NPR continues its disinformation service for the US State Department by reporting on family life for US ambassadors posted around the world. The report is by Megan Meline who is identified as a spouse to a US diplomatic staffer (no conflict of interest there!) I found the most interesting portion of the report was in the beginning of the article Meline is discussing how romanticized the life of embassy families is portrayed and as evidence plays a clip from the movie, The Year of Living Dangerously. That is perfect! What is pointedly missing--and what would truly help listeners understand why US embassy personnel are so distrusted and sometimes hated around the world--is the story of the role of US embassy/CIA staffers in the horrific 1965 massacres of 500,000 - 1,000,000 "suspected communists" in Indonesia in 1965 (the events that form the backdrop of the film). If you doubt the US involvement you might also want to read this coverage by the group FAIR or this BBC story of how the US officially tried to cover up its involvement as late as 2001. Lastly, you have to love the sick irony of the title of this NPR piece: "Foreign Service Life Disruptive for Families."
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Living Dangerously
NPR continues its disinformation service for the US State Department by reporting on family life for US ambassadors posted around the world. The report is by Megan Meline who is identified as a spouse to a US diplomatic staffer (no conflict of interest there!) I found the most interesting portion of the report was in the beginning of the article Meline is discussing how romanticized the life of embassy families is portrayed and as evidence plays a clip from the movie, The Year of Living Dangerously. That is perfect! What is pointedly missing--and what would truly help listeners understand why US embassy personnel are so distrusted and sometimes hated around the world--is the story of the role of US embassy/CIA staffers in the horrific 1965 massacres of 500,000 - 1,000,000 "suspected communists" in Indonesia in 1965 (the events that form the backdrop of the film). If you doubt the US involvement you might also want to read this coverage by the group FAIR or this BBC story of how the US officially tried to cover up its involvement as late as 2001. Lastly, you have to love the sick irony of the title of this NPR piece: "Foreign Service Life Disruptive for Families."
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