Shots to the left of me, shots to the right...

Relax, bro. Screw what they all say. Including your old mentor. Aren’t you able to evaluate your OWN work? I assume you are, so let’s hear it. What have you done well? What have you not done so well at? What have you gotten right? What do you think you missed entirely? Which of your own paradigms or prejudices was, maybe still is, the hardest to overcome?

And just what IS your opinion of this war? This is your blog, opine away in the strongest possible terms as a person first, journo second. I mean, what do you do for a release, scream therapy? Martinis? Both?

Be safe. Enjoy Beirut (still funny to see that in print, oh how times change).

Thank you for all the reporting you’ve done over the past few years. I find you very balanced and agree that being criticized by all sides is the highest praise. Just realizing that the situation isn’t as simple as either side makes it is helpful.

Good luck on your non-Iraq assignments.

I recommended your blog to someone just the other day, having been linked to it by riverbend, by saying: “Various comments on his blog attack him as being a capitalist tool and an occupation lackey, which since he’s quite critical of US policy, seems in some ways to me verification of his reliablity.”

Keep up the good work!

• Your blog is distinguished among the vast throng by your direct, on-the-scene reporting. First-hand accounts, honestly reported, are quite a rarity. And that’s what you’ve been doing.

• Now, just because you’re in Beirut doesn’t mean you’re off the hook! Lots of news there… and lots of opportunities to write in this blog about what you see there. Do it! Don’t make us loyal readers wait until you return to Beautiful downtown Baghdad.

• All I ask is to know what’s going on. Is that so much?

sheiks and imans How come you don’t pick up on what a twit this guy is, Chris? A Public Affairs Officer and the guy doesn’t even know that the words are “sheikhs and imams”? (“Iman” being, as far as I recall, the name of an Ethiopian-British supermodel circa 1990… )

Why not, too, pick up on the fact that at least in the October election people had an option of voting “No!” to the whole darn’ process, which was what they overwhelmingly did in Fallujah…. Unlike in January, when there was no opportunity to vote “No” at all….

I agree w/ Dadler above. Be a blogger. State your own opinions— on the situation, and on your work as published by Time Magazine Inc. Otherwise, your whole venture here will just continue to look like corporate MSM-ism.

Amen to all prior comments. It’s been a privilege to be with you from the beginning, and I’m planning on staying along as you go into this next chapter of your writing…

I think that there is a lack of moral clarity and many readers do not like to have it shown to them. It makes them uncomfortable and/or it undermines their political aspirations. I think that anytime you highlight moral ambiguity then you will be attacked by these people from all sides. It is the nature of ambiguity that it will offend those who desperately seek clarity. Unfortunately, the real world is rarely so easy. For example, a man who plans and finances terror bombings such as the recent one in Bagdhad or Jordan holds meetings in a school. Do you avoid attacking him but in so doing give him the chance to set off more bombs? Whose life is more valuable - the 60 wedding guests or his five children? It is never easy and claer. Those who think that it should be are only fooling themselves. Those who argue while ignoring reality are either fools or propagandists.

Either way Chris. If you believe in your heart that you have told a fair and open-minded story then it’s good enough for me. Ultimately it’s my job, not yours, to deal with my own moral uncertainties. So. to the readers who criticize. Piss on ‘em. They want you to do their thinking for them but demand that you reach the conclusions they desire.

Next time you are in Berkeley, drop me an email. I will happily throw you a small party complete with organic juice, hard liquor, or Napa wine, should you so desire. :-)

Chris, First, thanks for the courage to be there and report back from the front — can’t be easy.
I join others, above, who would encourage you to just write what you think is true, damn the torpedos. The printed article did taste a bit like you were being careful not to diss the good ole US of A. While that disappointed me, I have a great deal of respect for you and the position you are in. There’s pressure from that responsibility that us non-journalistic-coms can only imagine. I also join others, above, in hoping you’ll report from Beirut. I’d miss not getting your emails and your fascinating on-the-ground visions of what’s going on. Speaking of Beirut, someone recently suggested that the Arab League be involved in solving the Iraq mess just as it aided the awful situation in Lebanon 16 years ago. The article: The Arab League to the Rescue, NYTimes op-ed by Milton Viorst. Idea being middle easterners solving their own problems are much more likely to be successful. Enjoy your new assignment and stay in touch!

