...why comedian Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show," does a better job reporting on this nightmare than anyone in the "real" news media.
Posted by Will Bunch @ 8:22 PM
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72 comments
Who do these Middle Eastern countries think they are? Killing people for no good reason... Shame on them! But, as Americans, we know what is best for everyone, and we should punish them by taking all of their oil! Then, no one will care about the Middle East, or what they are up to, and we can move onto bigger problems... Like those pesky Australians! My Subaru just wasn't made like they used to, and I need justice! Honestly, this really isn’t news. Fighting between the Islamic world and Israel is a constant, and peace doesn’t seem like an option. At least, not as long as terrorists do as they do, and terrorize others as a means to get their way.
Aren’t clowns considered comedians? The talking heads on cable and network news are clowns. Compared to them Stewart is Edward R. Murrow.
Schindler's List was a pretty good movie. Let's see.... Jews rounded up taken from their homes and wealth then subsequently given land in an area to live and forced to work in horrible jobs to feed themselves. Sound familiar?
Ah, now it shows up. The user interface here is maddening.
"Thanks for submitting Krauthammer there SBVFT ...... An unbiased, objective source there." Didderp**p. Apparently objecting to Krauthammer's column because he is a Jew. Classy.
"Thanks for submitting Krauthammer there SBVFT ...... An unbiased, objective source there." Didderpoop. Apparently objecting to Krauthammer's column because he is a Jew. Classy.
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Sorry about the confusing post above. I inadvertantly inserted a prior, and very similar, missive that I had written to a certain Katie last month on a different area of Philly.com. Anyway, my comment to James should read, "James, you point is well-taken but a bit misguided. It's not that there is (or isn't) a defintion of God that causes fighting. In fact it really has nothing at all to do with God or religion...it has more to do with power. Religion, or should I say the abuse of religion, is a pretext for war that is used by those who wish power. In point of fact, religious organizations have done more good in human history than any (all?) private enterprises in the history of mankind. I guarantee you, if there was no such thing as religion, there would be (and have been) other reasons that mankind would find to make war. Btw, God has been defined in many and various ways. I prefer the Uncaused Cause.
James, you point is well-taken but a bit misguided. It's not that there is (or isn't) a defintion of God that causes fighting. In fact it really has nothing at all to do with God or religion...it has more to do with power. Yes Katie, those things have happened. The flip side of the coin is that there has been more good done in the name of religion than by any other private enterprise in the history of the world. Why don't atheists see this...if it is war that atheists are against, then they should protest against war. I guarantee you, if there was no such thing as religion, there would be other reasons that mankind would find to make war. Religion, or should I say the abuse of religion, is a pretext for war that is used by those who wish power. In point of fact, religious organizations have done more good in human history than any (all?) private enterprises in the history of mankind. I guarantee you, if there was no such thing as religion, there would be (and have been) other reasons that mankind would find to make war. Btw, God has been defined in many and various ways. I prefer the Uncaused Cause.
And whats shameful is you calling it a missle site even though it was a designated UN school known to have housed refugees. Even IF the IDF were right and they killed two Hamas members, is that the pinpoint strike they promised to limit civilian casualties? 40 civilians for 2 Hamas members? They are either incompetent or purposely targeting civilians. Think before you post, Mr. Smith.
Mr smith, I have no idea the intention, but I'll trust the UN's report that they were 99.9% sure there were no rockets fired from there, you know, since they were actually there. Compare that to the IDF who won't let in foreign journalists. Open your eyes and read how shady the IDF is acting about this: "The IDF gave the names of two Hamas combatants it says were killed inside the school — Imad and Hassan Abu Askar — who allegedly fired the mortars. But the IDF did not explain how it was able to identify them among the many casualties. Troops did not visit the school after the attack, nor did the IDF have access to a casualty list from Gaza's hospitals."
