Interesting Stuff # 57

Darfur, Arab Genocide and The New York Times

Nicholas Kristof's prize in recognition of his coverage for the New York Times of the Sudanese government's genocidal campaign against the people of Darfur seems uncontroversial and well deserved. But Kristof, and the Times' editors, have consistently failed to cover a key element of the story.

A recurrent theme in Kristof's articles is the world's failure to do enough to end the slaughter in Darfur, and he particularly targets President Bush for criticism. He has on occasion also mentioned the "international community" and has referred by name to several nations and world leaders other than the President that could do more. But a key factor in the impunity with which the Arab government of Sudan has been able to pursue its campaign of rape and mass murder in Darfur has been the virtually universal support it receives from the rest of the Arab world, and on this Kristof has been essentially silent.
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The Times prides itself in being a "liberal" newspaper, but it has also consistently ignored liberal voices in the Arab world that have sought to address that world's genocidal attitudes toward religious and ethnic minorities in its midst….

Bernard Lewis, the West's premier scholar of Middle East studies, wrote in 1986, regarding Jew-hatred in the Arab world, "The volume of anti-Semitic books and articles published, the size and number of editions and impressions, the eminence and authority of those who write, publish, and sponsor them, their place in school and college curricula, their role in the mass media, would all seem to suggest that classical anti-Semitism is an essential part of Arab intellectual life at the present time –– almost as much as happened in Nazi Germany."

But again, despite the Times extensive coverage, in news reports and editorials, of Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict, the newspaper is virtually silent on this aspect of the story.

No doubt this reflects Times biases on the subject. The Times prefers to depict the conflict as mainly a dispute over territory, with Israeli territorial concessions the key to resolution. Acknowledging the genocidal attitudes toward Jews rampant in the Arab world and promoted by Arab governments would cast doubt on this depiction.
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Seniors Must Play By Rules, Too

But leaders in Congress now want to waive their penalties for joining late.
This selective leniency reflects the reverence politicians hold for the elderly vote. It also shows the contempt with which they regard the taxpayers….No insurance company that cares to stay in business would let me buy collision coverage for an accident I've already had. The Medicare drug benefit does allow eligible people to put off enrolling until after they really need it -- but at that higher premium. …
So the Senate Finance Committee is now pushing to waive the penalty. "It takes time for people to learn about benefits available to them," Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said with fatherly concern.
A year ago, when Grassley was tightening up federal bankruptcy law, he was less permissive. He condemned the "deadbeats" who "get out of paying their debt scot-free, while honest Americans who play by the rules have to foot the bill." In Washington, the weight of the rules obviously depends on who is playing.

Fallacy of the week: Straw Man

Israeli fence provides example for Mexican border

As America contemplates construction of a massive fence along the Mexican border, it can look to Israel as a valuable test case.

Israel is largely achieving its goal of keeping out Palestinian suicide bombers through a sprawling complex of fences, electric sensors and concrete slabs that snake in and out of the West Bank.
[…blah, blah, blah…]
The Israeli version has been quite effective as a security measure. Since construction began, the number of suicide bombings in the country has dropped significantly, from 41 in 2002 to five last year, according to AP figures.
[…blah, blah, blah…]
Israeli analyst Yossi Alpher said a fence cannot resolve deep economic and political conflicts. "But without a fence these issues are going to be exacerbated," he said.

The Mysterious Vanishing Refugees of the New York Times

Kofi Annan's Confession

"This is the built-in delay in the way we operate," said Annan. "And this is why when member states deem that it is extremely urgent to move quickly, they've tended to put together a coalition of the willing, a multinational force, outside the U.N. so that they can move quickly."
There should have been a coalition of the willing three years ago to bypass the United Nations and thereby save hundreds of thousands of lives of black Muslims in Darfur. Annan now has shown the way to make "never again" mean something.

The Milberg Weiss Indictment

Dispute Over 'USA Today' NSA Scoop Has Top Journos Buzzing (See Marvin Kalb’s strange definition of good journalism; However, it takes time to get facts straight, but little to report them wrong)

The USA Today phone records scoop, which is drawing increased scrutiny as phone companies dispute elements of the report, has also sparked interest among those in the news business, as well as longtime journalism observers.

Editors and veteran journalists who spoke with E&P are mixed on how the situation has been handled by all involved, with some claiming that the outcome could impact how news outlets report sensitive intelligence information in the future.

"This is shaping up to be a major test of the value of the press, the watchdog function of the press," said Bill Kovach, chairman of the Committee of Concerned Journalists. "If the press turns out to be right, they will have done a real service. If it turns out to be wrong, it will be a real blow to all of us."
Marvin Kalb, a senior fellow at the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University, agreed with the seriousness of the situation, stressing that "nobody has denied the essence of that story, just that [the phone companies] gave documents to the government."

Is the Iranian yellow badges story true? (The latest confusions)