The Age on US bans media from protests:
US forces yesterday tried to stop the media from covering a third day of anti-American protests by Iraqis outside a hotel housing a US operations base, according to a reporter at the scene.
Up to 300 Iraqis gathered outside the Palestine Hotel to express rage at what they said was the US failure to restore order after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Well. I guess the first step to "liberation" is suppression of media coverage. After all, how free can you be, if information flows unimpeded….
Link courtesy of Yahoo! Groups – Libertarian.
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Entry also posted at Stand Down.
300 iraqi’s ?
Not much but still way more than we photographed pulling down the statue.
Wow, I didn’t expect the tide the turn this rapidly.
Wouter
Posted by Wouter on April 16, 2003 11:12 AM
How about this piece of reporting from teh presented link :
“For the first time, visibly angered US military officials sought to distance the media from the protest, … We want you to pullback to the back of the hotel because they (the Iraqis) are only performing because the media are here,” said a marines colonel who would not give his first name or title.
I guess we have found another Brave Marine who would like to remain anonymous. And I was thinking we had all of them hereon this forum. Stupid me. Seems that anonimity is indeed offcial Marine Policy.
But then this comment :
“… because they (the Iraqis) are only performing because the media are here …”
Yep that describes the “pulling down the statue” quite well.
Hell the media was almost doing the pulling themselfs.
Like the rock group “rage against the machine” sung in 1992 :
“When things go wrong we’ll just blame it on islam. Land of the FREE ?! Who ever told you that is your ENEMY !”
Wouter
Posted by Wouter on April 16, 2003 11:20 AM
“Hell the media was almost doing the pulling themselfs”
The statue was pulled down by the uniformed US military. It was not pulled down by anyone who was Iraqi or even looked Iraqi.
Posted by DavidByron on April 17, 2003 05:33 PM
“Not much but still way more than we photographed pulling down the statue”
You know those so-called Iraqis were flown into Iraq by the pentagon don’t you?
Posted by DavidByron on April 17, 2003 05:30 PM
300 Iraqis? Wow! That MUST be the majority.
Posted by Sue on April 16, 2003 02:14 PM
What’s your point Sue? That you prefer mob rule and the biggest mob wins? If everyone else is happy than no problem? To hell with those in disagreement? Whether it’s 300 or300,000 they have the right to be pissed off. Iraq has not yet become the 51st state.
By the way, there were 300 at **this particular**demonstration. That doesn’t mean that only 300 people in the entire nation are upset. There have been larger demonstrations and they will continue. It’s fairly simple to understand, even in neo-con land.
Posted by James Landrith on April 16, 2003 02:31 PM
“What’s your point Sue? That you prefer mob rule and the biggest mob wins? If everyone else is happy than no problem? To hell with those in disagreement? Whether it’s 300 or300,000 they have the right to be pissed off. Iraq has not yet become the 51st state.”
Testy, testy, James. No need to get your panties in a bunch over crowd control and some protesters.
Posted by Schaeffer on April 16, 2003 11:00 PM
Now check this out, “US forces yesterday tried to stop the media from covering…”. Well, did they try or did they succeed? Apparently they didn’t succeed and I truly question how much they tried. A little detail here would help as well. Since the detail is that they moved the reporters 30 meters I find it rather hard to get up in arms about this.
As far as the Lt Colonel not giving his name, well that’s some damn fine reporting for you since it’s written in 3/4 inch letters on his right breast pocket and right ass cheek.
Posted by Jim M on April 16, 2003 03:58 PM
Jim, if he was wearing a flak jacket, his name wouldn’t be visible from the front. Further, if he was wearing an “h” harness, his name could be partially obscured, depending on how the straps were secured and adjusted. Nor would a reporter be likely to say “excuse me LtCol, but I need to take a look at your ass. Kindly hold still.” Further, if his uniform fit like mine did, his blouse would be just long enough to obscure, or partially obscure his name from the rear. At least my woodland sand desert utilities did when I wore the Eagle, Globe and Anchor. I’ve haven’t worn the new fangled “computerized” utilities so I can’t comment on how they are tailored, nor does the article mention what kind of utilities the LtCol was wearing.
Or perhaps the reporter was simply honoring his wish to remain unnamed.
Posted by James Landrith on April 16, 2003 04:07 PM
James,
Right you are about the battle rattle covering the name, but aren’t these reporters staying in the same hotel that this operations base is located in? I’d think there’d be ample opportunity to see this guy out of the body armor.
