Davids Medienkritik

German Media: Dehumanizing the American Soldier for Profit

(By Ray D.)

SPIEGEL ONLINE writes today that "the USA is crying over its dead soldiers." This incredibly smug, arrogant comment begets one simple question: What nation would not cry for its dead soldiers, regardless the situation? In another piece, entitled "After Iraq Duty: Traumatized US Soldier Dismembers Girlfriend", the publication details one particularly gruesome and sensational murder. Yet instead of treating it as an isolated incident, the article transitions the horrific murder into a broader discussion of mental health within the U.S. military. A subheadline halfway through reads: "US Soldiers often end as psychological wrecks." The article claims that "researchers" now believe that their are "hundreds of thousands of mentally ill GIs." To back the claim, the author cites a study from the Government Accountability Office, from September 2004. As further evidence of the so-called trauma, he cites a rash of killings in which soldiers murdered their wives or partners...back in 2002. One has to wonder why he didn't cite more recent facts, like those that appeared last week in the Washington Post:

"Nearly 64,000 of the more than 184,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who have sought VA health care were found to exhibit potential symptoms of post-traumatic stress, drug abuse or other mental disorders as of the end of June, according to the latest report by the Veterans Health Administration. Of those, close to 30,000 had possible post-traumatic stress disorder, said the report, which was completed in August and recently obtained by the Associated Press.

Kussman said the number of troops reporting symptoms of stress probably represents a "gross overestimation" of those actually suffering from mental health disorders. Most of the troops who return from Iraq have "normal reactions to abnormal situations," such as flashbacks or trouble sleeping, Kussman said."

Note the difference in tone. Unlike SPIEGEL ONLINE, the Washington Post actually attempts objectivity. The Post mentions both the positive and negative aspects of the story. Instead of simply declaring hundreds of thousands of US troops "mentally ill" with little supporting evidence or clarification (as SPIEGEL ONLINE does) the Post actually attempts to explain the facts and details behind the headline.

For SPIEGEL ONLINE, the headline is the story and the author works to align the facts to support his premise. Facts that don't fit the headline are simply omitted. And, as we know from three years of covering SPIEGEL ONLINE, the headline is very often a product of the ideology and bias of the editors. In this case, the headline is a product of the publication's long-term campaign to malign and vilify members of the United States military.

Operation "Rambo": The Secret Special Troops of the USA

US Mercenaries in Iraq: The Torturers of Baghdad

This is particularly ironic considering the fact that the good people at SPIEGEL ONLINE owe their freedom of speech to the very people that they so enthusiastically demonize. Let's not forget that it was the American soldier who stood guard along the Iron Curtain, not the German journalist.

That said, we know that war takes a tremendous toll on all involved, particularly members of the military and their families. The picture presented the German public, however, is one based largely on extremes, spin and preconceived stereotypes. The larger forest of reality is being missed for all the ideological trees: Iraq is the greatest debacle in human history and American soldiers are either barbaric murderers, trigger-happy Rambos or demoralized victims.

A favorite line of late has been that the US military is fighting with its "last contingent". This despite the fact that the US military has announced it will meet recruiting goals for 2006. The Army, which has taken the most casualties, has exceeded recruitment goals. But don't expect those facts to be mentioned anytime soon in most German media. They don't fit the image of a demoralized, crumbling U.S. military widely popularized and accepted as fact in much of the German media. In other words, they don't support the desired headline.

Panorama Propaganda Revisited

Another popular line has been to present American soldiers as sadistic murderers and criminals by playing up sensational cases and implying they are part of a larger pattern. ARD Panorama "journalists" Voelker Steinhoff and John Goetz have exhibited particular skill in this field. Just compare two televised reports they worked on recently depicting members of the U.S. military as brutal murderers. Both reports omit key facts and both imply that alleged murders and atrocities committed by American troops are part of a larger pattern in the United States military. Even the music and format are the same...

Convicts to the Front – The last gasp of the Americans in Iraq (2006)

Torture and Killing without Punishment - Exonerations for US Soldiers (2005)

Not only does this style of "journalism" dehumanize members of the United States military, it also presents readers a warped version of reality that has little to do with the search for objective truth. But, then again, publications like SPIEGEL ONLINE and programs like Panorama have never been interested in the search for objective truth.

The bottom line is this: The larger context and balancing facts required to place sensational cases into perspective are downplayed or simply omitted. The ultimate loser is the German news consumer and anyone interested in transatlantic understanding. Sad but true...

