Monday, March 31, 2003
Further to yesterday's post: CTV News also reported that there's a photograph of a Canadian protester making the rounds of the American news media. The man, seen at a pro-war/pro-U.S. rally somewhere in Canada, is pulling at his neck with a noose while wearing a Jean Chrétien mask.
That's that kind of news tidbit which makes me smile.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:35 [ link | top | home ]
Further to the earlier post: And the winner is...
They cheered and applauded during "God Bless America"! Yay! (Insert huge sigh of relief here.) I really wasn't expecting that to happen -- and I'm bloody grateful for being proven wrong. A big thank-you to the Blue Jays fans in Toronto for their neighborly display of solidarity. Not only did they show a lot of respect for the U.S., but they helped Canada dodge a big bullet.
I didn't watch the game -- I hate baseball -- so I had to wait with bated breath for CTV News to tell me what happened. The fact that it was the last item of the newscast should have been an indication, but still, I was really worried. All I could think was, "Who cares who won the damn game, just tell me whether the fans booed the damn song!"
In conclusion, let me say: whew.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:30 [ link | top | home ]
News item: Geraldo Rivera kicked out of Iraq. Or not.
Confusion surrounds the apparent expulsion of Fox News blowhard Geraldo Rivera from Iraq. It has been reported that the U.S. military kicked the bombastic reporter out of the country for violating embedded journalist rules by providing crucial details of a future military operation -- he literally sketched it out the plans in the sand -- during a live broadcast.
However, both Fox News and Rivera deny it, the latter saying that his rivals from NBC -- "some rats at my former network" -- are spreading rumors about him and stabbing him in the back, but that "quality journalism wins out." (I'm sorry, I just gagged.) "MSNBC is so pathetic a cable news network that they have to do anything they can to attract attention," said Rivera. "You can rest assured that whatever they're saying is a pack of lies."
Later in the day, CENTCOM added to the confusion when a spokesman could not confirm whether the newsman would be forced out. Meanwhile, another official said, "He is being pulled. He just doesn't know it yet. He has not gotten the word."
Whether or not he was expelled, that "journalist" -- I use that word in its broadest sense -- makes my skin crawl. He is an affront to every noble principle of the profession.
posted by media_dystopia @ 22:49 [ link | top | home ]
The Baltimore Sun's Rona Kobell on news consumers seeking alternative war coverage from blogs: "Weblogs cover the war without mainstream restraints." (Via Corante: Internet News.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 18:54 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: Paul Godfrey, president and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays, on "God Bless America" putting the team in a difficult position tonight:
"It's probably a no-win situation. If you play it, there's always a chance that some people will boo. I think that's the wrong thing to do. It shows lack of respect. At the same time if you don't play it, I think it could be interpreted as we're snubbing the U.S. and I don't think we want to do that again."
I am so incredibly pissed off at Major League Baseball for setting Canada up like this. Could its timing have been any worse?
posted by media_dystopia @ 15:58 [ link | top | home ]
News item: Canadians split on support of war.
Léger Marketing's March 31 poll, "Canadians' Attitude toward the Conflict in Iraq" (161 KB PDF), includes the following question: "Do you think the United States and their allies (Great Britain and Spain) are justified in declaring war on Iraq?" Results:
Yes - 33%
No - 48%
Do Not Know / Refusal - 19%
That was to be expected. Just keep in mind that there's a difference between thinking a war isn't justified and offering moral support to an ally.
posted by media_dystopia @ 15:41 [ link | top | home ]
News item: Reporter Peter Arnett fired.
NBC, MSNBC, and National Geographic have given the veteran journalist his pink slip after he gave state-run Iraqi television an interview in which he stated that the U.S.-led coalition's initial war plan had failed and that reports from Baghdad about civilian casualties had helped antiwar protesters undermine the Bush administration's strategy.
"It was wrong for Mr. Arnett to grant an interview to state controlled Iraqi TV -- especially at a time of war -- and it was wrong for him to discuss his personal observations and opinions in that interview," said NBC News President Neal Shapiro. "Therefore, Peter Arnett will no longer be reporting for NBC News and MSNBC."
Is there such a thing as a Darwin Award for careers?
posted by media_dystopia @ 15:16 [ link | top | home ]
The Globe and Mail's John Allemang on Gulf War II doing for blogs what Gulf War I did for CNN: "Where everybody is a war reporter." (Via Blogroots: Blognews.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 03:50 [ link | top | home ]
Sunday, March 30, 2003
Further to the March 28 post: I would like to take this opportunity to thank Major League Baseball for making teams play "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch of their home openers, in honor of U.S. troops fighting in Iraq. Tomorrow's Blue Jays game in Toronto is going to be one more nail in the coffin of the Canada-U.S. relationship because of a decision that is tantamount to extortion.
You can't possibly expect Canadians to have a positive reaction to being ordered to play a jingoistic American song -- other than the national anthem -- on our soil when we know full-well that a similar Canadian composition in the U.S. would never make it out of the parking lot, let alone into the stadium. You are forcing us into a situation where we are expected to abandon our national pride and participate in something we don't believe in, in exchange for Americans not hating us more than they already do. That's like forcing an atheist to say a prayer in order to appease his Christian friends.
(Keep in mind that we don't even appreciate the singing of "God Save the Queen" -- and that's something that actually applies to us.)
So thank you in advance for the inevitable Canadian booing and American backlash. Thank you for blackmailing us into proffering goodwill. Thank you for setting us up for a fall during a delicate time in Canada-U.S. relations. Thank you for putting us in a no-win situation. It is so very much appreciated. (Warning: sarcasm alert.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:50 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: For the second time in as many days, Calgary held a rally in support of the U.S. and the war in Iraq, one of several staged across the country this weekend. Six hundred people waved U.S. flags and pro-American signs. "When allies stand together strong as they have in the past, they will overcome," said Alberta Alliance MP Myron Thompson, whose 29-year-old son Dennis is a U.S. soldier in Iraq. "Let's not turn our backs on them today."
Here's hoping demonstrations like these are noticed south of the border.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:22 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: CBC's Venture discussed the effects of the rough patch in Canada-U.S. relations and the American focus on security since 9-11 on the million-dollar-a-minute cross-border trade. The show also spoke to famous Canadian-born economist John Kenneth Galbraith. The 94-year-old former Presidential advisor downplayed the lasting effects of the rift between the U.S. and Canada, saying that they will only last a few weeks or months after the end of the war. He also said that it's easy to make a lot of noise about insignificant issues and to see things only in the short-term -- something I'm guilty of.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:07 [ link | top | home ]
Further to the March 22 post: Just a reminder to Google to include the words "stenoblogging", "stenoblog", and "stenoblogger." (They vanished from the index sometime last week.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 21:04 [ link | top | home ]
BlogShares is a "fantasy stock market for weblogs." (Via go fish.)
Eventually I'll claim my own blog and invest my fictional $500. Now, if only there was a Nortel blog so that I could blow all my cash on it. That would be a very Ottawa thing to do.
posted by media_dystopia @ 15:12 [ link | top | home ]
Would you trust a news organization which displayed the following messages to antiwar protesters? (Via MetaFilter.)
War protester auditions here today...thanks for coming!
Who won your right to show up here today? Protesters or soldiers?
How do you keep a war protester in suspense? Ignore them.
Attention protesters: the Michael Moore Fan Club meets Thursday at a phone booth at Sixth Avenue and 50th Street.
More importantly, why take ethics in journalism school if you're just going to end up working for someone even remotely similar to Fox News? If your employer's ethics are negotiable -- as the network proved with the protesters -- then what's the point?
Said Los Angeles Times television critic Howard Rosenberg: "Fox is so blatantly one-sided, it is appalling. Every time I turn it on, someone is saying something evil about the protesters or being pro-Bush."
It's times like these that I'm very grateful for the newsrooms of CBC, CTV, and other Canadian media outlets.
posted by media_dystopia @ 02:41 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: Who me?
Got another hater post at Media Dystopia. Apparently I've pissed off some liberal Canadians. Oh well. Probably one of the types that booed the national anthem at hockey games. (Via The-Blacklist.)
Hater post? Pissed off? Booed the national anthem?
I hate to say it, but you took the bait and, as expected, responded with knee-jerk flaming. If you had bothered to read my blog, you would know that: I'm a big fan of the U.S., I have nothing against the war, I support the coalition forces, I'm upset with Canadian hockey fans booing the American anthem (and vice versa), and I'm sickened by what's happening to the Canada-U.S. relationship as a result of the words and actions of the Liberal government. (Sorry, but I won't link to any of these posts; I don't want to make it any easier for you.)
