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On November 7, 2001, Bill Maher of ABC criticized Iran for not being democratic. In his criticism of Iran, he stated that the Iranians lack the will to establish a democracy because many of their customs and beliefs are antiquated. He went even further and added, "Someone needs to take the Iranians by their beards and set them on the right path just as the political leaders in Turkey had done in their country."
RESPONSE: The commits made by Maher are clear examples of western arrogance and indifference toward others of a different culture. In order to protect the image of the United States, Maher is only willing to tell half of the truth. While it is true that Iran is not a democratic nation, Maher neglected to explain why Iran is not a democratic nation.
In 1951, the Iranians elected Doctor Muhammad Mossadeq prime minister of Iran. Mossadeq nationalized Iran's oil from British control. Britain, enraged over the fact that Iran was controlling their own oil supply, took the Mossadeq government to the International Court of Justice. The court ruled in Iran's favor. England immediately enacted an illegal trade embargo against Iran, which was enforced by the British navy. Iran's economy collapsed as a result. Two years later, unable to corrupt Mossadeq, the CIA and British Intelligence sponsored a coup that led to the overthrow of the people's government in Iran. Against their will, the people of Iran had to accept Mohammed Reza Pahlevi as their leader. For the next 25 years, the Shah was allowed to terrorize his own people with U.S. military and economic support.
After reading information rarely mentioned by the mainstream media, one should be willing to ask themselves an important question, "What would Iran's government be like today if England and America had not over thrown its blossoming democracy?" Instead of having the courage to ask this question, Maher chooses to engaged in telling half lies, which are just as harmful as the full lies reported by the media. Maybe, Iran's democracy would be in full bloom by now, but we will never know. Britain and the United States must share the blame in Iran not being a democracy today.
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During the week of November 7, 2001, Bill Maher of ABC stated that Turkey was an excellent example of a modern, democratic nation that stripped itself of its barbaric ways. He added that other Muslim nations, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, should use Turkey as their model.
RESPONSE: The comments made by Maher clearly show that most political pundits and journalists in the mainstream news media are simply puppets for the government. Turkey happens to be a member of NATO, so the news media, under the direction of the government, are willing to overlook the Turkish government's crimes against humanity. The Turkish government has led a reign of terror against women, various ethnic groups, and political dissidents. The UN Committee Against Torture and various human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, have reported that torture against Turkish citizens, mainly the Kurds, occur on a regular basis. While the entire U.S. press corps condemn Iraq and Iran for its treatment of the Kurds, the western press has been virtually silent in regards to the plight of Turkish Kurds. For decades, Turkey has repressed the language and culture of the Kurds. Kurds have been murdered by the government's special forces for simply speaking their language in public. The use of Kurdish in publication and broadcasting is prohibited. Between 1985 and 2000, the Turkish military has been responsible for the deaths of over 20,000 Kurds and political dissidents. Human rights groups have reported Mutilations and rape are the main forms of torture.
Repression is not limited to the Kurds. Women, homosexuals, and members of Turkey's underclass have also been the victims of persecutions. Sexual abuses while in detention have been widely reported by many international agencies. Men and women are stripped naked. Methods of sexual abuses have included beatings on the genitals and women's breasts, rape, mutilation of male testicles, and electric shocks. Homosexuals have been publicly humiliated and beaten severely by police officers because of their sexual orientation. Turkey's poverty stricken have been denied equal access to justice. Police stations have come to represent a place of horror for many in Turkey. Law enforcement agencies for the purpose of obtaining confessions have relied on torture and other pervasive techniques. Disappearances and deaths while in police custody are also common.
Yet, while reports are circulating through out the entire world about Turkish atrocities against its own citizenry, the mainstream press in America has totally ignored the situation. This remissness of the U.S. press is not the result of mere oversight, but is patently designed. Members of the U.S. press are willing to divulge to Americans the atrocities of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran because they are the enemies. Many Americans soon come to see the United States' opposition to these countries as a moral stance against injustices around the world. On the other hand, it is common knowledge that the United States and Turkey are close allies. If the mainstream press reported extensively the horrors being committed in Turkey, Americans may just come to realize that our opposition to undemocratic nations is not based on a desire to spread justice and liberty around the world, but based on the need to maintain our economic and military dominance at all cost. Instead of damaging the credibility of the United States government amongst its own people, pundits and journalists, such as Maher, simply mislead the American public with deception.
