Showtime for Justice Dept. Shams, with Press’ Support
A government staging a show trial — by definition a fraudulent government — has already determined the guilt of the people being tried. Parading them before a court gives the government a schmear of legitimacy while making an example of the people on trial. The goal is to instill fear, not render justice, so the staging is more important than the outcome. Stalin’s Soviet Union in the 1930s was the grand master of show trials. George W. Bush’s America is this decade’s champion.
Two years ago Bush, flanked by that other paragon of truth, Alberto Gonzales, claimed in a speech that “federal terrorism investigations have resulted in charges against more than 400 suspects, and more than half of those charged have been convicted.” A Washington Post analysis based on the Justice Department’s numbers showed that 39 people, not 200, were convicted. This year, New York University’s Center on Law and Security puts the Justice Department’s success rate in terrorism prosecutions at 29 percent (compared with 92 percent for felonies).
Even those prosecutions aren’t always what they seem. That was the case with Jose Padilla, first arrested and held illegally and without charges as an “enemy combatant” for 3 1/2 years. He was considered among the “worst of the worst,” to use Dick Cheney’s dime-novel phraseology, supposedly because he was ready to blow up apartment buildings in Chicago, only to be convicted on the most bogus fall-back charge of them all: conspiring to commit terrorism abroad (no details provided, obviously).
We’ve been treated to similar show trials since Sept. 11, 2001, including the ongoing one against Miami’s “Liberty City Seven,” those poor Haitians who had no money, no weapons and wouldn’t know Sears from Roebuck but nevertheless are charged with plotting to bomb the Sears Tower in Chicago. We had the mistrial in the case of a Dallas charity whose double-whammy indiscretion was to be Muslim and Palestinian-oriented, which reminded me of a Ramadan promotion by the Saudi Arabian branch of McDonald’s in 2000: 26 cents from the purchase price of every burger would be sent to a charity running Palestinian hospitals. Time magazine’s predictably moronic reaction was this headline: “Official Sandwich of the Intefadeh?”
Always count on the establishment press to fuel the government’s shams. Show trials wouldn’t be possible without a ready public, without judges primed to let the travesties smear courtrooms and juries gullible to buy into the scam. Just as the press fuels fears and prejudices disproportionately more despicable than the hysterias in question — “illegal” immigrants, the drug war, child abductions, sex offenders, whatever Nancy Grace is talking about — the press is doing so consistently with what writer Susan Faludi so aptly calls “the terror dream.” The closer to home, the more sensational — and the more phony the fears. On that score, the nation’s leading news organization is no more discriminating than Lou Dobbs or Nancy Grace.
Two weeks ago The New York Times ran a massive story titled “An Internet Jihad Aims at U.S. Viewers — Slick Videos and Blogs in English Sell Anti-American Extremism.” The story speaks of “100 English language sites” but details only one, that of Samir Khan, a 21-year-old North Carolinian who “wrestles with his worried parents about his religious fervor” and says nasty things about America. His audience? The Times says “500 regular readers.” Meaning what? Daily readers? Weekly? I checked Khan’s web site ranking on Alexa, the standard Internet audience meter. He came in 300,000 positions below my own personal Web site, which ranks somewhere on another planet. Talk about pitiful.
Khan’s postings are equally insignificant, including his links to “the latest blood-drenched insurgent videos from Iraq.” Those are in no way more lurid or morally questionable than the Pentagon’s Air Force-snuff videos that end up featured on the Discovery Channel’s military shows. But The Times featured the story on its front page, in two columns above the fold, in alarmist prose meant to evoke fear and outrage, questions like the one that appeared in a subsequent edition (”Should jihadi Web sites be shut down or read carefully?”), calls for absolute shut-downs from reactionary bloggers and the talk-show Politburo and, of course, Justice Department warnings. “The Internet has facilitated the radicalization process, particularly in the United States,” FBI Director Robert Mueller has been warning on his Web page since January.
Show trials need their depositions and exhibits. After six years of terror frauds, the press is still delighted to oblige.
Pierre Tristam is a News-Journal editorial writer. Reach him at ptristam@att.net or through his personal Web site at www.pierretristam.com .
© 2007 The Daytona Beach News-Journal
Of course the press plays along with the government. They have interlocking boards of directors.
The MSM is one head of the beast.
Hey! The MSM is just doing their part to keep the “terror card” in play. It’s time the population of the US turns off their TV’s and radios and looks to real sources for an eye to what is happening in the world. Even if they did no news gathering, they would nonetheless have a clearer vision of what is really happening in our Nation. Imagine how engaged people would become if they filled their discretionary time networking and talking to folks in their own communities identifying and solving problems and local concerns. TV in most all of its progrmming, especially the news, is circus at best, and mind control at it’s most sinister. Disconnect folks, and it’s so much easier to think clearly. Then people learn once again to listen to their own hearts, and to trust the messages it is sending them. Peace!
That’s show biz!
