US to Insurgents: 'We Surrender'

'“Upon reading the transcript of my appearance on Al Jazeera, I realized that I seriously misspoke by using the phrase ‘There has been arrogance and stupidity by the U.S. in Iraq.’ This represents neither my views, or those of the State Department. I apologize.”'

This statement is interesting in several ways. First of all, the speaker is described as a senior diplomat with the State Department. Diplomats are people carefully chosen for their skill in communicating, as well as their tact. Such people are usually very accurate indeed in choosing their words and conveying exactly what they wish to say to a given audience. A senior diplomat might, on occasion, say something that is the opposite of what he personally believes; but that could only be because it is the official party line. I do not believe for a moment that he would say something that is neither his own view, nor that of his employer.

Furthermore. Considering both statements, it is clear that the diplomat was deliberately lying on at least one occasion. (The word "misspoke" has crept into official and corporate use as a blander alternative to the harsh but honest word "lie"; in itself, the use of "to misspeak" usually constitutes a deliberate attempt to mislead).

what do you expect from the same people that can construe the meaning of the word torture to not include water-boarding, electrocution, sleep-deprivation, beatings, mock executions and all the rest?

I am beyond caring now. Everyone knows and accepts the mountain of lies and propaganda put out by the western governments and yet no one does jack shit.

Reading and writing about the crimes is pointless unless you are willing to do anything about it.

Everytime you write about these crimes and do nothing you give the green light to them to carry on. Words without deeds are truley worthless.

Get of your soap box and start doing something, instead of standing on the sidelines pointing. You are as guilty as they are because of your inaction.

The fact is western people's lives are too comfortable - bread and circuses.

You only write about injustice, cruelty and horror to shut up your own conscience.

There's a good article about Fernandez here.

As one of the few genuinely fluent Arabic speakers at the U.S. State Department, Fernandez has become a one-man public diplomacy machine, appearing in Arabic media on almost a daily basis. Although most Americans have never heard of him, his rare linguistic skill, together with his trademark blend of compassion and sass, have made him the face of the United States in the Middle East.

By breaking from the stilted style of traditional U.S. diplomats, Fernandez is able to connect with his Arab audiences and at the same time to deliver a strong line on foreign policy. "If you are going to have a conversation for more than two minutes, you're going to run out of boiler-plate material from the morning telegram, so you have to go beyond the exact word of what the secretary of State said the day before," says William Rugh, a former U.S. ambassador to Yemen and the United Arab Emirates. "Alberto can do that in spades. He can personalize it, maybe throw in a quote from the Qur'an, use a lot more creativity in explaining American policy and attitudes."

Fernandez cherishes the freedom that goes with appearances on Arab media. The language barrier mostly protects him from partisan U.S. commentators and bloggers eager to pounce on every unguarded word from a Bush administration official.

Mind you, it also says he helped sell Reagan's muderous policy in Nicaragua in the 1980s. He probably does his job well.

However, the truth is that a job that shouldn't be done, shouldn't be done well.

I just want to start out this post by acknowledging I could be completely wrong. I don't think so, but it's quite possible.

The post "by Anonymous on Mon, 23/10/2006 - 10:32" seems, to me, to have professional agitator written all over it. If not to flush out the loons or make Blairwatch easy to dismiss because it has "extremists" visit it, then for some personal agenda.

Still, I want to have a bash at answering some of the points the poster brought up (and although I agree with some of them they are put out in the worst possible manner).

I am beyond caring now. Everyone knows and accepts the mountain of lies and propaganda put out by the western governments and yet no one does jack shit.
This is nonsense, it's people like those at Blairwatch who help combat the propaganda put out by the BBC and it's ilk and yet you lambaste them further on down your post (I'll get to that in a minute) and if you think everyone believes the government spiel you should think again. The amount of discontent is almost tangible.

Reading and writing about the crimes is pointless unless you are willing to do anything about it.
Far from it, as I said above it helps combat government bullshit but it is also potentially a way of holding them to account in the future. If people aren't allowed to forget the lies and crimes then it's more likely a push will be made against his crimes once Blair is out of office, and if not it will at least serve as a warning to future generation because without places like Blairwatch people forget so very easily.
Also, you say people don't "do" anything about it. What exactly do you expect them to do? We know this government doesn't listen to protests (and actively hinders them) so should we instead resort to storming the streets and putting people up against the wall? Very constructive that, why we could have out own little Iraq. But I digress...

Words without deeds are truley worthless.
Again you seem to allude to violence, as this would be the only deed left in the book that would change things (unless you count voting, but don't you know we're all apathetic layabouts who don't really care about the way this country goes). Would that make things better? Would it, or would it just put some fool in power who thinks by killing dissidents he's doing the "will of the people"?

