Democracy Now! IS NOT Pro-Israel

[Fat Pat]

This post is mainly for Ryan but if others have thought Democracy Now has let Israel off the hook in the past, they're more than paying attention to them with the "disengagement" in Gaza and more importantly the Palestinian side to it. Here's just a couple of links from things they've been reporting lately.

Democracy Now! could care to tell the Paleistinian side of things a bit more often but this goes to show that it's not like they ignore those issues.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl? ... 16/1326221
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl? ... /15/143257
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4092.shtml

[Ry]

spin on the pull out

read how fox, cnn, and cbs treat the 'pull out' cbs has a picture of a crying settler.

The first half of DNow is the same as the major networks. CNN mentions the same stuff as Democracy now. They talk about the money the US had to shell over to pay for this. And they show all of the resistence from the settlers (*not called occupiers but settlers). They also mention the compensation paid however Dnow actullay has a lower figure range than CNN by a 100,000.

It paints a picture of people being moved out by a reluctant army and to top it off the US is paying 2.2 billlion dollars. Maybe it isn't worth it they want you to think.

They also both call it a disengagement or a pullout which it isn't it is a relocation.
Amy Goodman got more than she could chew with Amir Hass. Amy to her credit mentioned that there is not enough coverage of Palestinians homes being destoyed. However in the same breath she made it seem like the Jewsish Settlers were having the same thing done to them.

in the United States, there's been a great effort to get the voices of Jewish settlers out, and you can hear the pain in their voices as they talk about their homes for many years, being forced out of them. And I was wondering if you think this should be a model of the coverage of what happens to Palestinians? Now, in the case of Palestinians, of course, their, for example, homes that are being demolished, we rarely hear that kind of extended interview with a Palestinian whose home has just been destroyed.

Translation "we have been covering the jews being force out but not the Palestinians." -implication "they both have it done to them."

The big fucking difference here is that the 'settlers' homes are ILLEGAL and were built over top of other homes taken by force under a military occupation.

Later they make it seem like the Palestinian homes that were destroyed were militants and that the decision to stop destroying them was because it didn't work it only created more terrorists.

First, the Israeli army decided a couple of months ago to stop demolishing houses of Palestinian -- of Palestinians who participated in some act of terror or guerrilla, because they realized five years too late that it doesn't discourage others to resort to such acts.

The second, we all -- I mean, in the Israeli left wing, Israeli human rights activists have always criticized this way of retaliation

ha ha that is funny, retaliation, for what, living in the wrong area with brown skin?


The third page (which is not DNow) said both sides to my shock....

The pullout is seen by some as a strategy by the Israeli state to consolidate its hold over the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Others see it as a necessary step in the roadmap to peace in Israel-Palestine

but that is how they left it. As if it was an even matter of opinions. There was NO mention of the some 200 odd New Settlements whcih have been built in the West Bank already in the past three months which are waiting to be filled, which backs up the claim of the side saying they are relocating to the West Bank. Nope conveniently that was left out.

They have to mention it, but rather than showing the supporting evidence they burried in quotes from stupid people and one who sounds like a terrorist.
they have this idiot

Abu Yousef, spokesperson for the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades:
"The Zionist enemy should understand that the resistance is not over and our attacks will not have any barriers. Threatening our sites only reassures us to keep our weapons and operations."

who sounds like a militant, Zionist enemy,... our attacks are not over
DAVID MATAR slammed Goodman who did not defend herself at all, then she tried to get on the supposed counter guest and lol and behold his mic wasn't working well.


Thank goodness when Amy asked

your response to the situation right now, to the beginning of the Gaza withdrawal?

-withdraw

ALI ABUNIMAH let the cat out of the bag.

During the period that Israel has been talking about destroying 2,000 settler homes in the Gaza Strip, it has been building more than 6,400 settler homes in the occupied West Bank. Last week, for example, it issued tenders for 72 Jewish-only housing units in the settlement of Betar Illit near Bethlehem

Note the other two pages of stuff were just crap. The same stuff as MSM.
Also note that the page that had the stuff with Ali Abunimah was on Electricintafata not Democracy Now.DNow didn't incude it. Or so I can not find it on their pages.

Democracy Now is about as good as NPR, better than the MSM but still pretty lame. And They have never talked about 911 being an inside job and they Ignore all the evidence. This is a Kerry camp Liberal media program which has the goal of making money.

[Fat Pat]

Well take into consideration also that they can't always hit every point possible, it being roughly 15 minutes per segment. It needs to be longer, and yeah they could care to spend a lot more time on issues in relation to Israel's occupation of Palestine but I'm just showing they're not Pro-Israel or something - they're simply on the side of the underheard.

Personally, I'm blind as to WHO it is that is suffering and wouldn't mind hearing things about the rough deal that Israeli's are being delt as well. There's many people living there who had no choice - who were born there. And their house being demolished is just as wrong as Palestinians homes being demolished (without compensation of course - something with Israels ARE getting but Palestinians are not). And especially on the left you don't hear a whole lot about things happening to Israelis. I'm not at all saying the government isn't being unfair but it's important to treat all suffering of the innocent the same. Amy Goodman seems to me to be trying to tell both sides as best she can. It's something the media can get too caught up in a lot of times, but it's still the best way to provide perspective.

And now, I wouldn't call Dnow a mouthpiece for the Democrats really at all. They've criticized Clinton numerous times for Kosovo, Ache, & East Timor as well as criticizing Kerry for being Pro-War. They don't get into theories much, either. I don't say theories to discredit them, I say theories just because it's something they don't do often. They take a look at what's known be it greatly known or little known. When something is a theory - there's usually a debate. And we know how far those get in 15 minutes. So I think it's the nature of the fact that it's a TV & radio show.

