From Buckley to Breitbart
Posted by Scott:
William Buckley achieved notoriety, if not celebrity, with the publication of God and Man at Yale in 1951. The book was a succès de scandale. In it Buckley attacked the undergraduate education on offer at Yale for its hostility to Christianity and its adulation of collectivism; he also sought to dispel the indifference of Yale alumni to their supervisory responsibility.
[...]
Considering his esprit as well as well as the splash of his Web sites, it seems to me that Andrew Breitbart may be the Wililam Buckley of the Internet Age — part journalist, part showman, part conservative visionary and ideological entrepreneur. He has an instinctive understanding of the media environment that is the base of the left’s cultural monopoly and he means to do his best to overthrow it.
[...]
With the hounds baying, Andrew deserves the support of conservatives in his struggle with the Democrat-Media complex.
Obama Journolist Operative Invited Other Journolistas to White House
William A. Jacobson:
On February 18, 2010, I wrote a post titled Progressive Bloggers In The Wizard of Oz, about a trip by several “progressive” bloggers to meet at The White House with Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist to Vice President Joe Biden.
The post carried a photo of serious-looking faces reflecting what I believed — tongue in cheek — was “the moment they realized that they were not going to get to meet with the ‘chief economist to President Barack Obama.’”
Boy, was I wrong. It was more like a reunion. Of Journolistas.
The “Chief Economist to Vice President Joe Biden” was none other than Journalista Jared Bernstein, who — thanks to a post at Volokh Conspiracy (via Instapundit)– I just learned was an adviser to the Obama campaign in 2008 when he was active on the Journolist:
[...]
‘Lose Christianity or face expulsion’
By Bob Unruh:
A lawsuit against Augusta State University in Georgia alleges school officials essentially gave a graduate student in counseling the choice of giving up her Christian beliefs or being expelled from the graduate program.
School officials Mary Jane Anderson-Wiley, Paulette Schenck and Richard Deaner demanded student Jen Keeton, 24, go through a “remediation” program after she asserted homosexuality is a behavioral choice, not a “state of being” as a professor said, according to the complaint.
Also named as defendants in the case that developed in May and June are other administrators and the university system’s board of regents.
The remediation program was to include “sensitivity training” on homosexual issues, additional outside study on literature promoting homosexuality and the plan that she attend a “gay pride parade” and report on it.
Where has higher education in America gone? Find out in “Freefall of the American University”
The lawsuit, filed by attorneys working with the Alliance Defense Fund, asserted the school cannot violate the Constitution by demanding that a person’s beliefs be changed.
[...]
Incredible.
Professors and Pharisees
Mike Adams:
Recently, someone wrote to me complaining of a “recent and dangerous trend” of attacks on intellectuals coming from “those on the right.” The writer’s ostensible purpose was to shield intellectuals from “attacks.” His real purpose was to shield them from criticism.
Nothing could be more dangerous than shielding today’s intellectual, particularly the secular university professor, from criticism. It is precisely because they are so coddled and shielded (read: tenured) that they have become modern day Pharisees.
Jesus was not nice to the Pharisees. In fact, He had this to say to them: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23: 27-28).
[...]
Scrap WCB bonuses
Calgary Herald:
Alberta workers injured on the job need compassion and time to heal, rather than assembly line treatment meant to pad the wallets of Workers’ Compensation Board staffers.
Disturbingly, many people may be receiving the latter instead of the former from an organization designed to temporarily support them when they are unable to earn a living. This has to change, and fast.
The opposition Liberals revealed this week that WCB staff members enjoy tidy bonuses as part of goal sharing and incentive programs which, according to the WCB, “help connect employees to the business and reward the achievement of our corporate goals and objectives.” If these goals are attained, WCB staff stand to reap bonuses of up to eight per cent of their annual salaries. Last year, these rewards averaged $5,600 per person.
It is perfectly acceptable to offer employees perks for good performance, but when these perks encourage unjust behaviour, they suddenly become a lot less tolerable.
[...]
WCB screwed us royally twice. As a result my wife is a physical mess who must continue to work despite her injuries. As a result she is now almost incapacitated.
Rush slams Republicans for fighting against Sarah Palin, Sharon Angle, Michele Bachmann
Posted by therightscoop:
Rush is losing his patience with those in the Republican Party who are working against GOP candidates who they think will ‘embarrass’ them, like Sharon Angle, when these candidates are way better than anything the Left has to offer. Somewhat enraged, he says:
[...]