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1870087,00.html?xid=site-cnn-partner
Basically these factions are fighting a religious war so it will continue ad naseum. If I'm not mistaken one of God's comandments is Thou shalt not kill. Considering that it's amazing how many people die supposedly in His name. Until God is defined (which ain't gonna happen apparently) this ridiculous fighting over Him will continue. Arguing about this is pointless considering the fact that both sides think their God is better than the other side's God.
Are you serious RG, you believe that the UN misssile launch site "school" was intentionally targeted for the purpose of killing kids, and that no missiles were launched from that school? REALLY? Propagating that kind of obviously false propaganda is shameful.
America had its Civil War - we have conservatives, liberals, red state, blue state, pro-gun/anti-gun views, pro-America/anti-America opinions, multiple religions, etc. - we had a seriously contested election in 2000 - we get angry but we manage to co-exist in close proximity to each other - and we are not launching rocket missiles at each other! I can only hope that they can find a peaceful solution - and stop killing each other, and stop the killing elsewhere too.
"There has got to be a little guilt on our part when those Apache helicopters miss their mark." The UN school was intentionally targeted, Israel readily admits it. They claimed Hamas rockets were launched from there, however all UN officials have said that is untrue.
Since the Saudis help fund Hamas I also find that ironic. Oil my friend is the great equalizer of human issues. If only the Israelis had settled somewhere that had oil. We could wash our hands of this whole mess. As it is, we supply Israel with the most sophisticated war machine in the Mideast. There has got to be a little guilt on our part when those Apache helicopters miss their mark. On the other hand Hamas runs on a party plank to eradicate Israel.
"I mean it's not like batboy's ever done anything before that might lead you to conclude that he'd do something like that." Do you think this is one of the times b.atk and Xi care about foreign opinion or not? I can never follow their rules on when we should listen to foreign opinion.
--}}} It appears vapid right wingers make nonsensical statements to obscure left wingers concern over the slaughter of innocent Palestinians. {{{--- Shocking, isn't it? I mean it's not like batboy's ever done anything before that might lead you to conclude that he'd do something like that.
Actually- Hamas has a friend in the current White House. Remember the whole "democratic election" screw up. I'd prefer my Commander in Chief to bluff with at least a pair of kings. Or perhaps real intelligence.
It appears vapid right wingers make nonsensical statements to obscure left wingers concern over the slaughter of innocent Palestinians.
beetlejuice- That is precisely why the Idiot current occupant needed to read a dictionary prior to making public comments. People wrongly assume "democratic elections" translates to pro-Western democracy. You can get a group of people to democratically decide to be euthanized, or to elect a totalitarian tyrant, or a communist system, or terrorist paramilitary, or... As long as the majority decide their fate.
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I think its ironic to call for elections, then not recognize the winner. I think its also ironic to tout middle eastrn/se asian democracy, yet buddy up with undemocratic regimes like Saudi Arabia.
The irony of the Palestinians using Democracy to elect a government led by a group of terrorists is the irony of ironies. I think I used irony too much...........nah it definitely is the irony of ironies.
"I'm not sure why they think Bush bashing should have ended on November 4, 2008." . . . . Have you no decency, sir? Can't you see that they have no pain threshold?
"Unless they are admitting their two term choice has become completely irrelevant? hmmm." . . . Maybe, but's just soooo painful. Only a sadist would enjoy inflicting such pain, according to beetlespunk.
xstewart4 there are 6,752,000,000 people on earth. I am such an optimist that I rounded up to 7 billion give or take a few dead Palestinians and Israelis......
Based on how Republicans bashed Clinton well into GW's presidency, I'm not sure why they think Bush bashing should have ended on November 4, 2008. Unless they are admitting their two term choice has become completely irrelevant? hmmm.
