The Discerning Texan
All that is necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.
-- Edmund Burke
-- Edmund Burke
Monday, January 30, 2006
Broadcasting the words of the Monsters
How much longer are we going to sit by and allow the enemy to broadcast his messages of hatred and evil over our airwaves. I can see it now, the next reality show: "Live from Fallujah, it's Decapitation Saturday Night!"
Just a simple question for the history buffs reading this: do you think if FDR had the chance to take out the transmitters and broadcasters carrying the messages of "Tokyo Rose" he would have done so? (Do you even have to ask?). If Allied bombers in one air raid could have denied Hitler the ability to fire up the Nazis with his fiery rhetoric, do you think the 8th Air Force just might have dropped one of those 500 pounders down Radio Berlin's pie hole?
So my next question is: what in the hell are we doing now?
What kind of twisted sick world are we inhabiting where our own networks deem it a "public service" to bring live broacasts of our sworn enemy's message to the masses. (Granted I am doing the same here, but at least I am not trying to spin it as if these cretins are anything less than the mass murdering slime that they are...). If the networks are going to continue to try and undermine our war effort, I say we send in the FBI and shut their sorry asses down. But what do I know...
But, unfortunately we live in the real world--the one where America's press is no longer about the Home team. Still, we are fortunate to have men like Dr. Whalid Phares of the Counterterrorism Blog to analyze the content (and intent) of the Al Zawahiri tape released by Al (why the hell haven't we taken that network out yet) Jazeera. As Phares reports, the AP is already busy spinning this story just as Zawahiri wanted them too. (Come to think of it, why don't we take them out too?):
The new Zawahiri videotape released by al Jazeera today shows a sophistication in the propaganda war waged by the Jihadists worldwide against the US and its allies. Designed to "crumble" the morale of the American public and "boost" the commitments of the Jihadi forces, the tape is another attempt to score points in the War of ideas and media. The results were immediate in the West. The Associated Press immediate leads were stunning:
1) Zawahiri proves he wasn't killed by the US strike, therefore he scored one point against the US.
2) He labeled his enemy, the US President, as "butcher of Washington," hence attempting to rally the widest anti-American axis as possible AP lead.
But the tape is not just that, another message from the number two in al Qaida. It is a very well orchestrated political offensive aimed at the nervous centers of the "enemy's public. A shot that may preceed action or asking for it. Here are the ingredients:
The tape shows al Zawahiri addressing the Arab Muslim world and the West at the same time. "Exclusive" to al Jazeera, which controls the timing of the airing of the tape and the selection of the the commentators it gathers to share with the public their "analysis" of the message, the speech is structured thoroughly al Jazeera lead
First, the Pakistan component. Al Jazeera summarized:
قال الرجل الثاني في تنظيم القاعدة أيمن الظواهري إن الغارة التي استهدفت قبل أسبوعين إحدى قرى إقليم وزيرستان الباكستاني, كانت بتواطؤ مع الرئيس الباكستاني برويز مشرف.
وأوضح الظواهري في تسجيل مصور جديد بثته قناة الجزيرة مساء اليوم أن الغارة أدت إلى مقتل 18 شخصا بينهم أطفال ونساء, "بدعوى قتله هو وأربعة من رفاقه, لكنها لم تنل منه شيئا
Zawahiri said the raid that targeted a village in Waziristan was in coordination with Pakistan's President Musharraf. Hitting the latter while attacking the US intervention aims at mobilizing against The Pakistani leader and forcing his Government to take further distance from Washington. Zawahiri stated that 18 people, including children and women were killed in the raid while aiming at eliminating him and four of his companions. He then stated that only Allah will decide of the time of his death. Therefore, he said "the US and its allies cannot change anything in the plan."
He then moves on the offensive to state:
وأضاف أنه يريد أن يفهم من أسماه جزار واشنطن -في إشارة إلى الرئيس الأميركي جورج بوش- أنه ليس كذابا ومنهزما فقط, "لكنه أيضا فاشل وخائن, وسيجر الكوارث على أمته, وأنه لا يملك أن يقدم في أجله ولو ثانية واحدة
"The American President, the butcher of Washington, is not only a liar and a defeated President, but a failure and a traitor and he is dragging his nation into catastrophes."
In a warning to the American and British peoples he states:
كما اتهم الظواهري بوش بأنه يمد شعبه في الأوهام, ويصور له مستقبلا بلون الدم, مذكرا بالرفض الأميركي لعرض الهدنة الذي تقدم به زعيم القاعدة أسامة بن لادن كـ "مخرج كريم", بدعوى أن بلاده منتصرة في حربها على ما يسمى الإرهاب, وطلب من الشعبين الأميركي والبريطاني أن يفهما أن بوش وتوني بلير هما المسؤولان عن التوابيت التي تصلهم من العراق وأفغانستان
He states that the American refusal to accept the Truce offer by Usama Bin Laden as an honorable way out, under the pretext that the US are winning the war against what it calls Terrorism, is a Bush "mirage." He said the public in the US and the UK should make Bush and Blair responsible for the bodies which will come from Iraq and Afghanistan.
