EDITORS—Lee Fang’s critique of the degraded journalistic atmosphere at The Intercept that forced his resignation. The embrace of partisanship and wokism was too much for Fang, who exited the once-promising place (originally founded by tech billionaire Pierre Omidyar) much as did one of its founders, Glenn Greenwald.
MEDIA FRONT
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SIMPLICIUS—Iran made history yesterday by launching “Operation True Promise”. In our usual style here, let’s cut through all the noise currently clogging up social networks and incisively demonstrate the facts as thoroughly as possible, while also pointing out how this was a game-changing and historic event which has brought Iran onto the world stage in a big way.
Firstly, as establishment, Iran’s stated goal for the operation was to strike back at the bases from which the Israeli consular attack was launched on April 1: IRGC has listed its objectives for last nights missile attack: Ramon and Nevatim airbases (where attack on Iran Consulate was conducted from). Israeli Air Force intelligence HQ in Tel Aviv (where attack on Iran Consulate was planned) and degrading of Israeli air defence radars and assets.The footage is of the Intelligence HQ getting hit. I have yet to see evidence of 99% interception. Ramon has been badly hit. Nevatim was hit by more than 7 missiles. Air Force Intelligence HQ completely leveled. Other strikes on air defence installations obviously not close to population centres and out of view but I’m sure sat intel will show extent of damage.
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Hollywood’s Dangerous Afghan Illusion: “Charlie Wilson’s War”. Legacy of the late Robert Parry
42 minutes readTHIS IS A REPOST
ROBERT PARRY—First, there was the ascendance of propaganda over truth. The U.S. government was well aware of the gross human rights crimes of the Afghan “muj” but still sold them as honorable “freedom fighters” to the American people. Second, there was the triumphalism of Gates and other war hawks, who insisted on rubbing Moscow’s nose in its Afghan defeat and thus blocked cooperation on a negotiated settlement which held out the promise of a less destructive outcome. -
“Ukraine is Winning!” Selling the mendacious official narrative by every available channel
11 minutes readEDITOR—Matt Orfalea in one of his inimitable spoofs demonstrates that for all its ostensible diversity, US media does not dare deviate from the official monotonic narrative on any of the important topics defining reality for most people in the West. This was seen, for example, with the phenomenon of Russiagate, still an unchallenged hoax now making a comeback with the expected victory of Trump in 2024, and currently the narrative gyrations covering the Ukraine fiasco, the imperial genocide of Palestinians, and the constant demonisation of Washington’s main designated enemies, Russia, China, and Iran.
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PATRICK LAWRENCE—ISRAEL is a psychologically diseased nation that boasts as it inflicts this suffering on The Other that obsesses it. The world is invited—the ultimate in perversity, this—to partake of Israel’s sickness and said, in a Hague courtroom two weeks ago, “No.”
Post–Gaza, apartheid Israel is unlikely ever to recover what place it enjoyed, merited or otherwise, in the community of nations. It stands among the pariahs now. The Biden regime took this risk, too, and it has also lost. Its support for the Israelis’ daily brutalities comes at great political cost, at home and abroad, and is tearing America apart—its universities, its courts, its legislatures, its communities—and I would say what pride it still manages to take in itself.