Not to mention, I'd like to highlight that Democracy Now probably couldn't cover the whole debate in the little time they had. Which was why EI picked up the rest.

Their reports on foreign policy also can't be beat for a media such as theirs. Anti-War.com, Commondreams, American Progress, and others of their kind will all have a lot more to say than Dnow but again I raise the issue that for a media of their kind and their exposure, A LOT is being said. They're getting voices out there (like Chomsky, Doug Ireland, Tariq Ali, Naomi Klien) that you just don't see on TV or hear on the radio. I think they should be applauded. It's not the best, but they're doing well for what they are.

[Ry]

Personally, I'm blind as to WHO it is that is suffering and wouldn't mind hearing things about the rough deal that Israeli's are being delt as well. There's many people living there who had no choice - who were born there. And their house being demolished is just as wrong as Palestinians homes being demolished (without compensation of course - something with Israels ARE getting but Palestinians are not). And especially on the left you don't hear a whole lot about things happening to Israelis. I'm not at all saying the government isn't being unfair but it's important to treat all suffering of the innocent the same. Amy Goodman seems to me to be trying to tell both sides as best she can

Here is the thing. And I am not belittling you I just want to explain some fact that are not on DNow that you may not know about.

Those settlements were built by the army going in killing, not just removing but killing Palestinians and then JEW ONLY neighborhoods were built where Jews and only Jewsish, people got to move in for free based on Israeli government subsities that were paid for by the US vai aid and money from Christian churches.

Now those racist fucks are relocating to a new areas and getting half a million dollars to do it. Also paid for by the US. Oh boo hoo I have so much pitty for them. -Not.

and the only reason the army is there is because they are refusing to move. The army is not there the way they are for Palestinians where they fire rockets into their homes. Google Jenin

this farce of saying they are just trying to be even in coverage is deceptive. one can NOT compare the two situations. One group is there illegally that is against international law and they took the land by force with a military from civilians. Now they are told to move. Waaaana. The other group lives on lower than minimum wage, has check points and cerfews, has their homes destroyed, has their children shot, get arrested for no reason, and have almost no acccess to water. They get raped killed and beaten and there is not a thing they can do about it.

that is the REAL situation.

It is utter horse crap. and DNow didn't point this out.

go see the film I made on Palestine.

[Fat Pat]

Ry, you're citing a very BASIC knowledge of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Of course I know the plight of Palestinians outweighs that of Israelis. I'm just saying we ought to be fair. It's not like everyone - be them Jewish or Arab Israelite - consciously made a decision to live in an illegal occupation. The state's been around since 1948. Obviously there's one, two, even three and four more generations of people now living there - native-born Israelites. I'm saying you can't just say "because of the decision of your father or your grandfather or even your great grandfather, you now are considered a bad person". Innocent people on the Israeli side ARE dying. And it's not fair.

However, there is a greater injustice here, and you hit it on the head - along with everyone else who even pays a LITTLE bit of attention and has half a heart would hit right on the head as well. It just is fact - Palestinians are living in a racist regime that affords them very little basic rights, and kills them on a regular basis. This isn't a pissing contest because we all know who would win. But you can't stereotype the situation in the process. The plight of all must be told. That's how a lot of people are approaching it and that's how it much be approached or else you run into the SAME problem on the left that you do on the right: favoring one race over the other. Given the Right favors Israelis because of something they read in a story book & the Left favors Palestine based on facts.. but that's just the problem.. why are either of us choosing which child shouldn't have to die? I refuse to. Balance is necessary on this particular issue. Yes, please do spend 75% of the time talking about Palestine because they are the biggest victims here. But let's give accurate representation and give the Innocent victims & peacemakers of Israel the other 25 or so percent.

[Ry]

You didn't get it Pat. The State has been there since 1948. The Settlements are not in the State of Israel. They are in Palestine, that is they are across the Green Line, AKA the Israeli border.

The State of Israel would still be and be fine were they to remove their illegal settlements. The Settlements are NOT IN ISRAEL.

It would be like the US going into Mexico and setting up US cities for Whites Only by killing Meicans and demolishing their homes.

If the Mexicans did anything back they would be called terrorists and Anti-American and we would just be defending the White American Homeland from the evil brown terrorists.

[Iconoclast]

That was a year ago and pat doesn't come here anymore.

[NoFear]

democracy now is controlled opposition.


make them talk about 911.
not to agree with it, to talk about it, to make their own investigation.

their actions suggest more that we have to put them on a list of suspects.

[Jenifer]

Ry is basically right. given the extreme bias of the American media, any reporting at all that seems to represent the other side appears to be an improvement. But it reaaly is too little, too late or worse, it tends to undertell the story and do almost as much damage because it then seems to tell all.

If you want to give yourself an education in the real history of the conflict go to www.palestineremembered.com and sit down and do some reading.

I also suggest my two books at www.holylandunveiled.com. if you want to understand what is going on right now.

When I hear someone say that the Palestinians are suffering more than the Israelis I know they don´t get it. The Israelis live just fine, driving around in SUVS and living in American style suburbs, building swimming pools out of the water they have stolen from the Palestinians.

Israel and Palestine are heaven and hell. A relative handful of Israeli civilians have lost their lives while more than 1200 Lebanese and Palestinian civilians have been slaughtered in Israel´s military assaults in the last two months. Israel had no reason to do what it has in the last two months, or for that matter most of its history.

[Mila]

I understand you are trying to be fair, Pat. But I don't know if you are justified in this matter. These people knew when they moved into the occupied territories what they were getting themselves into. They can cry and weep forever, I feel nothing for them. My cousin's son used to cry when I didn't let him hold and strangle (he tried this once) my aging arthritic cat. I felt nothing for him either.