Category: Media

Maybe I’m flogging this a bit, but I really don’t care. The MSM, along with all the other usual hand-wringing suspects, has been howling to the rafters about the “slaughter” that Israel is committing in Lebanon. Give me a break. LGF already put the smack to this bullshit but the critter don’t seem dead yet so I guess I’m just going to have to beat this horse a little more myself.

Anybody remember Jenin? Anybody? You can be excused if you don’t because I didn’t remember it either until I read a reference to in the the Calgary Sun recently.

Jenin was supposed to be, as WAFA (the official Palestinian news agency) dubbed it, “the massacre of the 21st century.” Supposedly, more than 500 “defenceless Palestinians” (if there is such a thing) were slaughtered by those mean, nasty, bloodthirsty Israeli soldiers in the spring of 2002. WAFA had themselves a happy little meltdown, declaring that there were “hundreds of martyrs.” The world media (supposedly “controlled by the Jews,” as any paranoiac will tell you) promptly went “HYUK!” and gladly pranced along with the parade.

One little problem: Once the fighting stopped and the dust settled, the UN had themselves a speedy investigation headed by oh-so-pro-Israel (sarcasm? me??) Kofi Anan, that found only 52 Palestinians had been killed “of whom up to half may have been civilians, and 23 Israeli soldiers were dead.” Oops. Came up a little short on the martyr count, did ya boys? It gets better. Human Rights Watch (not exactly known for taking sides) did its own investigation and found only 22 Palestinians were killed in Jenin.

And Israel gets condemned for this, even though Anan’s own report said that “From the beginning of March until 7 May (2002), Israel endured approximately 16 bombings, the large majority of which were suicide attacks. More than 100 persons were killed and scores more wounded.” Doesn’t sound like a “measured response” to me. It sounds like restraint.

So there it is. The Israelis lose 100 people (plus 23 soldiers), the Arabs lose maybe 52 (but probably 22), and Israel gets bitched at? Give me a God damned break.

Sure, the truth came out but it’s the lie that’s still shambling around like some damned in-law that showed up at the cottage and won’t leave. Some like to bleat that Israel should only make “proportionate responses.” Well, now, a “proportionate response” would have been killing 123 Arabs, not 22, right?? But hey, what are numbers when you’re bashing the victim, eh?

The lies don’t stop there, though. Arabs have become masters of flinging the bullshit fast and hard so it sticks, even after the truth comes out.

This past Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora howled that 40 people were killed in an Israeli air strike in Marjayoun. He was later forced to admit that the body count was… get ready for it… one.

Remember Qana? Where 54 people from two families (mostly kids) were supposed to have been killed in an airstrike? It was front page news everywhere. Human Rights Watch put the death toll at 28 (if that), almost all adults.

The Lebanese government is now bleating (and news agencies parroting) that more than 1,000 civilians have been killed in this war that Hezbullshit started. Yeah, right.

Everybody knows about the Reuters propaganda fiasco by now but that’s not all of it. More can be found here, here and here.

So the next time you hear a body count about some “Israeli aggression,” take the number and divide it by about 10. Then you might at least be in the same area code as the truth. Because believe me, you can’t trust these buggers.

Maybe I’m flogging this a bit, but I really don’t care. The MSM, along with all the other usual hand-wringing suspects, has been howling to the rafters about the “slaughter” that Israel is committing in Lebanon. Give me a break. LGF already put the smack to this bullshit but the critter don’t seem dead yet so I guess I’m just going to have to beat this horse a little more myself.

Anybody remember Jenin? Anybody? You can be excused if you don’t because I didn’t remember it either until I read a reference to in the the Calgary Sun recently.

Jenin was supposed to be, as WAFA (the official Palestinian news agency) dubbed it, “the massacre of the 21st century.” Supposedly, more than 500 “defenceless Palestinians” (if there is such a thing) were slaughtered by those mean, nasty, bloodthirsty Israeli soldiers in the spring of 2002. WAFA had themselves a happy little meltdown, declaring that there were “hundreds of martyrs.” The world media (supposedly “controlled by the Jews,” as any paranoiac will tell you) promptly went “HYUK!” and gladly pranced along with the parade.