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During the Elian Gonzalez crisis in Florida, George Will of ABC News stated that Elian should remain in the United States with his relatives because the United States is simply a better place to live in comparison to communist Cuba. According to Will, "America is more democratic and has a higher standard of living than Cuba, which would make life in the United States far better for anyone."
RESPONSE: The U.S. news media is quick to point out the problems that exist in other countries, while mitigating the obvious problems that pervade our land. If a country happens to be an enemy, there internal problems are magnified even more by the press corps. This has been a relentless practice on the part of the mainstream press since the United States' inception. Contrary to popular myth, the U.S. media is not in the business of being far and balanced in their reporting. Biased reporting that exalts the United States government is seen as patriotic, while critical coverage of the U.S. government is seen as treasonous. Because of the bias reporting on the part of the press, many Americans have come to the conclusion that their country is far superior than other countries. Unfortunately, it has also led many Americans to believe that their country, their government is always justified in its actions and that the problems that exist in the United States are minuet in comparison to the problems in other countries.
George Will is correct when he points out that Cuba has many problems, but he is also remiss in not pointing out the problems that plague the United States. Will is even more remiss in not pointing out the problems Elian Gonzalez would encounter because he happens to be Hispanic in a country dominated by people of European descent. The mainstream press would like to convince Americans that there are absolutely no disadvantages of living in America, which is totally absurd. To the chagrin of the American press, there are advantageous to living in the United States and there are disadvantageous, and the same can be said about Cuba and other countries. Since George Will is only concerned with pointing out the flaws of other nations, I will take it upon myself to point out the flaws of this nation, and, in pointing out the flaws of the United States, then, maybe people will relieve that there are advantageous in living elsewhere on this planet.
While it is true that Cuba is not a democratic country and suffers from immense austerity, there are millions in the United States who are suffering as well. In America, there are over sixty million people who are denied medical treatment because they lack health insurance. This is a travesty when America is compared to other countries that provide full health coverage to its citizenry. In Cuba, its citizenry are afforded universal health care coverage. No matter the aliment, every Cuban is treated. As for education, Cubans seeking higher education are provided for. It must be understood that the United States has the best medical and educational facilities in the world, but what good is it to those who cannot afford to benefit from them, which happens to be the case for millions of Americans. I'm sure millions of America's poor would love to live in a country where medical treatment is available when one needs it, as oppose to when one can afford it.
In comparison to other nations, America by far is one of the most violent countries in the world. Americans have long history of glorifying their love for guns and glorifying their love for violence. This glorification has led to disastrous results. Every year, about 38,000 Americans die each year from gun related violence. Every year, about 6,000 young people are victims of some form of homicide. With these shameful numbers, the United States has more violent deaths within its borders than the next sixteen developed nations combined.
Maybe if Elian was lucky, he would have been fortunate to have health insurance and maybe he would have been safeguarded from America's violence. But as a Hispanic, his family in America would not have been able to shield him from the racism that still permeates American society. Despite the rhetoric, people of color are still treated like second class citizens. Democracy does not shine fully for everyone in the land of opportunity. People of color are more likely to experience racial profiling on a daily basis, more liking to be a victim of police brutality, more liking to receive unfair treatment from the judicial system, more likely to be a victim of racial violence, and so on.