No, I’d have to say:

The left is upset at you for not reporting things that weren’t there.

The marine is upset at you for not reporting things that were there. :-)

In his place, I think the point he is trying to make is that progress comes as the glass gets more and more full, and something that all journalists are missing in Iraq is that the marines are trying to put water in the glass. If journalists always focus on what’s not there, you’re doing a disservice to your readers. Readers want to know exactly how full the glass is, and if its getting more full or more empty.

So I don’t see you as evenly balanced between the right and the left, I see that you’re perhaps missing some of the story.

Also, I think a big problem with commenters I’ve found in general is trying to see the war as black or white, when its always been shades of grey for me. Some days its a little lighter, some days its a little darker.

Lefty commenters hate any article that doesn’t paint Iraq as pitch black, righty commenters hate any article that doesn’t paint our motivations in Iraq as pure as the driven snow.

The reality is of course, very grey. But I think your marine made some good points, there are some brights spots you missed.

I’m posting on this for a class I’m taking at UVM, but I thought I would say, too, that this is one of the only blogs that I read. Thanks for doing what you’re doing. My boyfriend was in Iraq in the Guard for a year and it helps me a lot to read your blog and find out what’s going on there.

The authentication rats at TypeKey are on vacation or have forgotten me again - sorry!

Ditto all of the supportive, positive thangs above. And might I add, there is NOTHING, not one damned thing, that is balanced about what’s going on in Iraq - so why should you be the one required to try and balance it? It is not possible to “balance” the quagmire we have created and it’s simplistic to pretend it could be done.

It’s all past the point of ludicrously ridiculous. And si, if you’re being shot at, you’re clearly doing the right thing (Lord knows nobody else is around there). Screw ‘em all.

Thanks for your integrity and your honest reporting. There’s precious little of either left in our universe.

Thanks for the accounts of what’s really happening over there. I feel fortunate that I found your blog and good luck with your future assignments…

Proof we used napalm and White phosphorus in Iraq.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5333320-110878,00.html

“So let me get this right: The anti-war left is mad at me because I don’t document stuff I didn’t see…”

NOPE.

I can only speak for myself, but I got mad at you for making PREDICTIONS based on NOTHING.

Wasn’t the election in Iraq two months ago? Are they rebuilding anything?

Journalists, like everyone else, need to be accountable (those commenting on journalists’ blogs might consider that they, too, have responsibilities).

One of the values in Mr. Albritton’s experiment, it seems to me, has been the view he has given us that has NOT been detached or even journalistically-incorrect. He has, I believe, been all over the charts in terms of his perspectives and positions - not surprising, considering the many configurations of “hosts”, “protectors” and “associates” he has been matched with, and the levels of hazard ranging from moderately safe, to white-knuckled-scary-as-hell.

If you are looking for reinforcement of your ‘positions’ or dispassionate, remote contemplation, you are on the wrong blog.

If you want to have a feel for what it’s like to live in the constantly-shifting unreality of a byzantine country under occupation and imbroiled in violent civil and sectarian struggles, I’m not sure you could do better.

Yeah, sad to see you go. Love what you did though.

No, Richard. If you think about it, that’s actually a fitting description for someone professionally employed in the adult industy.

Based on what Chris previously stated about people like Dahr, he appears to equate “objectivity” with a chameleon-like ability to adapt copy, unlike those “activists” that enter journalism based on certain convictions. To some extent the criticism he then encounters is about morality, but it’s actually more about craft.