UPDATE: Yet another outrageous example from Stern: An article detailing Seymour Hersh's assertion that US forces in Iraq represent the "Most Murderous US Army of All Time."

ARD's Panorama: Desperate U.S. Army Enlists Criminals

Just another example of the unbiased, high quality reporting about the Iraq War and the US military from ARD's Panorama, a highly influential investigative journalism program on a major German public television station that reaches an audience of millions. (VIDEO/TRANSLATION BELOW - the translation reflects the German narration):

Convicts to the Front – The last gasp of the Americans in Iraq

Anchorwoman: Anja Reschke:

"He wants to go to Iraq. Of all places Iraq. Just a report from this afternoon: A rocket attack in Baghdad killed 46 people and injured 113. No one will be shaken by these reports anymore, somehow one has given up on Iraq deep down. The American soldiers appear to be fighting for a lost cause. The US Army has serious problems recruiting new men. In the meantime it is even sending convicts to war. And the results of that are documented by John Goetz, Christiane Justus and Volker Steinhoff.”

(Video start) Steven Green, until recently a soldier in Iraq. According to the record, a murderer and rapist. A crime that could have been foreseen. Spring 2006, Green is assigned to a road block in Mahmudijah, Iraq. A suicide mission. Nearly daily attacks, every week a comrade dies. Then unending boredom. Cynicism quickly spreads. Perverse plans are hatched. On March 12, Green and four comrades begin the day with a couple golf balls and a first whiskey. What happens then sounds unimaginable, but is proven by recorded testimony from witnesses in the investigation that have been made available to journalists.

Sarah Childress, Newsweek: “They drank Iraqi whiskey mixed with an energy drink. At some point during the day Green said that he would really like to kill a couple Iraqis.”

Green and the others went in this house. They already knew the Iraqi family here: They had already set their eyes on one of the daughters.

Sarah Childress, Newsweek: “Steven Green forced the mother, father and the five year-old daughter into the bedroom. The other soldiers then heard shots from outside. Green came out and said: ‘I just killed them, all are dead!”

As that was happening, his comrades began to molest the second daughter, who was still alive. Then Green raped the 14 year old girl.

Sarah Childress, Newsweek: “Steven Green also shot her. One of his comrades even molested her after that, even though she was already dead. At the end Green dumped kerosene on the body and burned it.”

Shortly thereafter they had a barbeque: Chicken wings – fried chicken. The five soldiers clearly had no fear of punishment. Iraqi neighbors reported Green’s deed to the US Army – nothing happened. In the following weeks, Iraqi terrorists begin vigilante justice and murder two members of Green’s unit. Now a soldier is coming clean – two months after the deed. Only now are Green and the others being tried. A deed that was foreseeable in the eyes of experts.

Marc Garlasco, Human Rights Watch: “When you put a bunch of 18 year old boys with weapons into this situation where they are attacked nearly daily, where every Iraqi hates them, and when you also know that about 15 percent of them have a criminal past – then that means that you are almost intentionally asking for such deeds to happen.”

Already as a student, Green was known for random bouts of violence.

Sarah Childress, Newsweek: “He was very angry, often beat up his classmates just because they had on a shirt that he didn’t like or because they used a white lighter that he couldn’t stand. Any excuse was good enough for him to act on his anger.

Green dropped out of school, shortly thereafter he was locked-up for the first time. Actually, he shouldn’t have even been able to sign up with the US military as a convict. But the Army is running short on troops in Iraq, now criminals are also allowed to take up a rifle.

Paul K. Van Riper, retired US Lieutenant General: “Whenever you lower standards, whether moral or physical, you provoke these problems.”

William E. Odom, retired US General: “Clearly: The pressure to recruit new soldiers is high and the standards are dropping. And so many people enter the Army who it would be better not to allow in.”

For example Green. Barely in Iraq, he openly declared: ‘To kill a person is like crushing an ant.’ A military reporter meets him in this time.

Andrew Tilghman, military reporter: “When I met Steven Green, he spoke very openly of killing. He had come here to kill people, he had done it before, and it was nothing special to him. I found that quite normal at the time in Iraq based on the situation, because the soldiers all spoke that way.”

Green and his people live under miserable conditions. Often they could not shower for four weeks. And: They are stationed in the most dangerous part of Iraq.

Andrew Tilghman, military reporter: “He told of how he had once shot a driver of an automobile because he wouldn’t stop: ‘Not worth mentioning,’ he said, it’s like going out for pizza.