Well, let’s see, now. Federal trials are brought by federal prosecuters, and heard by federal judges or perhaps even federal miliary tribunals. The president, by appointment of the AG and prosecuters and by command of the military can pretty much control what prosecutions are brought. And we’re blaming the press? No, dear children, we should be blaming the president. We’ve had the wrong one for seven years and we now need the Democratic variety. Obama, Edwards or Clinton would be fine. Kucinich would be better, though kind of unlikely since he polls mostly under 10%.
And let’s blame the non-impeaching “Not enough votes” Pelosi & Reid, the enablers-in-chief, the Leaders who sneer at the people as insignificant & intrusive “Advocates”.
Hold the bus! “more than half of those charged have been convicted”??? Are you serious???? If my local District Attorney had that weak a conviction rate, he’d be out of a job. Christ, this government can’t even win a rigged trial.
Wasn’t the trial of traitor Libby a “show” for all intents and purposes, since he was guaranteed a free pass from day one?
While the show trials continue, the real trials are either buried or quietly not taking place. Delay is still walking around free? Foley? Frist? Hassert? Rove? Tens of billions stolen, not even a suspect? Anthrax killer anyone? Any sub-prime hucksters doing time yet?
Oh, sorry. Nothing to see hear, folks. Over there, though, there’s a buncha guys from London with detailed plans… some plans… er, once they had a vague conversation with an informant who wanted to blow stuff up or something - and we caught them!!!!!!
From the article: “The Internet has facilitated the radicalization process, particularly in the United States,” FBI Director Robert Mueller has been warning on his Web page since January.
Now we know who wrote Bill 1955, section 899.B, item (3):
`(3) The Internet has aided in facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the homegrown terrorism process in the United States by providing access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda to United States citizens.
The author was the FBI - surprise, surprise. And it passed almost unanimously!! Kucinich being a noteworty Nay vote.
For those of you who don’t yet know that it’s illegal to think, check out the bill:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-1955
And for another headache, check out the testimony of Dr. Walid Phares that took place in 2006, in preparation for drafting the legislation. Dr. Phares is Senior Fellow, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies; Director, Future Terrorism Project; and Author, Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies against the West. (Phares, would that be a jewish name?)
He says: “In summary, Terrorism is threatening Homeland Security and Jihadism is a main root cause of Terrorism. To establish a national resistance to “radicalization” following are 6 suggestions:
1. Identification of the ideology of Jihadism by Government, media and experts.
2. Mobilization against the ideology of Jihadism by the public and educational institutions
3. Ban of the ideology by the U.S. Congress
4. Mass education of the public about it
5. Working with domestic NGOs, with the general public and specifically with the Muslim communities
6. Working with international INGOs and particularly with liberal, democratic and humanist Muslims
http://www.walidphares.com/artman/publish/printer_1073.shtml
Good lord. How about the root cause of terrorism being the huge divide between the haves and the have nots. How about it being the Radical notion that corporations are people and that the corporate person is the only person that deserves to survive? How about the root cause of terrorism being the violently destructive nation called the U.S.?
If the truth is to come out, Bill O’Reilley has to investigate, along with those intrepid Fox reporters, who stand up for truth, justice, and the American way.
Danial David, Yes I do condemn the media! Scoundrels have been in power forever, but one of the checks on their activities is supposed to be a skeptical and free press. What a laugh! They share the blame because they keep the citizens ignorant as rocks and then serve up crap to fill their empty minds. Yes I blame the media—they are a big part of the problem! It’s not that hard to see through the crap these spinsters spew, but not our “professional stenographers.” They just keep writing the stuff down and regurgitating it for us without a critical thought. UGH!!!
“I admit it! I never believe a word Bush says! Oh, I’m such a traitor, how will you ever forgive me? I sold my whole political career down the sewer for a song! Oh, the humanity…. Please, President Bush, please forgive this wretched soul. Boo hoo hoo. And to think that I brought my family into it. They are all so innocent but they had to watch my suffering. Oh, it was all me, all the time. I’m the one who did it, I betrayed my country.”
That’s what show trials look like.
These are sham trials.
Dicterfreund__Yes, we have all been disappointed in Pelosi, but after the Decider threw his tantrum about the obstructionist Dems not giving him all of his war money with no questions asked, and not “supporting the troops” she came back with some very good comments. Maybe there is some hope there yet and she is going to make a better effort to represent the will of the people. We have to work with what we have unless a change for the better can be accomplished.
Har har….work with the government we have, not the government we wish we had. Problem is, someone else PAID for the govenment we have to work with. That already paid for government is going to be working for those that are paying for it, not We the People. We are irrevelant.
Here, here, John Freeman, and the sooner we face this realization head-on, the sooner we can start identifying the best actions to take to change it. Maybe we should petition George Soros whyo apparently has a soft spot for democractic action with a small d. Would he support a movement for a people’s party?
Daniel David, Clinton is little different from Bush. She is supported by the same globalist-corporatist interests. Can’t you see that? Yes, Bush is the worst president in history, but there is little meaningful difference between Hillary and Guiliani.