This is not, then, about painting “Iraq” as entirely white or black but to point out to Chris that he supports and obfuscates, through his latest two pieces in particular, an occupation and a system that can at best be described as criminal. That would be the enlightening part, in fact — fundamentally seeing the violent occupation of Iraq for what it is. To say that he can not report on what he does not see, ie the lingering destruction of a city and its way of life by terrible means, is pure and utter bullshit when his output from the “scene” is already full of assumptions passed on from the talking heads of the war machine.

As for the Captain flogging his “democracy” and his displeasure, along with the criticism of the Fallujah piece, being the best praise for your work, you said it best — you followed no other agenda than your own. That, Chris, is the truth plainly spoken. Finally.

Don’t just take the Italian documentary’s word for the use of WP against people, read the investigative work some journalists did on the subject:

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article327094.ece

This is what journalists are supposed to do, follow up on leads and investigate them, not just become petulant kids rejecting their homework.

commentor /.

There is a basic flaw in whitephosphor argument that is going around. How can it be taken seriously when the opening pretext is that WP is a chemical weapon? When the very pretext being laid down is false then how can you expect objective thinkers to believe that the rest of your claims are true? I personally have passed no judgement. In time the unspun truth will emerge. In the meantime you look decidely disingenous and desperate when you attempt to portray WP as a chemmie. You lend great credence to the argument that the US did not use chemmies simply because you invest so much effort into portraying WP as proof of chemical weapons. If WP is to be considered a chemmie then so too are molitov cocktails. In which case you should show outrage against those who use them. But you do not. It makes your entire case appear disingenous.

Glass half full, glass half empty. Could someone, Mr Allbritton for example, explain to me the difference between US Marines deciding what citizens of Fallujah, Iraq can and can’t do, and German soldiers deciding what citizens in Warsaw, Poland could and couldn’t do in 1943. Apart from the obvious fact that Iraq isn’t next door to the USA, it’s 10,000 miles away from it. Mr Allbritton is apparently incapable of entertaining the possibilty that the glass is neither half full nor half empty - it’s just bloody broken. Why didn’t he describe the signs at the checkpoints for entry to Fallujah? You know: “Arbeit Mach Frie.”

“I can only speak for myself, but I got mad at you for making PREDICTIONS based on NOTHING.” Hi Susan, Those predictions are called opinions. And this is a blog. You’re entitled to your own opinions. On your own blog, preferably….

“Arbeit Mach Frie.” Actually, John, it said “Arbeit macht frei”. And if you think this has anything to do with present day Iraq, I’d suggest buying a history book. And, oh, did I mention that the founders of the Baath party were inspired by the nazis?

As far as Chris’s reporting is concerned: I’m in close contact with relatives in Baghdad and all I can say is that his reports pretty much match what I’m hearing. As previous posters accurately commented: the situation isn’t exactly black and white.

Keep up the good job, Chris.

No Kodia, the situation indeed is not black and white. Chris indicated that a little while ago with his despairing post after the hotel bombing in Baghdad. Can you answer my real question: what right do US Marines have to be occuying an Iraqi town, 10,000 miles from their own country, and telling its citizens what they can do, where they can go? Excuse my limited German. “Ausweis, bitte.” What’s the difference? Where’s the diference? Why can’t Chris explain it to us - being a reporter doesn’t mean abandoning all moral sensibility, does it?

No Kodia, the situation indeed is not black and white. Chris indicated that a little while ago with his despairing post after the hotel bombing in Baghdad. Can you answer my real question: what right do US Marines have to be occuying an Iraqi town, 10,000 miles from their own country, and telling its citizens what they can do, where they can go? Excuse my limited German. “Ausweis, bitte.” What’s the difference? Where’s the diference? Why can’t Chris explain it to us - being a reporter doesn’t mean abandoning all moral sensibility, does it?

anonymous,

there is no legitimacy and there are no legitimate options. It is a false argument to pursue moral purity without examing the moral impurities that would otherwise exist. The insurgency itself is fueled by the desire of 20% to dominate the other 80%. I am sorry that you are unable to find saints emerging from the bowels of hell. My advice to you is that you quit searching for saints that do not exist and accept that which is the least evil. If you want to give us something valid to consider, then you must explore the moral sensibility of both option #1 and option #2. Then make a case for which of the two options you think is the morally correct path to pursue.