I am, however, the first to admit that I dislike President Bush and the Republican administration -- but then again, so does a whole hell of a lot of the U.S. That doesn't make me anti-American, just like my skepticism towards my own government doesn't make me anti-Canadian.
As for being pissed off: far from it. If anything, I'm amused. It entertains me when Americans denigrate free speech in their own country. I don't have to live with the consequences, do I?
posted by media_dystopia @ 01:32 [ link | top | home ]
Saturday, March 29, 2003
Further to the previous post: In retrospect, the prime minister should have said the following, or something similar, at the outset of the war:
"Canada's long-standing belief in multilateralism and the UN precludes its involvement in a military coalition in Iraq without a new Security Council resolution authorizing force. That being said, the majority of the House of Commons, representing all political parties and the majority of Canadian citizens, offers its moral support to Canada's closest friend and ally in its time of need. We pray for the success and safe return of all coalition forces, and hope that the loss of life and suffering of the Iraqi people is minimized."
Then again, I'm no speech writer.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:58 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: A brief stay of execution for the Canada-U.S. relationship today when 4,000 people braved the rain in Ottawa to rally in support of the U.S. and its troops in Iraq. The marchers, who outnumbered antiwar protesters 10 to one, waved American and Canadian flags and chanted "U.S.A." They wanted Canada's closest friend and ally to know that a "silent majority" supports the war in Iraq, and that the government of Canada has betrayed it. One sign read, "Thank you Liberal Party of Canada for shaming our country."
That lightens my mood somewhat. With a grassroots campaign against what the government is allowing to happen to the Canada-U.S. relationship, we might be able to turn this thing around.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:49 [ link | top | home ]
A nice distraction from everything going on in the world: The Core in the theatre followed by Maid in Manhattan and Jackass: The Movie on DVD. That last one had me pissing myself laughing.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:33 [ link | top | home ]
If A&E is going to air Napoleon, a movie about a Frenchman who wanted to rule the world, then I think it's only fair that a French network air a movie about an American who wanted to do the same (whoever that might be). Just a thought.
posted by media_dystopia @ 04:03 [ link | top | home ]
Shame on you Mad Mitch for upsetting those fine, patriotic fellows at The-Blacklist. (Warning: sarcasm alert.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 03:52 [ link | top | home ]
You know, all this blogging about the demise of the Canada-U.S. relationship is really becoming a drag. Why am I doing it again?
posted by media_dystopia @ 01:27 [ link | top | home ]
Friday, March 28, 2003
Further to yesterday's post: Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham confirmed that some Canadian troops are in Iraq -- he didn't say what they are doing -- and that Canadian ships involved with the war on terror may enter Iraqi waters. Ambassador Cellucci thought that was strange: "It's kind of an odd situation," he said, "when your neighbor and best friend is helping but not supporting you. It's just kind of an odd situation."
Meanwhile, the leader of the official Opposition, Stephen Harper, and his foreign affairs critic, Stockwell Day, are using the U.S. displeasure with Canada to attack the Liberal government; they have written to The Wall Street Journal to say that Ottawa should have joined the U.S.-led coalition. "Canada's largest opposition party, the Canadian Alliance, will not be neutral. In our hearts and minds we will be with our allies," they wrote.
Also, the prime minister is canceling his trip to Washington next month, where he was to receive a conservation award. His office said that he doesn't feel comfortable receiving a personal honor when U.S. troops are at war, although Conservative Leader Joe Clark suggested that Washington had asked him not to come. In addition, it has also been confirmed that President Bush's state visit to Canada in May is "uncertain" and that the country's stance on Iraq is a "factor."
And for the cherry on top, all Major League Baseball teams have been instructed to play "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch of their home openers. That includes Monday's Blue Jays game in Toronto against the New York Yankees. (Because we just haven't had enough booing at sports games recently. Sigh.)
That's today's update on the demise of the Canada-U.S. relationship. Stay tuned for the sounds of nails being pounded into the coffin, sponsored by the Liberal Party of Canada.
Follow-up: Now ask me how the families of those Canadian soldiers -- officers included -- were treated back in the U.S. while their husbands and fathers were over in Iraq risking their lives for the Americans. The shunning, alone, will make you sick to your stomach. The "not supporting" Cellucci spoke of? It went both ways. And although close to two years have passed since the launch of the invasion, my revulsion has not dulled. Shame on the U.S. military.
Follow-up: What I alluded to in the preceding follow-up wasn't reported by the news media (to my knowledge). I don't usually write about what I hear through the grapevine, but seeing as though the people I heard it from are in the know, and seeing as though it left me disgusted to the core, I felt the need to mention it. (Post-gossip catharsis, if you will.) I hope that I'm wrong about it, though, I really do.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:30 [ link | top | home ]
It's not broken -- it's Googlelized. Publishing is very sluggish. Downtime is increasing in frequency. Posting glitches have resulted in lost writing. Blog*Spot is painfully slow.
If only Pyra Labs/Blogger had a big company behind it to enhance its capacities. Wait a minute...
posted by media_dystopia @ 12:50 [ link | top | home ]
Thursday, March 27, 2003
Further to yesterday's post: Just to add to people's fears about Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, the World Health Organization has recommended new measures to "prevent travel-related spread of SARS" which include the "screening of air passengers departing from a small number of affected areas on flights to another country." As a result, Canada will start screening people for symptoms at the Vancouver and Toronto airports.
One more reason Darth Ridge and his boys won't want Canadians crossing the border. Sigh.
posted by media_dystopia @ 21:01 [ link | top | home ]
News item: Prime minister says "it's possible" Canadian soldiers are in Iraq.
However, he continues to deny that any of the 31 soldiers on exchange with American and British units are in combat roles or directly involved with the fighting -- even though a British officer has said that some of them are on the front line and therefore at risk.
Defence Minister John McCallum insisted that the "Department of National Defence said they were in auxiliary units and weren't combatants and they have received instructions from the army to the effect that they could only use their weapons in self-defence." The minister has come under fire for refusing to divulge the soldiers' whereabouts and other details, and for initially denying that they were involved.
Not bad for a country against the war.
posted by media_dystopia @ 20:17 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: The U.S. Department of State confirmed that Ambassador Cellucci was delivering a message on behalf of the White House. In today's Daily Press Briefing, spokesman Richard Boucher said that his remarks "were an accurate reflection of our disappointment at recent Canadian actions, particularly the decision not to support the coalition to liberate Iraq."
There is also talk of Canada recalling its ambassador in response to Cellucci's rebuke, and of President Bush canceling his state visit to Canada in May in response to the country's position on Iraq. Today, the ambassador said that the U.S. isn't just bothered by that position, but by comments from Herb Dhaliwal and Carolyn Parrish, by Canadian hockey fans booing the American anthem, and by other perceived slights.
Meanwhile, in an effort to boost his leadership bid, Minister of Finance John Manley distanced himself from the Liberal caucus by saying that now is not to time to take shots at the U.S. "It's not our time to say that we disagree with the United States, while their young men and women are offering themselves in service of their country for a cause they believe in," he said.
Too little, too late, Mr. Manley; the damage is already done. Your efforts notwithstanding, I need my Tylenol and bucket again.
posted by media_dystopia @ 20:08 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: Just when Al-Jazeera thought it couldn't get any worse for its new English-language site, American hackers hijacked it and replaced it with a U.S. flag and the message "Let Freedom Ring."
posted by media_dystopia @ 18:06 [ link | top | home ]
For the troops: Something which is a given for me (which is why I forgot to mention it until now) is my support for the members of the coalition forces and my hope that they return home safely. Irrespective of the tone and content of my blog, my heart goes out to the families, friends, and comrades of any nation's soldiers killed, wounded, or captured in "Operation Iraqi Freedom." It's important that the troops know that they have our backing despite the controversial and divisive nature of Gulf War II.
posted by media_dystopia @ 17:34 [ link | top | home ]
Further to the March 25 post: One of the eBay sellers refusing to ship to Canada because of its antiwar stance is CompAtlanta. Far be it for me to suggest a reverse boycott, but if you felt an overwhelming urge to have nothing to do with that company, or eBay itself, I wouldn't object.
posted by media_dystopia @ 04:10 [ link | top | home ]
When it comes to certain issues, blogging can be like sticking your finger in a light socket.
posted by media_dystopia @ 03:19 [ link | top | home ]
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
Further to yesterday's post: Ambassador Cellucci's public rebuke has fueled the political storm over Canada's position on Iraq. The opposition stepped up its attacks against the Liberal government, accusing it of causing the rift between the U.S. and Canada. Meanwhile, thousands of letters have been sent to media outlets in response to Canada's antiwar stance and the ambassador's negative comments.