He adds:
وتساءل الظواهري إذا كانت الولايات المتحدة فعلا منتصرة فلماذا تقدم على الانسحاب من العراق, ويقدم جنودها على الانتحار, متوعدا بوش بمعارك أخرى لا في العراق وأفغانستان فحسب, ولكن في عقر الولايات المتحدة.
If the US winning the War why isn't it withdrawing from Iraq? Why are its soldiers committing suicide? He promised Bush that other battles are coming, not only in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also inside the United States.
Al Jazeera's web title is interesting and indicative:
الظواهري ينتقد رفض بوش الهدنة ويهدد بهجمات بعقر داره
"Al Zawahiri criticize Bush for refusing the truce and threatens with attacks inside his homeland"
Which seems to be the beef of the message. Al Jazeera's first analysis of the tape was made by two guests who appeared instantly after the airing. From London, M Abdelbari Atwan, the editor of al Quds al Arabi, and frequent intellectual interpreter of Bin Laden's messages went straight for the bottom line: The US, the West must take Bin Laden's offer for a truce seriously. He said Washington think it is winning the war on Terror and is mistaken. He surprisingly criticized the "so-called Terrorism experts" within the US Government and in the media who states that al Qaida is in trouble. (A very and unusual statement that indicates that a special observation of the analysis by Terrorism experts in the West is ongoing). M Atwan said the West must recognize the fact that negotiations with al Qaida are a must.
The second guest, M Larry Johnson, a former US Marine, recently hired by al Jazeera, appeared from Washington and mildly underlined that al Qaida has credibility in its own midst.
As I argued on MSNBC in my first assessment, along with my colleague Ret Col Rick Francona (NBC analyst), the most important impact of the tape is going to be in which way the Western and Arab commentators will "explain" the tape MSNBC link. From a global and immediate analysis of the message the bottom line is about how to explain the War between the US-led coalition and the Jihadi-led Al Qaida axis. The Jihadi camp is increasingly concerned that out of the West and the Arab world, a new analysis is explaining that it is al Qaida which is not achieving its goals with the peoples it wants to enlist. It is against this particular analysis of the War on Terror, that the "architects" of the tape are attempting to redress the political situation in their own midst.
Just a simple question for the history buffs reading this: do you think if FDR had the chance to take out the transmitters and broadcasters carrying the messages of "Tokyo Rose" he would have done so? (Do you even have to ask?). If Allied bombers in one air raid could have denied Hitler the ability to fire up the Nazis with his fiery rhetoric, do you think the 8th Air Force just might have dropped one of those 500 pounders down Radio Berlin's pie hole?
So my next question is: what in the hell are we doing now?
What kind of twisted sick world are we inhabiting where our own networks deem it a "public service" to bring live broacasts of our sworn enemy's message to the masses. (Granted I am doing the same here, but at least I am not trying to spin it as if these cretins are anything less than the mass murdering slime that they are...). If the networks are going to continue to try and undermine our war effort, I say we send in the FBI and shut their sorry asses down. But what do I know...
But, unfortunately we live in the real world--the one where America's press is no longer about the Home team. Still, we are fortunate to have men like Dr. Whalid Phares of the Counterterrorism Blog to analyze the content (and intent) of the Al Zawahiri tape released by Al (why the hell haven't we taken that network out yet) Jazeera. As Phares reports, the AP is already busy spinning this story just as Zawahiri wanted them too. (Come to think of it, why don't we take them out too?):
The new Zawahiri videotape released by al Jazeera today shows a sophistication in the propaganda war waged by the Jihadists worldwide against the US and its allies. Designed to "crumble" the morale of the American public and "boost" the commitments of the Jihadi forces, the tape is another attempt to score points in the War of ideas and media. The results were immediate in the West. The Associated Press immediate leads were stunning:
1) Zawahiri proves he wasn't killed by the US strike, therefore he scored one point against the US.
2) He labeled his enemy, the US President, as "butcher of Washington," hence attempting to rally the widest anti-American axis as possible AP lead.
