Eric Alterman: "Bad Acid Trip Across Bushland!" (critique of 9/11 Report)

[KoKo]

(I had to put that quote from him in the subject line. :D...so true) Good article...great read..

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

column | Posted April 7, 2005
THE LIBERAL MEDIA by Eric Alterman
'Case Closed'

(SNIP)
Yet even in the most critical reports of this phony whitewash, one aspect of this shameful episode went by largely forgotten: the media's willingness to publicize, vouch for and frequently hype the dishonest case the Administration put forth. I am not speaking just of Judith Miller's willingness to act as unpaid propagandist for the Pentagon, breaking the Times's own reporting rules on its front page in order to mislead its millions of readers. Rather, just about every bigfoot in the business signed on for this bad-acid trip across Bushland. I refer again to a devastating study by former Des Moines Register editorial page editor Gilbert Cranberg of the immediate reaction of the press to Powell's channeling of Goofball at the United Nations, which should serve as a cautionary example to any reporter who ever again takes this Administration at its word. Despite the fact that Powell cited almost no verifiable sources and included more than forty vague references to "human sources," "an eyewitness," "detainees," "an Al Qaeda source," "a senior defector," "intelligence sources," his words were treated as if the reporters present had personally witnessed God handing him the evidence on tablets atop Mount Sinai. Powell offered up, we were told in our finest newspapers: "a massive array of evidence," "a sober, factual case," "an overwhelming case," "a smoking fusillade...a persuasive case for anyone who is still persuadable," "an accumulation of painstakingly gathered and analyzed evidence," "an ironclad case...incontrovertible evidence," "succinct and damning evidence...the case is closed."

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050425&s=alterman

[BlueEyedSon]

1. wrong link?

[KoKo]

2. OOPS! Thanks....it's from The Nation and I just fixed link.

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050425&s=alterman

Link is fixed in original post, too.

:-)'s

[NAO]

3. highly recommend David Ray Griffin's devastating critique of "9/11 Report"

The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions And Distortions
by David Ray Griffin
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1566565847/qid=1113241791/sr=8-4/ref=pd_ka_1/104-6424535-4495136?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

excerpts from reviews of Griffin's book:

"Through an incisive and carefully documented review, David Ray Griffin skillfully refutes the findings of the 9/11 Commission and questions the official 'bipartisan' account of what happened. He shows how the dramatic events of September 11 were used by the Bush Administration, through media disinformation, to mislead public opinion, with a view to justifying the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq under the banner of the global 'war on terrorism.'" -- Michel Chossudovsky, Centre for Research on Globalization/University of Ottawa

"Once again, a President of the United States reluctantly appointed a commission to investigate a calamitous event in American history and once again, a commission created more questions than it provided answers. David Ray Griffin's latest book amply explains why the 9/11 Commission can now be placed in the same category as the Warren and Tower Commissions as dissemblers and varnishers of the truth." -- Wayne Madsen, syndicated columnist, investigative journalist

"In this masterful sequel to The New Pearl Harbor, David Ray Griffin unveils a disparity between official 9/11 "spin" and independently researched 9/11 fact so glaring as to suggest the possibility of a constitutional crisis unlike anything our country has ever known. In this new study, as in its predecessor, he simply details the hard, cold evidence that seriously--and alarmingly--challenges the independence, impartiality, and thoroughness of the 9/11 Commission. For anyone serious about combatting terrorism, let alone upholding constitutional democracy, The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions, is a must read." --Burns H. Weston, Bessie Dutton Murray Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus, The University of Iowa

"This is a painstaking and devastating demolition of the lies transmitted by The 9/11 Commission Report, and also the new lies invented by it in an effort to reconcile the government1s impossible chronologies. Time after time, David Ray Griffin uses credible eyewitness accounts to refute the Report1s methods and allegations, particularly with respect to the stand-down and shoot-down orders issued on that infamous September 11 and the attack on the Pentagon. Those concerned with preserving our Republic in these troubled times should pay particular attention to his focus on the disturbing behavior of the core group who appear on that day to have misdirected the defenses of our country. In the coming national debate over 9/11, Griffin1s book will strengthen the cause of those who believe that the best defense for democracy is not blind fealty to leaders, but the truth."--Peter Dale Scott, author of Drugs, Oil, and War: The United States in Afghanistan, Colombia, and Indochina."

[KoKo]

4. Another kick for a good read...if you have time..........n/t