I agree RG. What is mind-boggling is that while on the one hand it seems logical, on the other hand, these actions insure that Israel will be faced with a violent struggle well into the future. I guess that those Israelis, who aren't religious nutjobs, who feel that struggle is inevitable believe they have no choice but to try to win a violent struggle - but what I don't understand about that viewpoint is that given the numbers and the demographics (in particular, the growing number of Arab Israelis and their incrasing identification as Arab as opposed to Israeli), there is an obvious limit to the length of time that being stronger militarily will ensure Isreal's viability.
"He just had to get the Bush bashing in there. Not much time left to fulfill their sadistic tendencies." . . . . . Ah yes, it's torture for you, is it not, beets?
TPS, I wouldn't consider them logical outcomes for Israel as a whole, but you are probably right.
Obviously this is all Obama's fault. First the stock market now war in the previously peaceful Middle East. The major inroads made by the dynamic diplomatic juggernauts from the Bush Whitehouse have now been blockaded by the indecision of the future president. Bush has been forced by Obama's transition team to prematurely end his governing, but the heroic Commander in Chief will not leave without a fight- being dragged kicking and screaming, Bush will use his final breaths to cement his legacy... Wait, let me rephrase: If I voted for Bush...twice, I would be enormously embarrassed by his complete withdrawl from meaningful government- since well before November 4!!!
---}}} Israel's actions are insanely stupid, and cannot have any logical outcome. {{{--- There is a logical outcome of you consider that (1) Israel's government is held hostage to religious extremists who do not want any sort of two state solution, (2) to the extent that Israel's actions increase Hamas' support and decreases support for Abbas, the likelihood of a two-state solution diminishes, and (3) Israeli politicians have a history of "acting tough" during the run up to election periods, and there is currently a run up to an election period.
bettlejuice, there are 6 billion people on earth.
yeah, great reporting.
but bush's comments are really idiotic.
and we wonder why, after hearing all of our highly educated, prestigious politicians, we have muslims volunteering to ram planes into buildings.
yikes, that last sentence was brutal. Here's another go: Hamas has ran and hid, Israel has inflicted heavy civilian casualties, and the rockets are still being fired into Israel.
"Should they write an angry letter to Hamas asking them to reconsider?" No, they should have thought about lifting the blockade that has crippled Gaza. As for their response, if YOU were a citizen of Gaza, not affiliated with Hamas, and had YOUR kids killed when Israel targted a UN school housing refugees, would that make YOU more or less sympathetic to Hamas' cause? Israel's actions are insanely stupid, and cannot have any logical outcome. Hamas has run and hide, Israel is inflicted heavy civilian casualties, and the rockets are still be firing into Gaza.
---}}} Also, has anyone seen the Messiah lately? First foreign policy issue since he's been elected and he's strangely MIA. {{{--- Yet another batboy classic. Notice how, even though he voted for Bush twice - a president who is considered by the majority of the American public as historically pathetic - batboy is quick to pretend that Bush doesn't even exist. We still have 13 more days, batboy. Until then, the lack of meaningful U.S. policy re: the Middle East is the responsibility of your fella. How pathetic can you get? Trying to blame Obama for Bush's non-policies - even before Obama takes office.
And so, as Israel continues its open invitation for more retribution and more intense hatred from its neighboring rabble, we Americans and the rest of the civilized world will continue to bear the ugly consequences. Jesus had a few parables we could apply to this situation.
---}}} No wonder his stock is dropping rapidly among those who bought into the whole 'hope & change' thing in the Middle East.{{{--- LOL! --snip-- Eighty-two percent of those questioned in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday morning approve of the way the Obama is handling his presidential transition. That's up 3 points from when we asked this question at the beginning of December. Fifteen percent of those surveyed disapprove of the way Obama's handling his transition, down 3 points from our last poll.
