair's political judgement on Iraq – resulting in disaster heaped on failure heaped on disaster - was an appalling blunder, sufficient to demand his resignation. A more rational and humane critic must go further: Blair ought to be tried for war crimes.

As for The Guardian? Well, clearly, it would rather remain part of some grotesque agreement between reasonable gentlemen of the establishment. It wouldn't do for the paper to be +too+ critical.

Tens of thousands of dead, hundreds of thousands of injured and grieving – a vast illegal act of mass murder. But for our ‘liberal’ press a vague gesture in the direction of an apology is a “milestone” in Blair’s rehabilitation. This is, itself, a milestone in moral depravity – urbane, well-heeled and well-spoken – of the most lethal kind.

SUGGESTED ACTION

The goal of Media Lens is to promote rationality, compassion and respect for others. In writing letters to journalists, we strongly urge readers to maintain a polite, non-aggressive and non-abusive tone.

Write to the editors below and ask them why they are not calling for Blair’s resignation and trial for war crimes.

Write to Guardian editor, Alan Rusbridger:
Email: alan.rusbridger@guardian.co.uk

Write to Seumas Milne, Guardian comments section editor:
Email: seumas.milne@guardian.co.uk

Please also send all emails to us at Media Lens:
Email: editor@medialens.org

#112 WILD NORTHWEST, September 28, 2004

A Message from Northwest Ecosystem Alliance

Keeping the Northwest Wild

Smith Logging Rider Threatens Public Trust and Old-Growth Forests Sneaky legislative rider would prevent legal review of aggressive logging plans in southern Oregon

Your calls to Senator Murray, Senator Cantwell, and Representative Norm Dicks are needed to help avert an unnatural disaster. Each autumn, Congress develops appropriations bills that fund federal government programs and institutions. This year, Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) announced his plans to attach a legislative "rider" to one of the funding bills that would suspend environmental laws and prohibit judicial review of the Biscuit post-fire logging project on the Siskiyou National Forest -- one of the largest federal logging projects in modern history. The Smith rider is intended to subvert legal proceedings currently underway that may find illegal Forest Service plans to log inside old-growth reserves. The Smith rider has been broadly condemned by editorial boards across the Pacific Northwest.

In addition, Senator Smith may also attach a separate rider that would require the establishment of tree plantations on federal lands subject to fire, storms, and other natural occurrences. Tree plantations have repeatedly been shown to increase the spread of fire, disease, and pathogens.

Please call Senator Murray, Senator Cantwell, and Representative Norm Dicks by Friday, October 1. Ask for the legislative staff that works on forest issues. Tell them you support a "clean" appropriations bill that has no legislative riders attached. Let them know you oppose legislative riders that suspend environmental laws and prohibit normal judicial review, and that require inappropriate and harmful management of public forests across the nation.

Call:
Senator Maria Cantwell, 202-224-3441 or 206-220-6400
Senator Patty Murray, 202-224-2621 or 206-553-5545
Representative Norm Dicks, 202-225-5916 or 1-800-947-6676
Or use the Capitol Switchboard, 202-224-3124

You can also find your elected representatives at http://www.vote-smart.org/

For a Scientist's Opinion of the Smith rider, see
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/09/24/ed.col.biscuit.0924.html

For the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Editorial on the Smith rider, see
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/192339_ridered.html

For the Oregonian Editorial on the rider, see
http://www.oregonlive.com/editorials/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/109611387071980.xml

Thank you for making a call to stop the Smith rider!

Erin Moore
Communications Coordinator
Northwest Ecosystem Alliance
1208 Bay St., Ste. 201
Bellingham, WA 98225
360.671.9950 ext. 24

Veterans for Common Sense strongly objects to attempt by Ohio's Secretary of State to disenfranchise tens of thousands of voters in Ohio because their voter registration form isn’t on the right type of paper or because the government made an error recording their registration.

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/NewsArticle.cfm?ID=2100

http://tinyurl.com/6pa8r


Galapagos Update

By Captain Paul Watson

It has been a month since the rangers won their battle and ended their strike ended in the Galapagos National Park.

Fausto Cepeda, the Director appointed in September by the President of Ecuador, was fired.

Sea Shepherd members' support along with groups like Wild Aid and the WWF went a long ways in convincing the Ecuadorian government that the demands of the rangers should be met.

Sea Shepherd created a controversy by calling for a boycott of tourism to the islands and when bookings began to be cancelled the Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism responded by threatening Sea Shepherd with legal action.

We ignored the threat. It was good leverage and we responded to the Ministry of Tourism to have the government bring the situation under control in the Galapagos. The problem would not be solved by re-directing their anger at the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

The rangers were striking because the President of Ecuador had appointed Fausto Cepeda as the new director of the Park after firing Director Edwin Naula. Edwin Naula was a strong advocate of conservation whereas Cepeda was openly a sympathizer of the fishing industry. For Cepeda to have remained in that position would have been a disaster.