Conrad Black, unlikely crusader for justice
National Post:
The Supreme Court’s decision in Mr. Black’s case constitutes a milestone, one expected to affect hundreds of cases of alleged corporate malfeasance. (Observers of America’s top court cite Black vs. United States as one of the dozen or so most important cases of the year.) It effectively puts an end to the harassment of non-corrupt corporate insiders using a statute originally meant to capture corrupt politicians and public servants.
Who would have thought — back when this whole ordeal began, and Mr. Black’s critics were still wallowing in their schadenfreude — that a Canadian media magnate would become the protagonist in a successful counterattack against over-aggressive anti-corporate prosecutors?
But then, perhaps we should not be surprised. Mr. Black combines three qualities that are indispensable for a successful legal crusader:
* A relentless belief in his own innocence (a quality his critics falsely ascribe to arrogance);
* An extraordinary gift for the written word, which has allowed him to prosecute his case in the court of public opinion; and,
* A zeal for public policy that has motivated him to present his case not merely as a personal injustice, but as a case study in a larger movement to criminalize aggressive corporate deal-making.Mr. Black is now intent on turning the tables on his tormentors.
[...]
Tucker Carlson on The Daily Caller’s Journolist coverage
By Tucker Carlson – The Daily Caller:
We began our series on Journolist earlier this week with the expectation that our stories would be met with a fury of criticism from the Left. A hurt dog barks, after all.
The response hasn’t been all that furious, actually, probably because there isn’t much for the exposed members of Journolist to say. We caught them. They’re ashamed. The wise ones are waiting for the tempest to pass.
There have, however, been two lines of argument that we probably ought to respond to, if only because they may harden into received wisdom if we don’t. The first is that our pieces have proved only that liberal journalists have liberal views, and that’s hardly news.
[...]
Gingrich Joins Prominent Politicians Against Ground Zero Mega Mosque
Pam Gellar:
The list will first begin to grow. The lines are drawn. Where politicians come down on this common sense, common decency issue will define their political careers.
Newt Gingrich comes out against planned Cordoba House mosque near Ground Zero NY Daily News
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is the latest high-profile national political figure to come out against the proposed mosque near Ground Zero.
[...]
The “Junk DNA” Paradigm Continues to Collapse as New Functions Are Discovered for Retrotransposons
ENV:
The literature continues to flood in demonstrating that so-called “junk” regions of the genome are not junk after all, but serve significant and important functions. One such recent paper reports evidence that retrotransposons may play significant roles in the cell. According to the abstract,
[...]
Rising Speculation About Bombing Iran’s Nukes
Michael Barone:
[...]
Joe Klein may be right that “this low-level saber-rattling” he describes may be “simply a message that the U.S. is trying to send the Iranians: It’s time to deal.” Walter Russell Mead may be right in saying “there’s a possibility that [Obama] will flinch.” But I take it seriously when these two non-hawks say Obama might bomb Iran. LBJ would have taken it seriously, too.
Goading the tea parties
Sally Zelikovsky:
As the coordinator of the San Francisco Tea Party, I have considerable experience dealing with the conservative grassroots (yes, there are really conservatives in the Bay Area) and with a perpetually angry and emotionally driven leftwing.
What the White House and its minions have done by wagging the racist finger at the tea parties is simply deplorable. To be maliciously mischaracterized like that, causes me considerable emotional distress. In fact, this is the kind of injustice that makes me clench my jaws at night. It immediately puts good people on the defensive and makes them want to scream from the rooftops “How can you say that of me? If you only really knew me — who I was, what I thought, how I’ve conducted myself — you would never say that. Could…never say that.”
But we know we cannot respond that way because that is exactly how they want us to react. They want to antagonize and goad us, weaken our resolve and neutralize our impact. This isn’t about racism. It’s about power and control.
[...]
Clueless in Gaza
by Mark Silverberg:
The U.S. debt will top $13.6 trillion this year and climb to an estimated $19.6 trillion by 2015, according to a Treasury Department report to Congress. Bankruptcy filings are nearing the record two million dollar level of 2005, and unemployment is nearly 10%, yet, in mid-June, President Obama pledged a $400M aid package for supposed housing, schools, water and health care system projects in the West Bank and Hamas-ruled Gaza. He described these projects as a “down payment on the U.S. commitment to the people of Gaza who deserve a chance to take part in building a viable, independent state of Palestine, together with those who live in the West Bank.”