Get of your soap box and start doing something, instead of standing on the sidelines pointing. You are as guilty as they are because of your inaction.
Again, as far as I can see they are doing something. Please, do elaborate on what you are doing, but please only include the things that actually made a difference, not the things that made you feel better. As action with meaning is so very important to you I would guess you understand why.
As for your guilt statement, this is a childish attempt to get a rise out of someone. If you haven't yet single handedly stopped all of this from happening (without going killcrazy I hasten to add) then you are as guilty as everyone on the entire planet, after all we could all make a difference if we really tried.

The fact is western people's lives are too comfortable - bread and circuses.
True in only the very shallowest of meanings. As the first poster said, many Iraqis have voted with their feet and left Iraq. They are trying to find a more comfortable life (i.e. to still be alive), as is the aim of most people, yet by your definition they should be in there fighting to the bloody end against anyone who's wrong, so as to make things "right" instead of being comfortable.

I agree that people should care more about what their government is doing, yet what do you want people to do? Again, it's either a few countries or every country on the planet where people are trying to get on with their "normal" day to day lives. Is that wrong? That people should want to have a life themselves?
It's also a failing (or a safety feature) of the human brain, that it's very hard to visualize the suffering of someone very far away whom you've never met unless it is shoved in your face, and even then very few people know how to make the difference they would want. You can shit on people all you want but you'd better shit on yourself as well unless you are making sure they know how to make a difference (and yes, without killing people).

Maybe I've got you wrong, and you're a well meaning person who just can't express what you think without seeming like an "extremist". I have an itching feeling at the back of my neck that says otherwise though.

/rant

I agree with anonymous.Action is required.Think Ghandi.The Internet may be mightier than the sword but only if it makes people do something.
This government is a disgrace.Blair should be in prison.The average punter is indifferent though.Fuck you jack I´m alright etc etc.
You could bring this government to an end in less than 1 week if for example the entire country downed tools till Blair and his lunatic cohorts were removed from office physically.These wankers should be in an asylum not supposedly running the country.

Violent revolution is NOT the way.

Shame must be brought upon anyone who voted (or more importantly votes in the future) for the labour party.

Bliar could NOT have committed his treason and war crimes without the support of the parliamentary party parasites and the ignorant morons who voted them in.

Labour VOTERS must be made to know that they are no better than war criminals themselves – that they are collaborators with a traitor to this country. They have contributed to the wholesale murder of thousands of innocents and the handing over of British rule to a rogue state (USA).

Be under no illusion that the theft our (UK) democracy is not just in foreign policy. Policies stemming from US demands for “security” include ID cards, fingerprinting school children and a host of other “for your own safety” obscenities.

Know also that Bliar (like the nasty little piece of shit in oz) has been (will be) PAID handsomely for his crimes. John Major’s “compensation package” from the Carlyle Group will pale into insignificance compared to the wealth Bliar will see.

It is simply not acceptable that Bliar might be allowed to skulk away to a life of luxury on the proceeds of his crimes. He (and all his “official” collaborators) MUST be brought to justice to set down quite clearly for centuries to come that the British people will not tolerate his kind of perversion ever again.

I just want to start out this post by acknowledging I could be completely wrong. I don't think so, but it's quite possible. The post "by Anonymous on Mon, 23/10/2006 - 10:32" seems, to me, to have professional agitator written all over it.

Alas, you are wrong. I'm not a professional anything. I am however a pacifist but that does not mean I cannot take positive anti-government action.

If anyone can be accused of shit stirring it's your post.

I made my comments because I have attended some anti-war/bush/blair demos this year and have been staggered at the lack of turnout (except the anti-Israel/Lebanon war in central London).

The last one I went to, 'Sack Parliament', was attended by a few hundred people even though it was widely publicised. You get to think that people are just not bothered when you see the apathy for yourself.

BTW, freedom of speech and all that, but you have made so much of my comment that I wonder wether you are, in fact, the shill here.

Violent revolution is NOT the way.

Who said it was?

A call for a bit of civil disobedience does not equate to 'violent revolution'. And it was perfectly legal until SOCPA - how can demonstrating be a 'Serious Organised Crime'?

That 'An of the On of the Ymous' comment has professional agitator written all over it.

Violent Action.
Pacifists? - fair do's, but other than them, why isn't violent action the answer? It was when Francos Fascism came Full Frontal, when Adolf ably ambled accumulating assets. There was a time to fight, there is a time to fight.

Lets be honest. The establishments propaganda was won, its worn off on us. 'Must be good little citizens, musn't do anything physical!'
Our lives are too luxurious, too full of selfish self-satisfaction to actually fight for others we have never seen. We'll only be motivated when its out women that are being raped, when our houses are buldozed, when our kids have white phosphorus burn its way to their bones. And to speak out, even against low level 'civil disobedience' is proof that you have sold your soul to the devil.