You ask, “what is the difference”? The difference is that an option#2 was put forth against the Germans, it was discussed, and a great many people decided that option#2 was the lesser of two evils. Despite the enormous loss of life they concluded that it was better in the interests of humanity to take arms against the Nazis. No such argument has been put forth regarding Fallujah. Why don’t you do so? Present your option#2 and change the course of history. What are you waiting for?

WP, when used in the way shown in the video, is illegal. Of course it is a ‘chemical’ weapon but not one which is banned. So since it ain’t banned, it must be OK? Someone should have told Saddam to use it on the Kurds, then, eh?

@moron99:

You say the so-called ‘insurgency’ is fuelled by the desire of 20% to dominate the other 80%. Two questions: 1. Do you have a link, evidence or anything else to back up this ludicrous assertion? 2. What desire was the invasion of Iraq fuelled by?

@Chris:

“white phosphorus is as much a chemical weapon as, say, gunpowder is a chemical weapon”

Wrong, I’m afraid. Chemical weapons are described as: “any chemical which through its chemical action on life processes can cause death, temporary incapacitation or permanent harm”.

Gunpowder clearly does not fit here.

As already mentioned, as soon as WP is used directly against people, it becomes illegal.

Not that any of this makes much difference - killing is killing, etc, but the hypocrisy doesn’t half provide a good old laugh.

robert,

i can only speak of what I believe to be true. Ample evidence exists as to why the insurgents do the things that they do. I perfer to examine their choices of action and inaction, their choices of what to attack and what not to attack, when to speak and when to be silent. In short, I trust their actions more than their words. It is up to you to reach your own conclusions.

regarding why Iraq was invaded. Shall I be blunt? Because the mideast is now in the place that Europe was in the 14th century. Power is weilded by religous fanatics and they kill anyone who challenges their beliefs. No slam on Islam. It’s a teenage thing and Islam just happens to be a teenager. Iraq was invaded to force reformation and a renaisssance from within before Islam launches it own version of the crusades, the spanish inquisition, and the conquistadors. Does the west have the right to do so? No, they don’t. But it’s a whole lot better than being forced to nuke them in a few more generations. Oops. Sorry, is that too gray for you?

Amazing. Considered donating your brain to science?

@Moron99:

So you basically have no real grounds for your claim of 80%-20%?

Just as I thought.

As for your idea on why Iraq was invaded - Islam - it might have some basis in reality if Iraq hadn’t been the ONLY secular country in the region.

Robert,

there are plenty of grounds. it is an accurate stereotype within the limitations of being a stereotype. You could spend weeks debating the balance of saddamme, salafee, organized crime, oportunistic criminals, and sunni supremists. But after all the debating it would still boil down to people wishing to excercise power against the will of the majority and enjoying a 20% support faction through direct or indirect, spoken or unspoken, action or inaction. So you can wring your hands and brow beat all you want but it still comes up to around 20% who oppose the current political process because they dislike the prospect of democracy and its promise that the rule of willing consent shall become the law of the land.

and also, you confuse nationality with social architecture and culture. They are seperate but often overlapping components of human civilization. ah … yet another gray area.

Good post. I look forward to your blog. Obviously pretty good if you hit a nerve on both sides. Keep writing. We in the states, safe and warm, need as much info as possible. I am sure there is more there than any 10 people can report on. The burden will be on me to learn as much as I can before I form an opinion. Thanks for your views and keep them comming.
Terrel Timmins Dallas,Tx

@Moron99:

Where is the evidence that the insurgency is fuelled by 20% wishing to dominate 80%?

