ShrinkWrapped

The New York Times Mis-Reporting on the Cartoon Wars

[Updates at the end]

The New York Times is the iconic newspaper of the Northeast Liberal point of view.  The Times sets the agenda for much of the local media in the country and often seems to either quote or foreshadow the talking points of the left wing of the Democratic party.  Their bias is obvious to anyone who takes advantage of alternative sources of information.  In the Cartoon Wars, they have outdone themselves in their disingenuousness.  This would not matter except that all too many people get all their information from the Times.

In today's Times on-line there is a story purporting to tell the true back-story of the cartoon war that is raging in Europe and throughout Asia and Africa, costing lives and embassies.  With my appetite for news whetted, I peruse the article written by  Hassan M. Fattah and titled At Mecca Meeting, Cartoon Outrage Crystallized.  Here is how Fattah sets the scene:

As leaders of the world's 57 Muslim nations gathered for a summit meeting in Mecca in December, issues like religious extremism dominated the official agenda. But much of the talk in the hallways was of a wholly different issue: Danish cartoons satirizing the Prophet Muhammad.

The closing communiqué took note of the issue when it expressed "concern at rising hatred against Islam and Muslims and condemned the recent incident of desecration of the image of the Holy Prophet Muhammad in the media of certain countries" as well as over "using the freedom of expression as a pretext to defame religions."

The meeting in Mecca, a Saudi city from which non-Muslims are barred, [Emphasis mine- SW] drew minimal international press coverage even though such leaders as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran were in attendance. But on the road from quiet outrage in a small Muslim community in northern Europe to a set of international brush fires, the summit meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference — and the role its member governments played in the outrage — was something of a turning point.

The writer misses the irony of a Saudi city barring people based on their religion, while complaining about how the victimized Muslims are being discriminated against, but there are a couple of more egregious errors of omission that are much more significant.

The Reparative Function of Paranoid Delusions

Yesterday, MEMRI posted a clip of Hamas Leader Khaled Mash'al giving an address at  the Al-Murabit Mosque in Damascus.  The speech was aired on Al-Jazeera TV on February 3, 2006.  MEMRI thoughtfully supplied translated excerpts.  If a patient in a Psychiatric hospital were speaking in a manner so at odds with the reality of their situation, it would be diagnostic. 

The Nation of Islam Will Sit at the Throne of the World and the West Will Be Full of Remorse – When it's Too Late

"We apologize to our Prophet Muhammad, but we say to him: Oh Prophet of Allah, do not be saddened, your nation will be victorious.

"We say to this West, which does not act reasonably, and does not learn its lessons: By Allah, you will be defeated. You will be defeated in Palestine, and your defeat there has already begun. True, it is Israel that is being defeated there, but when Israel is defeated, its path is defeated, those who call to support it are defeated, and the cowards who hide behind it and support it are defeated. Israel will be defeated, and so will whoever supported or supports it.

"America will be defeated in Iraq. Wherever the [Islamic] nation is targeted, its enemies will be defeated, Allah willing. The nation of Muhammad is gaining victory in Palestine. The nation of Muhammad is gaining victory in Iraq, and it will be victorious in all Arab and Muslim lands. 'Their multitudes will be defeated and turn their backs [and flee].' These fools will be defeated, the wheel of time will turn, and times of victory and glory will be upon our nation, and the West will be full of remorse, when it is too late."

The speech is filled with this type of typical bombastic rhetoric we have come to expect from this part of the world.  Middle Eastern Arabic is famous for its use of florid phraseology, however, even taking the linguistic excesses and style into account, the speech raises pertinent questions about the speaker and his audience and their mental state.

The Clock is Ticking II

The well orchestrated Cartoon Wars continue unabated, Iran has tossed out the IAEA inspectors and the referral to the UNSC has been conveniently deferred until next month; meanwhile, Captain Ed wonders:

Saddam And WMD: Case Re-Opened?

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence wants to reopen a question on what it calls "postwar" intelligence that both Congress and the administration would prefer to remain closed -- whether Saddam Hussein had WMD in late 2002. Its chair, Rep. Peter Hoekstra, says that mounting evidence and testimony point to Saddam's possession of the banned weapons prior to the final UN debates on the invasion, and that untranslated documentation holds the answer...