Marc Garlasco, Human Rights Watch: “The US military has come to a breaking point. At the moment the soldiers are two, three or even four years in Iraq with no vacation home. They are completely burned out, a difficult situation. Of course they are responsible for their own mistakes, but you also have to look at the decisions of the politicians: They simply did not have enough soldiers to get the situation under control, and they therefore refrain from training and breaks.”

Burned out troops, convict recruits, horrific massacres – the cycle of violence continues.

Paul K. Van Riper, retired US Lieutenant General: “We have here what one would call a fiasco, or perhaps better the beginning of a disaster in Iraq. But until now no one has had to take responsibility.”

William E. Odom, retired US General: “The war is going badly. It is getting worse every week. And the longer we stay in Iraq, the more catastrophic it will get. There is only one solution to avoid a massive defeat: Retreat, run away as fast as you can.”

Now the last contingent is fighting. Green is a killer. Four others went along.

Report: T. Berndt, J. Goetz, C. Justus, V. Steinhoff

This is how members of the United States military are presented to the German public in the German media: As criminals, murderers and sadistic torturers. The most extreme, vile, perverted image of the US military is presented to Germans and the US military is portrayed as so desperate and broken that it has come to rely on convicts and Soviet-style Shtrafbat personnel. The fact that the vast majority of those serving in the American military are decent and honorable people has been completely lost in a media environment that resembles a propaganda mill more than a provider of objective truth. It is entirely fair to label this sort of report propaganda because alternative viewpoints on Iraq and the US military are conspicuously absent as are positive images of the vast majority of US soldiers.

And this is a critical point: Two of the reporters responsible for this report are Volker Steinhoff and John Goetz. Steinhoff and Goetz also teamed up for this horrific piece of slanderous propaganda aimed at the US military on which we reported last year. The music and format are remarkably similar. It seems that both Steinhoff and Goetz are certified experts when it comes to producing one-sided, anti-American hate propaganda. These two "journalists" have done more to poison German-American relations than most people could ever hope to. It is high time that America’s representatives in Germany made a formal stink with the German government about Mr. Steinhoff and Mr. Goetz and their “work.” Panorama is, after all, aired on and sponsored by ARD, a major state-run public television station that reaches an audience of millions. If Germany’s government is going to sponsor and air this kind of "journalism," then the US Embassy ought to at least stand up and formally protest.

Note: Panorama's editors can be reached at: panorama@ndr.de.

Here is how Panorama summarized the report on it's web site:

Ex-convicts in front line duty - The Americans’ last contingent in Iraq

Iraq seldom shows up on front pages any more; the world has turned away. But Iraq hasn't quieted down. Every day there are new terror victims. But there are also a growing number of gruesome assaults by American Soldiers on the population. Meanwhile a disastrous dynamic has set in: The US army is short on personnel. So they’re arming ex-convicts too. Like soldier Steven Green. On March 12 he became a rapist and four count murderer according to court records. Green and his unit raped a 14 year old after which they murdered the girl and her family. After that they ate chicken wings and played cards. With the end of hope for still winning the war, ethical standards are obviously vanishing too. The army is running out of soldiers in Iraq . Now criminals can also be armed. (Translation by Richard Bartholomew)

And no, the Panorama report is not from the office of Joseph Goebbels, though he made similar observations in 1943: "A report on interrogations of American prisoners is really gruesome. These American boys are human material that can in no way stand in comparison with our people. One has the impression of dealing with a herd of savages."

The Panorama report is anti-Americanism courtesy German public tv in 2006. Any resemblance with Germany's past is entirely coincidental.

Update: Commenter Helian has his say.

Endnote: Again, our translation reflects the German narration offered by Panorama. The Panorama narration at points clearly does not accurately reflect what the individuals interviewed actually said. For example, Marc Garlasco states that, in his opinion, the troops have not received adequate training and time off. Panorama omits the word "adequate," dramatically changing the meaning of the translated sentence. (Translation by Ray D and Richard Bartholomew., article by David and Ray) Note on our translation: Richard translates "Vorbestrafter" as "ex-convict" in the sense that the individual is no longer physically incarcerated while Ray interprets the word as "convict" in the sense that the individual had been previously convicted of a felony.

Germany's Ugly New Propaganda: Panorama's Selective Truth (Part III)

Panorama's Response

Here is our translation of Panorama's response to our article on its piece, "Torture and Killing without Punishment - Exonerations for US Soldiers.":

"The core of the criticism against us here and in other, more extensive emails is from my point of view: The bringers of bad news are often unpopular. The facts reported on by Panorama are namely hardly brought into question – no wonder, they are true. Instead of founded criticism, some hope to use the anti-Americanism accusation to create the impression of substance."