He must have forgotten that the Gazans first act of “independence,” after the Israeli withdrawal from the territory in 2005, was to destroy the lucrative greenhouse industry that the Israelis left behind but that should have served as a reminder about the billions in aid that have been squandered in pursuit of this pipedream.
According to the Heritage Foundation, since Oslo Accords in 1993, the U.S. has showered $2.2 billion in bilateral aid on the Palestinians, in addition to more than $3.4 billion for humanitarian aid funneled through dysfunctional U.N. organizations since 1950. Vast amounts of these aid funds have been diverted to allow terrorist organizations like Hamas to focus on building its war infrastructure — such as bunkers, fortifying positions and digging tunnels, — rather than on subsidizing education, paving roads, promoting commerce and industry, or providing for, and advancing, the long-term interests of their people.
[...]
Disappearing Cap and Trade
by Rich Trzupek, FrontPage:
Conventional wisdom says that cap and trade is dead, since America’s crippled economy simply can’t absorb another blow. Yet, while proposals to limit emissions of so-called greenhouse gases through a trading program may be on life support, it’s not quite time to administer last rites. Recent signs suggest that the administration and Democrats are getting ready to make one more big push in an effort to force something through.
The reason that Obama is so enamored with the program is obvious. Given the president’s inability to cut spending in any meaningful way, his only hope of restoring some sanity to the federal budget is a massive tax. Of all the available options, two have the potential to raise enough revenue to stem (not eliminate) the river of red ink pouring through the streets of Washington. The first, a value added tax (VAT), will almost surely be on the table when the president’s fiscal commission issues its recommendations after the elections. Cap and trade is the other option, although it wouldn’t be surprising to find that the administration angles for both in the long run. Just think of all the wonderful things they could do with all that cash.
The challenge Obama and Democrats face is framing a message that will resonate with the American people.
[...]
The Persecution & Prayer Alert
The Persecution & Prayer Alert
The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada
http://www.persecution.net
Thursday, July 22, 2010
A weekly news and prayer digest on the Persecuted Church.
Did you know that the Persecution & Prayer Alert is available in a
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In this week’s edition: reports from Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia and
Uzbekistan
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1. More deadly attacks on Christians in Nigeria
Muslims attacked the predominately Christian village of Mazzah, near
the city of Jos, on July 17, killing eight people and burning seven
houses and a church building. At approximately 1:30 a.m., Muslims
entered the village and began shooting sporadically in the air to lure
sleeping residents outside their homes. They then attacked people with
machetes, including children. Seven were killed instantly, while
another died on the way to the hospital. Three others were seriously
injured.
During the attack, Reverend Nuhu Dawat of the Church of Christ in
Nigeria escaped with one of his children, but his wife and two other
children were killed. His grandson, Nanfa, was shot in the foot,
thrown in a bathroom and left to die. Fortunately, he was found by the
police and taken to hospital, where he is recuperating well.
Villagers claim that although the security forces were called and
arrived in time to quell the violence, they waited until the attack
had ended before entering Mazah. The area is currently reported to be
“quiet but tense.” Some residents have fled the area in fear of
further violence.
The attack followed recent clashes in eastern Nigeria in which eight
people were also killed and several buildings torched (see
http://www.persecution.net/ng-2010-07-15.htm
for more). Some observers say the violent attacks are the result of
religion being exploited in the struggle for local power. There is
also fear that such conflict could increase in the run up to elections
expected early next year. (Source: AFP, Christian Solidarity
Worldwide)
Please pray that those who have lost loved ones will know God’s
comfort. Pray for Nigerian authorities as they seek to restore law and
order in the region. Pray that those responsible will be brought to
justice. Ask God to enable Nigerian Christians to respond to their
persecutors in a Christ-like manner, with forgiveness and without
retaliation.
For more information on persecution in Nigeria, please visit
http://www.persecution.net/nigeria.htm
.
***********************************
2. Two Christians murdered after accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan
Rev. Rashid Emmanuel (32) and his younger brother, Sajid Emmanuel
(30), were shot and killed on July 19 after they were accused of
blaspheming the prophet Muhammad. The two men, leaders of United
Ministries Pakistan, were being returned to jail under police custody
when they were attacked and shot by several masked men. Sajid was
instantly killed, while Rashid later died from his injuries. The
bodies of the two reportedly bore cuts and other signs of being
tortured while in police custody.
Rashid was arrested for blasphemy on July 1 at a train station, where
he went to meet with a stranger who had requested to see him. When
Rashid arrived he was surrounded by police, who showed him copies of a
three-page document that insulted Muhammad and was supposedly signed
by Rashid and Sajid. Police arrested Sajid three days later. On July
14, handwriting experts notified police that the signatures on the
blasphemous document did not match the brothers’ writing. Sources
believe the brothers were likely to be exonerated of the charges.
