Message to New York Times Editors: "Endgame in Iraq" -- NOT.

[understandinglife]

The World Tribunal on Iraq bestowed special recognition of the New York Times by not only charging it but specifically naming one of its reporters - Judith Miller - for her extensive propaganda in support of Bush's unilateral decision to wage war of aggression on Iraq:

http://www.worldtribunal.org/main/?b=91

Perhaps, then, it's not surprising that the Editors of the New York Times begin yet another deceptive portrayal of the situation in Iraq with:

Iraq is becoming a country that America should be ashamed to support, let alone occupy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/opinion/02sun1.html

Excuse me.

"... ashamed to occupy."

So, our illegal occupation of Iraq is something we are either proud or ashamed. Wow.

They title this piece of revisionism and phony chastisement of the Bush Administration - The Endgame in Iraq.

Excuse me.

"Endgame" - not even close.

Bush, as we all now know, waged war of aggression on Iraq and fully intended to do so before he and his neoconster minions entered the White House in January, 2001.

Bush has American soldiers, mercenaries (BlackwaterUSA, etc), and corporations in Iraq for three reasons:

Strategic strike bases.

Oil.

Control of the Euphrates & Tigris River basin.

And, any doubt about how long he intends to stay is readily erased by the following:

Elaborate U.S. bases raise long-term questions

March 21, 2006

EDITOR'S NOTE — This report is based on interviews with U.S. military engineers and others before and during the writer's two weeks as an embedded reporter at major U.S. bases in Iraq.

By Charles J. Hanley

Associated Press

BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq — The concrete goes on forever, vanishing into the noonday glare, 2 million cubic feet of it, a mile-long slab that's now the home of up to 120 U.S. helicopters, a "heli-park" as good as any back in the States.

At another giant base, al-Asad in Iraq's western desert, the 17,000 troops and workers come and go in a kind of bustling American town, with a Burger King, Pizza Hut and a car dealership, stop signs, traffic regulations and young bikers clogging the roads.

At a third hub down south, Tallil, they're planning a new mess hall, one that will seat 6,000 hungry airmen and soldiers for chow.

Are the Americans here to stay? Air Force mechanic Josh Remy is sure of it as he looks around Balad. "I think we'll be here forever," the 19-year-old airman from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., told a visitor to his base.

The Iraqi people suspect the same.

<clip>

Link:

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060321/NEWS/603210348/1002/NEWS01

The New York Times editors, of course, avoid any recognition of the extent and obvious permanence of the operations platforms being expanded and hardened by the American military and their no-bid corporatist partners.

Instead they pen vile deflections of their considerable responsibility for both the illegal war and the expansive occupation:

The stories about innocent homeowners and storekeepers who are dragged from their screaming families and killed by those same militias are heartbreaking, as is the thought that the United States, in its hubris, helped bring all this to pass.

It is conceivable that the situation can still be turned around.

... the only hope that Iraq can make a successful transition from the terrible mess it is in now to the democracy that we all hoped would emerge after Saddam Hussein's downfall.

It is also the only way to redeem the blood that has been shed by Americans and Iraqis alike.

Oh, so it was the "United States" hubris -- how about Szulberger's and Keller's and Miller's and all their AEI neoconster buddies, along with Bush's crime syndicate.

"... conceivable ... turned around ... democracy we all hoped ..." - Excuse me, but millions of us, well before the war started knew that it would not result in "democracy" and, besides, no amount of revising is going to erase the role the New York Times' propaganda contributed to deceiving Americans and others that any justification existed for outsiders effecting Saddam Hussein's downfall.

"... only way to redeem the blood that has been shed ..." - Bull. The blood of brave Americans and innocent Iraqi citizens will never be redeemed. All of those who have died and been injured NEVER should have suffered. NEVER. All that can be done now is to bring to justice the perpetrators of the atrocities, the deceivers and the torturers and the corporatists and the members of the Bush administration and Congress who have persisted in conducting an illegal occupation of Iraq, after waging an illegal war.

The United States of America is in Iraq for oil, for controlling access to water, and for military strike capability. Period.

Stop lying, New York Times Editors. The most important "Endgame" is for you to stop the deception as a first step toward ending the ongoing crimes of America in Iraq.


Peace.

[mike_c]

1. recommended....

You should repackage this as a LTTE, or at least send their omsbudsman the URL.

[understandinglife]

7. I plan to send the omsbudsman the URL once I've collected as many ...

... comments from fellow DUers as I can.

Thank you.


Peace.

[rfranklin]

2. Basically "stay the course"--only do it better...

This idea that somehow we the people have to work to redeem the total clusterfuck of the corporations and their representatives in the White House is truly amazing. I believe that we should put Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld et al. before tribunals, enumerate their crimes, deal out appropriate punishment and let the world know that the American people will not tolerate such fascism.

[understandinglife]

3. "... and let the world know that the American people will not tolerate .."

I agree with what you prescribe. It is exactly what "We the People ..." must do just to begin restoring America.


If You're pro-Bu$h, You're Anti-America

[AuntiBush]

4. While Yard-Working Today

Heard a thump. Looked-up and a white van was dropping plastic-blue wrapped NY Times freebie papers on everyone's lawns.

I thought, well, since the trash can is right here... ker-plunk. Till the NYT apologies for lieing to my country and starts telling the truth, they can shove-it. Granted, there must be at least one, maybe a few decent, honest, honorable souls working there, till they prove otherwise, ker-plunk.

[understandinglife]

6. "ker-plunk" - In_Deed. Perfect.

Peace.