The answer, written by Panorama editor Volker Steinhoff, and posted in the Panorama forum, goes on to cite comments left by our readers (NOT by us) to show how invalid our criticism supposedly is. But those comments have nothing to do with our criticism nor did we author them. It would be as if we criticized Panorama's arguments by pointing out comments left in their forum by total strangers. Steinhoff continues:

"Much more troubling than the lack of differentiation of the criticism is its understanding of the law: A basic pillar of humanistic democracies is the right to life. Whether it was a "mercy shooting" or not is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT in line with an enlightened understanding of the law."

Unfortunately, Mr. Steinhoff (co-author of the Panorama report) obviously chooses to misrepresent or ignore (something he is obviously very good at) what we said in our first article. Instead he again relies on comments that we did not author in our comments section. Here is what we actually wrote on that point in our original post (bold in original):

"Let's be very clear: Maynulet's actions were absolutely indefensible and we are not trying to excuse them in any way. But when all of the facts of this particular case are presented to observers in a fair and sober light, the punishment meted out to Maynulet no longer seems "incomprehensible," though one could certainly still argue that the punishment was too light."

In any case, this is the classic defense we expected from Panorama. Instead of admitting that they made gross omissions, the staff writes that all of the facts presented are true and that we at Medienkritik are shooting the messenger with unsubstantiated claims of anti-Americanism. It may well be that the individual facts presented in the report are true, but, by themselves, they obviously do not tell the entire story in a fair, comprehensive and balanced manner.

Clearly, the overall story told by Panorama is not true because it is simply and undeniably incomplete. By grossly omitting facts vital to understanding the case, the television magazine has badly failed to properly and completely inform its audience. Furthermore, Mr. Steinhoff clearly seeks to further distract readers from our main critique by pointing to comments not belonging to the authors of this blog.

Here, again, are the key omissions that Panorama refuses to acknowledge:

1. First of all, the man shot and killed in the incident, identified as Karim Hassan Abed Ali al-Haleji, was a driver for an aide of Muqtada Al-Sadr's Shiite movement and a paramilitary member of that militia. This is the same Al-Sadr movement responsible for the killing of numerous US soldiers and major combat throughout Iraq. At the time of the incident, Hassan was at the wheel of a black sedan which led Maynulet's company on a chase in the midst of a hotbed of insurgent activity. Maynulet's men fired on the vehicle, wounding both passengers inside.

2. And that brings us to the second critical point omitted by Panorama: According to the report of an on-scene medic, the Iraqi driver had already suffered traumatic fatal wounds in the initial exchange before Maynulet ever approached and shot him. According to a CBS news report:

"During Maynulet's Article 32 hearing -- the equivalent of a civilian grand jury investigation -- witnesses testified that the driver had been shot in the head when Maynulet saw him. A fellow officer said Maynulet told him he then shot the man out of compassion. (...)

When a medic pulled the driver out of the car, it was clear he had suffered critical injuries, with part of his skull blown away, according to testimony during the Article 32 hearing held June 25-Oct. 14 in Baghdad and Hanau, Germany.

Maynulet's fellow officer, 1st Lt. Colin Cremin, testified that Maynulet told him he then shot the Iraqi in the base of the neck or the back of the head.

"It was something he didn't want to do, but it was the compassionate response," Cremin testified. "It was definitely the humane response."

A U.S. drone surveillance aircraft caught the killing was on video."

So why does Panorama fail to report that part of the driver's skull was blown away and that he was covered in his own brain mass (and essentially dead) before Maynulet ever approached and shot him? A BBC report tells of testimony in the case stating that the Iraqi driver "had half his brain hanging out" when Maynulet shot him. And thirdly, why does Panorama never mention the "mercy killing" aspect to the story and simply label the incident a virtual "execution"?

I want to openly challenge Mr. Steinhoff and his colleagues at Panorama to FULLY explain the obvious and gross omissions that they made in their report "Torture and Killing without Punishment - Exonerations for US Soldiers" as outlined in points A and B above. We will publish any answer in full on this site. And please stop hiding behind comments left on this site that have nothing to do with our criticism Sir!

I would also refer Steinhoff to an excellent criticism written by Dawson's Danube that also points out other issues including obvious translation errors.

It is particularly ironic that Panorama chooses to say that we are shooting the messenger. In fact the very opposite is true. This is more of the same blank denial that we have grown accustomed to in the German media. And that is why we will continue to expose them every time.