When news of the murder reached the brothers’ neighbourhood of Dawood
Nagar, Faisalabad, Christians gathered to protest. Police fired
teargas cannons at the protestors, who in turn threw stones. The
situation quickly became volatile, with indiscriminate shooting
occurring between Christians and Muslims. At last report, a curfew had
been initiated in the area.
In the days before the murder, Muslims organized large demonstrations
calling for the death penalty for the brothers. Islamic extremists
reportedly led the protests, which were attended by hundreds of
Muslims. A church building was damaged and believers hid in their
homes or fled the area. Announcements were also broadcasted from
mosque loudspeakers, calling on Muslims to “burn the houses of
Christians.” (Source: Compass Direct)
Pray for all those mourning the loss of Rashid and Sajid. Pray that
those who perpetrated this attack will repent and come to know the
Lord. Pray that, even in the midst of such injustice, Christians will
respond with grace and love. Pray for lasting peace between Muslims
and Christians in Pakistan. Post a prayer for those who are grieving
for Rashid and Sajid; visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall at
http://www.persecution.net/prayerwall
.
To learn more about persecution in Pakistan, please visit
http://www.persecution.net/pakistan.htm
.
***********************************
3. Pastor murdered in Dagestan, Russia
On July 15, Pastor Artur Suleimanov (49) was murdered by a gunman who
shot him in the head as he was getting into his car to leave the
Hosanna House of Prayer in Makhachkala, Dagestan — a federal republic
of Russia in the North Caucasus region. He passed away approximately
an hour later in hospital. Pastor Suleimanov was well known as a
dynamic leader of one of the largest Protestant churches in the
republic. “Pastor Suleimanov was a wonderful Christian brother and his
shocking death is a devastating loss for the Dagestan church,” a
coordinator with Barnabas Fund has said. “He and the Hosanna House of
Prayer church were very active in ministry and outreach in particular.
We see his murder as an attempt to put further pressure on Christian
converts in Dagestan.” Pastor Suleimanov leaves to mourn a wife and
five children. (Source: Barnabas Fund)
Pray for Pastor Suleimanov’s wife and children as they grieve his
loss. Pray that the comfort of Christ will be more than enough for
them (2 Corinthians 1:5). Ask God to change the heart and mind of the
man behind this murder. Pray that God will embolden Christians in
Russia to continue spreading the gospel in their nation amid
opposition.
For more on the trials facing Christians in Russia, go to
http://www.persecution.net/russia.htm
.
***********************************
4. Authorities crack down on Christians in Uzbekistan
Authorities in Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in Uzbekistan,
have renewed a crackdown on Protestant activity in recent weeks. On
July 8, two Christians were handed 10-day prison terms to punish them
for their religious activities. One of the imprisoned believers, Lepes
Omarov, has previously endured opposition. In 2003, he was dismissed
from his job as a teacher after he rejected pressure from a local
ideology official to renounce his beliefs. In 2006, a criminal case
was launched against him for violating the law on religion, but the
case never came to trial.
Only state-registered Muslim communities and one Russian Orthodox
parish are allowed to operate in Karakalpakstan. All other religious
activity in the area is illegal. Police raided many homes belonging to
Protestants between May and early July, confiscating Christian books,
DVDs and computers. One believer was summoned to the Prosecutor’s
Office in mid-June and pressured to sign a pledge to no longer keep
Christian books in his home upon threat of criminal prosecution. The
believer refused to the sign and was eventually allowed to go.
(Source: Forum18)
Pray for boldness and enduring faith for Christians in Karakalpakstan.
Pray that they will confidently entrust themselves to Christ so that
they can preach the gospel without hesitation (2 Timothy 1:7-12). Pray
that the charges against the two believers will be dropped. Pray that
religious freedom will be respected in Uzbekistan.
Go to http://www.persecution.net/uzbekistan.htm
for more information about the persecuted Church in Uzbekistan.
***********************************
The Persecution & Prayer Alert is a ministry of The Voice of the
Martyrs, Canada. (Mailing address: P.O. Box 608, Streetsville,
Ontario, L5M 2C1)
Tel. (905) 670.9721. Website: http://www.persecution.net
Contacts: Adele Konyndyk & Erin Vandenberg
The real issue in mosque debate
Michael Goodwin:
In his passionate defenses of the planned mosque near Ground Zero, Mayor Bloomberg depicts the issue as a simple case of freedom of religion.
