Excellent piece, CJ. Your argument holds. Would that the Canadian democratic base would have greater awareness of issues.
Did you hear Gov. of New Mexico state twice on CNN that N.Korea's "shooting off missiles" in addition to the two possible underground atomic tests?
FYI: Go to Globalresearch.ca site and review article on situation in Russia. It's academic, highly technical, but written by U.of Ottawa economics professor with a family history (his father) serving as Canadian diplomat.
When at site, FYI, see articles under GLOBAL ECONOMY section.
I'll check back later for your opinion.
Off topic: Former PLO terrorist Walid Shoebat is claiming in recent interview a credible sourced poll in ME has indicated that 73% of all Islamic faith adherents definitely espouse eradication of non-believers and intend global hegemony (takeover).
So, former reports of 0.02 percent, and 15% espouse terrorism ideology has now, apparently, been updated to 73%.
Hope this is helpful. Tremendous what you do here on this site,btw.
Funny you should bring Chimpski into the discussion. Like all socialists he has a completely ass backward view of the world.
I found his "Manufacturing Consent" to be insightfull..the only thing was he assumed that all media types were rabid right wing fascists and captialist stooges! So the professors own prejudice got the facts of the matter turned around just as his theory on bias predicted.
Funny how that works out in REAL LIFE! eh?
I consider globalresearch.ca to be nothing more than a communist/ndp party mule. What little I read was blindly biased.
Well said, Debris Trail.
Your analysis is more erudite than mine. I've often thought that just as there is a Western Civilization, sharing an integrated set of social, political and religious values, there is this ominous malevolent strain.
This strain, also an international Western manifestation, is what I've called the International Disease of Neo-Leftism.
It's manifest in the British Labour Party; the Canadian NDP and Liberal Party; the American Democratic Party; the Australian LAbour Party; all the Socialist and Social Democratic parties on continental EUrope.
It shares a collectivist mindset, ostensibly worshipping "diversity". But the diversity it accepts is only superficial: male, female, white, black, straight, gay. All superficial manifestations of "diversity" are PC and encouraged.
But real diversity: diversity of thought from their collectivist mindset, individualism, is anathema to this . One either totally accepts this leftist secular dogma (integral to which is Western Civilization self-loathing) or one is "the enemy".
Islamofascists don't frighten me. North Korean nutjob dictators don't frighten me. Iranian theocratic fascists don't frighten me.
All of them can be defeated...with a reasonably united, non-partisan Western front, such as what we saw in World War Two.
But the Western left does frighten me. This is the deadly disease from within that is slowly, steadily poisoning the West. It cuts through all the nations of what used to be more confidently called Western Civilization.
I'm allowing my pessimism more free reign today. Just listened to a humerous but extremely sober Mark Steyn streaming audio interview at http://www.tcsdaily.com/Multimed...edia.aspx?
id=53
Steyn enlarged on his new book "America Alone, the End of the World as We Know It". Granted, the title is a bit of hyperbole to gain attention. But Steyn elaborates on why the West CAN lose the War on Islamofascism. Ironically, the Islamofascists can't win it...but we can lose it, thanks entirely to this International Disease of Neo-Leftism.
Dave is aware. You are aware, and we sit at the front of the bus, looking out the front window.
Most of the leftist liberal gang further back in the bus are wilfully unaware of what looms ahead.
I suspect that a good number would snap to attention if they could see forward as we can.
I lament the loss of any military person in the conflict, however I bet the gieving family wishes the public was more aware of the big picture.
A newscast covering the funeral of returned soldiers gives due respect.
How about filling out the picture of why our guys are there in the first place? = TG
Anna: I go to Globalresearch.ca occasionally for pieces to put into the mediaright.ca opinion section. Standard Marxism dressed up in academic appearance is what it is. The most interesting thing, is that seldom is any claim on this site substantiated with clear proof from "clean" statistical sources. In a nutshell, the site reminds me of the following old refrain:
"It's all the fault of the Military Industrial Complex".
I guess that 1960's hippies grew up, got doctorates, and started websites. Seldom will you ever read such intellectually lazy crap as flows from this constituency. Unfortunately, 9 out of every 10 books on any given bookstores shelves in the geopolitics section are by this bunch.
It's so sad that one of the only disciplines on campuses left, which demands scholary work, is science. The rest have devolved into the nutty socialist club; and this includes history departments where doctoral work is more about "interpreting" history than in cataloguing it.
We need that pipeline through Afstan and I understand that poppy production is up a few hundred percent over recent years. good damn work!
OMMAG: I used to hear all about Chomsky (who by the way is an English Prof.). So, I read some of his work... after all the anticipation I was overcome with laughter. My son, who now serves in the Canadian forces, read some of Chomsky's stuff in grade 12, and he laughed his ass off. He couldn't believe that what he was reading was the work of such a famed and reveered socialist.
The average writer/academic/pundit from the right would destroy the man in a debate... especially if points were given for 1)context 2)historic fact within that context.
Yet, university grads and the Euro-snob elite worship the man.
The socialist agenda is no doubt present and as I pointed out (or did I on this commentary?) the site's most glaring 'misinformation' included claiming Hisballah DID NOT DO FIRST AGGRESSION ATTACK on sovereign Israeli soil.
Examining all facts as presented on that site which started up immediately after 9/11 attack, does merit closer than close examination.