In their quest to make America appear flawless in the eyes of the rest of the world, U.S. news media intentionally under report the problems that plague our land and over report the problems of other countries. Journalists, like George Will, are simply doing their duty of ignoring the obvious flaws of the United States and portraying their nation as the greatest place in the world. Politicians and writers in the mainstream press would love for everyone to believe that America is Shangri-La. But, this is simply an agreed upon lie by those who have the power to influence. This may be hard for Americans to fathom, but the United States is no where near the standard of excellence in regards to living conditions. There are many nations in the world that far exceed the United States in standards of living and there are many nations that are far behind the United States. Americans foolishly equate their greatness to their material attainment. Americans take pride in the fact that they have television sets and VCRs and homes with four bedrooms and two baths and two cars in the driveway, while looking down on others who cannot match these material achievements. But, there is more to life than material attainment. The United States can learn a lot from other industrialized nations, as well as from many third world nations. There are a lot of good things about America, but there are also a lot of bad things about America as well, and the same thing can be said about other nations, even Cuba. The United States is not the greatest country in the world. No country can lay claim to that title because every country has its own internal problem. Cubans have their problems, but so do Americans. Unfortunately, most Americans will never know it because the media is too busy playing patriots.
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On December 29, 2001, Cynthia McFarland and Josh Gerstein of ABC news presented a story about a man who carried out an assassination on American soil. David Belfield went to the residence of Ali Akbar Tabatabai, a former spokeman for the Iranian Embassy who became an outspoken critic of the new fundamentalist regime in Iran, and shot him several times at close range. Within minutes, Tabatabai was dead. Belfield immediately fled to Iran. Belfield later said the killing was justified to combat criticisms of Khomeini's regime.
RESPONSE: The purpose of this report by ABC news was to demonize the character of those associated with terroristic organizations, such as the Taliban and the Iranian government, and to show how such individuals will go to any length to achieve their goals, even if it means violating the rules of law. This report in itself displays clearly the hypocritical nature and one-sided reporting of the mainstream press in the United States. If a country or individual happens to be allies with the United States, the press is far less condescending, but, if a country or individual happens to be enemies with the United States, they are viciously maligned by the press.
The Belfield story was only subject to discussion on ABC news and other news programs because the United States government has declared Iran a sworn enemies. Had Iran still been allied with the United States, the story would have received little coverage. There are several examples of the mainstream press showing little interest in the crimes committed by America's allies. Case in point, in 1973, General Augusto Pinochet, with the help of the CIA, led a bloody coup that resulted in the overthrow of Allende's democratically elected government. Allende's crime was limiting the power of many multinational corporations operating within the country of Chile. Immediately after assuming control, Pinochet went on a killing spree. According to CIA records, Pinochet ordered a series of assassinations against his political enemies, which included General Carlos Prats, Defense Minister Oscar Bonilla, former government workers, as well as innocent civilians who opposed Pinochet's claim to power. While the majority of Pinochet's volatile activities occurred within Chile, his reign of terror would eventually expand far beyond the borders of Chile.
By late 1976, Pinochet had become increasingly disturbed by the activities of Orlando Letelier, who happened to be Allende's former ambassador to the United States. Letelier settled in Washington, D.C. and was working with the far-left Institute for Policy Studies. Letelier became a major critic of Pinochet's totalitarian regime and took it upon himself to reveal Pinochet's crimes to the entire world. In order to silence Letelier, the Chilain dictator order members of his secret police to kill the former ambassador. Key officials in the Nixon government and the CIA were aware of the plot to assassinate Letelier, but did nothing to prevent its materialization. On September 21, 1976, members of the DINA, Pinochet's secret police, planted a bomb under Letelier's car. The former ambassador and an American colleague were instantly killed.
Newspapers and the television networks ran the news of Letelier's death, but at no time did the American press associate Pinochet and his secret police to the assassination, even though there was ample evidence to his culpability. Even after CIA records were disclosed for general viewing, Pinochet's connection to Letelier's assassination on American soil was still down played by the mainstream press. Now, I ask, "What is the difference between Tabatabai's assassination and Letelier's assassination and why has the American press been compelled to reveal all of the details surrounding the assassination of the former and not the latter?" The answer is quite evident. The mainstream press undying loyalty to the United States government prevented them from printing a story that would have embarrassed the United States government, as well as a close ally. The manner in which the press handled Letelier's assassination juxtapose to Tabatabai's assassination is hypocritical and clearly shows a press committed to reporting the news the way the government prefers it to be reported as oppose to the way the events actually occurred.
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