Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afg.

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Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afg.

Postby Montag » Thu Jul 15, 2010 2:46 pm

Liberal television host Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afghanistan
by David Walsh

July 15, 2010
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jul20 ... -j15.shtml

excerpt:

The visit by MSNBC news program host Rachel Maddow to Afghanistan in early July was as revealing as it was repugnant. Maddow is a principal voice of the liberal-left in the American media mainstream. When her program first aired in September 2008, the press made much of the fact that the she was the first “openly gay anchor” to host a prime-time news program in the US.

Maddow spent several days in Afghanistan this month, interviewing American officers and soldiers, touring Kandahar and Kabul, discussing counter-insurgency strategy and the overall state of the US military occupation. Whatever misgivings she might have about the ultimate fate of the American and allied effort in Afghanistan, Maddow solidarized herself fully with the occupation and the US military, endorsing the bloody suppression of the insurgency.

In the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001, there were those in the US and elsewhere who were deceived into thinking that the American invasion of Afghanistan had something to do with bringing terrorists and their Taliban sponsors to justice. Nine years of the conflict—with the location and fate of Osama bin Laden largely dropped and the number of Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan calculated, by US officials, to be between 50 and 100—have clarified the issues.

The US ruling elite seized on the 9/11 attacks and, in the name of the “war on terror,” stepped up its drive for global domination. The invasion and occupation of Afghanistan never had anything to do with democracy, freeing the Afghan people from oppression, or safeguarding the US population from future terrorist attacks.

The massive military operation has everything to do with the vast energy reserves in the Caspian Sea region, oil pipeline routes, and the general determination of the US ruling elite to implant itself in the strategically critical Central Asian region, both in its own interests and to thwart those of its rivals in Europe, Russia, China and elsewhere.

Maddow and the entire American liberal-left, however, accept the premise of the Bush and now the Obama administration’s argument that US forces are sincerely attempting to set Afghanistan on its feet. During her visit and in subsequent comments, Maddow never seriously challenged the official version of events or in any way expressed opposition to the war, now the longest in US history.

Her program of July 6th set the tone. She introduced the series by suggesting that she and her crew had come to Afghanistan “to try to figure out two things about the war:

One, does it make any sense that America’s military is still here and in such huge and still increasing numbers? If you take as given America’s goals here, is putting 105,000 troops here the right to way to achieve those goals? And second, what does all that mean for Americans who are here?”

But this is to exclude all critical thinking from the outset. Any serious journalistic investigation would begin with precisely an examination of “America’s goals,” or, rather, the goals of those who are prosecuting the war. Why should they be taken at face value? White House and Pentagon officials were notorious and widely despised for their deceit during the Vietnam War. And who is unaware that the Iraq war was launched in 2003 on the basis of a gigantic lie?

If Maddow buys the official propaganda, it is because she is predisposed to do so by her class position and political outlook. She feels at one with the American imperial project, as she made clear throughout her trip.

On her July 6 program, for example, Maddow asserted at one point, “You fight insurgents by killing and capturing them, sure.” Who uses language like this? Maddow has adopted the manner of speaking of the semi-criminal elements who came to prominence in the Bush administration and continue to thrive under Obama.
Last edited by Montag on Thu Jul 15, 2010 8:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afghan

Postby ninakat » Thu Jul 15, 2010 2:54 pm

Thanks Montag. Why am I not surprised?
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afghan

Postby Montag » Thu Jul 15, 2010 3:00 pm

ninakat wrote:Thanks Montag. Why am I not surprised?


Oh I know the fawning over this woman in 'progressive' circles is nuts. She has been MIA on Israel, U.S. imperialism, Obama's neoliberal economic policies and so much more -- since I've been aware of her.

p.s. She also pushed the idea that Ahmadinejhad 'stole' the election. Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to think there, but IMHO that meme had CIA written all over it.
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afghan

Postby Simulist » Thu Jul 15, 2010 4:01 pm

I doubt anyone would be permitted a prominent voice on establishment media without being fully owned by the establishment.
"The most strongly enforced of all known taboos is the taboo against knowing who or what you really are behind the mask of your apparently separate, independent, and isolated ego."
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afghan

Postby 8bitagent » Thu Jul 15, 2010 4:29 pm

Montag wrote:
ninakat wrote:Thanks Montag. Why am I not surprised?


Oh I know the fawning over this woman in 'progressive' circles is nuts. She has been MIA on Israel, U.S. imperialism, Obama's neoliberal economic policies and so much more -- since I've been aware of her.

p.s. She also pushed the idea that Ahmadinejhad 'stole' the election. Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to think there, but IMHO that meme had CIA written all over it.


She was one of the first on tv to expose the US Republican/Christian backed Uganda anti gay campaign, and devoted a whole episode to exposing the sex crimes of corporations like Dyncorp, KBR and Blackwater. She also has repeatedly had Jaremey Scahill on, who has more balls than any journalist Ive seen.

Now MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan...THAT is your man. All the time he calls out Obama's nonstop Pakistani strikes that have killed over a thousand civilians war crimes, or video game based war crimes. He continually exposes how man civilians the US has killed in Afghanistan

Still, there is something that irks me about Maddow, an almost kind of smugness. I say put on an angry black guy on there to tell it like it is instead!
"Do you know who I am? I am the arm, and I sound like this..."-man from another place, twin peaks fire walk with me
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afghan

Postby Simulist » Thu Jul 15, 2010 4:34 pm

MSNBC uses the limited hangout very effectively.

