Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 285

'Dew' the Right Thing?

Mountain Dew has finally pulled an online commercial called "the most racist in history" in this AdWeek report today.   "The 60-second spot, which is still live on a few individuals' YouTube channels, depicts a badly battered woman on crutches who is being pressed by a cop to pick a suspect out of a police lineup of five African-American males and a goat named Felicia."   It is indeed horrid on so many levels, including view of women.   Watch it here if you must.

3 New Suspects in Boston Bombing in Custody

UPDATE #3  Affidavit for new arrests just released, read it.   One tidbit: alleged bomber gave himself a haircut just before photo released IDing him.   Also: a white cap found in his dorm room.  Footnote in the affidavit:  Tsarniev allegedly told his friends a month before the bombing that he knew how to make a bomb.  Agents found the tossed out evidnece in a dumpster--including a jar of Vaseline and a homework assignment--but no laptop. 

UPDATE #2  In unrelated news, it's just been announced that Masha Gessen has signed to do the first major book on the bomb suspect brothers. 

UPDATE:    Full story from Boston Globe.  Yes, three college friends who only helped after bombing.  Two of them pictured in that famous photo with alleged bomber, in Times Square, left.

Earlier: Just breaking now, via USA Today: "Boston police: 3 more suspects in custody in marathon attack."  Just that headline.  Boston Globe flash IDs them as "college students."  Reuters says no info on their ID.  Boston Herald adds nothing.  You'll remember students were questioned early on in New Bedford, as I recall.  And, of course, surviving bro was a party boy at UMass as well.  

Here we find:  "CBS News Correspondent John Miller reported the three suspects were arrested for harboring or aiding the Tsarnaev brothers after the bombing. They were expected in federal court Wednesday. Suspects are friends of Dzohkhar Tsarnaev. Two of them will be charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and making false statements."

An AP/CBS account:  "Earlier today, lawyers for two men friendly with suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev said their clients have been extensively interviewed by federal investigators.  Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, both originally from Kazakhstan, appeared via video for a visa violation hearing in immigration court in Boston on Wednesday.

"They have been held in a county jail for more than a week on allegations that they violated their student visas while attending the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
The marathon attack was not mentioned in court and their cases were continued. Their attorneys said afterward that authorities have not indicated their clients had anything to do with the bombings. Federal authorities would not comment."

Exiting 'The Office'

The NYT just now spilled the beans on the much-awaited (by some) one-hour finale for "The Office," coming on May 16.  From my point of view, as a former fan, this amounts to putting it and us out of our misery.  Many expected the finale to simply show the doc that the crew has been shooting for nine years.  Instead, we will see a reunion of the entire cast--minus, tellingly, Steve Carell--sitting on stage and discussing their reactions to the unseen film after it was supposedly aired on Scranton TV. 

Diversity Coming to 'Downton Abbey'!

What will Maggie Smith say?  A black cast member finally arrives at the Abbey in the fourth season, it was announced today,  in the form of Gary Carr as a jazz singer who is “a charming and charismatic young man.”  Lock up your daughters!  There will be eight episodes in all plus the annual two-hour "Christmas Special."

Gareth Neame, an executive producer of “Downton Abbey” and the managing director of Carnival Films, which produces the series, said in a statement: “We are delighted to introduce another fantastic, dynamic character to Downton Abbey. His addition will bring interesting twists to the drama which we can’t wait for viewers to see in Series four.”

Stewart on Syria

Wash Post reports today that Obama okays arming Syrian rebels. Jon Stewart last night exposed the folly.  And Lindsay Graham wants to fight TWO wars there--help rebels defeat Assad, then defeat the rebels!


The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

Ten Years Ago: 'Our Chief Was Landing on the Deck'

Today marks the tenth anniversary of Mission Accomplished Day.  Sadly, it comes amid another upheaval in sectarian violence in Iraq--and a week after the attempts at Bush revisionism upon the opening of his Library.

In my favorite antiwar song of this war, “Shock and Awe,” Neil Young moaned: “Back in the days of Mission Accomplished/ our chief was landing on the deck/ The sun was setting/ behind a golden photo op.” But as Neil added elsewhere in the tune: “History is a cruel judge of overconfidence.”

