The irony of being a patsy to tyrrants

November 26, 2007 6:19 PM

The media begins to awaken. Recently, Tom Curley, the President and CEO of Associated Press lashed out at the absurd conditions surrounding the detention of Bilal Hussein. After being detained for over 18 months, the US Military has finally decided to charge him, but nobody can say for what, or when, or why, or what evidence might be brought forth. Strangely, Mr. Curley writes this without a hint of the irony present in being caught in the net of lies, deception and constructed memory hole that the media has participated in the creation of. Playing patsy comes back to bite. AP hosts a timeline of articles.
posted by petrilli (13 comments total)

There's more than one story out there where a journalist (or fellow-traveler) has been caught up in shenanigans by the US gov't. The injured tone of these articles always reminds me of Homer Simpson: "But this is ME we're talking about!"
posted by DU at 6:23 PM on November 26, 2007 [2 favorites]

Oh, so we're using the Iraqi justice system now? Great, I look forward to fair trials for the Blackwater crew who went crazy gunning down those civilians in Baghdad.

I keed, I keed. Don't worry, Blackwater. The US Government won't let you face justice anytime soon.
posted by mullingitover at 6:29 PM on November 26, 2007

He can't complain, nor can anyone else, for that matter.
posted by Huplescat at 7:37 PM on November 26, 2007

Theater.
posted by Student of Man at 8:04 PM on November 26, 2007

The injured tone of these articles always reminds me of Homer Simpson: "But this is ME we're talking about!"

So what tone would be more appropriate for this situation?
posted by homunculus at 8:29 PM on November 26, 2007

Glenn Greenwald wrote about this a few days ago.
posted by homunculus at 8:44 PM on November 26, 2007

I think DU is suggesting that the press has overall been much more willing to toe the government line when this happens to non-journalists.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 10:42 PM on November 26, 2007

So what tone would be more appropriate for this situation?

What about, "Now I understand! We fucked over the country and the world by reporting a pack of lies for seven years! I'm really sorry, what can I do to fix this mess?"
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 10:49 PM on November 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

I think everyone can agree that the behavior of the US Forces is beyond egregious. What disturbs me most about this is how no one has resigned in protest. I can't help but feel that everyone along the chain of command in this case, from the Butcher in Chief on down see nothing wrong with using the criminal justice system to blatantly intimidate the press. Fuck Godwin. This is fascism.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 10:54 PM on November 26, 2007

I think the quiescence of the media is only half the story. Whenever anything awful is published, there's a notable lack of real public outcry. One has to wonder what the public reaction would be if the Watergate story broke today.
posted by rhymer at 1:24 AM on November 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

One has to wonder what the public reaction would be if the Watergate story broke today.

When I was explaining to my US-citizenship students how impeachment works, according to the US Constitution, I flashed on how quaint and inconseqential a mere obstruction-of-justice charge seemed alongside...what, updwards of half a million lives since we invaded? Talk about yer elephant in the room....
posted by pax digita at 9:33 AM on November 27, 2007

Bilal Hussein is an Iraqi National, right?
posted by delmoi at 9:58 AM on November 27, 2007

An Update on the Trial of Bilal Hussein
posted by homunculus at 3:24 PM on December 26, 2007 [1 favorite]