[knighthawk]

THERE was something wonderfully strained about how various media organisations dealt last week with the news of the deaths of Qusay and Uday Hussein. From the BBC to Reuters, there was palpable – if sternly repressed – dismay. One of the first headlines that the Ba'athist Broadcasting Corporation put out on the news was: "US celebrates 'good' Iraq news."

Middle East list

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[pgkdan]

One of the first headlines that the Ba'athist Broadcasting Corporation put out on the news was:

LOL...this guy would be welcome here as an Aussie Freeper!

[Prodigal Son]

I wish more of the comments over at DU would get aired out for the public to see.

[pgkdan]

I just noticed the writer is Andrew Sullivan. I still say he'd be a good Freeper.

[pgkdan]

Commentators on the popular American left-wing website Democratic Underground were more explicit about how they felt: "Doesn't a part of you wish that Queasy and Duh-day were alive? I'll admit they're scum and rightfully so, but anything that lands even more humiliation on W's grotesque shrivelled face is that much the better.

Think the DUmmies are high fiving each other over their big time media mention?

[Sir Gawain]

Sullivan shouldn't give those DU losers any press time. They're not worth it.

[Plutarch]

but the anti-war hysteria that has crept over the US and British press ...

Oh, its anti-war sentiment, is it? More like Bush and Republican and America hatred.

[Ditto]

"As to security, for all its problems, the current situation certainly compares favourably with, say, the chaos in liberated Germany after World War II, where military casualties mounted as diehard Nazis made their last stand. But somehow I don't remember the Western media describing those isolated Nazi remnants as an "uprising". But then, in those days, the Western media weren't quietly hoping for the allies to fail."

No, they called it 'mopping-up" and I seriously doubt the press even made page one accounts of the number of GIs and Tommies killed after VE day. Now, each is a screaming headline.

Some other points to keep in mind. For months after VE day, many German people were quite literally near starvation as were people all over liberated Europe. Little or no planning and preparation had been done to take care of the most basic needs. Civilians were forced scavenge military garbage dumps looking for scraps of food while looting was rampent. There is no hunger in Iraq, yet that makes no news.

There was an official non-fraternization' policy that forbad troops to have non-official contact with German civilians. (old Mr. Libido quickly made that policy unenforceable). Now we encourage our military to befriend civilians and go out of our way to help them but I doubt giving the cultural differences that we will have thousands of “war brides” this time.

It took nearly 4 years to establish civilian rule in the Western sectors of Germany, which had a history of democratic civilian rule only 12 years earlier. (The Russians accomplished it much faster in the Eastern sector because many of Stalin’s old German Commie stooges had spent the war in Russia and were ready and organized much quicker). Now, less than 3 months after the fall of Baghdad, we have a civilian council beginning to make decisions on the form and structure of their new government --- and these are people with no memory of democratic rule. The press pretty much ignores that process unless there is a ethnic squabble involved.

Maybe if the President in 1945 had been a Republican, the press might have reported differently then. But I think not. I think the press is different now, and not for the better.

[abclily]

The Democratic presidential candidates are encouraging and empowering the terrorists who want to attack us.

[xm177e2]

But nobody can or should deny that the lives of average Iraqis are now immensely better than they were under a vicious totalitarian state.

Howard Dean can. That's what makes him special!

[Timesink]

Schadenfreude

This is the New York Times / BBC Schadenfreude Ping List. Freepmail me to be added or dropped.

---

This is the nascent Mainstream Media Shenanigans ping list. Please freepmail me to be added or dropped.
Please note this will likely become a high-volume list.
Also feel free to ping me if you come across a thread you would think worthy of the ping list. I can't catch them all!

[Tamzee]

I am SO glad to see the DU'ers poisonous value system exposed like this... if only more mainstream Democrats could see what their party really represents, I don't think we would have to worry over another election for decades.

[King Prout]

The author must be a FReeper.
If he is not, he must be encouraged to become one.
Thanks for posting this.

[sheik yerbouty]

Tom Daschole was reputed to have said in a breathy voice: "I'm deeply saddened..."