While some observers have suggested we may have as long as 5-10 years before Iran has a deliverable nuclear bomb, their threat to immediately begin enrichment suggests that they will have a dangerous amount of fissionables well before then; further, it is hard to have any confidence that they do not already have a nuke or two (perhaps from the AQ Khan and/or North Korean bazaar.)   Certainly the Iranian behavior suggest that the leadership is either supremely confident, extraordinarily foolhardy, or some combination of the two leavened with an apocalyptic vision. 

Charlie Munn, at the Officer's Club, does not agree with those who claim Israel is incapable of acting and describes a realistic scenario by which Israel could slow down Iran's nuclear program.  It involves acts of war which will bring most of the Middle East into conflict, but a country facing extermination, yet again, can not be expected to exercise restraint indefinitely.

The Reichstag Fire and the Cartoon Wars

On February 27, 1933,  the Reichstag building, the assembly location of the German Parliament, was set on fire by an arsonist.  Hitler and Goring appeared on the scene shortly thereafter, blamed the Communists, and used the event as a pretext to seize power.  Most of the evidence suggests the Nazis themselves staged the fire to create a crisis, although some suggest the Communists were behind the fire and the Nazis made skillful use of it in an opportunistic manner.  The day after the fire, German democracy was essentially ended; it was all done legally and allowed Hitler, who had been elected with a minority of the vote, to seize dictatorial powers:

President Hindenburg and Chancellor Hitler invoke Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution, which permits the suspension of civil liberties in time of national emergency. This Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of the People and State abrogates the following constitutional protections:

Free expression of opinion
Freedom of the press
Right of assembly and association
Right to privacy of postal and electronic communications
Protection against unlawful searches and seizures
Individual property rights
States' right of self-government

A supplemental decree creates the SA (Storm Troops) and SS (Special Security) Federal police agencies.

Today we see orchestrated demonstrations and riots in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.  This has led to some bloggers who I highly respect counseling restraint (which is similar to what our State Department suggested as well.)  I would suggest that while restraint makes a great deal of sense, it is doubtful it will have much of an impact on the current state of affairs.

Blogosphere Addictive Disorder

Since it is Superbowl Sunday, one of America's national holidays, I thought it would be a good time to "lighten up" and describe a new faux-problem.

As most people realize, the Psychiatric profession is always looking for more people who are victims of serious mental disorders.  In order to assist the American Psychiatric Association in their noble quest of finding at least one DSM diagnosis for everyone, I would like to describe the diagnostic criteria for a new Psychiatric problem that is already prevalent and threatening to become an epidemic.  I am, of course, speaking, with tongue held firmly in cheek, of Blogosphere Addictive Disorder or BAD.

BAD is a serious Psychiatric disturbance in which the sufferer begins to spend more and more time in the Blogosphere with often disastrous consequences in their "real life"; some victims have even missed meals because of BAD!  However, the worst danger to those who develop BAD is that, like any addiction, it can progress to a far more disabling disorder, Blogging Addictive Disorder, or WORSE.

Herewith are some of the diagnostic criteria for BAD:

The Council Has Spoken!

This week's Council winning post is from Our Liberties are Our Liberties, Even If, and Especially if, That Pisses Mohammed Off, by New Sisyphus.  The post offers an excellent grounding for understanding the current "Cartoon Wars." 

In second place is GUESS WHAT, PROFESSOR COLE? , in which Dr. Sanity attempts to do some therapeutic reality testing with an intelligent man who is unable to use his mind effectively because his prejudices impede his ability to think.  It is a valiant effort by Dr. Sanity, and she probably won't even bill the Professor.

Among the non-Council posts, first place was earned by Neo-neocon for the most recent installment of her series, A mind is a difficult thing to change--Part 6 B (After 9/11: war is interested in you).  It is a must-read for anyone interested in an up close look at how a thoughtful person can change their perspective and adapt to changed realities.  If you have not read the prior installments, find a comfortable chair to pull up to your computer, perhaps with a cup of coffee or tea and a snack, and start reading; you won't be disappointed.