Just so Mr. Steinhoff and his friends at Panorama are clear on one thing: We at Davids Medienkritik are not going anywhere. We will tirelessly continue to expose misrepresentations and omissions made at Panorama and elsewhere in the German media and we don't ever plan to stop.

Note: Panorama's editors can be reached at: panorama@ndr.de

Endnote: Since Mr. Steinhoff was so interested in the comments on our site, I thought I'd translate one of the comments left in the Panorama forum on the "Torture and Killing without Punishment - Exonerations for US Soldiers" piece:

"Torturing and Killing Without Penalty

The report shows (among other things through the critical evaluation of American observers themselves) that the military is dangerous as soon as it removes itself from the control of the democratic state. One has to ask how powerful the control of democracy in the USA still is at all. This large and once model nation is, through religious fundamentalism and arbitrary leadership of the military, increasingly becoming a danger to the world!"

If only the person who wrote this knew the extent to which he was being lied to by Panorama...and the sad part is that nearly 3 million Germans viewed the report on television. (WATCH THE VIDEO HERE)

(Translation and article by Ray Drake)

Germany's Ugly New Propaganda: Panorama's Selective Truth (Part II)

Bill Dawson over at Dawson's Danube has written an outstanding follow-up to our post that further analyzes the entire Panorama report. Check it out.

Germany's Ugly New Propaganda: Panorama's Selective Truth

(By Ray Drake)

It sounds like a compelling and troubling story. According to the ARD (major state-funded, "First Channel" network) news program "Panorama", American soldiers continue to torture and murder virtually without consequence while the US media turns a blind eye to it all. In a program entitled, "Torture and Killing without Punishment - Exonerations for US Soldiers" Panorama reports on several cases. The first involves one Rogelio Maynulet.

The report has an emotionally powerful, highly charged opening. It begins with chilling music and shows us the family of the man shot by Maynulet squatting around the dead man's portrait in a dark, dimly-lit room. A small Iraqi girl is shown with tragic eyes peering at out from behind the television screen. The moderator's deep, solemn voice can be heard in the background:

"Mourning for the father. A targeted killing, virtually an execution. From the process they know: The father's car was shot at by US soldiers. He was still alive, badly wounded. Then came an American and shot him in the head - two times."

The next thing shown is a corpse wrapped in white sheets being carried away. The dead man's brother is shown appealing to all Americans for justice.

German viewers are told the story of an Iraqi father whose automobile is shot at by American soldiers. Almost no context is provided on the initial shooting. Somehow it all seems tragic, random and violent. Random that is until the American "killer" Maynulet shot the Iraqi father to death in cold blood. A senseless act of violence.

The next thing German viewers see is Maynulet, labeled "the killer" by Panorama, leaving a military courtroom in Germany a free man. His only punishment a discharge from the Army. Viewers are shown Maynulet's family praising his release, calling their son an "American hero" of whom they are proud and lauding the "American justice system" while the family of the man shot to death is coldly brushed aside despite their impassioned pleas.

(WATCH THE VIDEO HERE)

This story, as presented to millions of Germans, would make almost anyone angry. It appears to be an enormous and unbelievable miscarriage of justice. Yet almost no one in America seems to care. How could that be? Are Americans really such callous, violent brutes? (Our translation of Panorama's Maynulet segment/Full PDF text file of report in German)

Panorama's Omissions: Germany's Ugly New Propaganda

This Panorama report is a particularly sinister case of media gone bad. It is the case of gross omission and bias. It is a case of journalists as propagandists inspiring hate against entire nations. As proof that Americans continue to "briskly" torture in Iraq and elsewhere, we are first offered the Maynulet case as outlined above. But, as is so often the case, a number of critical facts are left-out or intentionally ignored:

First of all, the man shot and killed in the incident, identified as Karim Hassan Abed Ali al-Haleji, was a driver for an aide of Muqtada Al-Sadr's Shiite movement and a paramilitary member of that militia. This is the same Al-Sadr movement responsible for the killing of numerous US soldiers and major combat throughout Iraq. At the time of the incident, Hassan was at the wheel of a black sedan which led Maynulet's company on a chase in the midst of a hotbed of insurgent activity. Maynulet's men fired on the vehicle, wounding both passengers inside.

And that brings us to the second critical point omitted by Panorama: According to the report of an on-scene medic, the Iraqi driver had already suffered traumatic fatal wounds in the initial exchange before Maynulet ever approached and shot him. According to a CBS news report:

"During Maynulet's Article 32 hearing -- the equivalent of a civilian grand jury investigation -- witnesses testified that the driver had been shot in the head when Maynulet saw him. A fellow officer said Maynulet told him he then shot the man out of compassion. (...)