The rangers barricaded themselves in the Park. Cepeda led a gang of fishermen to the Park, where they broke down the barricades and attacked the rangers with rocks, clubs and Molotov cocktails, injuring a number of the rangers.

Finally the Ecuadorian government, embarrassed by the fishermen's violence in support of Cepeda, gave into the demands of the rangers and Cepeda was fired.

Naula was not reinstated unfortunately, because he is not a member of the political party in power. However, the government agreed to set up a panel to oversee the selection of a new director and placed credible conservation advocates on the panel including Dr. Godfrey Merlen. Furthermore the government agreed that the director will be selected for technical and not political reasons. This is a major and positive concession.

The government is also aware that something must be done to curb the violence of the fishermen. As a result, 18 fishermen have been arrested and will be prosecuted for the violence they initiated against the rangers.

The fishermen are still demanding to be allowed to fin sharks for the Asian market and this must be resisted.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society patrol vessel Sirenian is now completing her 4th year of operations in the Galapagos Marine Reserve.

We are currently raising funds for repairs and maintenance to keep the ship operating in the search for illegal fishing operations.

21.10.2004 21:23


Informant: EF! Media Center

http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/hbKM0IEmZM0Mav0qjU0AV

The occupation of Iraq is going badly. American casualties are up dramatically. Great Britain is about to pull out a third of its troops, and the United Nations says it will not conduct national elections unless the security situation dramatically improves. Unfortunately, Mr. Bush continues to assert that the U.S. has a plan and that progress is being made.

The CIA, in a classified report produced in July, says just the opposite, according to press reports. The American people must know the truth about Iraq.

Click here to urge your senator to join Senators McCain and Graham in demanding that the President release the new Iraq National Intelligence Estimate immediately:
http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/hbKM0IEmZM0Mav0qjU0AV

Please forward this newsletter to your friends and help spread the word about this important campaign!

There is no doubt Blair misled parliament over the war...

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9115,1309808,00.html


Sign the Impeach Blair Petition Online

http://www.impeachblair.org/petition.shtml
http://www.impeachblair.org/


From Information Clearing House

AMERICA'S FUTURE
http://www.ourfuture.org

They control the White House, the Senate, the House, the Supreme Court and more state legislatures than ever. The right wing has never been more powerful -- nor more bankrupt.

Because their ideas are out of step with the needs and the desires of the American people, their candidates use distraction and smear tactics to win. And, in between election cycles, they rely on their political machine to echo their false claims over and over to transform their lies into accepted wisdom.

That's why it's more essential than ever for progressives to argue our case, cut through the right-wing clamor, and show Americans that another way is possible. And that's why we at the Campaign for America's Future have rolled out Straight Talk:

http://action.ourfuture.org/ctt.asp?u=1742757&l=57486

Straight Talk is a content-packed issue guide designed to arm candidates, activists and political junkies with arguments and messages to challenge the right, and begin to take back America.

From education and health care to the economy and national security, Straight Talk offers talking points, polling, and facts to argue our case for America's future.

http://action.ourfuture.org/ctt.asp?u=1742757&l=57486

Straight Talk is also interactive -- a living document that you can help to shape. Hundreds of people have already come to share personal stories and facts to help cut through the rhetoric of the right, and let the world know what's really happening in America today...and what needs to change.

These stories have already been picked up by the media, as well as politicians and activists working to challenge the right. When, for instance, "Jennifer D." of Portland, Oregon, posted a story about her family's struggles with sky-rocketing health care costs, she caught the attention of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Today, when Pelosi and other House Democrats unveiled their "New Partnership for America's Future" on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, Jennifer and her family were there to share the podium with them. Jennifer told her story in front of the national news media and helped underscore the reality of the right wing's failing health care strategies as well as the strength of progressive alternatives.

So whether you're fed up with the fact-free rhetoric of the president and want a dose of reality, or are working to promote progressive political change, join us in some Straight Talk.

http://action.ourfuture.org/ctt.asp?u=1742757&l=57486

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Robert L. Borosage, Co-Director
Campaign for America's Future

September 22, 2004

Praveen Kumar, who was sentenced to death in 2002, may be facing imminent execution. Please take a moment to send a message to the Indian authorities urging them to commute the death sentence of Kumar. Click here to take action:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=9954

The case is before the President and state governor who have the power to commute the sentence. However, the President dismissed another mercy petition in August 2004, and this led to India's first execution in seven years. Call on the government of India to join the majority of countries worldwide in declaring a moratorium on executions and work towards the complete abolition of the death penalty.

Amnesty International has the deepest sympathy for the victims of violent crime and their families. However, the death penalty only serves to create more victims and perpetuate a cycle of violence. If we truly believe that killing is wrong, we must abolish the death penalty.

- Learn more: http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=9955

Thank you for encouraging worldwide abolition.

Rosa Del Angel
Amnesty International USA
Online Action Center
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=677776&l=9956