Not only do I feel sick to my stomach, but my head is pounding. I can handle the war just fine. What I can't handle is what's happening to the Canada-U.S. relationship. I want this bullshit to stop. I can't take it anymore. And I think I speak for a lot of Canadians. A lot of angry, voting Canadians.
Are you listening Jean Chrétien? (He who waffles. Or not.) Are you listening Paul Martin? (The heir apparent.) Are you listening John Manley? (The alternative heir apparent) Are you listening Liberal caucus? (Those who don't know what "Shut the fuck up!" means.)
Are any of you doing anything about this disgusting state of affairs between Canada and the U.S. besides making it worse with your cross-border mudslinging?
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:56 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: Not content to only say "you're either with us or against us," Americans are now putting their war mantra where their mouths are with boycotts. CTV News' Roger Smith reported tonight that a "Trade Winds" survey says that "49% of Americans will try a substitute for Canadian products" in an economic backlash against the non-coalition-member. (NOTE: The related news story links to the Roger Smith video.)
Part of me wants to say, with much nationalistic anger and economic naïveté, "Fine. Give back the oil, natural gas, electricity, water, timber, wheat, fish, minerals, metals, cars, car parts, and every other product and natural resource we ship across the border. Except Céline Dion; you can keep her."
The rest of me just wants to puke my guts out -- my body's reaction to the sheer exasperation and powerlessness I feel watching the demise of the Canada-U.S. relationship.
Follow-up: This references the Fleishman-Hillard survey released March 31: "American Consumers Delaying Major Purchases, Negative Toward Products from Countries Opposed to U.S. Actions in Iraq; First "Trade Winds" Survey Reveals International Companies Risk Loss of Reputation, Sales."
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:40 [ link | top | home ]
News item: Ontario declares province-wide SARS health emergency.
The outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is getting worse. The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and Toronto Public Health are quarantining those possibly exposed to the virus and closing hospitals to contain the outbreak.
This must be a tad scary for people in Ontario. Unfortunately, that includes me. Yikes!
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:26 [ link | top | home ]
Further to the March 25 post: Al-Jazeera managed to piss off American hackers as well. Its Web sites, including its new English-language site, were hit by a massive denial-of-service attack. (Both sites are still inaccessible at this hour.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 07:41 [ link | top | home ]
The Command Post: "A Warblog Collective." (Via Blogdex.)
Because I'm a lemming. A slow one at that.
posted by media_dystopia @ 07:23 [ link | top | home ]
Further to the March 21 post: I'm having a love-hate relationship with videophones at the moment.
On the one hand: They're seemingly omnipresent in the embedded coverage, beaming live feeds of military operations from anywhere in Iraq to my television screen.
On the other hand: What the hell am I looking at? I'm squinting. I'm tilting my head. I'm leaning forward. Nope, still pixelated. Oh wait, that's the reporter's head. I hope CNN throws it to Wolf Blitzer soon because I'm going cross-eyed.
Hopefully, the technology will be perfected in time for Gulf War III.
posted by media_dystopia @ 03:47 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: Watching the war on CNN is fun; it's like 1991, but with embedded journalists and videophones and live feeds of "shock and awe." Problem is, you're always one report away from being reminding that Canada is staying on the sidelines. I've always feared for the health of the Canada-U.S. relationship. Now it feels like I'm being asked to attend its funeral. No wonder I have a headache.
posted by media_dystopia @ 02:23 [ link | top | home ]
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
News item: Prime minister waffles on Iraq. Or doesn't. Or does. Or...
Jean Chrétien says that he wants the U.S., not Iraq, to prevail, but that regime change is wrong. Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham says that Ottawa supports the U.S. plan to oust Saddam. The prime minister says that regime change is against the UN charter. Another minister says...
Not that it will stop the U.S. from thinking we're backstabbing assholes, but you guys should get together and figure out what the party line is.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:55 [ link | top | home ]
C-SPAN, the U.S. cable public affairs channel, is supplementing its war coverage by broadcasting CBC's The National. It did the same right after 9-11, so I'm getting the impression that a segment of the U.S. population likes being offended by Canadian journalism -- damn its liberal-yet-balanced, non-jingoistic, high-quality coverage! -- during crises. Remember The National's public forums in the days following the terrorist attacks, and the resulting backlash in the U.S. because of participants' anti-American sentiments? There has to be a reason why they subject themselves to that kind of thing.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:42 [ link | top | home ]
Note to Canadian eBay users: Be sure to find out where the person or company is on the backlash scale before you bid on their items. As reported on CTV News tonight, some American sellers on eBay are refusing to ship items to antiwar countries, including France, Germany, Mexico, and Canada. Unfortunately, you may only find out after winning the bid.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:36 [ link | top | home ]
News item: France seeks big role in post-war Iraq.
Hit by a blinding glimpse of the obvious, Paris is worried that French companies will be penalized and lose lucrative oil and reconstruction contracts because the American administration in Iraq will favor companies from the U.S. and other pro-war countries.
Not to be too obvious about it, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that a subsidiary of Halliburton, the Houston-based oil field services giant formerly led by now-Vice President Dick Cheney, has been awarded, without bidding, the contract to extinguish oil well fires in Iraq (a job it had done in 1991).
posted by media_dystopia @ 21:20 [ link | top | home ]
The Guardian's George Monbiot on the U.S. prisoners of war: "One rule for them; Five PoWs are mistreated in Iraq and the US cries foul. What about Guantanamo Bay?" (Via linkfilter.net.)
The U.S. says that the Gitmo detainees are "unlawful combatants" not subject to Geneva Convention (III) Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War (August 12, 1949). Others, including the writer of the article, argue that they're prisoners of war as specified by Article 4 of the convention -- and therefore, given their treatment, the U.S. has no right to complain about its PoWs in Iraq.
What it comes down to is a legal interpretation that people are going to bitch and whine about ad nauseam, giving me a massive headache and turning me off writing about it.
What I will say is that my view -- keeping in mind that I'm not a lawyer or a legal scholar -- hasn't changed since the Gitmo detainees became an issue over a year ago: if you can't adhere to the laws of war -- like, say, 9-11 -- and the conditions set out in Article 4, then you can't claim protection under Convention III. Being a prisoner of war is a privilege of soldiers, not a right of terrorists and other "unlawful combatants."
(By the way, does Saddam respect the Geneva Conventions when he captures opposition forces? Just wondering.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 15:23 [ link | top | home ]
Every time I hear a flushing sound in relation to the Canada-U.S. relationship, I get a splitting headache. (For the most part, the war itself doesn't make me reach for the Tylenol.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 14:21 [ link | top | home ]
News item: U.S. ambassador decries Canadian policy and politicians. (Transcript: CBC.)
In the biggest public rebuke by a U.S. diplomat since the Trudeau era, Paul Cellucci told The Economic Club of Toronto -- a subtle hint of implications in and of itself -- that "a lot of people in Washington are upset" with Canada's decision not to back the war.
"There is no security threat to Canada that the United States would not be ready, willing and able to help with. There would be no debate. There would be no hesitation. We would be there for Canada, part of our family," he said. "That is why so many in the United States are disappointed and upset that Canada is not fully supporting us now."
He also said that Washington is bothered by Ottawa not reigning in Liberals critical of the U.S. and the president, while scolding others who support them.
"When (Premier) Klein issues strong support for the United States, the Canadian government comes down hard on him," said Cellucci. "When (Natural Resources Minister) Dhaliwal makes totally inappropriate remarks about the president of the United States, they totally ignore it."
Now that the elephant and the mouse are sleeping in separate rooms, it's time to carve the tombstone:
Canada-U.S. relationship. 1867-2003. R.I.P.
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:18 [ link | top | home ]
In case Mad Mitch meanders by and sees this: I've added a follow-up to the post you referenced on March 24. Many thanks for pointing it out, and for the linkage.
posted by media_dystopia @ 04:47 [ link | top | home ]
I changed the page's color from pea soup (666600) to crimson (660000). The former was getting a little hard to read. Plus I wanted a change.
posted by media_dystopia @ 02:59 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: Al-Jazeera is taking a lot of flak (pardon the pun) for airing video of American dead and captured. Its U.S. (and Canadian) counterparts had wrestled with the issue before deciding to only air small video segments of the prisoners of war, and stills "with no identifiable features" of the bodies.
No one should be surprised by the Qatar-based network's editorial decisions given that it uses sensationalism, jingoism, bias, and dubious journalism to make a name for itself, boost its ratings, and make money.
