Downing Street Memo 2: Electric Boogaloo

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1modernboy

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Excerpt:

President George W. Bush planned to bomb pan-Arab television broadcaster al-Jazeera, British newspaper the Daily Mirror said, citing a Downing Street memo marked "Top Secret".
The five-page transcript of a conversation between Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair reveals that Blair talked Bush out of launching a military strike on the station, unnamed sources told the daily which is against the war in Iraq.
The transcript of the pair's talks during Blair's April 16, 2004 visit to Washington allegedly shows Bush wanted to attack the satellite channel's headquarters.

Full article here.
 
[quote name='MrBadExample']If it's true, that's just mind-boggling. How much worse would the war be if Blair hadn't talked him down?[/QUOTE]

Not sure. Bush would certainly get heat for attacking outside of the scope of Iraq, however, considering that Al Jazeera is a mouth piece of free publicity for many of the make-shift terrorist cells that sprang up immediately. They more or less showed just about every home video of heads being sawed off. I'm wondering if the terrorist insurgency would be quite as fervent if Al Jazeera wasn't around.
 
Doesn't this make you look at the firing on the palestine hotel in baghdad (where reporters were staying) in a whole new light?


[quote name='capitalist_mao']Not sure. Bush would certainly get heat for attacking outside of the scope of Iraq, however, considering that Al Jazeera is a mouth piece of free publicity for many of the make-shift terrorist cells that sprang up immediately. They more or less showed just about every home video of heads being sawed off. I'm wondering if the terrorist insurgency would be quite as fervent if Al Jazeera wasn't around.[/QUOTE]

Al jazeera is middle eastern news really, they're not the problem. Al jazeera is virtually every nations enemy, middle eastern governments hate them because they air the opinions of the opposition and promote the free expression of opinions, and the west hates them because they air the opinions and other things by enemies of the west. Middle eastern governments have repeatedly tried to shut them down.

Personally, from their website anyway (http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E4D19123-9DD3-11D1-B44E-006097071264.htm), they simply have a middle eastern perspective. They do not have innacurate news (the only incorrect story I got from there was taken directly from the AP, and later removed from aljazeera, so you can't blame it on them), and do not phrase things such as "the evil american devils" like many think they do. Even their treatment of the Israeli government is done in a reasonable manner, and a much more objectionable way than their competition.

Sure there are opinion shows, but we have foxnews commentary shows. But their strong point is the free expression of ideas, and everyone hates them for it.
 
[quote name='alonzomourning23']Al jazeera is middle eastern news really, they're not the problem. Al jazeera is virtually every nations enemy, middle eastern governments hate them because they air the opinions of the opposition and promote the free expression of opinions, and the west hates them because they air the opinions and other things by enemies of the west. Middle eastern governments have repeatedly tried to shut them down.

Personally, from their website anyway (http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E4D19123-9DD3-11D1-B44E-006097071264.htm), they simply have a middle eastern perspective. They do not have innacurate news (the only incorrect story I got from there was taken directly from the AP, and later removed from aljazeera, so you can't blame it on them), and do not phrase things such as "the evil american devils" like many think they do. Even their treatment of the Israeli government is done in a reasonable manner, and a much more objectionable way than their competition.

Sure there are opinion shows, but we have foxnews commentary shows. But their strong point is the free expression of ideas, and everyone hates them for it.[/QUOTE]

I just have a problem with their airing of terrorist propaganda tapes. I think it can be likened to CNN, FOX or any of the major TV news organizations airing Nazi, KKK or white supremacist propaganda videos. Airing the tapes just legitimizes them.
 
Whatever problems one might have with them, I think most of us would agree that military action against a news reporting agency is a terrible idea.
 
[quote name='kakomu']Not sure. Bush would certainly get heat for attacking outside of the scope of Iraq, however, considering that Al Jazeera is a mouth piece of free publicity for many of the make-shift terrorist cells that sprang up immediately. They more or less showed just about every home video of heads being sawed off. I'm wondering if the terrorist insurgency would be quite as fervent if Al Jazeera wasn't around.[/QUOTE]

Nope, sorry. Medics and media are off limits. They're not enemy combatants even if they do broadcast their tapes. Our U.S. media broadcasts video of our military bombings and recruitment videos in the form of commercials, does that mean they should be permitted to be bombed/attacked? No. Our news media videos might not be as graphic but their content is similar.

Mouth piece or not, they never picked up arms and therefore should not be considered a target in any way, shape, or form.
[quote name='alonzomourning23']
Al jazeera is middle eastern news really, they're not the problem. Al jazeera is virtually every nations enemy, middle eastern governments hate them because they air the opinions of the opposition and promote the free expression of opinions, and the west hates them because they air the opinions and other things by enemies of the west. Middle eastern governments have repeatedly tried to shut them down.

Personally, from their website anyway (http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E4D19123-9DD3-11D1-B44E-006097071264.htm), they simply have a middle eastern perspective. They do not have innacurate news (the only incorrect story I got from there was taken directly from the AP, and later removed from aljazeera, so you can't blame it on them), and do not phrase things such as "the evil american devils" like many think they do. Even their treatment of the Israeli government is done in a reasonable manner, and a much more objectionable way than their competition.

Sure there are opinion shows, but we have foxnews commentary shows. But their strong point is the free expression of ideas, and everyone hates them for it.[/QUOTE]

Hell, if anything any biases they may have are less overt and ham-fisted than Fox news.
 
Haha. I thought this was new. I didn't know about this. So, hey, you did at least one person some service. I'm not surprised that the US would consider such things. They've attacked other news stations and terrorized populations abroad. No educated person on US foreign policy would be surprised by the evil our government does and considers.
 
Yeah seriously, I didn't check the dates of the first few posts and I thought it was something new from Wikileaks or something. Never heard about this though, that's ridiculous.
 
Seeing this now on my PC, it's funny... I don't recognize a single person in the thread. That should have been a huge clue. ;)
 
[quote name='UncleBob']Seeing this now on my PC, it's funny... I don't recognize a single person in the thread. That should have been a huge clue. ;)[/QUOTE]
Chances are that you hit "Thread/Thread Starter" and it sorted all the thread titles by alphabethical order.
 
[quote name='UncleBob']Makes sense.

Well, it was an interesting thread. Not surprising. But interesting. :D[/QUOTE]
I was in half-snark mode with my original post, but I actually found it pretty interesting. A little thread necromancy can lead to interesting discussions.

Touch detection can be janky on phones and I've done the same thing as you countless times. I don't know if it's the browser, Opera Mobile, or just the phone.
 
Are you guys looking at this stuff through a mobile browser on your phone? Nobody knows if there is a CAG app in development, do they?
 
[quote name='joeboosauce']Are you guys looking at this stuff through a mobile browser on your phone? Nobody knows if there is a CAG app in development, do they?[/QUOTE]
Only when I'm out and about. Otherwise, I'm on my tablet or laptop where I don't have problems.

I"m pretty sure there isn't a CAG app in the works, but there is a mobile version of the site and people use tapatalk.
 
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