Monday, May 16, 2005
Hear no evil
Against my better judgement, I entered Scarborough Country tonight. And who was there but the venerable L. Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center. I know, I know, it's Brent Bozell. But something he said was extremely instructive in understanding the mindset of the wack-job Right.
On the show tonight, the already flogged-to-death Koran-flush story. A University of Texas professor noted, accurately, that the U.S. had reported that homicides had been committed against detainees in U.S. custody. Twenty-seven of them, in fact. See the full press release from the U.S. Army here.
Well, that was all that was needed to set of the hyper-informed Bozell.
Here's the video and exact transcript [starts at 8:56]. If anything, it makes Bozell look like an ignoramus and a bully. Two great tastes together.
And so on. Bozell had no clue, none at all, even though the charges had been reported, extensively just a month or so previous. Isn't it clear to everyone by now that the such people have utterly expunged every bad story, every monkey-wrench to the "Freedom on the March" narrative that they can actually sit on a national television program and deny a plain fact that the Army has itself admitted. Business as usual.
Later on, they showed a clip of Bill Moyers speaking thusly:
Yup.
UPDATE: Thanks to Dan Kennedy for linking to this piece. Here's his terrific take on Newsweek's "gift" to the right.
On the show tonight, the already flogged-to-death Koran-flush story. A University of Texas professor noted, accurately, that the U.S. had reported that homicides had been committed against detainees in U.S. custody. Twenty-seven of them, in fact. See the full press release from the U.S. Army here.
Well, that was all that was needed to set of the hyper-informed Bozell.
Here's the video and exact transcript [starts at 8:56]. If anything, it makes Bozell look like an ignoramus and a bully. Two great tastes together.
JENSEN: In the context of the proved abuses by US officials in these bases – not just in Guantanamo but in others, Abu Ghraib, and of course in Bagram -- We have a repeated record of up to and including homicide in these prisons. So is it so hard to believe --
BOZELL: Oh, come on. Just stop that. Just stop that
JENSEN: No, the record is clear.
BOZELL: Just stop it.
[LATER, 9:36 timestamp]
BOZELL: Let me put you on the record right now. You cite me the evidence of American soldiers murdering people in prisons.
JENSEN: These are in reports that--
BOZELL: No, don’t give me reports. You give me the evidence.
JENSEN: No, the evidence is from the Army’s own reports. There have been homicides in these prisons. We have photographic evidence of the routine sexual
humiliation –
BOZELL: I didn’t say about routine sexual humiliation. I’m talking about murders. You’re accusing the American military of murder. If you don’t back it up, back off!
JENSEN: I’m not at my computer. I’ll send you the cites tomorrow, Brent. You might want to put them up on your website.
BOZELL: In other words, you can’t do it.
JENSEN: No I can. If you want to-- If you don’t believe the government’s own reports about homicides in these prisons--
BOZELL: I’m saying don’t make allegations you can’t back up on national television.
JENSEN: I’ll back them up tomorrow, Give me a call.
BOZELL. Send them tomorrow.
And so on. Bozell had no clue, none at all, even though the charges had been reported, extensively just a month or so previous. Isn't it clear to everyone by now that the such people have utterly expunged every bad story, every monkey-wrench to the "Freedom on the March" narrative that they can actually sit on a national television program and deny a plain fact that the Army has itself admitted. Business as usual.
Later on, they showed a clip of Bill Moyers speaking thusly:
"The one thing they loath more than liberals is the truth. And the quickest way to be damned by them as liberal is to tell the truth."
Yup.
UPDATE: Thanks to Dan Kennedy for linking to this piece. Here's his terrific take on Newsweek's "gift" to the right.