One little problem: Once the fighting stopped and the dust settled, the UN had themselves a speedy investigation headed by oh-so-pro-Israel (sarcasm? me??) Kofi Anan, that found only 52 Palestinians had been killed “of whom up to half may have been civilians, and 23 Israeli soldiers were dead.” Oops. Came up a little short on the martyr count, did ya boys? It gets better. Human Rights Watch (not exactly known for taking sides) did its own investigation and found only 22 Palestinians were killed in Jenin.

And Israel gets condemned for this, even though Anan’s own report said that “From the beginning of March until 7 May (2002), Israel endured approximately 16 bombings, the large majority of which were suicide attacks. More than 100 persons were killed and scores more wounded.” Doesn’t sound like a “measured response” to me. It sounds like restraint.

So there it is. The Israelis lose 100 people (plus 23 soldiers), the Arabs lose maybe 52 (but probably 22), and Israel gets bitched at? Give me a God damned break.

Sure, the truth came out but it’s the lie that’s still shambling around like some damned in-law that showed up at the cottage and won’t leave. Some like to bleat that Israel should only make “proportionate responses.” Well, now, a “proportionate response” would have been killing 123 Arabs, not 22, right?? But hey, what are numbers when you’re bashing the victim, eh?

The lies don’t stop there, though. Arabs have become masters of flinging the bullshit fast and hard so it sticks, even after the truth comes out.

This past Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora howled that 40 people were killed in an Israeli air strike in Marjayoun. He was later forced to admit that the body count was… get ready for it… one.

Remember Qana? Where 54 people from two families (mostly kids) were supposed to have been killed in an airstrike? It was front page news everywhere. Human Rights Watch put the death toll at 28 (if that), almost all adults.

The Lebanese government is now bleating (and news agencies parroting) that more than 1,000 civilians have been killed in this war that Hezbullshit started. Yeah, right.

Everybody knows about the Reuters propaganda fiasco by now but that’s not all of it. More can be found here, here and here.

So the next time you hear a body count about some “Israeli aggression,” take the number and divide it by about 10. Then you might at least be in the same area code as the truth. Because believe me, you can’t trust these buggers.

I have to admit it, this isn’t something that I thought I’d be writing about. I probably should have expected it sooner or later though, given the nature of today’s menagerie of wee technological beasties. Even worse, I’m not sure what my opinion on this is (which is definitely a strange land for me to be in). What’s got me so befuddled, you’re wondering.

Numerous media sources (starting, it seems, with the TO Sun) are in something of an uproar about some home videos made by some of our soldiers in Afghanistan that have ended up on the net. I’m not sure if I should be posting this in the “Stupidity” category or not. Here’s why:

I’m of two minds on this one; really. On the one hand, as the old saying goes, loose lips sink ships. On the other, the Canadian public seems to be in dire need of a severe wakeup call as to just what soldiers really do. We’ve had our collective heads nestled so far up our national backside for so long now that is seems that we have no idea what a soldier’s job really is.

I’ve been going over the footage at youtube.com (yes, that’s where it is and no, I dont feel like a loose-lipped bugger; it’s already out there) and it seems like it could be educational to a great many. Our boys are conducting themselves in a manner that would make any soldier proud.

And, in my opinion, should make us proud, too.

So take a look at it, make up your own mind, and let us know what you think. Comments to follow, I’m sure.

