When a sixth of the population of a nation which has undertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves, and a whole country is unjustly overrun and conquered by a foreign army, and subjected to military law, I think that it is not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize. What makes this duty the more urgent is the fact that the country so overrun is not our own, but ours is the invading army.
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Action Alert
Getting Iran Wrong, by Way of Syria
NPR, USA Today misrepresent nuclear story
8/28/13
While
investigators try to establish the facts around what may be a horrific
chemical attack in Syria, some media outlets are using the situation as
an opportunity to make inaccurate claims about Iran.
On NPR's All Things Considered (8/27/13),
correspondent Mara Liasson claimed that Barack Obama "has done
everything he can to avoid another foreign military involvement, but he
can't avoid it after the widespread use of chemical weapons on this
scale."
Putting
aside Liasson's declaration that non-military options are impossible,
how does she know Syria launched the attack? Liasson explained:
We
now hear that U.S. intelligence officials are getting ready to release
some intercepted communications that they believe will be even more
evidence that it was Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who ordered this
chemical attack.
Of
course, assuming that something has happened because you've heard that
officials might be revealing evidence for it is a poor journalistic
technique.
But
Liasson didn't stop there. Referencing a comment from White House press
secretary Jay Carney about "other potential users of chemical weapons,"
she then made this claim:
Other
potential users means Iran. This is not just about chemical weapons.
It's not just about Assad. This is a proxy war. Iran, who is developing
its own weapons of mass destruction, is currently backing the Syrian
regime, and it is watching very carefully to see what the U.S. does.
If
the assertion that Iran "is developing its own weapons of mass
destruction" is a reference to nuclear weapons, there are
unsubstantiated claims to that effect, but no evidence that justifies
treating these claims as facts (Extra!, 1/12).
If the subject is chemical weapons, it is worth recalling that Iran's
history is as a victim of such attacks--from Iraq, which received
intelligence to help target its sarin and mustard gas strikes from its
then-ally, the United States (Foreign Policy, 8/26/13).
And a USA Today editorial (8/27/13)
used unsubstantiated assertions about Iran having a nuclear weapons
program to advocate the bombing of Syria, arguing that a failure to
attack would send a message to Tehran:
It
would demolish U.S. credibility, not just in Syria but also in Iran,
which continues to pursue nuclear weapons despite repeated U.S.
warnings.
Readers and listeners deserve journalism that carefully and skeptically reports on what is known about Syria. But NPR and USA Today are using the Syria story to make completely unsupported claims about Iranian nuclear weapons.
ACTION:
Tell NPR and USA Today to correct their misreporting about an Iranian nuclear weapons program.
Tell NPR and USA Today to correct their misreporting about an Iranian nuclear weapons program.
NPR All Things Considered
email: atc@npr.org
Twitter: @npratc
USA Today
email: accuracy@usatoday.com
Photo Credit: YES! photo by Lane Hartwell
August 28, 2013
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Let me say it clearly: I'm neither for nor against stuff. I like stuff if it's well-made, honestly marketed, used for a long time, and at the end of its life recycled in a way that doesn't trash the planet, poison people, or exploit workers. Our stuff should not be artifacts of indulgence and disposability, like toys that are forgotten 15 minutes after the wrapping comes off, but things that are both practical and meaningful. British philosopher William Morris said it best: "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."<read more>
August 23, 2013
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Workers and volunteers who arrived early to Nevada’s Black
Rock Desert for the annual art, self-reliance, and free-expression
event called Burning Man are reporting an unprecedented police presence
on the playa, and whispers of a police crackdown on the event are
spreading. The "burn" does not officially kick off until August 26, but
as it appears the police have already arrived.
A law enforcement presence always exists at Burning Man, but this
year's is markedly more severe, according to a Burning Man participant,
or “burner,” of 18 years named Aaron Muszalski—screen name “sfslim.” As
usual, Muszlaski arrived at the event early this year. On Tuesday he
posted a photo of ranger trucks to Instagram, accompanied by the following message: “The pigs are here. And uncommonly badge heavy. Earlier tonight, the #BLM pulled over El Couchino [a Burning Man staff vehicle, marked as such] for a registration violation. In 18 years on the playa, I’ve never seen a more aggressive police presence than what’s been going down today. Deeply upsetting, outrageous stuff. One DPW [Department of Public Works] member was issued a $275 ticket for urinating on the playa, and threatened with being forced to register as a convicted sex offender. (a note for people not familiar with Burning Man, the “Playa” is what Burning Man attendees or “Burners” call the land that this event is held on.) I suspect this is fallout from the lawsuit BMORG won against the BLM earlier this year. Whatever the cause, know this: Law enforcement is going to be VERY AGGRESSIVE at Burning Man this year. Keep your shit as right as you do back in the world. Don’t give them any excuses. Be extremely cautious, and MAKE SURE TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS. Things are changing. #BM2013 #LEO #police IF YOU DO GET STOPPED: Make sure to file an incident report with Burning Man. And before you get here, LEARN YOUR RIGHTS.”
While one of the key tenets of Burning Man is the absence
of rules (other than those that serve to protect the health, safety, and
experience of the community at large, according ot the Burning Man website),
Black Rock City—as the temporary Burning Man metropolis is called—does
not operate outside the law. Federal, state and local laws apply. Every
year six different law enforcement agencies patrol the event, which
takes place on federal land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management.
These include local county sheriffs departments, BLM rangers, and Nevada
Highway Patrol.
On the Burning Man website page regarding law enforcement it says:
“It is not the mission of these agencies to police your lifestyle or
inhibit self expression. They fulfill the same function as the police in
any city. In the past, they have conducted search and rescue missions
and assisted us in evictions. It is also their duty to respond to any
infraction of the law that is brought to their attention or is in plain
view.” <read more>
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