As if batboy really cares about the answers to his questions (lol!), Israel shouldn't have pulled out of Gaza unilaterally - which strengthened Hamas and undermined Abbas. They shouldn't have launched raids that killed civilians during the ceasefire (which, counter to batboy's claims, also broke the truce). They shouldn't have supported the religious Hamas to undermine the secular Palestinian organizations to begin with. They should stop promoting the lie that attacking Hamas in civilian areas will undermine support for Hamas - that tactic didn't work in Lebanaon, it never has worked, and it never will work. Hamas' popularity was degraded prior to this military action by Israel, and it will be strengthened as a result. Israel should put greater concessions on the table to create a two-state solution; when they do so, they will completely undermine the Palestinian radicals. Israel should dismantle the illegal settlements, and stop making concessions to the Israeli religious nutjobs who are holding the country hostage, and who, like Hamas, have no desire for peace. But keep trotting your lame and ignorant strawmen out there, batboy - such as the "write a letter" strategy. Once again, your need to fabricate and then argue against viewpoints that no one advocates - only proves that you have no ability to argue the issues on their merits.
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Swifty, you must be joking (or flat out stupid) to quote Krauthammer. His stock is down worse than AIGs. However wrong, those "rockets" have led to almost no casualties and are extremely crude. If Hamas were smuggling in weapons, wouldn't they have better rockets? As for Israel withdrawing from Gaza, what a joke. They've blcokaded them for 2 years, causing a humanitarian crisis to punish the Palestinians for electing Hamas. Who called for that election? Your boy , Dubya, who in turn refused to acknowledge Hamas when they won. Democracy F YEA!
Please remind me what W did to address the Israeli-Palestinian situation? NOTHING! What a legacy.
Jon Stewart might be a comedian but he is correct in pointing out that all the coverage of this complex issue is one sided in the US. "Isreal is doing what it has to do to protect itself" Maybe if Isreal wasn't making these people live in subhuman conditions to begin with, they wouldn't be lobbing home-made rockets over the walls.
There was once another nation that was keeping a good portion of its indigenous population in apartheid camps, which the whole world condemned, except for the US and Isreal. It was called South Africa, and the US state department under Reagan even had Nelson Mandela officially listed as a "terrorist".
Maybe if the US population had the same percentage of Arab Americans as it does African Americans we would view this conflict in a different light...
Dont worry, it'll all be resolved on Jan 21st by the Elected One. After the parties are over.
It appears Mr. Leibowitz (Mr. Stewart's real name) may be another self loathing Jew.
Thanks for submitting Krauthammer there SBVFT (I think maybe I'll change my moniker to Whigs for Lincoln, since SBVFT is so old school). An unbiased, objective source there. If the Palestinians all committed mass suicide and gave Israel all their land as a result he'd complain about the Palestinians leaving their bodies for the Israelis to clean up. Heh.
"Perhaps most press coverage is in favor of Israel because, well, Israel has the right to defend itself against a band of homicidal maniacs who have no interest in peace."
Sounds like you've been watching too much of the press coverage.
He just had to get the Bush bashing in there. Not much time left to fulfill their sadistic tendencies.
Jon Stewart is hilarious AND relevant . . . not. Perhaps most press coverage is in favor of Israel because, well, Israel has the right to defend itself against a band of homicidal maniacs who have no interest in peace. Stewart would soil himself if he actually had to make these decisions on a daily basis, instead of sitting in a cushy office in Manhattan pretending he knows everything.
Jon Stewart is hilarious AND relevant . . . not. Perhaps most press coverage is in favor of Israel because, well, Israel has the right to defend itself against a band of homicidal maniacs who have no interest in peace. Stewart would soil himself if he actually had to make these decisions on a daily basis, instead of sitting in a cushy office in Manhattan pretending he knows everything.
Please summarize the clarity that Stewart provided. Looked like a loose confederation of hackneyed Bush jokes and sympathy for terrorists to me. worse...none of it was funny. bunch...it's amazing you even have a job, you lightweight.
