Tuesday, December 6, 2005

The Condi-Woman's Cant

By now most of you would have heard or read Condi's spin on the torture camps in Eastern Europe (see quotes below). Meanwhile, as the Secretary of Slick does the runway in Deutschland, the CIA is busy as hell clearing those camps out—according to ABC, which has been one of the prime media cheerleaders for this war from day one.

Now for a fast but thorough keelhauling of the mass media's mass swallow of Condissimulation, visit Eric Alterman's blog here. We may only add here that Condi's "extreme rendition is good" pabulum was (aside from being wreathed with lies) further alienating to our closest allies across the pond. Here are a few of her talking points:

--The United States has respected -- and will continue to respect -- the sovereignty of other countries.

-- The United States does not transport, and has not transported, detainees from one country to another for the purpose of interrogation using torture.

-- The United States does not use the airspace or the airports of any country for the purpose of transporting a detainee to a country where he or she will be tortured.


The tenor of these remarks and their condescending Rovespeak style is capably exposed here. We need to insist that the mass media cut through the appearances and compare the spin to the objective reality—that this Saks' Fifth Avenue, through-the-lorgnettes condescension has the effect of estranging our allies in the struggle against terror; of compounding the problem and calling disaster closer; of making our so-called democratic government a laughing stock among both friends and enemies; and of further endangering our troops in Iraq and everywhere else, for that matter.

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Upcoming: I'll soon be obtaining another exclusive interview with ancient Chinese philosopher and worldly curmudgeon, Lao Tzu, to record his comments on our current geopolitical and domestic angst. (For the first interview, look here).

Also of note, check back next week for a Daily Rev holiday celebration of technology: "Geek Week." We'll be reviewing tech gear and trends from this year past and looking ahead to what may or may not be in 2006. Mac-tel vs. Vista; OLED or not-yet; googling yahoos in abundance; and the skinny on free or near-free wifi—this and more in Daily Rev's Geek Week, beginning Monday, December 12.

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