People believe they are being informed ("Just look at what they exposed!"), even though by definition the limited hangout is a propaganda technique.
"The most strongly enforced of all known taboos is the taboo against knowing who or what you really are behind the mask of your apparently separate, independent, and isolated ego."
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afghan

Postby Nordic » Thu Jul 15, 2010 5:38 pm

Simulist wrote:MSNBC uses the limited hangout very effectively.

People believe they are being informed ("Just look at what they exposed!"), even though by definition the limited hangout is a propaganda technique.



(cough cough ) .... The Daily Show .... ( cough cough)
"He who wounds the ecosphere literally wounds God" -- Philip K. Dick
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afghan

Postby 8bitagent » Thu Jul 15, 2010 8:21 pm

Simulist wrote:MSNBC uses the limited hangout very effectively.

People believe they are being informed ("Just look at what they exposed!"), even though by definition the limited hangout is a propaganda technique.


Q:
"Is Latest Bin Laden Tape A Fake?" asks experts
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21530470/ns/nightly_news/

A: Why of course not! Only a fool would think that...and if it is faked, its those wascally al Kwayduhs!
"Do you know who I am? I am the arm, and I sound like this..."-man from another place, twin peaks fire walk with me
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afg.

Postby 82_28 » Thu Jul 15, 2010 9:44 pm

Gay rights and abortion rights are merely a gambit of the double bind they represent to the socialized (as in living among others in a "free" society) as reality. The word "socialized" is a lexiconical double bind as is the word "real".

Just occurred to me, but why the word "realtor" or "real estate agent"? Why? What is "Real" and what is an "estate"? We're fucking hypnotized. Yes, all of us, hypnotized. Hypnotists and shrinks who are "licensed" to hypnotize merely take you to another realm of their psyche in order for you to match up with them and how they view the world. No counselor has ever given me the answers that I sought. The problem was with me and me alone. The problem is IS the scratch (money) they get from me and there are no questions asked once the payment is made. They don't see this. They're too ensconced.

Last year I tried to tell my shrink about my anti-war views, I tried to see if he would have an a-ha moment. That's when I realized I needed to be HIS fucking shrink. "These are things out of your control". "These are things you have no decision over". Blah blah blah.

But we are hypnotized. We're distracted by something. When we see through this "something" we become scared, confused and we wish to rush to what previously comforted us. Thus we become neurotic and addicted. There are drugs for that. All SSRI's etc do is distract you (make your brain more susceptible to distraction) -- Now you pay attention to Rachel Maddow now. All the things according to how you were raised will be proven to you now. On another station, well, the other shit. Now it is time for hate. Fucking idiots. Fucking retards. Fucking southerners. Fucking democrats. Fucking race traitors. Fucking republicans and so on.
There is no me. There is no you. There is all. There is no you. There is no me. And that is all. A profound acceptance of an enormous pageantry. A haunting certainty that the unifying principle of this universe is love. -- Propagandhi
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afg.

Postby Simulist » Thu Jul 15, 2010 9:55 pm

Sounds to me like you have an uncommonly good grasp of the situation on this overall, 82_28.
"The most strongly enforced of all known taboos is the taboo against knowing who or what you really are behind the mask of your apparently separate, independent, and isolated ego."
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afg.

Postby Alaya » Thu Jul 15, 2010 11:01 pm

You all have a good grasp. Great thread.
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afg.

Postby freemason9 » Thu Jul 15, 2010 11:35 pm

rachel maddow is hot as fuck all
The real issue is that there is extremely low likelihood that the speculations of the untrained, on a topic almost pathologically riddled by dynamic considerations and feedback effects, will offer anything new.
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afg.

Postby Alaya » Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:18 am

I think she is a chirpy little twit.

(Not to say that I wasn't pleased when she first got the job) but as Simulist says ....



I doubt anyone would be permitted a prominent voice on establishment media without being fully owned by the establishment.



We know what they want us to know.
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afg.

Postby The Consul » Fri Jul 16, 2010 1:25 am

Greed is good. War is good for greed. Therefore war is good. New owners of MSNBC will remember Rachel for this. Subtle subtext showing gay people can dig war, too, so hey, enoughof this DADT drama.
What's next? Perhaps Olbermann can go interview Khamenei in Tehran? Well, maybe, if they talk about soccer.
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Re: Rachel Maddow solidarizes herself with US military in Afg.

Postby 8bitagent » Fri Jul 16, 2010 4:58 am

The Consul wrote:Greed is good. War is good for greed. Therefore war is good. New owners of MSNBC will remember Rachel for this. Subtle subtext showing gay people can dig war, too, so hey, enoughof this DADT drama.
What's next? Perhaps Olbermann can go interview Khamenei in Tehran? Well, maybe, if they talk about soccer.


I hate how the media and culture tries to instigate sides. Like the gay/black community rift. I saw the 2003 documentary "Flag Wars" about that, and I saw it come to a ugly head with the November 2008 California Prop 8 decision. I feel like pulling an Alex Jones with a bullhorn and saying "hey, wake up...the elite hates BOTH of you...just look at who AIDS has primarily targetted"

I love both gay and black culture, am militantly pro gay/black/brown/white/whoever/ human rights and hate to see people so easily divided. But I absolutely detest war, and will always believe its a tool of the elite to sucker people into doing their bidding under false pretenses. Sadly, I knew some gay aquaintances who were very pro Bush's war due to their hatred of Islamic culture. And I understand disliking of how gays are treated in the developing world, but im like "you realize the men behind the wars hate you?"
"Do you know who I am? I am the arm, and I sound like this..."-man from another place, twin peaks fire walk with me
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