In second place was a post by  Cassandra at Villainous Company, a blog new to me that will soon be on my blog roll.  In Not Joel Stein's Kind Of Men she beautifully describes the difference between real men and dilettantes who imagine themselves to be men. 

As always, all the nominees are listed at the Watcher of Weasels and there are a number of real gems among the runners-up.  Enjoy!

The Inexorable Logic of Terror

We have always lived in a world in which "asymmetric" warfare was a common place event.  The classic example for the current times is Vietnam.  There was never any question that in a straight fight between the American military and the North Vietnamese and their agents in the Vietcong, the US military would have devastated the enemy.  Of course, we were constrained from a full scale war by fear of Chinese and/or Russian nuclear intervention. 

The North Vietnamese learned early on that their best hope of winning lay in convincing the American public that victory would be too costly in lives and materiel and that they would never sue for peace.  The Communists had defeated the French in exactly this way.  Despite the evidence we have learned since the war that the North thought they were losing, that the Tet offensive, which Walter Cronkite famously saw as a great defeat for America, was a disaster for the North, many Americans still do not fully appreciate how the defeat in the information war led to our defeat on the battlefield.

Today, we are involved in the quintessential asymmetric warfare between Western civilization and various forms of radical Islamic fascism who use techniques of terrorism as their primary weapon. 

This war is being fought on many different fronts, including, especially, on the front pages of our newspapers.  The commonality that links the uproar over the "Cartoon War" and the Iranian race to gain a nuclear weapon is the inherent logic of escalation that is built into the enemy's guiding political philosophy.

Terrorism works best when it works as theater.

The Samurai or the Maiden

Yesterday I wrote about young people who will likely have difficulty making the transition into adulthood, in part because they have incorporated the narcissistic ideal of "omni-potentiality" that one can and should have whatever you desire without any hindrance.  I also suggested that heightened narcissism leads to loneliness.  The more investment (cathexis) one has in oneself, the less is available to invest in another person. 

Adolescence is a time of heightened narcissism in the healthiest, most well balanced, youngsters.  The changes taking place in their bodies and their minds tend to make them feel out of control and extremely self-conscious.  It is the rare teenager that willingly defies the conventions of his particular clique.  They worry about how they appear, how they dress, their hair, their acne (any pimple seems to be the size of a giant crater), their speech patterns, etc.  They look for others who think the same way they do in order to feel less estranged.  At a time when they are psychologically separating (partially decathecting) from their family, the peer group is all important.

In the modern industrialized high tech societies of the West, adolescence can last until quite late, after college, graduate school; sometimes adolescent conflicts are never resolved.

In therapy I occasionally am allowed the privilege of watching a child make the transition from adolescence into young adulthood.  Robert Avrech, on his blog Seraphic Secret, has written a delightful, funny, and touching series of posts, How I Married Karen, one chapter of which beautifully illustrates the moment when a boy becomes a man.  I use his post with his permission.

The Academy Awards, Pan-Sexuality, Narcissism, & Loneliness

On occasion a number of disparate news stories come together in ways which illuminate aspects of our current cultural and societal tensions.  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the  Oscar nominations last night. There were few surprises among their announcements.  As The New York Times described them, themes that are championed by "liberals" dominated the nominations :

In a year when size has counted for less than serious intent among voters, Oscar nominations were divvied up on Tuesday among mainly small films with deep political and social themes, from gay romance to the abuse of government power to racial relations to the cycle of vengeance in the Middle East.

"I think this year is the year that small movies get attention because they deal with complexities, they go to the gray area," said Ang Lee, the director of "Brokeback Mountain," which garnered the most nominations, eight, including best picture and best director.

"They deal with issues, and they ask questions; they don't really give resolution," he added. "That's the mood this year."

"Brokeback Mountain," a love story between two ranch hands set over several decades, continued a run that has put it in lead position as the awards season unfolds.

I am less interested in the political resonance than in the cultural significance of the films nominated and the effect such films have, and are meant to have, on the most vulnerable among us. 

Fortuitously, this week I received the January issue of the CNS News.  An article on the front page (not available on-line) was titled "Pro-Eating Disorder Sites Glamorize Diseases, Make Treatment More Difficult".  A brief excerpt: