Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 216

The Fire Next Time

Just posted:  Arcade Fire just out with brief teaser for new album,  or maybe just a single, apparently dropping on 9/9 at 9 p.m.

Tricky, Don't Use That Number

Days have passed,  and we still have no idea where Secretary of State John Kerry got that amazingly precise number of 1429 killed in the alleged Syria chemical attack in August.  Hasn't cited or explained or taken questions on that.  Merely says can't say because it would "compromise" intel, which sounds like utter bull.  And other sources put the number a lot lower.  Obviously the higher number, along with also unproven claim of more than 400 kids, is meant to sell it to the American people--and that's why it's key.  But most in U.S. media still cited the number with little qualifying or probing.

That's starting to change, finally, although few in media charging Kerry with a lie.   In the midst of a major AP story tonight  (on the U.S. missing signs of the chemical attack) the reporter notes:  "The administration says 1,429 died in the attack. Casualty estimates by other groups are far lower."

Mark Seibel, a top McClatchy editor, was on Democracy Now! today taking up that issue, among others, and full transcript is here.  An L.A. Times piece today took a very tough look at it, citing the lower figures from the Brits and French.  And this:

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, generally regarded as one of the most reliable sources of information on casualty figures in Syria, says it has confirmed 502 deaths, including 80 children and 137 women. Rami Abdul-Rahman, a Syrian expatriate who runs the organization from his home in Britain, said he was shocked by the White House's count.

"I don't know where this number came from," Abdul-Rahman said in a phone interview.
He said some Syrian opposition groups disseminate propaganda and exaggerated death tolls in an attempt to sway American politicians.  "The U.S. took this high number from one part of the Syrian opposition that is supported by the U.S. government," Abdul-Rahman said. "We don't trust them."

A former CIA official tells the Times:  "I would suspect most of that information would be on the high side initially.  You'll have sources who want to influence you, so they'll give higher figures." Also see in-depth Marcy Wheeler post here.  (My book on how the media helped give us Iraq war, and keep us there.)

Cluster(bomb)fuck

Syria's alleged us cluster bombs getting a lot of condemnation, after respected group Human Rights Watch reports.   Sure to be ignored again by the media:  Long years of Israel's use of same.   Human Rights Watch report on just one locale, Lebanon, 2008, and the killing went on there from the weapons for years.  And many or most of them came from USA, of course.  Excerpt:

“Israel fired huge numbers of cluster bombs into Lebanon, leaving bomblets that have killed and maimed almost 200 people since the war ended,” said Steve Goose, director of the Arms division at Human Rights Watch. “Only a global treaty that bans cluster munitions will prevent such tragedies in the future.”

MoveOn Moves...Against Syria Attack

Email just now from MoveOn:

Yesterday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee began debating whether to authorize the use of military force in Syria in response to reports of chemical weapons use by the Syrian government.1Because this is such a big decision, we asked every MoveOn member to weigh in on whether MoveOn should support or oppose the congressional authorization to use military force in Syria.The results are in, and they are unequivocal: 

73% said MoveOn should oppose the congressional Authorization to Use Military Force in Syria.

History has shown again and again that even a "limited" military engagement can quickly become a slippery slope to seemingly endless war. But stopping this war is within reach.
Consistent polling shows that the majority of Americans are opposed to this military intervention, and more than 147 members of Congress are on record as firmly opposed to or leaning against it.2 But mainstream media outlets and many elected officials are trying hard to make us think that strikes are inevitable.3So we need to unleash the power of our more than 8 million member community right away to make it clear to Congress that we oppose military action in Syria. Congress will vote on the authorization to use military force as soon as next week, and members of Congress are making up their minds right now, so we need to act fact.

Before Little Richard: The Soul Stirrers

A bit of a stir today over reports that Little Richard may be retiring from the stage at the age of 80.  Some say he invented true rock 'n roll around 1955 with "Tutti Frutti" etc.   But give a listen to our greatest singer, and greatest gospel group, Sam Cooke and The Soul Stirrers--from 1953.

68 Years Ago: First Journo Reached Nagasaki--His Story Disappeared for Decades

A few days back, I covered the controversial case of Wilfred Burchett, the first reporter to reach A-bombed Hiroshima. See my full story here  on George Weller, a well-known correspondent for a Chicago daily, who was the first outside journalist to reach Nagasaki after the atomic bombing, 67 years ago this week.  It's an incredible tale, all the more so for me, since I've been haunted about Nagasaki ever since visiting it for a few days in 1984.  As I've written elsewhere:  If there is very questionable defense for destroying 140,000 civilian lives in Hiroshima, there is no defense whatsoever for the attack on Nagasaki.

In any case, after Weller bravely reached the city, he foolishly filed his dispatches via Gen. MacArthur's office in Tokyo--from where they never emerged.  Ever.  They remained hidden until Weller's son, who I have interviewed, found the carbons in an old trunk about then years ago.  See my book here for the whole story,  the U.S. occupation of the city (where our troops were afflicted), my own visit to Nagasaki,  and for more on the decade-long "coverup" of many other elements of the atomic bombing of Japan, including U.S. film footage. 

The (Missing) Flag

[image error] CNN tonight with doc on the wild story of the iconic American flag raised over Ground Zero in NYC on 9/11 by three firemen, the act captured by a newspaper photog and turned into perhaps THE iconic symbol of that day.  One problem: The flag seems to have gone missing.  This is not news, but it has never been explored at this length, and it's done by good guy David Friend of Vanity Fair. 

You may recall that the flag was supposedly sent to sea with various ships that would bomb Afghanistan, and unwrapped at ballparks and at other ceremonies,  but it should have been clear from the start that this was not the same flag--it was roughly twice as big.  So what happened to the actual flag?  The CNN doc doesn't really find out but it does explore many interesting theories.  It's well worth a look--although to my taste a bit padded--and see NYT praise here today.  

One thing the doc brings back--that classic episode where an official sculpture was made of the moment with the three actual firemen replaced by a PC crew featuring a black and a Latino....It was shelved after an uproar. 

David Friend has a new ebook out based on this story.

The Return of Jon Stewart

And he came back last night with a tough look at the Syria war mongering, including  "The red line is just a dick-measuring ribbon."

Ariel Castro Hangs Himself

This just in:  convicted kidnapper and sexual abuser of the three Cleveland women, Ariel Castro, found in prison cell, death by hanging.

Officials said he was found hanging in his cell around 9:20 p.m.

Prison medical staff began performing lifesaving measures. Castro was transported to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m.

Castro was sentenced to life in prison for holding three women captive in Cleveland for more than a decade and raping them repeatedly.

Castro was not a part of the general prison population and was isolated from other inmates for his own protection because of his high profile.

Deportees

Great story in NYT about