Given that opinion polls have shown majorities wishing, at different points, for everything from pulling the troops out to reinstating Hussein, your claim of 20% seems a little too, well I guess you’d call it ‘black & white’?

I see it more like one your ‘grey areas’. ;-)

robert,

there are those who oppose foreign occupation and there are those who oppose democracy. You seem to have the two confused. If you examine their choices of actions and targets then either they are very stupid and driven by opposition to americans - or they are not so stupid and are driven by opposition to democracy. My bet would be that they wouldn’t have enough money to fund an insurgency if they were stupid.

In Beirut? Good chance to take some arabic lessons to give yourself another chance to glean some opinions from the regular iraqis that don’t speak english and thereby getting some insight to the life they have to live these days. I look forward to your continuing blogging of the realities of Iraq, and how fast the spreading of democracy and freedom has come since we invaded this country. I am sure with some interviews of the people you will be able to show us the facts of the progress we have afer every election and how these days the security situation is improving daily. Taking a ride down the road with a taxi and open windows. openly enjoying the evening strolls around the closest park, and oh yeah, the lights that come on at night to enjoy the ice cream parlors and fun things like that. Of course, there is the black and white reality of life in an occupied country that is courting civil war, unlimited weapons and really, really, pissed off indigent people. But hey what do we know, after all you were there and embedded with the Marines. So naturally the view you got was unfettered and open, available to ask any questions you could through your militarty translator. Hmm, could be a little one sided don’t you think? Yeh, I know you were there, well now in Beirut I would recommend a low key lifestyle they don’t seem to like the westerner lately.

moron99, ask yourself this: do you think America would have invaded Iraq if it was predicted to turn out the way it has (strict Islamic doctrine north to south, reawakened Islamic militism in Iraq and abroad; effectively giving the breath of life to al-Qaeda)?

cb, can’t answer that. Too much speculation involved.

All I can say is that I believe it was the correct thing to do irregardless of outcome. If a renasaince isn’t artificially triggerred then I think there will be a cataclysmic confrontation within the next 100 years. Probably within 30. I still haven’t seen a better idea.

“If a renasaince isn’t artificially triggerred then I think there will be a cataclysmic confrontation within the next 100 years. Probably within 30. I still haven’t seen a better idea.”

Perhaps that’s the line of action that gave birth to Al-Qaeda in the first place? What makes you think you possess the ultimate wisdom, so that you can decide for other people? Or is it perhaps the other way round: the US possesses the ability to decide for other people and therefor presumes to have the ultimate wisdom?

How about if, in a decade or two, you come to realize it was all a grave mistake?

Here’s an interesting thing: I thought Kevin Site’s report from being embedded in Fallujah was fairly decent. He didn’t cover what the Iraqi people were thinking, but he did cover what some of the US troops were doing there. And he covered what the situation there was like. But, the funny part: the pro-war right likes it too! They are saying it is about time he reported something positive after his film of the Iraqi soldier shooting an wounded unarmed American in a church… no, wait, got that backwards…. it was a US troop shooting a wounded unarmed Iraqi in a mosque.

anyway, since both sides are happy, by Allbritton’s logic: HE GOT IT ALL WRONG!!

HA HA

Anyway, did anyone notice that the recent Jordan bombers lost loved ones in the fighting in Fallujah last year?

or so they claim….

Like MLK said: Violence begets violence.

Power is weilded by religous fanatics and they kill anyone who challenges their beliefs. -moron99

I predict that is what will end up in Iraq (sadly), but there was no “religious fanatics” in Iraq before the US invasion. Saddam was secular. Funny thing: put people in highly stressful and violent situations, and then they often turn violent themselves…. and they get more religious. I don’t know why.

Certainly working for the suicide bombers though. And the guys who did 9/11.

And Bush claimed that “god spoke to him” to strike at Afghanistan and Iraq.