When a medic pulled the driver out of the car, it was clear he had suffered critical injuries, with part of his skull blown away, according to testimony during the Article 32 hearing held June 25-Oct. 14 in Baghdad and Hanau, Germany.

Maynulet's fellow officer, 1st Lt. Colin Cremin, testified that Maynulet told him he then shot the Iraqi in the base of the neck or the back of the head.

"It was something he didn't want to do, but it was the compassionate response," Cremin testified. "It was definitely the humane response."

A U.S. drone surveillance aircraft caught the killing was on video."

So why does Panorama fail to report the testimony that part of the driver's skull was blown away and that he was covered in his own brain mass before Maynulet ever approached and shot him? A BBC report tells of testimony in the case stating that the Iraqi driver "had half his brain hanging out" when Maynulet shot him. And thirdly, why does Panorama never mention the "mercy killing" aspect of the testimony and simply label the incident a virtual "execution"?

Why? Because had Panorama mentioned those mitigating circumstances in its report, it wouldn't have achieved the same emotional outrage from its viewers. Such inconvenient details wouldn't have meshed well with images of Iraqi children and their murdered father. The report wouldn't have provoked the same angry, emotional response against the US military establishment and President Bush. And that is what Panorama was really after.

Let's be very clear: Maynulet's actions were absolutely indefensible and we are not trying to excuse them in any way. But when all of the facts of this particular case are presented to observers in a fair and sober light, the punishment meted out to Maynulet no longer seems "incomprehensible," though one could certainly still argue that the punishment was too light.

The point is that this Panorama report is yet another example of grossly insincere, unprofessional journalism that is essentially thinly-veiled propaganda. The truth is abandoned for ideology and emotionalism. Millions of Germans are told the Maynulet story through the distorted lens of profoundly biased media and many of them will believe they are getting the full story and the entire truth...but they aren't.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of this all is that programs like Panorama on large public networks like ARD are funded by the German state through billions of Euros in mandatory taxes levied on everyone owning a television and/or radio in Germany with few exceptions. And anti-American campaign journalism has become a regular fixture of German public broadcasting. One has to wonder why the US Embassy is not speaking out more about outrageous programs such as this.

Note: Panorama's editors can be reached at: panorama@ndr.de. The editor responsible for this piece is Volker Steinhoff who produced it along with reporter John Goetz.

Click the link below to read further comments from one of our readers on this program:

Items of Interest from the German Press

Our friend David L. has compiled an overview of some America-related reports in the German media:

FAZ, Sueddeutsche and Tagesspiegel reported that in the controversy over consular assistance for foreigners who were arrested in the United States, Washington no longer wants to comply with future rulings of the International Court of Justice. The papers cited State Department spokeswoman Darla Jordan as having said these measures should "protect the United States from future rulings of the International Court of Justice." Financial Times Deutschland wrote that the U.S. move is another sign of the United States accepting rules of international law only as long as they do not impede the U.S. scope of action.

Sueddeutsche carried an editorial saying this decision "is extremely stupid and wrong." It also said that Secretary Rice will again nurture all the prejudices that exist abroad about the arbitrariness of U.S. justice authorities. Stefan Kornelius also wrote that "this decision provokes a response: The majority of Americans will certainly not like it if they can no longer rely on the protection of U.S. consulates during their trips abroad."

In a report on the release Italian journalist Guiliana Sgrena, ARD-TV's current affairs magazine Panorama reported that the brutalization by U.S. soldiers in Iraq is increasing and presented as evidence a video in which U.S. soldiers, cheered on by other U.S. soldiers, pulled a dead Iraqi out of a car and kicked the corpse. Panorama commented on the film, saying these are shocking pictures, showing that everyday life in Iraq is "turning young soldiers into Sadists." (See ARD online)

Germany’s “Peace” Movement Actively and Openly Supporting Iraqi Terrorism

By Ray Drake

Just when you thought the German “peace” movement couldn’t get much more hypocritical they take things to a whole new level. Last week the unbelievable lack of protest at the German government’s plutonium and arms deal with Communist China made it seem as the peace freaks had all rolled up into a big ball for a long winter hibernation.

Not so! The German TV news program “Panorama” uncovered some of the wonderful activities that particularly dedicated cadres of the German peace movement are currently engaged in. In the spirit of peace, a number of groups have started a fund-raising campaign entitled “10 Euros for the Iraqi Resistance”. The money will be provided to the Iraqi Patriotic Alliance (IPA) a group dedicated to carrying out attacks against US soldiers in Iraq in collaboration with Saddam loyalists. The common goal is to "liberate” the Iraqi people from the evil imperialist American occupiers. On their website these groups gush with enthusiasm about turning Iraq into another Vietnam for the USA.