This is partly why internet forums are awash of diddenters in full song against Bushy and Blair. It's the new way to protest, it wont scratch you, it doesn't hurt, it fills the new gap. But its being ignored and we know this.

We are cowards. Fine. Lets admit it. After we stop the denial, we can then look forwards and FOCUS on an alternative way to rid ourselves of these totalitarian crooks and crims.

You know, when uncle Tony gets his luscious lips on the telly and says terrorism will not win, but then fails to listen to the greatest peace protests EVER! he simply ignores it. The cakes been had, and he's ate it!

Lets keep tapping away on our keyboards, for surely that will be enough to force the crooks and crims hlding power today to fall, err right?

Violence is not the answer because it simply begets more violence and gives those being targetted all the justification they need to be even more brutal and oppresive. Northern Irelend, Chechnya, Sri Lanka etc. etc.

It would be worth people trying non-violent disobedience first, before resorting to the ultimate action of killing and destroying.

If all those people (1 million) that marched to stop the Iraq war were willing to camp out in central London indefinately, clogging up the streets and roads and trains and busses we may have seen a policy change once the economy started getting hurt.

Any governments number one priority is the economy, you have to hit them where it hurts before they start taking notice.

Violence is the answer in certain situations. It's not a nice thing to say, but it's certainly a reality.

So how else to stop Tonys fluffy bombs?

Tony made that clear when he defied the will of the people in Feb 2003, and made lie after lie after lie to kill more Iraqi people, and probably killed his own. - Dr. David Kelly and the 50+ people slaughtered in London on 7th July 2005. This is proof that the peaceful way doesn't work - certainly not this level of peace - i.e. 100% apathy, 100% lack of ANY civil action whatsoever.

The treacherous SOB (-Tony Blair, should any clarification be needed) flatly ignored the desire of the people, he himself promised to persue. Just becasue it takes the agressor some time to realise that he can't win doesn't mean struggle against tyrrany isn't righteous.

It usually gos like this...
The initial agressor kills countless thousands, those under threat of being slaughtered fight back (and rightly so). The war drags on and on and on. Eventually it becomes a 'routine'. Then both parties negotiate in the realisation the current situation cannot go on any longer.

The alternative is this...
The initial agressor commits genocide. A tyrannical puppet government is put in place which continues the opression and terror in their own people. After years of suffering, misery and death the old regime collapses, either what is called 'bloodlessly' or by revolution. Either way, much blood is spilt, but its not the blood of the agressor thats spilt.

There is no peaceful way out in situations like the own that we are already in. about 2m were killed since Desert storm, 600,000 since March 2003. Why? becasue we dont believe violence solves anything.

Like I said before, there are times to fight. Weren't the International Brigades righteous to fight fascism, were the Vietnamese? Were not the Zulus?

I do agree that there are varying degrees of resistance that should be undertaken, in the UK for example when opposing UK foreign policy. But its quite plain that the current reality of the antiwar movement has failed. Only when the decision makers actually feel the consequences of their actions, will they reconsider the slaugher the wave a pen at, or construct a dodgy dossier for. Ask any resistance righter. Bushy and Blair dont care about the soldiers dying for lies. Thats part of the problem

In the case of Iraq fo example, the sudden implementation of a military resistance actions of the Iraqi resistance are actually appropriate.

Anon.
We agree. The aggressors must feel the pain they inflict. The "stop the war coalition" should of blocked the roads of London, they should have refused to pay their taxes, but they didn't. Why? For the same reason as I mentioned above. Cowardace. The majority of people are afraid that some negative consequence will befall them, should they actually stand up for what is right. Meanwhile, while they dont dare utter a word, the blood of hundreds of thousands continues to seep into the sands of the earth.

OK, OK,

Perhaps "Violent revolution is not the way [for now]"

If he violence inflicted upon us - war, loss of freedom, theft, no freedom of press, repression etc. - then there may come a time when the ONLY WAY is "Violent revolution".

We just hope that we can bring the criminals to Justice without violence.

The Iraqi resistance seems to be having an effect.So I suppose violence in Iraq is justified?
They certaionly aint taking it lying down.
The fact is that the people of the UK have sold out.The majority could not give a fuck.End of story.It takes pain death and war to wake most people up.Fact.Roof over the head.Enough to eat.Cash for a few pints or more at the weekend!all is rosy in the UK garden.

Alas, you are wrong. I'm not a professional anything. I am however a pacifist but that does not mean I cannot take positive anti-government action.
If that is the case then I am sorry and I will now furiously back-pedal.

I took so much into your post as it read very much how I would expect a trolling / straw man post of that sort to read. As for the counter shit stirring, maybe we are both guilty.

As for turnout at protests, I would guess it's probably because people realise that with this government it's become pointless at achieving anything (but not in principle I hasten to add). How many millions of people on how many protests have they ignored now?

Anyway, I'll be eating some humble pie now for my calling troll falsely, sorry.