Wait a minute, doesn't that make Al-Jazeera the Fox News Channel of the Middle East? (Does it have a Geraldo Rivera, too?)
posted by media_dystopia @ 00:58 [ link | top | home ]
Monday, March 24, 2003
I've been surfing through my links and blogroll while watching CNN, CBC's The National, and CTV News (in that order) -- and yet, I'm still staring at a blank "edit your blog" screen. Nothing is really jumping out at me at the moment. My inspiration is running on empty. I think I have the warblog blues.
Therefore, it's time to play Battlefield 1942.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:03 [ link | top | home ]
Paul Boutin on the young man (supposedly) blogging from the Iraqi capital: "Q: Is the Baghdad Blogger for real? A: Probably." (Via evhead.)
Pardon my skepticism, but I'll believe Dear Raed's Salam Pax is for real when he does the rounds of the Sunday morning talk shows after the war -- assuming he survives "shock and awe."
posted by media_dystopia @ 20:32 [ link | top | home ]
"How Soon Is Now?" by The Smiths.
That's the mystery song that's been torturing me for years. Not because I dislike it -- quite the contrary -- but because I could never identify it when I heard it on the radio. Somehow, I managed to miss every DJ's introduction. Today, I finally remembered to look it up on the Internet. What a relief!
posted by media_dystopia @ 15:58 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: Some people are questioning whether the U.S. is adhering to the Geneva Conventions with regard to Iraqi prisoners of war, given the treatment of al-Qaeda and Taliban detainees in Guantanamo Bay.
Even if you argue that those detainees aren't being treated as humanely as specified in Geneva Convention (III) Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War (August 12, 1949), according to the convention, they aren't prisoners of war. Article 4 says that PoWs must be persons belonging to one of several categories, including:
Members of other militias and members of other volunteer corps, including those of organized resistance movements, belonging to a Party to the conflict and operating in or outside their own territory, even if this territory is occupied, provided that such militias or volunteer corps, including such organized resistance movements, fulfil the following conditions: (a) that of being commanded by a person responsible for his subordinates; (b) that of having a fixed distinctive sign recognizable at a distance; (c) that of carrying arms openly; (d) that of conducting their operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war.
Which of those conditions apply to the Gitmo detainees?
Follow-up: The last sentence originally read "Which of those conditions apply to terrorists?" but Mad Mitch's March 24 post (no link available) reminded me that it contained a nasty syllogism which needed correcting. The whole point of the post is to say that the detainees are not prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions because they don't meet the conditions, not because they're terrorists (a very subjective and non-legal description). Detainees with fundamental human rights -- yes; prisoners of war -- no. (Then again, I'm no lawyer or legal scholar.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:26 [ link | top | home ]
Is fictition a fiction? Is "fictition" in The Oxford English Dictionary? I don't mean that as a criticism of Michael Moore -- he used it in his Oscar acceptance speech -- it's just that I can't find it in Merriam-Webster OnLine or any other dictionary, so I'm wondering if it's been classed as obsolete by the OED. (After the Fred Durst "agreeance" incident during the Grammies, you just never know.)
That or it isn't a real word. It's easy to fumble one's language during an acceptance speech, especially one in front of such a large television audience. Besides, it makes sense that a nervous speaker would use the word "fictition" after using "fictitious" in the same context. Whether intentional or not, the meaning was there and that's what was important at the time.
That being said, I still want to know if the word is in the OED. It's going to mess with my karma until I go to a library -- gasp! -- and look it up. This is the price I pay for being anal.
posted by media_dystopia @ 02:24 [ link | top | home ]
Sunday, March 23, 2003
And the Oscar goes to... Aside from host Steve Martin's hilarious monologue and introductions, tonight's 75th Annual Academy Awards broadcast was rather low-key and lackluster. (Starting without the glitz and glamour of the red carpet didn't help.) It just ended and I've already started to forget who won. Not that it really matters; I wasn't rooting for anyone.
The show wasn't as wacky as I thought it would be, although The Pianist's Roman Polanski winning the Oscar for Directing certainly was. It must be the first time in the history of the Academy Awards that a winner can't set foot on U.S. soil without being arrested and thrown in jail. In his case, for raping a 13-year-old girl and fleeing the country before serving his sentence. In my opinion, the Academy should say, "You want it? Come get it," and then hold the statuette in escrow until time-served.
As expected, the war was in the air. Thankfully, the actors, whether presenters or winners, were calm and tasteful when broaching the subject. Some wore special pins on their lapels and gowns. Some flashed V-signs with their fingers. Some used their words to call for peace and a swift resolution to the conflict; to show respect and support for the troops; or to remind viewers of the importance of free speech and democracy. I also noticed that a few scripted presentations contained subtle double entendres. Surprisingly, none of this bothered me.
And then there was Michael Moore. After his Bowling for Columbine won the Oscar for Documentary Feature, the poster boy for radical liberalism launched into a caustic verbal assault:
Whoa. On behalf of our producers Kathleen Glynn and Michael Donovan from Canada, I'd like to thank the Academy for this. I have invited my fellow documentary nominees on the stage with us, and we would like to — they're here in solidarity with me because we like nonfiction. We like nonfiction and we live in fictitious times. We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elects a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons. Whether it's the fictition of duct tape or fictition of orange alerts we are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you. And any time you got the Pope and the Dixie Chicks against you, your time is up. Thank you very much.
Hey asshole, we didn't tune in to the broadcast to hear your politics. Free speech is a wonderful thing, but there's a time and a place for everything -- and tonight you failed on both counts. I don't like President Bush, either -- hell, I may even agree with you -- but your pretentious, self-serving speech was repugnant and inappropriate, and I'm glad that you were booed by a portion of the audience in the Kodak Theatre. Don't like the way things are? Go make another documentary about it, you pompous prick, and spare us having to listen to your personal "shock and awe" attack on live television.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:59 [ link | top | home ]
The U.S. military is less than impressed that Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based Arabic-language satellite network, is airing video of dead American soldiers. During the latest CENTCOM briefing, Lieutenant-General John Abizaid berated one of the network's reporters for it. (CNN, meanwhile, has made an editorial decision to show only a single still image "with no identifiable features.")
posted by media_dystopia @ 14:37 [ link | top | home ]
Prisoners of war. Geneva Convention (III) Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War (August 12, 1949) has come into focus now that the Iraqi government is parading captured U.S. military personnel on state television. In addition, video was released today of Iraqi soldiers running around a river bank firing blindly into the water where they thought a U.S. pilot had landed after bailing out of his plane.
The ICRC's interpretation of the "rules relating to the conduct of combatants and the protection of prisoners of war" is that "the enemy who is hors de combat, who has surrendered or who shows his intention of surrendering, or who has parachuted from an aircraft in distress shall not be the object of attack." Meanwhile, Convention III (256 KB PDF) itself says that "prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity" and prohibits "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment."
CENTCOM's deputy commander, Lieutenant-General John Abizaid, said that the Iraqi military's search and rescue techniques "leave a lot to be desired," and that the broadcast and interrogation of PoWs were clear violations of the convention. He also said that those responsible would be held accountable under international law.
posted by media_dystopia @ 14:09 [ link | top | home ]
Further to the March 15 post: Tonight's 75th Annual Academy Awards are going to be wacky. Just plain wacky.
posted by media_dystopia @ 12:51 [ link | top | home ]
So, how exactly am I supposed to go back to "reality TV" after watching embedded journalists reporting live from the front?
posted by media_dystopia @ 12:14 [ link | top | home ]
Support UNICEF: "A Project of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)."
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): "How You Can Help."
Because someone has to clean up the mess.
posted by media_dystopia @ 00:51 [ link | top | home ]
Saturday, March 22, 2003
News item: Antiwar protesters burn American flag in front of U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.
Hopefully they'll burn their passports next because I'm ashamed these people are Canadian. There's free speech, and then there's utter disrespect to make a point. They have the right to do it; it's just disgusting and unbecoming citizens of this country. What's next? Yelling "Yankee go home!"?
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:35 [ link | top | home ]
Just when I thought that the Canada-U.S. relationship couldn't possibly get any worse, hockey fans engaged in some tit-for-tat anthem-booing before games. On March 20, the U.S. anthem was booed in Montreal before the Canadiens-New York Islanders game. The next day, the Canadian anthem was booed in Atlanta before the Thrashers-Ottawa Senators game.
The president of the Montreal Canadiens released a statement apologizing for the fans' conduct. The Atlanta Thrashers did the same (even though the Senators trounced them 5-1). The NHL said that despite the incidents, it will continue to play the American and Canadian anthems before games.
The Iraq debate also crept into Coach's Corner on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. Ron McLean said that Canada's stance was correct, while Don Cherry said that we abandoned our closest friend in a time of need. Sigh.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:19 [ link | top | home ]
A section of Monty Python and the Holy Grail:
King Arthur (Graham Chapman): "Eh. You are indeed brave, Sir Knight, but the fight is mine."
