Guest Blogged by Joseph Cannon
Larisa Alexandrovna draws our attention to a piece by noted reactionary Michelle Malkin. In her blog, Malkin publishes some photos of Iranian police brutalizing four men, and adds these comments:
…
Question: Will these photos be blared across the front pages of the international media with as much disgust and condemnation as the photos of Abu Ghraib or the manufactured Gitmo Koran-flushing riots?
As we’ll see in a moment, Malkin hasn’t quite told the truth about those photos. But even if we were to take her assertions at face value, Malkin has ignored what we may call the “Matthew 7:4 factor.”…
The atrocities at Abu Ghraib were paid for by American tax dollars. You (presuming you live in the United States) and I bear responsibility for those acts. The sins of the Iranian police cannot be laid to our account. But we do bear a great measure of the blame for the tortures inflicted by the Shah’s brutal forces back in the 1960s and ’70s, because our CIA placed the Shah in power after toppling Iran’s elected leader.
Malkin’s ability to ignore the lumber in her own eye socket reminds me of the arguments right-wingers routinely offered back when the USSR was still a going concern. “Why do you leftists always talk about human rights abuses in Guatemala or the Philippines? Why don’t you talk about what’s going on in Eastern Europe?” The answer, of course, was that our government supported the dictators in Guatemala and the Philippines. As for Eastern Europe: Our tax dollars paid for a nuclear arsenal pointed at the USSR, and any further expression of disapproval always struck me as superfluous.
It turns out that Malkin has, for propaganda purposes, misidentified the photos on her site. They do not depict Iranians who have violated any dress code:
Malkin drew her misidentification from this New York Times story. Here’s the NYT’s apologia:
The “nongovernment agency” is obviously the MEK, which others, including our own State Department, have called a terrorist group allied with Saddam Hussein. In her update, Malkin makes clear that she considers the group credible.
My words should not be taken as an apologia for the Iranian government. Years ago, I knew an Armenian lady whose family had immigrated here from Iran, and she had plenty of stories about the draconian measures inflicted by the Iranian “justice” system. (As I recall, she reported that a woman guilty of a morals infraction might be made to wash the dead.) On the other hand, her family felt that Iran’s problems all stemmed from the CIA’s intervention in the 1950s. Although they felt grateful for the asylum provided by this country, they could not blind themselves to history.
No she is not. it’s you leftists and ignorant people who turn a blind eye on the suffering of the Iranian people. She’s doing a great job by raising awareness on the repression that Iranians endure on a daily basis. Btw, you are as much guilty as the mullahs of Iran when you talk like that and help the mullahs out of your hatred for the other side of the political spectrum!
Oh by the way, you clueless leftist (sorry I am employing such language. you deserve it any ways)… PM Mossadeq was not elected at all.
See you are also suffering from extreme shortage of historical facts. I tell you what: get your facts straight before commenting on history of iran. PM Mossadeq was not ELECTED. He was appointed to Premiership by the late Shah of Iran. When Mossadeq opened his arms to the Soviets and got cozy with them, the Shah of Iran asked him politely and nicely to step down, Mossadeq refused and His Majesty had the armed forces remove the person he had appointed in the first place.
Got it? I doubt that you leftists ever understand how the world works but well I tried to explain!
Have a good day!
hey winston don’t forget this international problem
Rodney King reluctant symbol of police brutality
clean up your own shit before you start telling other people how they should conduct themselves and please don’t torture me .
Have a good day!
mick in new zealand (with free health care ).
Winston,
Mossadeq WAS elected. Mossadeq DID enjoy great popular support. What Mossadeq DID NOT do was play by the “rules” with the likes of British Petroleum.
It’s ALWAYS about profits with you extremists.
If Malkin’s story was true the Iraqi people would be trying to overthrow the Iranian government so it could be like the Iraqi government. The help thy neighbor thingy.
But that is not happening.
Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan all watch Lou Dobbs hoping they can find out how to stop Iraqis from becoming illegal immigrants in those countries.
It is a mass migration away from
enduringbushie freedom.The Iraqis show how much they love what the neoCons are doing for
Iraqbig oil don’t they Malkin?Winston, why don’t you take your own advice which is posted on your website:
What … can’t get over hypocrisy mountain?
The only person to do what you advocate on your blog, war with Iran, was Sadaam Hussein. And for that he was rewarded by the neoCons with … ?
