Terrorism

Murder as Propaganda

by Sheldon Rampton — May 12, 2004 - 11:00pm

Matthew Stannard reports that the "nightmare video of an American civilian captured in Iraq being decapitated by his captors was anything but a random act of terrorism, experts say -- it was a press release, carefully designed for a global audience." Its purpose was recruit new terrorists and to frighten Americans, especially nongovernmental groups and civilian contractors working in Iraq who provide a sizable armed "auxiliary" to the U.S. military and the Coalition Provisional Authority.

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San Francisco Chronicle, May 13, 2004

For Abortion Rights? Then the Terrorists Have Already Won

by Diane Farsetta — April 26, 2004 - 11:00pm

Members of Congress and women's groups are asking long-time Bush adviser Karen Hughes to apologize for remarks they say "liken abortion rights advocates to those in the 'terror network'." As hundreds of thousands rallied for reproductive rights in Washington DC on Sunday, Hughes told CNN: "I think that after September 11, the American people are valuing life more and realizing that we need policies to value the dignity and worth of every life...

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Reuters, April 27, 2004

Releasing the Briefing

by Sheldon Rampton — April 10, 2004 - 11:00pm

When the White House released the sure-to-be-controversial Aug. 6, 2001, President's Daily Brief (PDB) on the terrorist threat against the U.S., its timing could not have been accidental," reports Greg Mitchell.

Main Source: 
Editor and Publisher, April 11, 2004

Condi Testifies

by Sheldon Rampton — April 8, 2004 - 6:20am

As violence escalates in Iraq, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, the Bush administration's Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, testifies today before the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, following a recent, highly public clash with Richard A.

Main Source: 
http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Condoleezza_Rice

Time for CNN, None for Congress

by Sheldon Rampton — March 26, 2004 - 12:00am

Condoleezza Rice is the White House official whose testimony is desired the most by the congressional panel probing the Bush administration's handling of Al Qaeda before the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, but the Bush administration refuses to have her testify publicly. She hasn't exactly been invisible, though.

Main Source: 
New York Times, March 26, 2004

Lights, Cameras, Capture!

by Diane Farsetta — March 19, 2004 - 12:00am

"It's not in the budget, but we're doing what we have to do," said the senior vice-president for news at CBS. "Clearly, if and when Osama is found, having resources over there is going to be critical," said ABC's senior vice-president for international news. Thousands of Pakistani troops and "a dozen or so" American intelligence agents are carrying out an intensive raid against Al-Quaeda leaders believed to be in Pakistan's South Waziristan region.

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Los Angeles Times, March 19, 2004

Spun Out of Office

by Sheldon Rampton — March 15, 2004 - 12:00am

"We have won without lies," chanted the crowd outside the Madrid headquarters of Spain's socialist party, PSOE, which swept to victory in the country's March 14 elections. "Spin was indeed at the centre of PSOE's extraordinary, unexpected triumph," notes reporter David Mathieson. "There is no word in Spanish for 'spin,' but there has been no absence of the practice in Madrid over the last year - and especially in the past few days. The spectacular gains made by PSOE ...

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Guardian (UK), March 15, 2004

The Saudi Connection

by Sheldon Rampton — December 15, 2003 - 12:00am

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, America's longtime ally and the world's largest oil producer, is "the epicenter" of terrorist financing, according to a new report by David E. Kaplan. Prior to 9/11, moreover, "moves by counterterrorism officials to act against the Saudis were repeatedly rebuffed by senior staff at the State Department and elsewhere who felt that other foreign policy interests outweighed fighting terrorism."

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U.S. News and World Report, December 15, 2003

The 9/11 President Launches His First TV Ad

by John Stauber — November 21, 2003 - 10:57am

President Bush's popularity skyrocketed after 9/11 as the country naturally rallied around its leadership. Bush announced that his war on terror would define his presidency and the 2004 Republican convention will be held in New York city as close as possible to the third anniversary of 9/11. Now, the New York Times reports that the Republican Party is launchiing "its first advertisement of the presidential race, portraying Mr. Bush as fighting terrorism while his potential challengers try to undermine him with their
sniping.

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New York Times, November 21, 2003

Putting Things in Perspective

by Sheldon Rampton — November 21, 2003 - 12:00am

"A number of explosions tore through the British consulate in Turkey today, killing scores of people. George W. Bush is in England, surrounded on all sides by enraged British citizens whose massive protests have required nearly every police officer in London to be put on the line of defense," writes William Rivers Pitt. "It is 3:16 p.m. on Thursday afternoon as I write this. CNN has been covering, with total exclusivity, a parking lot outside a police station for the last hour. They covered an airplane landing. They covered the same airplane sitting still on the tarmac.

Main Source: 
Truthout.org, November 21, 2003
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