But the tape is not just that, another message from the number two in al Qaida. It is a very well orchestrated political offensive aimed at the nervous centers of the "enemy's public. A shot that may preceed action or asking for it. Here are the ingredients:
The tape shows al Zawahiri addressing the Arab Muslim world and the West at the same time. "Exclusive" to al Jazeera, which controls the timing of the airing of the tape and the selection of the the commentators it gathers to share with the public their "analysis" of the message, the speech is structured thoroughly al Jazeera lead
First, the Pakistan component. Al Jazeera summarized:
قال الرجل الثاني في تنظيم القاعدة أيمن الظواهري إن الغارة التي استهدفت قبل أسبوعين إحدى قرى إقليم وزيرستان الباكستاني, كانت بتواطؤ مع الرئيس الباكستاني برويز مشرف.
وأوضح الظواهري في تسجيل مصور جديد بثته قناة الجزيرة مساء اليوم أن الغارة أدت إلى مقتل 18 شخصا بينهم أطفال ونساء, "بدعوى قتله هو وأربعة من رفاقه, لكنها لم تنل منه شيئا
Zawahiri said the raid that targeted a village in Waziristan was in coordination with Pakistan's President Musharraf. Hitting the latter while attacking the US intervention aims at mobilizing against The Pakistani leader and forcing his Government to take further distance from Washington. Zawahiri stated that 18 people, including children and women were killed in the raid while aiming at eliminating him and four of his companions. He then stated that only Allah will decide of the time of his death. Therefore, he said "the US and its allies cannot change anything in the plan."
He then moves on the offensive to state:
وأضاف أنه يريد أن يفهم من أسماه جزار واشنطن -في إشارة إلى الرئيس الأميركي جورج بوش- أنه ليس كذابا ومنهزما فقط, "لكنه أيضا فاشل وخائن, وسيجر الكوارث على أمته, وأنه لا يملك أن يقدم في أجله ولو ثانية واحدة
"The American President, the butcher of Washington, is not only a liar and a defeated President, but a failure and a traitor and he is dragging his nation into catastrophes."
In a warning to the American and British peoples he states:
كما اتهم الظواهري بوش بأنه يمد شعبه في الأوهام, ويصور له مستقبلا بلون الدم, مذكرا بالرفض الأميركي لعرض الهدنة الذي تقدم به زعيم القاعدة أسامة بن لادن كـ "مخرج كريم", بدعوى أن بلاده منتصرة في حربها على ما يسمى الإرهاب, وطلب من الشعبين الأميركي والبريطاني أن يفهما أن بوش وتوني بلير هما المسؤولان عن التوابيت التي تصلهم من العراق وأفغانستان
He states that the American refusal to accept the Truce offer by Usama Bin Laden as an honorable way out, under the pretext that the US are winning the war against what it calls Terrorism, is a Bush "mirage." He said the public in the US and the UK should make Bush and Blair responsible for the bodies which will come from Iraq and Afghanistan.
He adds:
وتساءل الظواهري إذا كانت الولايات المتحدة فعلا منتصرة فلماذا تقدم على الانسحاب من العراق, ويقدم جنودها على الانتحار, متوعدا بوش بمعارك أخرى لا في العراق وأفغانستان فحسب, ولكن في عقر الولايات المتحدة.
If the US winning the War why isn't it withdrawing from Iraq? Why are its soldiers committing suicide? He promised Bush that other battles are coming, not only in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also inside the United States.
Al Jazeera's web title is interesting and indicative:
الظواهري ينتقد رفض بوش الهدنة ويهدد بهجمات بعقر داره
"Al Zawahiri criticize Bush for refusing the truce and threatens with attacks inside his homeland"
Which seems to be the beef of the message. Al Jazeera's first analysis of the tape was made by two guests who appeared instantly after the airing. From London, M Abdelbari Atwan, the editor of al Quds al Arabi, and frequent intellectual interpreter of Bin Laden's messages went straight for the bottom line: The US, the West must take Bin Laden's offer for a truce seriously. He said Washington think it is winning the war on Terror and is mistaken. He surprisingly criticized the "so-called Terrorism experts" within the US Government and in the media who states that al Qaida is in trouble. (A very and unusual statement that indicates that a special observation of the analysis by Terrorism experts in the West is ongoing). M Atwan said the West must recognize the fact that negotiations with al Qaida are a must.
The second guest, M Larry Johnson, a former US Marine, recently hired by al Jazeera, appeared from Washington and mildly underlined that al Qaida has credibility in its own midst.
As I argued on MSNBC in my first assessment, along with my colleague Ret Col Rick Francona (NBC analyst), the most important impact of the tape is going to be in which way the Western and Arab commentators will "explain" the tape MSNBC link. From a global and immediate analysis of the message the bottom line is about how to explain the War between the US-led coalition and the Jihadi-led Al Qaida axis. The Jihadi camp is increasingly concerned that out of the West and the Arab world, a new analysis is explaining that it is al Qaida which is not achieving its goals with the peoples it wants to enlist. It is against this particular analysis of the War on Terror, that the "architects" of the tape are attempting to redress the political situation in their own midst.