Chossy (nickname) is tenured economics professor at U.of Ottawa. Since PM Harper enjoys same field academic credentials, does anyone on board know what, if any, relations between the two have occurred?
Global economics section on site is throwing out facts with figures attached. They all should be cross checked for verification.
No doubt, he is Canada's left gatekeeper as is Chompsky in U.S.
This isn't writing, this is a palaver. Where's your references? No links? Where did you read,
"“I told you so!”, “Even HE wants to negotiate with terrorists” "?
Is that a direct quote? No, of course not. Why are there no quotes to at least try to illustrate your thesis? I'm not directly disputing your conclusions but you can't make a case based on generalizations like,
"The most objective “opposition” opinion pieces I’ve found usually originate in Canada or Australia. The rest of the planet seems to be a sea of almost Marxist opinion writing, originating in academia, Europe, and the MSM."
Whew, you really won that debate.
Maybe you can't fisk every article but if the reporting is so full of rich manure you should be able to raise a nice crop of examples with rebuttals.
"Constructive criticism always recognizes context."
Good point, maybe you could look at the context then. A factor that you don't seem to be remarking on is the effect of local politics on foreign media opinions. It gets a bit complicated and you're not all that interested and....
This is how to smack down crappy lefty writing.
By ColbyCosh
If the opinion of the left would be the same if a left-leaning party were in power, I would say it might have some validity, but we all know damn well that if it was still the Liberals in the party, they would be screatching "Look the liberals are saving people all over the world."
DT, thinking along the lines of your post could only lead to something silly like the human rights and safety of the Afghanistan people....
Great post.....
Colby: This site and hundreds of others have exhaustively spent time prooving the points above... again and again and again and again. We all tire of pressing the obvious home... it's like trying to prove to a blind man that the sky is generaly blue on sunny days.
There are entire sites dedicated to proving this... and books.
The thesis of this post is that most op-ed on Afghanistan condemns those involved without objective and constructive criticism. I put it to you, in the post, to read and discover for yourself. I will be proven right; again and again and again if you do so.
I have no problem standing on my thesis because proof of it is staring you and me in the face all across the internet and plastered across the broadsheets and all MSM sources. If you want to do a statistical study where you use valid markers... go for it; I'm glad you've got the training in statistical analysis and the time.
To proove, beyond a doubt, my thesis, an exhaustive statistical study using various markers of bias would have to be conducted... this has been done in a crude manner, but seldom in a proper imperical manner as far as op-ed is concerned and seldom in the form expected for scholarly research... knock yourself out.
Perhaps, just by "reading" op-ed on Afghanistan, as I do daily, and from a multitude of sources, you'd come to the same conclusion... in fact, it's so obvious that it pains me to have to explain so to anyone.
And... I see you linked to your own site... now how supercilious is that?
Debris Trail:
I'm sorry this is not obvious but my previous post is not by Colby Cosh. the link is to an article by Colby Cosh. I am not in the least CC or attempting to be. He's a far better writer than I'll ever be.
I understand by your reply that you are preaching to the choir. That's fine. Go for it.
Bullboxer: I assumed that you signed off as CC under a different handle. The "by cc" is what got me. My mistake.
On blogs, preaching to the choir is generally the case so I'm not sure what your point is other than to state the obvious. I've seldom, if ever, witnessed someone switch their view on things of magnitude, unless personal experience, not arguement, proved their previously held views unsustainable. I used to be a die-hard New Democrat... then life experience, not anyone's arguements, change me; and I've found that to be the case more often than not. I like to think I moved from a life based on utopian theory, to one based on pragmatic reality.
Once again, one theme of my post is a challenge for anyone to go out and read op-ed on Afghanistan, and prove or disprove me. What I state in the post is so obvious, that I'm sure a properly structured study won't be necessary.
You might be interested in the following on Media bias in hard news... it was a delight writing it, and nobody has yet to counter argue it sucessfully:
http://www.mediaright.ca./MSMbias.htm
Debris Trail,
Thanx for the link
Now there's something alright.
And I take your point made in the last reply about preaching to the choir being generally the case.
That is unfortunate.
Have you heard of the Euston Manifesto? It's an interesting developement.
The wiki page
The more things change...
This is about WWI reporting
cheers
VERY interesting links, and both new to me. The main problem I'd have with the manifesto, is that Liberalism has long been hijacked by the left and in my opinion destroyed. I'm not sure there is anything left of liberalism as it was once thought to be; rather today true liberalism is likely found among "libertarians". I know it's symantics, but words do become permanently scared from abuse. I wish the manifesto had used a different term as its thrust is valuable.
Ironically, the best of liberalism has likely been adopted by conservatives today, as anyone familiar with the incredibly varied social, religious, and economic views represented within conservative parties would argue. I don’t think the stereotypical conservative as often presented by the left exists in any large numbers. Social conservatives are a rare breed in my experience, and even among these a fierce desire to maintain freedoms for all exists. The Right has moved so far Left, that it now holds the ground that Liberals held a few decades ago.
The WW1 film by the way; priceless and truly a first.
I believe that the left is not inconsistant. Their goal is the destruction of western civilization and its rebuilding with some lefty culture; any entity that is animical to western civilization they support, unreservedly. The so called contradictions make sense in this light.
This is kind of relevant, apparently some so called "environmentalists" are calling for Nuremberg-style trials for "Global Warming Skeptics"
http://epw.senate.gov/fact.cfm?p...y=rep&
id=264568
Great tip Former... I'll get it up today.
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