“People have a right to pray, and I think, you know, we have a quarter of a million Muslims that live In this city . . . These are our citizens and they have a right to have their own place of worship,” he said on the John Gambling radio show last week.
He even invoked America’s earliest days, saying that “the Pilgrims came here because they couldn’t practice their religion back 3,000 miles to the east, and for us to walk away from that, particularly after 9/11 . . . we’re not going to let that happen.”
The mayor certainly has a point — up to a point. All Americans, including Muslims, must enjoy freedom of religion, a bedrock principle of our nation. Yet the argument alone is insufficient to the case at hand, and insulting to those who prefer facts to a lecture. The travails of the Pilgrims, bless their hearts, cannot be the only standard for judging the mosque plan.
There are already numerous mosques In New York, and others are planned, so there is no threat to Muslims’ religious freedom here. With no suggestion it be taken away, the mayor’s passion is directed at a straw man.
[...]
Global warming’s unscientific attitude
By THE WASHINGTON TIMES:
What separates a scientific claim from mere opinion is its ability to be tested by experiment. No true scientist objects to having his theories verified; the charlatan is the one with something to hide. Not surprisingly, purveyors of global warming have proved anything but open.
[...]
The Settled Climate Science is Unsettled – Again
By Dr. Tim Ball:
In conversations with a physicist involved in studying the effect of nuclear explosions on the upper atmosphere I was amazed to learn he did not know the tropopause was at different altitudes between the poles and the equator. This is so fundamental that it is impossible to imagine him finding out anything meaningful about radiation distribution in the atmosphere. Some have a better understanding of the structure of the atmosphere, but it is still inadequate to draw any conclusions about what is happening to temperatures, gases, energy distributions or anything else fundamental to understanding climate change. It is also inadequate as the basis for building computer models used to predict future climate.
[...]
The Vast Left-Wing Media Conspiracy
By FRED BARNES:
When I’m talking to people from outside Washington, one question inevitably comes up: Why is the media so liberal? The question often reflects a suspicion that members of the press get together and decide on a story line that favors liberals and Democrats and denigrates conservatives and Republicans.
My response has usually been to say, yes, there’s liberal bias in the media, but there’s no conspiracy. The liberal tilt is an accident of nature. The media disproportionately attracts people from a liberal arts background who tend, quite innocently, to be politically liberal. If they came from West Point or engineering school, this wouldn’t be the case.
Now, after learning I’d been targeted for a smear attack by a member of an online clique of liberal journalists, I’m inclined to amend my response. Not to say there’s a media conspiracy, but at least to note that hundreds of journalists have gotten together, on an online listserv called JournoList, to promote liberalism and liberal politicians at the expense of traditional journalism.
[...]
What the NAACP/Tea Party Battle Is Really About
By Robert Weissberg:
The recent dust-up between the NAACP and the Tea Partiers over charges of “racism” appears to be yet one more instance of blacks accusing whites of insensitivity, real or imagined. In reality, however, these exchanges reflect far deeper animosities that will not vanish with “clarifications” or expelling “racist” Tea Partiers.
The NAACP and its numerous allies have for decades led the charge to expand government power, including intruding into areas once considered absolutely off-limits to local government, let alone Washington. Tea Partiers are not libertarians, but they’ve had enough with government power run amok. This disagreement is, to use Thomas Sowell’s words, an unbridgeable conflict of visions: the Tea Party’s agenda, even stripped of any racial component, contravenes the NAACP’s raison d’être, so when the NAACP complains about insensitivities, it is just saying, “You intend to destroy us.”
[...]
Race Played Role in Obama Car Dealer Closures
By William Tate:
The Obama administration, already under fire for unprecedented allegations of racial bias, faces a new bias claim from a most unlikely source: one of the administration’s own inspectors general.
Decisions on which car dealerships to close as part of the auto industry bailout — closures the Obama administration forced on General Motors and Chrysler — were based in part on race and gender, according to a report by Troubled Asset Relief Program Special Inspector General Neal M. Barofsky.
[...]
I watched the full Shirley Sherrod video.
Ann Althouse:
Here’s the video along with text of much (but not all) of the speech. Sherrod does admit that she practiced racial discrimination against the white farmer. Later, she helps him, after it is “revealed to” her that what really matters isn’t the difference between black and white but the difference between rich and poor. The fact that she later came around to helping the man doesn’t change the fact that she previously discriminated against him.