[AuntiBush]

9. Yup.

After back-breaking work, that "ker-plunk" went in pretty good. Even the dog seemed to be proudly looking on :)

[Land Shark]

5. Neither an End, nor a Game. Odd word choice indeed.

[understandinglife]

8. Gary Hart: "Anyone thinking we are entering the end-game better wake up.

Our neoconservative policy makers are still willing to risk the U.S. Army in a mad Middle East imperial scheme that composed the real reason for the Iraq war in the first place.

<clip>

I have been pleading with the American press corps for months to ask the Bush administration one simple question, a question designed to expose our true agenda: "Are we, or are we not, constructing permanent military bases in Iraq?" Full stop.

More at the link to Senator Hart's The Trick Is on US:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-hart/the-trick-is-on-us_b_18261.html

Interestingly, he posted the above at Huffington Post two days before the vile revisionist NYT Editorial cited in the OP.


ker-plunk is the sound of the old grey lady hitting the bottom of the trash can

[understandinglife]

10. Tomgram: The Hyperpower Hype and Where It Took Us

<clip>

It's true that some neocons once imagined chaos as a kind of acceptable fallback position in the Middle East, if the best of all worlds didn't work out. But this was the fantasy of people who had essentially never made it out of the Washington world of think tanks, punditry, and politics, who were desperately ready to be dazzled by the tales of Ahmed Chalabi and other exiled Iraqi Scheherazades. Anyone today who thinks that we can simply retreat to those permanent bases and protect the oil, while Iraq sinks further into chaos, while the ruins spread, should really think again.

"Imperial overreach" is too fancy a term for what the Bush administration has actually done. While its officials have talked a great game when it came to achieving "victory" in Iraq and exporting democracy to the Middle East, its main exports have turned out to be mayhem and ruins. And those it can continue to export. With every new move, yet more rubble, yet more terror, and undoubtedly yet more terrorists in Iraq and, sooner or later, in the wider region will be created. This is where the most essential choices made by the President, Vice President, and their chosen officials in the days after September 11, 2001 have taken us.

Link:

http://tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=73663

They had absolutely no difficulty making those choices, in fact, they made them long before 9/11. They and all their militaristic corporatists buddies need endless fear to divert ever more $$$$ into endless manufacture of all the devices that ensure "yet more rubble, yet more terror" - yet more profit from the death and destruction that expands their net worth, daily.


"Endgame" - bullshit; the neoconsters are just warming up.

[fooj]

11. Truth is our most powerful weapon.

Hey NYT...why not try sticking to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics for a change. Here's a link for a little refresher course...

http://www.spj.org/ethics_code.asp

Preamble
Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice.

Here's their mission statement...


SPJ Missions

The Society of Professional Journalists is dedicated to the perpetuation of a free press as the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty.

To ensure that the concept of self-government outlined by the U.S. Constitution remains a reality into future centuries, the American people must be well informed in order to make decisions regarding their lives, and their local and national communities.

It is the role of journalists to provide this information in an accurate, comprehensive, timely and understandable manner.


It is the mission of the Society of Professional Journalists:

To promote this flow of information.
To maintain constant vigilance in protection of the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and of the press.
To stimulate high standards and ethical behavior in the practice of journalism.
To foster excellence among journalists.
To inspire successive generations of talented individuals to become dedicated journalists.
To encourage diversity in journalism.
To be the pre-eminent, broad-based membership organization for journalists.
To encourage a climate in which journalism can be practiced freely.




Thanks for this, UL. This really burns me up.

Peace.

[understandinglife]

12. Neat link, fooj! When I send the URL to the NYT ombudsman, ...

... it'll be good that you've included it. Maybe someone at the old grey lady will read it!


Peace.

[fooj]

13. Just in case some of them are perusing DU...

Code of Ethics
Ethics > SPJ Code of Ethics

Preamble
Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society's principles and standards of practice.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Seek Truth and Report It

Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.

Journalists should:

Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.
Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.
Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.
Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If re-enactment is necessary to tell a story, label it.
Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public. Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story
Never plagiarize.
Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.
Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.
Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.
Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.
Recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public's business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Minimize Harm

Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect.

Journalists should:

Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.
Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy.
Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes.
Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.
Balance a criminal suspect’s fair trial rights with the public’s right to be informed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Act Independently

Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know.

Journalists should:

Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.
Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.
Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.
Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; avoid bidding for news.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Be Accountable

Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other.

Journalists should:

Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct.
Encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media.
Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
Expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media.
Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.

****************************************
Always willing to lend a hand...

Peace

[understandinglife]

18. Neat!!! Thank you.

Peace.

[flyarm]

15. thanks UL..i am so sick of NYT i refuse to purchase their select

i don't use my disposable income on murderers!!

kick and R !

fly

[Mojorabbit]

14. They have blood on their hands

from their cheerleading for this war in the beginning. I'd love to see some atonement starting with some hard hitting good journalism.

[autorank]

16. Recommended and Brilliant

The Times publisher and editor are just reprehensible. They should all go jump in the East River and swallow as much bilge as possible. They are the enemies of civilization. But I don't want to get carried away here...

This post is near perfect. It shows the contradictions and insanity of the NYT's current management.

How dare they say anything about Iraq. They should be fired, removed permanently from any journalistic enterprise.

But they won't.

Wonderful post, truly.


When you're done excoriating the NYT, this may amuse you.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2342725&mesg_id=2342725

[understandinglife]

17. Thank you for sharing your post from Jan, 2006!

I agree.


Peace.

[understandinglife]

19. Col Kwiatkowski: "... we've built very massive mega-bases, permanent. ...

... These are permanent military bases in Iraq. We've done that in other places, as well, in the Middle East, but certainly these - this construction project in Iraq, in fact most of the money has been for military construction of - for our use. I think that's a big part of it, shifting our footprint.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/4/3/16550/61573

http://www.q-and-a.org/Transcript/?ProgramID=1069

"Endgame" - Nope.


If You're pro-Bu$h, You're Anti-America