OK, what’s the big deal? Why can’t people recognize that these young, misunderstood idealists simply have the interests of the Iraqi people at heart? Clearly, supporting more terror acts that blow away innocent Iraqi civilians and the reinstatement of a Baathist terror regime is the best imaginable way to further the cause of world peace. And just think, if the fine humanitarians supporting this action really do succeed in reaching their goals they can form a volunteer troupe to begin digging new mass graves in Iraq for the new Saddamist government.

Don’t you just love peace?

Source

Update: This is the address of the German "peace" activists who collect money for Saddam's terrorists:
Friedensladen im EWZ, Karlstor 1,
69115 Heidelberg, GERMANY
Telephone: (calling within Germany): 06221/978927,
Telephone (if calling from the USA): 011-49-6221-978927
Fax: (within Germany) 06221/168995, Fax (from the USA): 011-49-6221-168995
E-Mail: kontakt@antikriegsforum-heidelberg.de
Web-page:  http://www.antikriegsforum-heidelberg.de/

Update 2: Blogger Robert reported the terrorism fund raising in Germany to Senator Daschle...

Click "Continue..." for excerpts from the Panorama report.

Al Qaeda Had Connections to Saudi Financed School in Germany / Al Qaeda hatte Beziehungen zu von Saudis finanzierter Schule in Deutschland

(Deutsche Version: siehe unten)

The terrorist organisation Al Qaeda had connections to the Saudi financed King Fahd Academy (König-Fahd-Akademie/Elementary School) in Bonn, Germany, as revealed by the German TV program "Panorama".

Several islamic fundamentalists with Al Qaeda connections had moved to the Bonn area in 2002 to be close to the academy. The academy has 465 students, of which 195 have German citizenship. According to Panorama, students were taught to be prepared for Dschihad. Students were told: "Muslims have to subject themselves and all other humans to the will of Allah". They are taught just 1 hour of German per week, but 6 hours of Arabic and 8 hours of religion.

Panorama: "Right here in our midst in Germany muslim teach hatred against the West and against democracy. Once the children have left the Koran-Schools, they can no longer be integrated into German society. They live in islamic ghettos and can't find a job. Easy prey for terrorists...".

There is just one interesting aspect: "Panorama" is probably THE most left-wing media outlet in Germany, frequently attacking President Bush and his Iraq policy. Now that they identify correctly the danger stemming from Islamic fundamentalism in Germany, there's hope they will eventually understand Bush's war against terrorists in Iraq.

Update: German transcript of Panorama.

Deutsche Version:

Kölnische Rundschau:

"Die Zustände an der Bad Godesberger König-Fahd-Akademie sorgen für Furore. Das Hamburger Fernseh-Magazin „Panorama“ berichtet heute Abend (21.45 Uhr, ARD), dass sich die Region Bonn zusehends zum Zentrum radikaler Islamisten entwickele, weil die 1994 eröffnete Akademie mit Schule und Moschee so attraktiv für solche Religionsfanatiker sei. ... Bei ihren Recherchen trafen die Panorama-Reporter nach eigenen Angaben auch einen frommen Vater, der aus dem fernen Bayern in das nahe gelegene Remagen gezogen sei und sein Kind auf die Schule schicke. Der breiten Öffentlichkeit sei der Mann nicht bekannt, wohl aber den el-Kaida-Experten des Bundeskriminalamtes: Die hätten in einem Dossier niedergelegt, dass der Mann Spenden für Bin Laden gesammelt habe. ... Wenig integrationsförderlich scheinen indes auch die Lehren, die laut „Panorama“ der Imam der zu der Akademie gehörenden Moschee am vergangenen Freitag predigte. Die Eltern sollten ihren Kindern das Speerwerfen beibringen, damit sie bereit für den Dschihad seien, und: „Die Muslime müssen sich selbst und alle anderen Menschen dem Willen Allahs unterwerfen.“

Panorama:

"Mitten in Deutschland lehren Muslime Hass gegen den Westen und hetzen gegen die Demokratie. Wenn die Kinder die Koran-Schulen verlassen, können die meisten von ihnen längst nicht mehr integriert werden. So leben sie in islamischen Ghettos und finden keinen Job. Und wer nichts wird, ist anfällig für die Ideen von Terroristen. Leichte Beute für radikale Muslime."