What … can’t get over hypocrisy mountain?
Are you as smart as a fifth grader Winston? Or how about high school children?
Some visited the
WhiteBushie House and showed they are smarter than preznit blush:(Smart Kids Say American Things). Put-em-in-chains Chainy overheard their remarks and explained that he was doing it from an undisclosed location – his office:
(All About Chaingolia, emphasis added). He definitely does not belong to america, and I hope he moves to Dubai, UAE where Haliburton recently moved. He has an office there that fits his fascist ideology.
OK… I hopped over to Malkin’s hate screed (aka “blog”) and what jumps out at me is the way she seems to be screaming ‘Why is the left (specifically Rosie)silent about this ?’. She then goes on to accuse Amnesty International and a host of others of being silent as well. This doesn’t sound like the Amnesty International I’ve known for all these years so I head over there and use their search box for Iran. Lo and behold…“Amnesty International Calls on Iran to Explain Arrests of 17 Men Who Were Reportedly Beaten- May 21, 2007”. This may not be the exact incident she’s talking about but I think AI has a clear record on exposing abuse. Never mind that Republicans are A-OK with torture at Gitmo and are now clutching their pearls in horror over this one. I guess this is good enough reason for them to accept bombing Iran (it may taste bad but it’s what good for them).Why is it that Reich-wingers lack the basic computer skills to do even the smallest amount of research before making accusations? Is it something in the koolaid? Don’t they have staff or is Malkin just pocketing all the money she’s paid to write this crap?
Look at the photos. Did you notice that police is written in English on the uniforms? I could not find the the word police written in Farsi anywhere on the uniforms. Very curious. Also, not all of the people being arrests are wearing T shirts. In photo number six, you can see a person watching in the background dressed the same way as the person being arrested.
BTW Winston. Read history. Mossadeq was elected. The Shah was exiled at the end of WWII.
Larisa’s readers discussed the “police” mystery on her blog. Turns out the Iranian cops really do use the English-language word as an identifier. Who’d a thunk it?
OT,.. sorta
Additional info into what a criminal enterprise bu$$hCo and KKKarl Rove really are. The whistleblower in Alabama who revealed the Sigleman fiasco details is now under threat of bodily harm.
Link credit,.. Big Dan.
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Rovian Justice in the Banana Republic of Alabama
Submitted by tom on Mon, 2007-06-25 11:56.
Republican Playbook Department of What is WRONG with These People? siegelman alabama rove corruption
Wow. Go read this if you want to learn just how Rove wants to use the legal system to settle political scores. Of course, I’ve always felt that Alabama was really a third world banana republic run by the sort of folks who belong in John Grisham novels “” but I digress.
And, apparently, it all would’ve worked perfectly but Dana Simpson, a Republican, had to open her mouth and blow the whistle. So now the Rovian mafioso-like intimidation begins:
Source/link,..
http://www.correntewire.com/rov...lic_of_alabama
Winston is an idiot! Like lots of repubs he just makes stuff up. When actual facts are not convenient, he just makes stuff up. Why do that Win? Isn’t the damage being done by your ‘dear leader’ worthy of your attention? Its still no wonder Americkkka is heading in the wrong direction – with ‘patriots’ like Winny leading the charge /snark off
Winston worship your brown-shirt fascist heroes all you want,.. but take it someplace else other than America.
You, your ilk, your Nazi concepts and ideas have over stayed your welcome here in America. Go practice your selfish and greedy vile avericious campaign of self-enrichment elsewhere – we are no longer interested in your steaming pile of stinky political dung/crap. Republicans are Fascist corporatist fools who hate America, freedom, and democracy. Take a hike, get lost.
But the man in the photograph, according to widespread Iranian news reports, was one of more than 100 people arrested recently on charges of being part of a gang that had committed rapes, robberies, forgeries and other crimes.
Larisa,
Would you mind identifying the Iranian news sources since you seem to be in the know?
So who have you chosen to believe…..please educate us all. It is a choice, you know.
We’d better fix what is happening now….no matter how we got here. There’s plenty of blame to go around. All I know is that I DO NOT WANT TO WEAR TO BE CONVERTED AGAINST MY WILL TO ISLAM OR ANYONE IN MY FAMILY. I think these people mean business, and I am not willing to risk my life and even yours that they aren’t serious.
We await.