Black Knight (John Cleese): "Oh, had enough, eh?"
King Arthur: "Look, you stupid bastard, you've got no arms left."
Black Knight: "Yes I have!"
King Arthur: "Look!"
Black Knight: "Just a flesh wound."
Remind you of anything?
posted by media_dystopia @ 15:54 [ link | top | home ]
Many thanks to existential dishwasher for the linkage (times two).
It must be a real headache being a journalism student right now. I can only imagine the mental tug-of-war and peer pressure -- pro-war versus antiwar -- and the effect they have on journalistic bias.
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:51 [ link | top | home ]
CNN.com now has television-style screen crawl in a red "Special Coverage: War On Iraq" box at the top of its home page. I suppose that was inevitable.
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:14 [ link | top | home ]
Nic Robertson and the rest of CNN team are now in Jordan after being expelled from Baghdad. Iraqi officials didn't like having American network news reporters there once the "shock and awe" began. Gee, I wonder why. "Yes, we can now confirm that Saddam is getting his ass thoroughly kicked. Back to you, Atlanta."
posted by media_dystopia @ 12:59 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: General "Timid" Tommy Franks, the architect of "Operation Iraqi Freedom," has finally given a press briefing. (Transcript: CENTCOM.) Sure enough, I missed it.
posted by media_dystopia @ 11:49 [ link | top | home ]
I think that CNN's military analysts are excellent. Retired generals Don Sheppard and Wesley Clark, for instance, are erudite, articulate, and level-headed. (Of course, it doesn't hurt that Clark is the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe who orchestrated the Kosovo campaign. That tends to lend to one's credibility.)
I shudder to think what the analysts on overtly conservative and jingoistic -- "patriotic" as they would say -- networks in the U.S. like Fox News Channel are like. For that matter, I shudder to think what the reporters are like. (Has Geraldo Rivera armed himself? Is he offering to put a bullet in Saddam's head?) I get chills up and down my spine just thinking about it.
posted by media_dystopia @ 11:43 [ link | top | home ]
Further to the yesterday's post: I was able to Google the word "stenoblogging" and find my blog within a day of posting the (hopefully) newly coined word. I'm impressed. Question is, is Google's speed in indexing it a result of owning Pyra Labs/Blogger, or is it that fast with every site?
As an additional test, I'm going to include the words "stenoblog" and "stenoblogger" in this post. (I think their definitions are fairly obvious.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 11:36 [ link | top | home ]
Who said that embedding journalists with the military was a bad idea? I think it's the best thing to happen to the military-media relationship.
posted by media_dystopia @ 11:28 [ link | top | home ]
It's not broken -- it's Googlelized. The latest news from Status.Blogger.Com:
As expected, people have been blogging and reading blogs a lot more in the past few days. We're adding more machines to BlogSpot to deal with the increased load. Until those machines are online, we apologize for the sluggishness you may encounter.
No shit.
posted by media_dystopia @ 04:47 [ link | top | home ]
Dinner with friends. Old School. A cool bar. No CNN.
It was good to take a break. Now I'm ready for more "shock and awe."
posted by media_dystopia @ 01:38 [ link | top | home ]
Friday, March 21, 2003
White House briefing. Ari Fleischer answered reporters' questions. (Transcript: White House.)
Helen Thomas is a dingbat. No, really, she is. Today, for instance, she asked whether Iraq is the end goal, given that "some of the President's advisors have said they thought it would be good to go on to other countries in the region, to democratize or liberate." Fleischer politely denied it and moved on to the next reporter. However, it's obvious that his patience for her is wearing thin and that eventually he's going to lose it and say, "Are you nuts? What's wrong with you?"
I know that she's the maven of the White House press corps, having covered eight presidents. I know that she's intelligent, perceptive, and articulate. It's just that she can be very biased -- "This is the worst president ever. He is the worst president in all of American history." -- and very kooky. I've been stunned by some of the things she's asked Ari Fleischer, to the point of thinking that she's senile.
Follow-up: Helen Thomas may have been right.
posted by media_dystopia @ 14:36 [ link | top | home ]
Pentagon briefing. Donald Rumsfeld and General Richard Meyers read statements and discussed the air and ground campaigns. (Transcript: DefenseLINK.)
As usual, Rumsfeld took offense to the media, saying that their comparisons to World War II's bombing campaigns are "unfortunate and inaccurate." He also warned that the "slices of the war" shown by the embedded reporters are limited to their perspectives and do not accurately represent the "totality" of the conflict.
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:37 [ link | top | home ]
There's a lull in the "shock and awe."
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:34 [ link | top | home ]
Yes, "shock and awe" is definitely underway. It's rather impressive, as is CNN's coverage. It's one thing to watch the massive explosions live on television; it's another thing altogether to hear the cruise missiles before they hit. Welcome to the 21st century.
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:11 [ link | top | home ]
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:02 [ link | top | home ]
Oops. Please disregard the previous post. That's a lot of explosions.
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:01 [ link | top | home ]
The little boy who cried "shock and awe." CNN is reporting that the "shock and awe" campaign has begun, and that Pentagon officials are calling this is A-Day. Sure. I believe you. No, really, I do.
So far "shock and awe" has been anything but. The most anti-climactic of military strategies. The military equivalent of ringing Iraq's doorbell and hiding, over and over. No offense, but until I see it happening in those live images from Baghdad -- CNN has divided the screen into four live feeds -- I'm going to assume that this is some sort of elaborate bluff to rattle the remaining Iraqi leadership.
posted by media_dystopia @ 12:25 [ link | top | home ]
Remember General "Stormin'" Norman Schwartzkopf? Remember his now-famous press briefings? (His postwar "mother of all press briefings" had the military and government drooling with delight.) With his lack thereof, CENTCOM's General "Timid" Tommy Franks is being called the "anti-Schwartzkopf."
On the one hand, a general busy fighting a war shouldn't have to stop to deal with journalists, especially when the unprecedented live images from embedded reporters speak for themselves.
On the other hand, the "winning of hearts and minds" via the media is absolutely essential to the success of any war. You would figure that Franks, a Vietnam veteran -- who was wounded there, no less -- would understand that. Schwartzkopf certainly did; media relations were part of his battle plans from the start.
posted by media_dystopia @ 11:35 [ link | top | home ]
Safety Boss Inc.: "The Canadian Blowout Company." Because Saddam likes to play with matches around hydrocarbons.
posted by media_dystopia @ 04:47 [ link | top | home ]
CNN's Walter Rodgers is embedded with the U.S. army's 3-7th Cavalry.
He's sending back live videophone feeds from atop one of the many armored vehicles as they roll north through the Iraqi desert. Aaron Brown was amazed by the unique live coverage -- and rightfully so. The embedding has given journalists, and therefore the public, unprecedented access to operational military units in time of war. They're on the move and we're right there with them.
That being said, the image quality of the videophones leaves a lot to be desired. There's a lot of digital pixelation, for lack of a better word, particularly when the lens is moving. In fact, it's painful to watch at times. The technology isn't quite there yet.
posted by media_dystopia @ 02:46 [ link | top | home ]
I've found that stenoblogging -- posting about live events minute-by-minute or comprehensively summarizing the news -- is rather tedious. I prefer to stand back from the minutiae and look at the issue from a broader perspective. It's not always easy with something like Gulf War II, mind you.
By the way, I ran the word "stenoblogging" through Google and didn't get any hits. Can I coin it?
posted by media_dystopia @ 02:28 [ link | top | home ]
Even though I'm a news junkie, there are only so many hours of continuous war coverage I can handle before I need to tune out with some mindless entertainment. At the moment, it's a rather good episode of Star Trek: Voyager.
posted by media_dystopia @ 02:28 [ link | top | home ]
"Choosing a tampon isn't about gimmicks. It's about wearing comfort."
Just a reminder that life goes on even when CNN has 24 hours a day of war coverage.
posted by media_dystopia @ 02:01 [ link | top | home ]
Thursday, March 20, 2003
News item: Prime minister downplays minister's "anti-American" comment.
Yesterday, the opposition attacked Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal for saying, "The world expects someone who's the president of a superpower to be a statesman. I think he's let not only Americans, but the world, down by not being a statesman."
"History will have a look at this," he added. "I just think that President Bush, to me, didn't seem committed to the UN process and when he felt he wasn't going to win, he decided to leave it."
Why is he getting in trouble for saying that? Now that the Canadian government has officially opposed the war, doesn't his opinion reflect that position? Keep in mind that I'm the one who has knee-jerk reactions to Canadians' anti-American comments -- just look at the "moron" and "bastards" incidents -- and yet, I'm not having one now.