Es ist sicher lobenswert, wenn Panorama auf die Gefahren des radikalen Islams hinweist. Allerdings ist es schon interessant, daß das sehr linkslastige Panorama sonst eigentlich nicht arabische Fundamentalisten, sondern eher US-Präsident Bush attackiert. Vielleicht gibt es ja nun unter der Wahrnehmung islamistischer Gefahren ein Umdenken auch bei Panorama...

Nachtrag: Panorama hat den Text des Beitrags über die König-Fahd-Akademie online gestellt.

Wer so alles als "Experte" in deutschen Medien gehandelt wird...

So Jun 22, 11:22:33 AM
In den deutschen Medien wird Ray McGovern hoch gehandelt, als "ehemaliger US-Geheimdienstprofi" und "Ex-CIA-Spitzenbeamter", "der weiß, wovon er spricht". Er führt einen heiligen Krieg gegen Präsident Bush und den CIA: "Washington hat gelogen" und "Die Basis des Irak-Kriegs ist Betrug" sind typische Überschriften von Artikeln im Tagesspiegel und im SPIEGEL, die ihn kritiklos und folgsam zitieren. Und natürlich genießt er Experten-Status bei "Panorama".

Wie glaubwürdig ist ein Zeuge, der seit über 10 Jahren nicht mehr beim CIA ist, und dessen Äußerungen stets und ständig vom Hass auf die jetzige US-Administration geprägt sind? Nicht sehr, aber für die Fütterung der antiamerikanischen Vorurteile deutscher Medien reicht es allemal... Dabei wäre es so leicht, die Meinung der gegenwärtigen US-Geheimdienstprofis zu erfahren. Und diese Meinung ist: Der Irak hat Massenvernichtungswaffen, und es dauert in einem riesigen Land eben einige Zeit, bis sie gefunden werden.

Panorama: Manipulative Bush-Hasser

Sa Jun 14, 12:47:43 AM
Panorama - politisches Fernsehmagazin, mit dem sich nach Selbstauskunft "große Namen des deutschen Nachkriegsjournalismus" verbinden - beschäftigte sich am 12.6.03 mit der "Bilanz der Kriegslügen". Natürlich gab es kein gutes Wort über die Amerikaner: "Kriegstreiber...steht Bush heute als Lügner da...das plumpeste Täuschungsmanöver...Bush feiert sich und seine Marines für die Beseitigung einer Gefahr, die es offenbar gar nicht gegeben hat." Und ebenso natürlich wird das gefälschte Wolfowitz-Interview wieder recycelt. Schon seit Wochen ist der tatsächliche Wortlaut des Wolfowitz-Interviews bekannt, und auch die Entschuldigung des Guardian für die Übernahme der Fälschung liegt nun schon seit dem 6.6.03 vor.

Panorama weiß im übrigen, daß es überhaupt keine Massenvernichtungswaffen im Irak gegeben hat: "Irgendwie haben wir wohl auch geahnt, dass das mit den Massenvernichtungswaffen von Saddam Hussein nicht so stimmen muss, wie es die Kriegstreiber die ganze Zeit hinstellten. Aber dass dieser von Amerikanern und Briten angeführte Grund für den Irakkrieg so vorgeschoben war, ist dann doch irgendwie erschütternd." Da sind Hillary Clinton ("It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons") und Jacques Chirac ("What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD.") ganz anderer Meinung.

Wie Panorama manipuliert, wird auch an dem Zitat von US-General James Conway deutlich. Er wird mit den Worten zitiert: "Wir haben jedes irakische Munitionslager zwischen Kuweit und Bagdad untersucht, aber es ist einfach nichts da. Wir versuchen es ja, aber es ist einfach nichts da." Conway hat aber auch gesagt: "I think that the day might well come when we ask the right question of the right person and we open a panacea of weapons storage and that type of thing. So seven weeks is probably not enough time to look at a country the size of California and come to the conclusion that they simply do not exist here, especially if you consider that the regime had ample experience attempting to hide those things as much as they were visited by the inspectors."

Man sollte Panorama nun allerdings auch nicht sehr in den Senkel stellen. Entgegen ihrer Selbsteinschätzung sind die Panorama-Leute nicht wirklich "Journalisten". Dazu fehlt ihnen nun wirklich alles: Recherche-Kompetenz, Objektivität, Stil. Es sind manipulative Bush-Hasser, die noch die abenteuerlichste Räubergeschichte ausstrahlen, wenn sie denn nur ins vorgefaßte antiamerikanische Bild passt.