---}}} Hamas is a cancer. It's killing Palestinians. Israel could try to carve out the cancer with a butcher knife, but instead they're trying too hard to be precise. {{{--- Good point, Mr. Smith. That's the way to kill fewer Palestinians -- kill even more of them. Great logic. It's also a good way to undermine Hamas' support in Gaza. Kill more civilians and bomb in civilian areas without warning the children, women, and elderly. It will do a lot for garnering international support, as well, and do wonders to reduce AQ's recruiting effectiveness. Maybe if Hillary doesn't work out, Mr. Smith can get appointed as the next SOS.
Jon Stewart and Gaza should never be mentioned in the same sentence. He is a comedian not a political expert. The plight of those living in the area surrounding Israel and Israel itself should not be minimized to create jokes for a do anything for a laugh idiot that wants to feed his family rather than let this senario play out in the field of realty.
Hamas is a cancer. It's killing Palestinians. Israel could try to carve out the cancer with a butcher knife, but instead they're trying too hard to be precise. Calling their bombing targets before they bomb them. That's never been done before. Even Wilson Goode didn't do that.
Because I was at a meeting, I only saw the first part of NBC'c Nightly News. It appeared to me that by focusing on children killed in the Israeli bombing of a UN school and by a long section on a Norwegian doctor who has come to treat the Palestinian wounded, they presented the "overkill" side of the story without saying anything against Israel. But I agree that Stewart did a great job of showing how the reporting has been generally supportive of Israel with no outright statements against the onslaught. Part of the problem is that nobody likes Hamas, so there seems to be no reason to support them, especially since their actions provided the excuse for the shelling and invasion of Gaza.
6,464 rockets launched from Gaza in the past three years. What would you to address this Mr Bunch? C'mon now, give us your best hope-n-changey answer.////Krauthammer: "Israel has but a single objective in Gaza -- peace: the calm, open, normal relations it offered Gaza when it withdrew in 2005. Doing something never done by the Turkish, British, Egyptian and Jordanian rulers of Palestine, the Israelis gave the Palestinians their first sovereign territory ever in Gaza.
What ensued? This is not ancient history. Did the Palestinians begin building the state that is supposedly their great national aim? No. No roads, no industry, no courts, no civil society at all. The flourishing greenhouses that Israel left behind for the Palestinians were destroyed and abandoned. Instead, Gaza's Iranian-sponsored rulers have devoted all their resources to turning it into a terror base -- importing weapons, training terrorists, building tunnels with which to kidnap Israelis on the other side. And of course firing rockets unceasingly."
This oughta be good........
Home, Home, Home! Damn, the movie was wrong, we still got beetlejuice with us...
Gypsys tramps and thieves...........oh it's you again. I was in the middle of something...Talking point sleuth what do you want now? What answer do you want. The answer to life? or maybe you want to know how to win friends and influence people. From what I've read you do need some help in that department.
You got me on that one, beetlejuice. Now, about that answer....
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Talking point sleuth- that's three questions can't you count?
Batboy: I guess what you call "reporting" is the one sided slop the American media dishes out-the same ones that people like you call the "liberal media" who can't be trusted and who were in the tank for Obama. But now when it comes to Israel's desire to obliterate the Palestinians in Gaza, the American media are truth-tellers of the highest order. Jon Stewart is one of the few media voices to give any voice to the suffering endured by those in Gaza (and he is Jewish to boot). Does their suffering justify the launching of missiles at innocent people? No, but neither does launching missiles justify Israel's literal overkill in response. The issue is much more complicated than anything that you will see in the pro-Israel US press. But to point this out runs the risk of being called anti-Semitic or a self-hating Jew (if one is Jewish). The cognitive dissonance of the right is astounding.
Fair enough, beetlejuice. So, why don't you explain why it "seems the other way around?" This oughta be good.
Hey talking point sleuth -couldn't care less who runs the NY Times and the only detail I know of Jewish rituals is circumcision.
Hey beetlejuice - two quick questions. Any thoughts on who runs the NY Times, or maybe details about Jewish rituals, perchance?
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There are 7 billion people on this planet of which 25 million are of Jewish decent. Why does it seem the other way around?
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Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
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