Besides, there's not much anyone could say at this point, least of all the truth, that would make the Canada-U.S. relationship any chillier than it already is. When you're already circling the bowl, what's a few more turds?
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:40 [ link | top | home ]
News item: Investigating officer recommends friendly fire pilots not face court-martial.
Nice timing there, assholes. Could you have been any more obvious about wanting to drown out this announcement? Have I got this straight? Your pilots kill four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan after disregarding an order to hold fire, and then get to say "fuck you" to the families and to Canada? And then you wonder why we don't want to send our troops to Iraq?
I'm sorry, but this sort of American contempt for Canada is nauseating. Without it, I may have been convinced to say "shit happens" and dismiss the friendly fire incident as an unfortunate byproduct of the fog of war. Instead, I see the U.S. military reinforcing the "shoot first, ask questions later" philosophy. What's the incentive to hold fire and confirm the presence of allies if bombing them isn't a court-martial offense?
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:30 [ link | top | home ]
Live via CNN videophone: the U.S. army's 3-7th Cavalry rolling through southern Iraq. Embedded reporter Walter Rodgers is giving the play-by-play.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:05 [ link | top | home ]
The "shock and awe" phase of the war has been postponed. Fine. I'll go out to dinner instead.
posted by media_dystopia @ 17:35 [ link | top | home ]
There's nothing like the pixelated videophone image of an embedded reporter -- a dark, faceless figure against a green light-amplified backdrop -- to shed light on a situation. (CNN says that the shadow-man was Walter Rodgers with the U.S. army's 3-7th Cavalry.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 17:34 [ link | top | home ]
Where the hell is the "shock and awe"? So far, this war hasn't lived up to its advertising. I'm not getting much entertainment out of it. I'm disappointed.
posted by media_dystopia @ 15:37 [ link | top | home ]
There are now explosions and fires in Baghdad. Is this a burp or a hiccup? No one seems to be able to say whether this is the start of the larger air campaign. White House and Pentagon officials are tight-lipped. Confusion is abound. No matter; I've got places to go, people to see, things to do.
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:12 [ link | top | home ]
CNN's Nic Robertson is describing anti-aircraft fire in Baghdad. The live images and their "flashes in the sky" still don't compare to Gulf War I's, though.
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:05 [ link | top | home ]
CNN report: "U.S. Marines have clashed with Iraqi troops, and a heavy artillery barrage has begun along the border between Iraq and Kuwait, New York Times reporter John Kifner reported Thursday."
posted by media_dystopia @ 12:55 [ link | top | home ]
White House briefing. The ever-charming Ari Fleischer responded to reporters' questions. That guy can be such a condescending prick. I'm really glad that he was robbed last night when his Marlon Fitzwater moment -- "The disarmament of Iraq has begun." -- only signaled the start of a small-scale missile attack.
posted by media_dystopia @ 12:45 [ link | top | home ]
Pentagon briefing. A very solemn Donald Rumsfeld and General Richard Meyers delivered prepared statements about the war before taking a handful of questions about last night's strikes against a "senior Iraqi leadership compound." (Transcript: DefenseLINK.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 11:06 [ link | top | home ]
Reports are coming in about oil wells on fire in southern Iraq. The start of Saddam's "scorched earth" policy perhaps?
posted by media_dystopia @ 11:01 [ link | top | home ]
It's at times like these that it becomes readily apparent that CNN's Judy Woodruff is a fucking idiot.
posted by media_dystopia @ 10:59 [ link | top | home ]
As far as wars go, this one has been pretty sedate so far. Aside from a small number of missiles intercepted in Kuwait, not much is going on. Unlike last night, only the 24-hour news channels are covering it at the moment. CNN is reporting that the start of the war had been accelerated by up to 48 hours on the basis of CIA information regarding "targets of opportunity." So what we're seeing now is just the weak leading edge of the storm.
posted by media_dystopia @ 10:22 [ link | top | home ]
The big issue at the moment is Saddam's television appearance nine hours ago. Image experts are poring over split-screens -- comparing ear lobes, birthmarks, jowls, you name it -- trying to determine whether it was actually the Iraqi leader or one of his many doppelgangers. (They want to know if last night's strikes nailed the bastard.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 10:00 [ link | top | home ]
CNN has confirmed that last night's "decapitation strikes" have destroyed all of Iraq's Starbucks franchises. Said White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer: "Saddam's days of Espresso Frappuccinos are over."
No, not really.
posted by media_dystopia @ 09:44 [ link | top | home ]
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on the start of Gulf War II: "New York, 20 March 2003 - Statement by the Secretary-General on Iraq."
posted by media_dystopia @ 09:23 [ link | top | home ]
I'm flipping between CNN and M*A*S*H reruns now.
posted by media_dystopia @ 01:21 [ link | top | home ]
A taped speech of Saddam is being broadcast to the Iraqi people. If it was recorded after tonight's attacks, then he must have ducked. Either that or he has one of his many surgically altered doubles spouting rhetoric in his place.
posted by media_dystopia @ 00:32 [ link | top | home ]
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
MetaFilter and FARK.com on the start of Gulf War II.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:45 [ link | top | home ]
Gulf War II has begun. And sure enough, I was away from my computer. I had to write notes and then blog about it after the fact. Here's a summary of the start of "Operation Iraqi Freedom":
Shortly after 9:30 p.m. EST, journalists like CNN's Nic Robertson reported anti-aircraft fire in Baghdad -- although the live feeds from the city were fairly uneventful. (Gulf War I's opening images blew these away, pardon the pun.)
At 9:45, White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer delivered a terse statement: "The disarmament of Iraq has begun." It was so similar in content and style to Marlon Fitzwater's famous "the liberation of Kuwait has begun" statement of January 17, 1991, that one CNN reporter kept misquoting Fleischer, saying "the liberation of Iraq has begun."
From 9:45 to 10:15, the media -- I alternated between CNN and CBC -- engaged in rampant speculation. Off-camera sources confirmed to reporters that it was a cruise missile and stealth fighter "decapitation strike" against "targets of opportunity" -- namely, elements of the Iraqi leadership, including Saddam himself. CNN's Aaron Brown and CBC's Peter Mansbridge filled the air as best they could in the absence of concrete information.
At 10:15, President Bush addressed the nation. "My fellow citizens, at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger...." (Transcript: White House.)
By 10:20, the speculation was continuing unabated. Eventually, the media settled into a holding pattern while waiting to hear how many, if any, of the 40-plus missiles actually hit anyone of importance.
By 11:30, the news was so "breaking" that CBC spent several minutes reviewing all the planes in the U.S. arsenal. Yawn.
posted by media_dystopia @ 22:59 [ link | top | home ]
posted by media_dystopia @ 20:00 [ link | top | home ]
One hour to the deadline. What will Saddam do?
posted by media_dystopia @ 19:00 [ link | top | home ]
Further to the March 4 post: NBC scheduled two back-to-back repeats of Law & Order tonight, but no episode of The West Wing. Interesting.
posted by media_dystopia @ 18:15 [ link | top | home ]
Daily Planet's Shannon Bentley (aka Gadget Grrrl) on Hitachi's AirSho 40" On-Glass Projection System: "Holoscreen could become the mannequin of the 21st Century."
Now that's cool! There's something very Gibsonian about that sort of projection of media. I find it very appealing.
By the way, Gadget Grrrl is hot. (Sorry, I had to stay in character there.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 12:37 [ link | top | home ]
Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria on the rise of anti-Americanism: "The Arrogant Empire." (Via Blogdex.)
I bookmarked this a few days ago, but only got around to reading it today. I thought the article was very informative and a must-read for all Americans. Although it didn't mention Canada -- most likely because our relationship with the U.S. has such a unique dynamic -- I do think that the following excerpt explains how we feel:
“Most officials in Latin American countries today are not anti-American types,” says Jorge Castaneda, the reformist foreign minister of Mexico, who resigned two months ago. “We have studied in the United States or worked there. We like and understand America. But we find it extremely irritating to be treated with utter contempt.”
Amen to that. You would figure that a church-going president would understand the adage "You reap what you sow."
posted by media_dystopia @ 11:48 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: Does anyone else get the impression that if the Canada-U.S. relationship got any worse, we'd be next in line after Iraq? Sigh.
posted by media_dystopia @ 10:29 [ link | top | home ]
If you're concerned about terrorist attacks, you can add either an Ashcroft or a Muppet to your Web page to spread the panic.
posted by media_dystopia @ 08:03 [ link | top | home ]
Further to the March 15 post: Ménage à trois?
returnthestatueofliberty.tk: "We the undersigned believe that the Statue of Liberty should now be returned to France in the spirit in which it was originally presented to us. We believe that France has great need of the reminder that liberty comes at a price. It is a price we will pay, if we must, alone." (Via Attu sees all.)