First and foremost, as a long-time ‘lurker’ I’d just like to thank you, Chris, for a wonderful, well-written and insightful blog.

The fact of the matter is that whether we should have gotten into this war or not (and I opposed it from the start), it would be immoral for us to use that as an excuse to ‘cut-and-run’ at this point. As Colin Powell supposedly said - we broke it, we own it. The past is done. The question now is: Is what we’re doing now effective in making Iraq a better place?

What is frustrating (here I think even more than ‘conventional’ wars), is that it’s so hard to know if we’re really ‘winning’ or not. That’s where blogs like this are so helpful.

So if there’s one thing I’d really like, Chris, it’d be for you to take some time to visit ‘Kurdistan’ and the south of Iraq and report on what’s really going on there. We know that things are ugly in the Sunni middle, but are things really so great elsewhere? Reporting from (sorry, I forgot the guy’s name) in Basra (before he got killed) suggested not. This would tend to negate moron99’s argument - if we’re just supporting Shiite extremists against Sunni extremists, what are we winning?

We need independent reporting like this now, not speechmaking from either side. So Chris, have a nice holiday season and we hope to hear more from you soon (scoop from Beirut would be welcome also!).

http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,635160132,00.html

Susan, We will know in December. With a four year term, the next government will play for keeps. Your prediction is mathematically unlikely. It would take a clear majority of PMs.

Kodia, I subscribe to the theory that history repeats itself. Mujahadeen is simply the arabic word for crusader.

Kudos to you Christopher for seeking the truth in your reporting instead of what one group or another wanted you to see! Good Luck!

The US troops did at least one thing right over the weekend, when discovering an Iraqi Badr torture center:

“The detention center was discovered by chance late on Sunday evening, when troops of the Third Infantry Division, investigating a mother’s complaint about a missing 15-year-old boy, led Iraqi soldiers in forcing their way past Interior Ministry guards at the building in Jadriya”

Way to go Third Infantry….

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/international/middleeast/16iraq.html?th&emc=th (login required)

lol, Kodia you are so confused/ignorant… it seems its a big orgy of violence

“lol, Kodia you are so confused/ignorant…” So when and where were you in Iraq, Butch? Perhaps you would care to blog about it?

I didn’t read all the comments, just was running over the lines as I don’t have much time, wanted to say In spite of some particular issues, comparing to some other Weblog (The ones you can get to it from hereinreality website), still your weblog is the one who mostly getting my attention! Just like that…simply, will see in the future.

Hi Chris.

Excellent post.. as usual..

On the phosporous though.. you may be wrong after all…

I’m sure you’ve seen by now that the US has admitted to using it as “an incendiary device” against enemy combatants.

I don’t know how this stuff can not be classified as a chemical weapon, considering what it does to people. (burns to the bone or farther… literally.)

Chris

As much as the Vietnam war started with lies, the Iraq war started with lies. As much as they did commit lots of war crimes there, they do in Iraq. Abu Ghraib, white phosphorus, lots of civilians killed and so on. All you can say is that they didn’t commit war chrimes while you where there. That they do is already proven. The US belongs in front of a world court for their crimes. However this won’t happen due to the fact that with money they can control still too much. But the times will change. First the minds of people will change and then the actions will follow. If you are still looking for reasons for things like 9/11 then look at the US foreign politics. Bush’s cardboard house is collapsing faster as he can run, but there are many others who keep the system running. They will never be able to control Iraq as they wish and one day the feedback from the people down there will hit them in the face in a way they have never seen before. The next wave of elections will hopefully remove the traitors we had in European governments. And it is time to get out of Nato and close the US bases in Europe. Until then we can watch the statistics on how many Americans get what they deserve from the Iraqis. If Washington opens their mouth it is all lies, no matter to whom they speak, own people, world…. just lies. Most modern army on the planet will get kicked out by farmers, ha ha ha

Power is weilded by religous fanatics and they kill anyone who challenges their beliefs. -moron99

Unfortunately, IMO this describes America of today as much as the middle east.