[...]
A different view of Gaza
Lorne Gunter, National Post:
A shopping mall opened in Gaza City last weekend. It is called, appropriately enough, Gaza Mall and even has a website (gazamall. ps) complete with a catchy logo, and ads for “Israeli men’s trousers at an attractive price” and shirts from the United States.
There’s nothing remarkable about this, you say. New malls open all the time all around the world.
But think about it: One of the main complaints international organizations have against the Israeli blockade of Gaza is that construction materials, supposedly, are not getting through. Gazans are allegedly forced to live in dilapidated apartments and houses because big, bad Israel will not let cement mix and rebar pass its lines.
So just where did the materials come from to build Gaza Mall?
[...]
The Manchurian Listserv
by Ed Driscoll:
“Rev. Wright is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life.”
There’s an amusing moment in the classic Frank Sinatra/John Frankenheimer original version of The Manchurian Candidate, which you can watch about a minute into this clip:
James Gregory’s Joe McCarthy-inspired character asks his wife, the Red Queen, played by that paragon of eeeeeevil, Angela Lansbury(!), if there a was an easy way to keep track of how many communists he was supposed to claim were working in the Defense Department. The camera then zooms into the Heinz 57 logo on his ketchup bottle, followed by a cut to Gregory in the Senate bellowing, “There are exactly 57 card-carrying members of the Communist Party in the Department of Defense at this time!”
And yes, McCarthy himself famously claimed, “I have in my hand 57 cases of individuals who would appear to be either card-carrying members or certainly loyal to the Communist Party, but who nevertheless are still helping to shape our foreign policy.” (Van Jones and Anita Dunn could not be reached for comment.)
[...]
Canada’s persecuted white minority
Adrian MacNair:
I’ve already ranted about this at length, so there isn’t particularly any point to going on about it again, except to say that this is the kind of society in which we now live. A society where the colour of your skin is a determining factor in whether or not you can find gainful employment. Where that decision is determined not by individuals, or corporations, but by the government itself:
[...]
I hope Black’s enemies like crow
Terence Corcoran:
They say, in the media, that while Conrad Black may be free on bail, his tribulations are far from over. There’s the U.S. Internal Revenue Service’s $70-million tax claim, the continued existence of the obstruction of justice conviction, various civil proceedings, passport issues, money problems and so on.
Oh how wrong this is, a feeble echo of the old anti-Black group-gestalt that has dominated the media and other circles for years. I know nothing of Lord Black’s personal financial standing, but I do know that as he stepped out of jail on Wednesday the people who are really in trouble are the legion of tormentors, prosecutors, journalists, executives, hacks and slanderers who made life hell for him over much of the past decade.
With Lord Black now at liberty, the trials and tribulations begin — for others.
[...]
I am on record as supporting Lord Black from the beginning and regardless of the outcome I will continue to be in the future because from the outset I could see he was being railroaded and slandered by a vicious bunch of scum. Lord Black’s sin? He is a conservative.
MORE
How media companies are using the Internet to make anti-Semitism respectable
by Lee Smith:
One reason for the surge of public criticism of Israel over the last decade is the increasing interest of American media consumers in the Middle East as U.S. involvement in the region deepened after Sept. 11. The other reason is the triumph of the Internet, which lends itself to anti-Semitic narratives. The genius of the web is its interconnectedness, the facility with which it is capable of making links based on other links, which allows a chain of unbroken and unsubstantiated rumor and innuendo to acquire the stature of fact.
As far back as 2003, David Brooks, writing in the Weekly Standard, was among the first to note the resurgence of anti-Semitism, “the socialism of fools,” in polite conversation, as conspiracy theorists peddled the idea that Jewish-American officials and their colleagues in the media had pressed the United States into making war with Iraq to serve the interests of Israel. From blogs and bulletin boards, Jew-baiting soon entered the mainstream publishing industry, most famously with the publication of Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer’s The Israel Lobby. The two authors argue that there exists a group of U.S. officials, journalists, and activists—housed at institutions from The New York Times to AIPAC—who intentionally deceived the American public and subverted “true” U.S. interests on behalf of the Jewish state. As reviewers noted, the bulk of the book’s research was based on secondary sources, most of which came from the web.
If not quite as popular as adult-content sites, the anti-Israel blogosphere is a dirty little thrill that major U.S. media outfits have mainstreamed for the masses, the intellectual equivalent of the topless “Page Three” girls that British tabloids use to boost circulation.
[...]
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