GiveItBack.net: "Located in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty was a gift of international friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is one of the most universal symbols of political freedom and democracy... Now it is time to give it back! They can have their damn Statue!" (Via linkfilter.net.)
Send Back the Statue of Liberty: "The SBL organization is group of US patriots dedicated to having the Statue of Liberty sent back to the French. We believe that the French Government has effectively betrayed the safety of the United States of America by refusing to accept the fact that Saddam Hussein is a danger to every freedom-loving nation and by blocking any UN resolution to oust Saddam from power." (Via MetaFilter.)
No comment.
posted by media_dystopia @ 07:49 [ link | top | home ]
Emergency Management Ontario, of the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, has raised the province's security alert to Level Two (of four). Time to stockpile high-fiber cereal and sugarless gum. (Please note that the latter and not the former is for your wait at the border.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 07:21 [ link | top | home ]
News item: Oscars go on despite war but with scaled-back red carpet.
What's wrong with discussing your Vera Wang dress and Harry Winston jewels while soldiers lie dead or dying in the streets of Baghdad? What's wrong with posing for pictures and promoting yourself while standing on a carpet the same color as the blood spilled in Iraq?
"I loved your movie! You look spectacular! Who are you wearing?"
"Fuck you, Joan."
"Thanks! Back to you, Melissa."
On behalf of viewers everywhere, I would like to thank the Academy for leaving mother and daughter Rivers on the cutting room floor this year. Here's hoping the trend lasts.
posted by media_dystopia @ 01:17 [ link | top | home ]
When did my blog become a warblog?
Exhibit A: I started it on September 6, 2002.
Exhibit B: My first Saddam and Iraq references were on September 12, 2002, when President Bush addressed the UN General Assembly.
Shit. It's been a warblog all along.
posted by media_dystopia @ 00:58 [ link | top | home ]
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
Darth Ridge announces "Operation Liberty Shield."
Canada responds with "Operation Bored Shitless at the Border While Waiting to be Harassed."
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:36 [ link | top | home ]
Further to the previous post: For those Americans who are getting pissy about Canada not being part of the 30-nation coalition (nor one of the 15 offering private support), here are some things to think about:
1) The Canadian prime minister, unlike Britain's, was true to his word: Canada would not support military action against Iraq without a new Security Council resolution. Who's fault was it that there wasn't one? Not ours.
This position is in line with Canadian opinion; a majority oppose American military action outside of the UN.
As for the "we're allies" argument: "If your friends jumped off a bridge..."
2) Given Canada's commitment to Afghanistan and the war on terror, and our lack of military resources in general, any Canadian military contribution would have been symbolic and, for lack of a better description, militarily insignificant. With over 250,000 coalition forces armed with high-tech weapons poised to attack Iraq, what could a few thousand -- assuming we could muster that much -- Canadians with outdated non-desert-proof equipment do to help? (My apologies to the Canadian Forces. I feel for your size and budget.)
In addition, the war's accelerated timetable would make it logistically difficult, if not impossible, for Canada to join at this point.
Then again, I'm no military expert. Feel free to ignore me.
posted by media_dystopia @ 22:03 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: The prime minister has restated Canada's opposition to the war with Iraq. Adding to his statement yesterday, Jean Chrétien said that diplomacy was working and would have succeeded in disarming Iraq if given more time. He also said that forcing regime change is undesirable and that only local people have that right. "If we change every government we don't like in the world where do we start? Who is next?" he asked.
He also said that the decision, although disappointing to the U.S., would not damage relations between the two countries. "We always said that we were not to go if there is not to be support from the UN. And they knew it since a long time," he said. "I am sure they are disappointed. I knew that. But we had to make a decision based on the convictions of the Canadian people and the Canadian government."
Perhaps Finance Minister John Manley put it best: "My gosh, we're a sovereign country. We have to be able to take a position on issues that are important that may be different from the United States. Otherwise we may as well just sign on as the 51st state."
I agree. However, the decision should have been made by way of a free vote in the House of Commons. That would have allowed our allies to see where the elected representatives of the Canadian people stood on joining the war without a new resolution. Otherwise, it sounds like the will of one man -- just like the war in the first place.
posted by media_dystopia @ 20:37 [ link | top | home ]
"Virginia is for Lovers." Luckily, Canadians enjoy sex.
According to the ads produced by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Virginia is "Canada's best vacation destination," only one day's drive away. (You do like driving all 24 hours, don't you?) If that's not enticement enough, Canadians are being offered "Loonie Savers" coupon books packed with discounts.
So, when I face Darth Ridge and his boys at the border, can I refer to these ads and be exempt from harassment? Screw coupons; offer hassle-free border crossings instead.
posted by media_dystopia @ 02:18 [ link | top | home ]
Monday, March 17, 2003
Further to the November 20 post: Another Anna Bocci sighting, this time in EarthLink's "I feel complete" commercial. Her sightings are getting infrequent. She needs a better agent.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:23 [ link | top | home ]
Saddam laughs like Jabba the Hutt. Just an observation.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:18 [ link | top | home ]
Many reporters are bugging out of Iraq, while others are staying. Would it be morbid and downright sick of me to start a journalist dead pool? Just wondering.
Relax, I'm joking. If you can't laugh at dead reporters, what can you laugh at?
Sorry. I'll stop now.
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:16 [ link | top | home ]
As President Bush addressed the nation, the Homeland Security Advisory was raised to High/Orange: "High Risk of Terrorist Attacks." The Department of Homeland Security anticipates a terrorist response to military action in Iraq. Even worse, an influx of Canadians with French names taking advantage of a strong Canadian dollar. Just because their families have been in the New World since the 1500s doesn't mean they aren't diplomatic saboteurs like their French ancestors. Please treat them accordingly. Thank you for your attention loyal citizens. (Warning: sarcasm alert.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 23:08 [ link | top | home ]
Presidential Address. The "Moment of Truth" speech with its historical ultimatum to Saddam and his sons, giving them 48 hours to leave Iraq or be removed by force. (Transcript: White House.)
However much I dislike the man and his administration, I think President Bush delivered an excellent speech tonight. It was direct, succinct, and probably the best marketing of the Iraq issue since the president put his country on the path to war with his September 12, 2002, address to the UN General Assembly.
After hearing the speech, I started asking myself some questions:
1) Is Saddam now filling his suitcases with cash and getting ready to fly to France to live in exile? Is he planning to martyr himself? What happens if he does get out of Dodge before the 48 hours are up?
Irrespective of the answers, the speech made it crystal clear that Saddam's regime is coming to an abrupt end in the near future, something I have no problem with.
2) With no new Security Council resolution, is the war legal? Is military action already sanctioned by existing UN resolutions, including 1441's "serious consequences"?
I have no idea; ask a legal scholar. Those who are pro-war will perceive it as legal and just; those who are antiwar will perceive it as illegal and unjust. Personally, I don't know what to think. I'm doubting whether it qualifies as a big "fuck you" to the UN -- as per the March 12 post -- given that a new resolution authorizing force was vetoed before it was even written. One thing I do know for sure is that the U.S. is going into it without allies such as Canada because of the lack of said resolution.
3) What are the political ramifications?
We'll find out come election time. If all goes well, there will be regime change in the U.S. and Britain. In the meantime, all we can do is sit back and watch the fireworks.
posted by media_dystopia @ 22:25 [ link | top | home ]
Many thanks to go fish for the linkage. I'm always pleasantly surprised when that happens. (I was also a little shocked when the Technorati: Link Cosmos thingamabob worked.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 17:24 [ link | top | home ]
Canada is sitting this one out. The prime minister has announced that Canada will not participate in the war with Iraq because there was no new resolution authorizing force -- something he has been making clear to President Bush all along. (Transcript: PMO.)
This confirms Canada's belief that resolution 1441's "serious consequences" do not include military action. However, members of the Canadian Forces on exchange with the U.S. military and those participating in anti-terrorism operations in the region will continue their work.
This was announced on CNN, with the comment that Jean Chrétien's statement to the House of Commons triggered rousing applause. The news item also included a few minutes of the live broadcast of question period. However, it neglected to mention that because of Canada's commitment to Afghanistan -- remember the war on terror? -- we are embarrassingly incapable of deploying troops to Iraq, even if we wanted to.