Nowhere can we see this more clearly than in the media coverage of the event. (Much more in my new e-book.)

On May 1, 2003, Richard Perle advised, in a USA Today op-ed, “Relax, Celebrate Victory.” The same day, President Bush, dressed in a flight suit, landed on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared an end to major military operations in Iraq—with the now-infamous “Mission Accomplished” banner arrayed behind him.

Chris Matthews on MSNBC called Bush a “hero” and boomed, “He won the war. He was an effective commander. Everybody recognizes that, I believe, except a few critics.” He added: “Women like a guy who’s president. Check it out. The women like this war. I think we like having a hero as our president. It’s simple.”

PBS’ Gwen Ifill said Bush was “part Tom Cruise, part Ronald Reagan.” On NBC, Brian Williams gushed, “The pictures were beautiful. It was quite something to see the first-ever American president on a—on a carrier landing.”

Bob Schieffer on CBS said: “As far as I’m concerned, that was one of the great pictures of all time.” His guest, Joe Klein, responded: “Well, that was probably the coolest presidential image since Bill Pullman played the jet fighter pilot in the movie Independence Day. That was the first thing that came to mind for me.”

Everyone agreed the Democrats and antiwar critics were now on the run. The New York Times observed, “The Bush administration is planning to withdraw most United States combat forces from Iraq over the next several months and wants to shrink the American military presence to less than two divisions by the fall, senior allied officials said today.”

Maureen Dowd in her column declared: “Out bounded the cocky, rule-breaking, daredevil flyboy, a man navigating the Highway to the Danger Zone, out along the edges where he was born to be, the further on the edge, the hotter the intensity.

“He flashed that famous all-American grin as he swaggered around the deck of the aircraft carrier in his olive flight suit, ejection harness between his legs, helmet tucked under his arm, awestruck crew crowding around. Maverick was back, cooler and hotter than ever, throttling to the max with joystick politics. Compared to Karl Rove’s ”revvin’ up your engine” myth-making cinematic style, Jerry Bruckheimer’s movies look like Lizzie McGuire.

“This time Maverick didn’t just nail a few bogeys and do a 4G inverted dive with a MiG-28 at a range of two meters. This time the Top Gun wasted a couple of nasty regimes, and promised this was just the beginning.”

When Bush’s jet landed on the aircraft carrier, American casualties stood at 139 killed and 542 wounded. That was over 4300 American,  and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi, fatalities ago. 

Greg Mitchell's So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits and the President Failed on Iraq has just published in a new e-book edition.

'Mission Accomplished Day' Tomorrow

Ten years ago tomorrow Bush landed on the aircraft carrier and declared you know what.  To warm up, here's Neil Young with one of the greatest antiwar songs of the decade.  "Back in the days of Mission Accomplished/Our Chief was landing on the deck/the sun was setting/on a golden photo-op...Thousands of bodies lowered in the ground/lowering boxes to the trumpet's sound."

Larry David: Too Soon?

NYT's public editor Margaret Sullivan with new column critiqueing decision to run that Larry David column on Sunday, portraying how his mother might have reacted to Larry being a suspect in the Boston bombing.  She concludes:  too insensitive, also, alas, "unfunny."  Context:  "Humor is hard to gauge, of course. What works for some people doesn’t work for others. (And Mr. David’s material often cracks me up.) Some people have much more stomach than others for jokes that are in questionable or plain old bad taste. And the question of timing is tricky. New Yorkers may remember Gilbert Gottfried booed for making a 9/11 joke at the Friars Club, with audience members shouting, 'Too soon, too soon.'”

CNN Opens "Pandora" Box

You may have heard about upcoming controversial doc Pandora's Promise, which aired at Sundance--and just bought today by CNN Films to be shown on TV later.  It claims that nuclear power will save us from climate change problems and more--and that there's a wide trend of former anti-nukers (such as Stewart Brand) and environmentalists backing it.  Here's interview with director Robert Stone.  Claims "tipping point."  Your thoughts?

Nothing Funny About These Cartoonists

As they collaborate on cool and important video demanding action on gun control.  Many of the greats, old and new, here from Garry Trudeau and Jeff Keane and Roz Chast to Tom Tomorrow, Ted Rall and Steve Brodner.  Narrated by Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman.