Sinclair fallout

Only portions to be broadcast as part of different "documentary" on the influence of documentaries in election. We'll wait and see how different the tone will be.

Press release

AP Story

Letters from former FCC commissioner

Legal letters to/from Sinclair

local protests on film screening

earlier transcripts

What makes for a "terrorist"?

Reuters and a prominent Canadian paper disagree. I'll pay some attention in the next few days to how the various Irish media describe militants vs. insurgents vs. terrorists vs. freedom fighters, etc.

I find the the "loaded moral judgement" implied in using the word terrorist completely bogus. Fine, admirable even, if you don't apply the word to all involved in any conflict with a broad brush, as surely there are different motivations, backgrounds, and tactics of different groups. But pick a definition, rigorous as you like, and then use the word. It's an important word, especially in today's world.

Sinclair's second casualty

(the first is always the truth). Fair play to this Lieberman fella ... a new job shouldn't be too hard to come by in a Kerry administration press office. Wouldn't hold out hope though.

Irish Times Article - An Irishman's Diary

Kevin Myers once again in great form on the political paralysis of much of Irish government.

Irish passports and hostage taking

From the very outset, I was uncomfortable with the idea of the Irish goverment issuing a passport in Ken Bigley's name. While the motives were very noble -- trying, simply and passionately, to save a man's life -- the implications were very disturbing.

Kevin Myers writes an excellent piece detailing just how close Ireland came to political catastrophy for its meddling. For me though, the implication was even more sad. It seemed that Ireland would take its neutrality so far as if to say, "We've no quarrel with you, hostage takers. Don't bother us and we'll steer clear of you", and in doing so abandon its very substantial affinity with the US and Britain, and close its eyes to the most significant conflict of the next century, namely, radical Islam vs. everything else.

Don't stick to your guns, Mark

Mark Steyn boldly proclaims If Kerry wins, I'm going to quit 'Irish Times'. His gripe: willful ignorance.

"And that's all I'm asking for after November 2nd - that the Euroleft chuck the tired gags about "Shrub" the moron, the idiot, the stupid white man that saw them through his first term. Stow the pop psychology, too - the cracks about the "daddy complex" that supposedly led him to topple Saddam. It's already obvious the 43rd presidency is far more consequential than the 41st: George Bush snr's place in history will mainly be as the guy who warmed up the name for George Bush jnr. If you're not prepared to give serious thought to the challenge Bush poses to the UN and EU complaceniks, you're never going to understand the times we live in."

All I'm asking for is that the Euroleft chuck the tired gags, et al, now, and start understanding the times we have lived in for the past 4 years. I think Bush is on the way out; I hope Mark Steyn is not.

Artificial balance

quite a kerfuffle about the ABC memo directing reporters in how to deal with an unequal amount of inaccuracies coming from either side of the presidential debate.

I haven't seen any mention of this in the Irish media, but I think the fallout will be worth following. How should the media deal with misrepresentations and lies in the midst of a heated campaign without taking (or appearing to take) sides? It seems like Mark Halprein's advice is fairly sound, but will political operatives make such reporting impossible?

Welcome back, Tom

We're in trouble in Iraq is the message from Mr. Freedman, and I have to agree. The litany of mistakes he lists are not just stumbles, but clear choices our administration made, consistently favoring domestic politics over sound policy. It is a gigantic betrayal of honest politics, when many clear thinkers, and Democrats, like Freedman, set politics aside and tried to analyse the situation fairly.

Finally, though, the tone of this criticism is getting somewhere. We have to get beyond Bush the Speaking Idiot type criticism for anything to get better, before it keeps on getting worse.