A reader of this blog commented that I really needed to listen to yesterday's piece on Hugo Chavez by Tom Gjelten. I went back and listened to it and it's a doozy! I don't know how I missed this fine piece of propaganda.In his report Gjelten relies heavily on Javier Corrales of Amherst University. Gjelten says that-- according to Corrales-- Chavez needs the price of oil to stay high and "that may be one reason Hugo Chavez has seemed intent lately on stirring up trouble in the Middle East encouraging Iran to stand up to the United States for example and cheering Hezbollah in its war with Israel." I swear this is what was reported--unbelievable! This passes for journalism? If anyone is "stirring up trouble" in the Middle East it is the Oilygarchs occupying the White House. Their warmaking has proven mighty beneficial to Exxon, BP etc.
I remember suffering through Tom Gjelten's "coverage" of Central America (read: cover-up of US crimes there) during the late 80s and jokingly call him "CIA Tom." Well, if Tom's not working for the CIA, he ought to be.
4 comments:
Nice commentary. That piece by "CIA Tom" (appropriate nickname)was the stupidest, most surreal bit of lying crap that I'd heard on NPR since, oh since this afternoon's Fresh Air interview with neocon Michael Ledeen, actually. (at least Terry was sceptical of the lies she was being sold, and not promoting them)
Believe it or not, Gjelten is a Berkeley-trained journalist who did some decent writing on the Mondragon collectived in Spain, about 25 years ago. I'm not sure what got into him, except the security of NPR.
I too am sometimes surprised at the quality work that some at NPR have done in the past compared to what they are doing now.
We owe a thanks to CIA Tom for "correcting" the historical record. The Japanese soldiers executed for torture were actually using "tough interrogation tactics." Likewise the Nazis...and all these years I thought it was torture.
Seriously, any nation that embraces torture as a interrogation tactic needs to rationalize such sociopathic behavior. Obviously, this was not an aberration in American history...we've been doing it covertly for years, but now that it is out in the open...ENTER THE LACKEY PROPAGANDISTS, posing as journalists, broadcasting the party line. Does Tom ever do any work for PRAVDA? He should!!!
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