Hey, Full Glass Blogger…. I mean, Chris.
You´re good at writing this blog (and that´s what it is - a weblog, which means: your eyes in this story, right?) and if you weren´t good then your blog wouldnt be the best and you wouldnt be where you are now. So don´t give a s* about what others say. Whoever they are. And wherever they come from. You rock, man! And I am glad that you will leave this place alive and kicking to do some other stuff that I am sure you will be as good as you are doing THIS!

Just in case there are any questions about the legality of using WP rounds on personnel take a look at this quote from the Army Field manual on that particular weapon;

Burster Type White phosphorus (WP M110A2) rounds burn with intense heat and emit dense white smoke. They may be used as the initial rounds in the smokescreen to rapidly create smoke or against material targets, such as Class V sites or logistic sites. _It is against the law of land warfare to employ WP against personnel targets.

So War Crimes Again anyone?

“Anyway, did anyone notice that the recent Jordan bombers lost loved ones in the fighting in Fallujah last year?”

Why yes, I did. So, in their grief at the brutal oppression of the oil-thirsty American Nazi occupiers, the noble resistance fighters of Zarqawi decided to bomb a Muslim wedding in Jordan? Come on, Susan, I thought even someone like you wouldn’t make such a poorly-formed argument.

Al-Qaeda is lashing out in desperation. They are losing ground, quickly, to the Marines and Iraqi Army, and Zarqawi is attacking from a position of critical weakness.

The more they go after civilians, the more civilians will aid us in tracking them down. And the more they do that, the faster we can do what everyone wants: leave Iraq.

Wow, Beruit. The intrepid foreign correspondent turns tail and bails. Beruit’s about as exotic and dangerous as Long Beach (probably less so, come to think of it.)

And don’t be too proud of yourself, dude, because of your critics. Writing phony “objective,” “both sides” pieces about the Army and its 3rd world victims in the corporate media is always going to piss off the brass. The real question is how do you live with yourself after you presented the murderers’ side of the story? Also, dismissing antiwar criticism as “Berkeley organic juice” shows how little you know about the war you’re supposedly an expert on. The truth is that the whole country has turned against it, and against cheerleaders like you. Cindy Sheehan is from Vacaville, not Berkeley. Finally, I called for your beheading, not your disembowelment.

I don’t recall Time doing too many objective pieces presenting Milosevic’s side of the Balkan conflict, though he certainly had his perspective, didn’t he? From his point of view he was trying to hold a great nation together, but the U.S. media only had one take on Milosevic. Come to think of it, why doesn’t Slime ever tell the rapist’s side of the story? Why don’t they write that? Why is Time so scrupulous about showing this illegal fucking war from the US Army’s point of view when 99% of the world knows they’re a brutal occupation force that invaded Iraq over WMD that everyone knew didn’t exist? I can’t take the corporate media’s bogus claim of “objectivity” anymore. It’s always selective objectivity in the service of western interests and money. If Bush was likely to end up like Milosevic you wouldn’t be telling us about how the destruction of Fallujah was just part of the job. Face it, you and your beigeist corporate cocksucking friends at Slime are suck ups to power and $$$$$$$$. You wouldn’t know “objective” unless your fucking 401k was involved.

I’ll fight you. Please come back to the States I’ll fucking smash that smug “objective” bullshit through your stupid face. Bring friends you pussy. Your Time Warner corporate Blackwater mercenaries won’t be protecting you from me, dickhead.

What legitimation is left when one invades anothers country on claims of illegal weapons and then day by day the world discovers that it’s him wo is using these banned weapons against civilians of the occupied country ??

RAI was right with the Sgrena incident and this time gain. That is true journalism !!! Remarkable when you think that Berlusconi is controlling most of the Italian media in favor of his buddy.