A Free Press, Free Speech, And a Free Mind.
Michael Petrou at Macleans' magazine has a post up, properly titled Iran's Press TV's Useful Western Idiots, which points to Dominic Lawson's excellent Iran's British Stooges Are Staring Right At You, which reminds me of my own little run-in with Press TV recently, mentioned here.
It's helpful to remember that George Galloway, hero of Canada's so-called "anti-war" movement( and lauded by the Toronto Star's Linda McQuaig as part Noam Chomsky and part Mick Jagger, and praised by the CBC's Heather Mallick as bold, relentless and Shakespearean) has been for some time one of Press TV's most prominent scab celebrities. No mention of this from his fans McQuaig or Mallick, of course.
Good for Engage. Give 'em hell.
The photograph to the right was taken by Majid Saeedi, of Getty Images. He is one of at least 31 journalists the Tehran regime has arrested and imprisoned since the phoney election of June 12. Meanwhile, Potkin Azarmehr has posted photographs of two recent martyrs to the cause of Iranian freedom, Massoud Hashemzadeh and Mohammad Kamrani. These two young men are reasons, among hundreds of thousands, for refusing to have anything to do with Press TV. You might mention those names as you are urging the Press TV correspondent to take a long walk off a short pier, in such phrasing as best suits your temperament.
A free mind, no longer among us: Leszek Kolakowski. Nick Cohen remembers him here, and the other day, Christopher Hitchens eulogized him here. From the great Yank heartland, Stuart posts an essay from Kolakowski's Modernity on Endless Trial, here (UPDATE: Dave Osler presents a thoughtful dissenting view: "Surely Marxists should have learned not to defend the ruling classes of out-and-out repressive theocracies like Iran, even if they do constitute ‘regional bulwarks against imperialism’. Nor does the US embargo excuse Cuba’s lack of multiparty democracy and trade union rights. But these errors flow from the stupidity and reductionism of the leaderships of such far left currents as embrace these positions, rather than being in any way intrinsic to Marxism per se.").
Following upon my recent mischief (also here) meanwhile, my friend Jonathon Narvey has some thoughts, here.
It's helpful to remember that George Galloway, hero of Canada's so-called "anti-war" movement( and lauded by the Toronto Star's Linda McQuaig as part Noam Chomsky and part Mick Jagger, and praised by the CBC's Heather Mallick as bold, relentless and Shakespearean) has been for some time one of Press TV's most prominent scab celebrities. No mention of this from his fans McQuaig or Mallick, of course.
Good for Engage. Give 'em hell.
The photograph to the right was taken by Majid Saeedi, of Getty Images. He is one of at least 31 journalists the Tehran regime has arrested and imprisoned since the phoney election of June 12. Meanwhile, Potkin Azarmehr has posted photographs of two recent martyrs to the cause of Iranian freedom, Massoud Hashemzadeh and Mohammad Kamrani. These two young men are reasons, among hundreds of thousands, for refusing to have anything to do with Press TV. You might mention those names as you are urging the Press TV correspondent to take a long walk off a short pier, in such phrasing as best suits your temperament.
A free mind, no longer among us: Leszek Kolakowski. Nick Cohen remembers him here, and the other day, Christopher Hitchens eulogized him here. From the great Yank heartland, Stuart posts an essay from Kolakowski's Modernity on Endless Trial, here (UPDATE: Dave Osler presents a thoughtful dissenting view: "Surely Marxists should have learned not to defend the ruling classes of out-and-out repressive theocracies like Iran, even if they do constitute ‘regional bulwarks against imperialism’. Nor does the US embargo excuse Cuba’s lack of multiparty democracy and trade union rights. But these errors flow from the stupidity and reductionism of the leaderships of such far left currents as embrace these positions, rather than being in any way intrinsic to Marxism per se.").
Following upon my recent mischief (also here) meanwhile, my friend Jonathon Narvey has some thoughts, here.
posted by Terry Glavin at 11:42 AM
3 Comments:
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Anyone who thinks being stupid qualifies them as liberal-left, and then makes jokes about spitting at Muslims, is unwelcome here.
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