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Noam Chomsky Reads the New York Times — Explains Why ‘Paper of Record’ Is Pure Propaganda
A front-page article is devoted to a flawed story about a campus rape in the journal Rolling Stone, exposed in the leading academic journal of media critique. So severe is this departure from journalistic integrity that it is also the subject of the lead story in the business section, with a full inside page devoted to the continuation of the two reports. The shocked reports refer to several past crimes of the press: a few cases of fabrication, quickly exposed, and cases of plagiarism (“too numerous to list”). The specific crime of Rolling Stone is “lack of skepticism,” which is “in many ways the most insidious” of the three categories.
It is refreshing to see the commitment of the Times to the integrity of journalism.
On page 7 of the same issue, there is an important story by Thomas Fuller headlined “One Woman’s Mission to free Laos from Unexploded Bombs.” It reports the “single-minded effort” of a Lao-American woman, Channapha Khamvongsa, “to rid her native land of millions of bombs still buried there, the legacy of a nine-year American air campaign that made Laos one of the most heavily bombed places on earth” – soon to be outstripped by rural Cambodia, following the orders of Henry Kissinger to the US air force: “A massive bombing campaign in Cambodia. Anything that flies on anything that moves.” A comparable call for virtual genocide would be very hard to find in the archival record. It was mentioned in the Times in an article on released tapes of President Nixon, and elicited little notice.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Noam Chomsky: “The Idea Of A Media Which Does Not Repeat US Propaganda Is Intolerable To American Leaders”
Noam Chomsky: “The Idea Of A Media Which Does Not Repeat US Propaganda Is Intolerable To American Leaders”
Few individuals polarize the public with their opinions, statements and mere presence, like Noam Chomsky. The 86 year old linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, logician, political commentator, social justice activist, and anarcho-syndicalist advocate, has strong opinions (and in some cases, entire schools of thought) on everything from philosophy, to sociology, to linguistics, but he is perhaps best known in recent years for his political activism which has led to death threats due to his staunch and far-reaching criticism of US foreign policy (allegedly the Anti-Defamation League “spied on” Chomsky’s appearances).
His broader outlook is a peculiar version of libertarianism (he describes himself as an anacrho-syndicalist), in which he asserts that authority is inherently illegitimate, and that the burden of proof is on those in authority. If this burden can’t be met, the authority in question should be dismantled. Authority for its own sake is inherently unjustified. He contends that there is little moral difference between chattel slavery and renting one’s self to an owner or “wage slavery.” He holds that workers should own and control their workplace.
He is has also repeatedly stated his opposition to ruling elites, among them institutions like the IMF, World Bank, and GATT.
In other words, the present, in which ruling elites (whether the BIS and “Troika) and ubiquitous US intervention in every possible foreign affair (courtesy of a State Department which, as it has now been revealed, had until recently worked on behalf of the highest foreign bidder) determine the fate of the entire world, should provide Chomsky with endless material for contemplation.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
John Oliver on Government Surveillance
John Oliver on Government Surveillance
Getting the News from Comedy Shows …
The self-censoring US mainstream media are usually not a very good source of impartial (read: non-government approved) information. We completely disagree with Noam Chomsky’s leftist political views, which in our opinion are astoundingly naïve for someone of his intellectual stature, but we do believe he has always made quite valid points about how “consent is manufactured” in the US (and elsewhere for that matter). Governments are lying routinely, and in theory, the press should challenge them on that. It just seems to happen only very rarely.
The hysterical pro-war propaganda disseminated in the mainstream media prior to the Iraq war will forever stand as one of the low points in this respect. Most of it was based on bald-faced lies, something that should have been glaringly obvious to anyone calling himself a journalist at the time. And yet, not one of the major mainstream media organizations even made an attempt to challenge the government’s lies and propaganda – instead they did everything to reinforce them. This was reportedly done to preserve “access” to all those named and unnamed government officials feeding the press with what can only very loosely be termed “information”. One wonders what such access is worth if all the audience ever gets out of it is the amplification of government propaganda.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Top Russian, American and Polish Leaders Warn that Continued Fighting In Ukraine Could Lead to Nuclear War
Top Russian, American and Polish Leaders Warn that Continued Fighting In Ukraine Could Lead to Nuclear War
The Stakes Are Too High Not to Negotiate Peace
Former Soviet leader and Nobel prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev warned today that the battle in Ukraine could result in a nuclear war:
“A war of this kind would unavoidably lead to a nuclear war,” the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize winner told Der Spiegel news magazine, according to excerpts released on Friday.
“We won’t survive the coming years if someone loses their nerve in this overheated situation,” added Gorbachev, 83. “This is not something I’m saying thoughtlessly. I am extremely concerned.”
One of America’s top experts on Russia – Steven Cohen – has warned that failure to negotiate a peace treaty in Ukraine could lead to nuclear war.
Steven Starr – a nuclear arms expert and senior scientist for Physicians for Social Responsibility –warns that proposed U.S. legislation would be a direct path towards nuclear war with Russia.
Former Polish president – and famed anti-communist activist – Lech Walesa also warned that the U.S. and Nato’s arming of Ukraine could lead to a nuclear war.
Leading American political activist Noam Chomsky agrees.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Noam Chomsky: The U.S. Declares Itself to Be the World’s Leading Terror State and Is Proud of It – Truthdig
The acclaimed linguist and philosopher sits down with GRITtv’s Laura Flanders to discuss the crimes America was founded on, how social movements like the Ferguson protests can help the U.S. progress, and other topics such as capitalism, China and his friendship with none other than Amy Goodman’s father.
…click on the above link to view the interview…