I guess what I’m seeing is a slant here. Somebody not giving a name is equivalent to “the masked man” etc. From the way the article is worded I’m not even sure that the reporter asked for a name. I don’t know, but if the name is important I’d think it’d be too easy to find out.
Lastly, does that sound like a pissed off USMC LTC to you. I’ve never been a Marine but I’ve spent most of my career in the82d and 101st Airborne Divisions, and from what I’ve seen there’s a similar mentality. A pissed of LTC would have given a name to the tune of “It’s Jim F***ing M, Now get the F*** out of my face”.
Posted by Jim M on April 16, 2003 05:13 PM
I ‘m sure the journalist knows exactly how the marine is, but he can’t publish his name without this marines acceptance. Doesn’t really matter wether he has a fat or tiny ass or was in the pink or in full battle gear.
What a load of misinformation.
Main points of the article are this :
-1- US forces yesterday tried to stop the media from covering ATHIRD DAY of anti-American protests by Iraqis outside a hotel housing a US operations base
-2- because they (the Iraqis) are only performing because the media are here
BS !! They are there protesting because THE US OPERATIONSBASE is housed there.
-3- “… 30 metres from the barbed-wired entrance to the hotel….”
“We want you to pull back to the back of the hotel”
Or in simple word why don’t go somewhere where nobody notices you and so we can ignore you al together and rerun the statue footage of less than 100 protester a few more times.
-4- Tension has been rising in front of the hotel, where Iraqis protest against a lack of police protection, water, electricity and other basic services.
Is anyone seriously claiming this is just a SLANT ?
-5- As the protest grew more vocal, a marines corporal held an impromptu briefing for a few reporters about progress in bringing Iraq back to normal
And he would have done that when only the protestors were there and no media ? Who is “only performing because the media are here” now ?
This little article harbours a lot of interesting information and the name of the Marine is the least interesting, although I think that that piece of info is still telling.
wouter
Posted by Wouter on April 17, 2003 09:00 AM
Wouter,
You’ve said repeatedly that pro-war folks should question what they’re told. Do you? Seriously, do you question any article, story or news release that paints the US/pro-war in a bad light? Tell me, what’s the name of the Portugese journalist that go this ribs broken by the US Army. If I recall correctly you thought I was full of it for questioning that article too.
Look, This article is feeble. Fox, the voice of the empire, news has been covering protests for the last few days. Nothing wrong with The Age printing the story but they got scooped to hell and gone.
The military moved the media 30 meters. They might have told the media to piss up a rope and a million other things but what the military did (capitol DID)was move them 30 meters.
point #5. “As the protest grew more vocal, a marines corporal held an impromptu briefing for a few reporters about progress in bringing Iraq back to normal
And he would have done that when only the protestors were there and no media ? Who is “only performing because the media are here” now ?”
So what are you saying? He should run hither and yon giving briefings to stray dogs and inanimate objects when the media isn’t around. The military briefs the media, and I’m willing to go out on a limb and say they do it and always have done it because the media is there.
The whole name thing. I only bring it up because the article makes a point of it. If a reporter, who is staying in the hotel that this Marine Colonel works in, and can’t get the Colonel’s name then that reporter sucks out loud.
“but he can’t publish his name without this marines acceptance”
Not sure where you got that. You might want to recheck your facts.
Posted by Jim M on April 17, 2003 09:47 AM
Moving media types 90 feet equals a “ban”??
lol
Grasping at smaller weaker straws every day aye?
If flimsy articles like these are the best you can do, it’s no wonder you’ve been routed in public opinion.
Posted by 0847Marine on April 17, 2003 06:11 PM
Mark D. Kincaid aka 0847Marine:
Give it a rest. None of us on the anti-war side has been “routed in public opinion.” The entire concept of “public opinion” is collectivist nonsense and no real Marine I know would espouse such sentiments. Your insult and swear laden postings in other threads are indicative of a loss of military bearing. Be a man, quit peddling this “public opinion” sheep mentality and argue your points without the insults and collectivism.
The Administration doesn’t care about your collectivist public opinion nonsense until November next year.
You’re becoming a broken record.
James Landrith
Sgt USMC
and anti-war libertarian
Posted by James Landrith on April 18, 2003 02:13 PM
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