UPDATE:
Okay, kids. After numerous emails and a comment or two, I’ve decided to post links to the vids in question so people can make up their own minds. Like I said before, this stuff has been out there for some time now so I don’t feel like I’m giving away anything the rest of the world doesn’t already know. Here are the links (I still can’t get the embedded video to work without totally buggering up the layout of the site):

1. An undated forefight in Afghanistan
2. A short vid of pre-deployment training (the soldiers in Canadian uniform are training for Afghanistan deplpoyment, the men with the ski masks and AK-47’s are also Canadian soldiers attempting to simulate the conditions in Afghanistan.)
3. A firefight from July 8, 2006 (Troops from Alpha Company, 2nd Platoon, “Red Devils” from Edmonton, Canada engage in a fierce firefight with Taliban insurgents on July 8, 2006 in Panjawi, Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan.)
4. A July 13, 2006 dawn raid on a Taliban compound ( Troops from Alpha Company, 2nd Platoon, “Red Devils” from Edmonton, Canada conduct a dawn raid on a Taliban compound on July 13, 2006 in Hydarabad, Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan.)
5. Canadian soldiers being ambushed on July 15, 2006 ( Troops from Alpha Company, 2nd Platoon, “Red Devils” from Edmonton, Canada are ambushed as they conducted battle damage assessment in the village on July 15, 2006 in Sangin, Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. Also known as the “I can’t believe that guy’s not dead” video.)
6. Four part video of an undated firefight ( Operation ZAHAR, joint Afghan National Army/ Coalition Forces security operation to remove Taliban forces from the Zjarey District 25km West Kandahar, Afghanistan.)
7. More footage from Operation ZAHAR
   
8. A two part video, also undated
   
9. There’s also a few user compilations and some rather moving tribute videos, along with a few “support our troops” vids.

Well, there they are. This is just a sampling of what I was able to fine in only one site. There’s a lot more out there. The question is: is footage like this a help or a hinderance? I haven’t had time to look at them all yet, but I haven’t found anything of any real tactical value to the enemy yet. So what do the rest of you think? Comments to follow, I’m sure.

Okay, I’m a little behind the herd on this one, but hey, I’ve had no net access at home for over a week now and I can only find so much spare time at work. But this is a sweet one, all right. The MSM is totally losing it these days. Perhaps losing it isn’t the right term; losing it implies that you had it to begin with. Whatever it is.

So what is it that has the almighty MSM all in such a tizzy? It’s simple: someone got caught with their mitts in the cookie jar and it wasn’t a conservative. In case you’re one of the six or so people that haven’t heard yet, Reuters has been forced to ‘fess up to taking Hezbullshit propaganda and offering it up as legitimate news. After a nice, relentless pounding from those nasty conservative bloggers (and a death threat), Reuters was forced to fire one photographer and no one is going to be surprised if the axe keeps falling.

Mel Gibson. Mel Gibson. Mel Gibson Mel Gibson Mel Gibson Mel Gibson Mel Gibson Mel Gibson Mel Gibson Mel Gibson Mel Gibson.

Give it a goddamn rest, already.

Okay, buddy; I heard you the forty-eighth time, no need to go over it all again. What the hell’s all the fuss about, anyway? Yes, he made an ass of himself, but nowhere near anything that would justify the perfect shitstorm we’ve been forced to ride out over a drunken rant. You want a headline? Here’s your headline:

DRUNK MAN SAYS STUPID THING

Holy shit. Stop the presses. Yes, he said something nasty about Jews. So did Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, remember? But that blew over pretty quick. Just about everyone on the planet has said something crappy about someone else at one point in time or another but somehow the world seems to just keep on spinning along llike nothing happened. It seems at times that the only groups in the world that it’s safe to slag these days are white people and Christians. But that’s another rant altogether.

So Mel got tanked and barfed up a PR hairball. Get on with your lives already. There are a lot of worse things going on that could use all the attention this is eating up.

While I usually dismiss such things as nothing but more nattering newspaper navel-gazing, several journalists have recently been taking a few minutes to examine and question the crass behaviour of some of their ilk (and sometimes they themselves) displayed in the wake of the death of Cpl Anthony Boneca earlier this week. Let’s see now if this catches on.