Nor did the report make it clear that we would have supported the "coalition of the willing" had the UN Security Council voted to authorize military action with a new resolution -- but it didn't, and that's not Canada's fault, is it?
posted by media_dystopia @ 14:41 [ link | top | home ]
The end of diplomacy. The U.S., Britain, and Spain chose not to put their resolution authorizing force to a vote, blaming France for the lack of consensus. The secretary general is pulling all UN personnel out of Iraq. There is an exodus of reporters, diplomats, humanitarian workers, and other foreigners from the region. Prime Minister Blair's leader of the House of Commons, Robin Cook, has resigned from cabinet. The Pentagon believes that Iraq is planning to use chemical munitions. President Bush addresses the nation tonight at 8 p.m. to deliver a final ultimatum to Saddam.
Where's my Tylenol?
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:27 [ link | top | home ]
What do you get when you combine Human Resources Development Canada and the Petroleum Services Association of Canada? You get www.careersinoilandgas.com, "a virtual career fair," and an ad campaign marketing it to young people. I keep seeing the commercials, featuring happy-go-lucky roughnecks in oil-stained orange coveralls, on Muchmusic and during movie theater previews.
Interesting timing, wouldn't you say?
posted by media_dystopia @ 12:42 [ link | top | home ]
Speaking of the Dixie Chicks, here's the apology Nathalie Maines should have made. (Via linkfilter.net.)
posted by media_dystopia @ 12:33 [ link | top | home ]
It's sad that today's e-mail question on CNN Headline News is "Are you boycotting the Dixie Chicks?"
posted by media_dystopia @ 12:26 [ link | top | home ]
Further to the March 15 post: Nathalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks has apologized for her anti-Bush remark, and yet country music stations in the U.S. continue to drop the band from their playlists. In a capitalist society, hitting people in their wallets is an effective form of protest. However, blackmailing artists because of their antiwar or anti-Bush views only lends credence to the president's "you're either with us or against us" philosophy, and adds to the chill on free speech in the U.S.
"In Bush we trust; all others are traitors." Has that become America's motto?
posted by media_dystopia @ 04:07 [ link | top | home ]
It's not broken -- it's Googlelized. Blogger is acting up again. First of all, it keeps forgetting that I've logged in. Then to add insult to injury, if I work on a bit of text for too long, it gives me an error message -- "Microsoft VBScript runtime error '800a000d'" and some other gobbledegook -- when I try to post it, sending it to oblivion instead. I only managed to get this post published by copying and pasting it repeatedly.
Apparently, Google's ample resources haven't accelerated the pace of the code-fixing. In fact, in the one month since the Pyra Labs purchase, things have actually gotten worse. (I can't explain it, either.) I'm seriously considering assembling an army of Ottawa geeks and deploying them to California to fix the code by force. "Bonjour! We're here to fix the code, eh? We brought Timbits."
posted by media_dystopia @ 03:21 [ link | top | home ]
I'm watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind on TBS Superstation -- an ironic programming choice by the network given that the movie features Franco-American co-operation in a covert UN-sanctioned project.
posted by media_dystopia @ 02:15 [ link | top | home ]
Sunday, March 16, 2003
The Azores Summit. Live news conference on CNN. President Bush: "Tomorrow is a moment of truth for the world." Apparently, March 17 is the last day for diplomacy. (Transcript: White House.)
According to Security Council resolution 1441 ("The situation between Iraq and Kuwait"; November 8, 2002): "...the Council has repeatedly warned Iraq that it will face serious consequences as a result of its continued violations of its obligations." The resolution also states that the council is "acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations," the chapter addressing "action with respect to threats to the peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression."
In other words, President Bush and Prime Minister Blair are correct in saying -- as they did during the news conference today -- that resolution 1441 threatens "serious consequences" for non-compliance. However, I can't figure out whether that means that force is authorized as is, or whether another resolution is required to attack Iraq. The language is so damn vague and subjective and open to interpretation that only diplomats with law degrees can make sense of it. Frankly, I'm stumped.
Best part of the news conference: Watching the icicles form on Bush's podium when he mentioned France. What's Texan for "seething contempt"?
Worst part of the news conference: Hearing President Bush use Rwanda as an example of the UN not doing its job. As I recall, the U.S. also stood by and did fuck-all while tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children were hacked to death with machetes. It also did a pretty good job of ignoring the UN commander, a Canadian major-general, who was begging the world to do something. Perhaps Bush is suggesting that a Republican president would have acted. Yeah, right.
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:31 [ link | top | home ]
Further to yesterday's post: Sure enough, the "Apology to America" was posted on MetaFilter. Two weeks after the fact, mind you. Even I beat them to it.
posted by media_dystopia @ 13:07 [ link | top | home ]
Further to the March 11 post: Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, has sent a diplomatic note to the prime minister requesting, on behalf of President Bush, that the Canadian government support its closest ally by referring to Canada's francophone population as "Freedom-Canadians."
No, not really. It wouldn't surprise me, though.
posted by media_dystopia @ 02:19 [ link | top | home ]
Another sign of the coming apocalypse: Barbie has a blog. (Via MetaFilter.)
The Blogosphere is the plains of Asia. Corporate America is the Mongol hoards. Run for your lives.
posted by media_dystopia @ 01:51 [ link | top | home ]
Saturday, March 15, 2003
Further to the March 5 post: I had an inkling that I was incorrect in saying that Rick Mercer had delivered the public apology to the U.S. on CBC's This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Sure enough, it was actually performed by Colin Mochrie, as reporter Anthony St. George. At the time, it seemed odd to me that Mercer -- who quit the show and was replaced by Mochrie -- would return as a guest performer to do this bit. I should have listened to my instincts. Oh well.
The segment, taped in front of famous Washington, D.C., landmarks, is called "Apology to America." The video clip (Real Media, streaming) has been added to the show's video archive. I listened to it several times and wrote a complete and accurate transcript (unlike the one in the March 5 post):
Hello. I'm Anthony St. George, here in Washington.
On behalf of Canadians everywhere, I'd like to offer an apology to the United States of America. We haven't been getting along very well recently and for that, I am truly sorry.
I'm sorry we called George Bush a moron. He is a moron, but it wasn't nice of us to point it out. If it's any consolation, the fact that he's a moron shouldn't reflect poorly on the people of America. After all, it's not like you actually elected him.
I'm sorry about our softwood lumber. Just because we have more trees than you doesn't give us the right to sell you lumber that's cheaper and better than your own. It would be like if, well, say you have ten times the television audience we do, and you flood our market with great shows, cheaper than we could produce. I know you'd never do that.
I'm sorry we beat you in Olympic hockey. In our defense I guess our excuse would be that our team was much, much, much, much better than yours. As way of apology, please accept all of our Canadian NHL teams -- which, one-by-one, are going out of business and moving to your fine country.
I'm sorry about our waffling on Iraq. I mean, when you're going up against a crazed dictator, you want to have your friends by your side. I realize it took more than two years before you guys pitched in against Hitler -- but that was different: everyone knew he had weapons.
I'm sorry we burned down your white house during the War of 1812. I see you've rebuilt it. It's very nice.
I'm sorry for Alan Thicke. Shania Twain. Céline Dion. Loverboy. That song from Sheriff that ends with the really high-pitch long note. Your beer. I know we have nothing to do with your beer, but we feel your pain.
And finally, on behalf of all Canadians, I'm sorry that we're constantly apologizing for things in a passive-aggressive way which is really a thinly veiled criticism. I sincerely hope that you're not upset over this, because we've seen what you do to countries you get upset with.
For 22 Minutes, I'm Anthony St. George, and I'm sorry.
Now that linkfilter.net has posted the link to the video clip, the apology will probably start making the rounds again.
posted by media_dystopia @ 22:11 [ link | top | home ]
I'd like to thank the people of Iraq... The 75th Annual Academy Awards will be broadcast on March 23. As usual, I've only seen a fraction of the nominated films. Not that it matters, given that I don't really care who wins or loses (however much I play along during the show). I just want to see what happens during the live broadcast of the most extravagant American cultural event, the entertainment industry's equivalent of the Super Bowl.
Hollywood's antiwar sentiment will make this year's show particularly interesting. I'm eager to see who's going to forego acceptance speeches or scripted presentations in favor of antiwar preaching. Not that I really want to hear it, mind you. However much I believe in free speech, I don't think that an awards show is an appropriate venue for political statements. Imagine a male presenter ignoring the TelePrompTer and attacking women's rights instead. Picture your favorite actress praising the president's anti-abortion efforts instead of thanking the Academy. Would it be appropriate in those instances? It's the same with an antiwar statement.
Besides, people watch the Oscars for the same reason they watch movies in the first place: for entertainment and an escape from the world's troubles. Why drag them right back into it with some statement that would be best delivered at an antiwar rally or during a press conference?
posted by media_dystopia @ 14:11 [ link | top | home ]