Blatant Media Manipulation In An Interview

Friday morning I was watching the Today Show (it is the morning thing in my house).

During the show, Meredith Vieira conducted an interview with the Koran Burning Minister Terry Jones. Of course, his plans to burn Korans is silly, and will not cause any benefit to humanity, America, or himself. But that is so obvious that I will not address it further in this post.

The only place I have found this video so far is on Hulu:

www.hulu.com...

The Pastor was far more lucid than I would have expected, given all that I have read about him. Of course, what I have read about him is a media slant, meant to give us a specific, pre-loaded impression of the man.

But Meredith was uncharacteristically terse. She asked him, point blank, if he felt responsible for injuries/lives lost in an attack that was carried out in retaliation for his Koran burning. His answer, to me, snapped the whole debate into focus. He said something along the lines of, "No. I do not take the blame for an act that someone claims is in retaliation for something that I haven't even done yet."

How true. He had not carried through any plans to do anything, yet we are seeing reports that the Muslim world is already retaliating? Am I the only one who thinks that something smells rotten here? Of course, there is a mainstream view that the Muslim people are just that easily riled up...but if that is true I might point that the American's are the exact same (given the fact that we see a Koran burning planned all because a mosque is going to be built not as close to ground zero as another mosque that is already there).

But, even more insidious is the possibility that the attack was not carried out in retaliation, but that the media/US Gov put this slant on the story (for whatever reason they do these things...I have never worked for the CIA and can not ascribe motives to their behaviors).

Even more insidious than that is if the attack was a CIA op meant to further foment hatred between the west and the Muslim world.

I don't know. I would be able to believe just about anything at this point. Regardless, the full on assault that Vieira uncharacteristically gave to the Pastor was one of the most disgraceful interviews I have seen since the last time I could stomach watching either Hannity or Olbermann.

(yes, i posted this elsewhere too)

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


these are some of my thoughts....

suppose one guy in iran says he is going to burn a bunch of bibles.

suppose i shoot and kill a man at an iranian embassy in america, and use that man's statement of planning to burn bibles as an excuse to justify my killing of some man whom i choose to associate with that man in iran.

would i be guilty of murder, would i be responsible for his death?
was the man at the iranian embassy who i killed responsible for his death for being there?

or is the man in iran who said he was going to burn a bunch of bibles responsible for me killing this man at an iranian embassy in america?


no, i do not condone burning books. no, i do not support burning books.

but i don't also don't condone using it as an excuse to divert blame from the gunman to the one who stated they had plans to burn some books.

just because some guy on the opposite side of the planet says he is going to burn some books does not excuse me getting a gun, buying the ammunition for it, loading it, going to the closest place where i think someone who resembles that man's ideals may be found, aiming the gun at his head, pulling the trigger, and killing him.

which is the greater sin? saying you are going to burn a book that has billions of identical replicas of it on the planet, or using it as an excuse to shoot and kill someone?

so if i say i am going to burn a bunch of korans and then someone 15,000 miles away hears that i am going to do this and kills someone, am i responsible for that man's death?


i don't agree with Terry Jones views, tactics, or ideals.

these are some of my thoughts about this issue,
et

You were right on about the blatant bias. She, practically, came out and said that simply threatening to burn a Quran was justification to commit murder. Unfortunately, that stance is typical, as it is chic to blame everyone else for your actions.

I disagreed with his intention to burn the Qurans, simply because it is wrong to desecrate the symbols of anyone's religious beliefs. But, any violence perpetrated in retaliation of such actions are, solely, the responsibility of those committing the violence. That is unarguably the case in any act of violence, except self defense. Period. And it is disgusting to see and hear apologists for those who commit such acts of violence.

Words and even the desecration of religious symbols are not provocation for murder.

Originally posted by Esoteric Teacher
reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

 

these are some of my thoughts....

suppose one guy in iran says he is going to burn a bunch of bibles.

suppose i shoot and kill a man at an iranian embassy in america, and use that man's statement of planning to burn bibles as an excuse to justify my killing of some man whom i choose to associate with that man in iran.

would i be guilty of murder, would i be responsible for his death?
was the man at the iranian embassy who i killed responsible for his death for being there?

or is the man in iran who said he was going to burn a bunch of bibles responsible for me killing this man at an iranian embassy in america?


no, i do not condone burning books. no, i do not support burning books.

but i don't also don't condone using it as an excuse to divert blame from the gunman to the one who stated they had plans to burn some books.

just because some guy on the opposite side of the planet says he is going to burn some books does not excuse me getting a gun, buying the ammunition for it, loading it, going to the closest place where i think someone who resembles that man's ideals may be found, aiming the gun at his head, pulling the trigger, and killing him.

which is the greater sin? saying you are going to burn a book that has billions of identical replicas of it on the planet, or using it as an excuse to shoot and kill someone?

so if i say i am going to burn a bunch of korans and then someone 15,000 miles away hears that i am going to do this and kills someone, am i responsible for that man's death?


i don't agree with Terry Jones views, tactics, or ideals.

these are some of my thoughts about this issue,
et

edit on 12-9-2010 by Esoteric Teacher because: add signature & these are some of my thoughts...

edit on 12-9-2010 by Esoteric Teacher because: grammar fix

i think you hit on my thoughts.

What the Pastor is doing is silly and a waste of time. it is insulting people who are both extreme, as well as non extreme, just so he can piss off a few of the more extreme ones. It is not an act of Christian defiance. It is an act of pedantic pettiness.

However, if he chooses to burn the korans, it does not excuse violence done in response.

Even more, using the excuse that he plans to burn the books to create violence is beyond stupid. To the point that I cannot believe that the attack was really carried out with that reason in mind. Now, whether that means there is CIA involvement, or whether it is just terrorists doing what terrorists do and ascribing their own motives ex post facto, I do not know.

But seeing Vieira on the linked show makes me very suspicious.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


i agree with most of what you said. i think it is the msm (mental systems manipulators / aka main stream media) that helps provoke an institution of contempt and invokes intolerance. it is almost as if they pick their stories to capitalize on instability and highlight intolerance....

also (btw) you may want to edit out that long quote of mine. a mod may see it an think it is too much.

it is interesting what invokes intolerance these days, and how people are not permitted to know the daily goings on of people in other cultures

when i was deployed to bahrain in 2002 i remember very well that every friday night at the burger king on base (run by muslims) light core porn was shown on the tv sets in the burger king every friday evening.

true story,
et

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


Perhaps TPTB are getting ready for another false flag and they need to get us ready. Maybe this Pastor fella' is being used. Have him host his Koran-burning-day so the media can show a few clips of some angry Muslims. Get it into our head that they are going to retaliate, and then carry out whatever objective it is that they have in mind?

reply to post by dalan.


listened to a guy speak the other day. counselor for vets with PTSD. He said, "We are seeing soldiers coming back from Iraq, Iran...well, not Iran. Shouldn't have said that. But that is one that is down the road."

He spent a couple tours in the first Gulf war, was a police chief for 20 years, and did a lot of work for Blackwater, and other companies like Blackwater. He readily admits that he feels at home in a warzone.

Now, I am sure we are not talking about a commander that knows secrets. But we are talking about someone who is a lifetime "vet" that knows what he sees. The same damn thing we see.

Thanks for posting.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


No problem. Thanks for the info about that vet's Freudian slip regarding Iran. I've been waiting if we were going to wind up at war with them. I can still remember Obama ranting about them after he took office.