Contrasting freedom and fear

Muslims around the world look with joy, and more than a little trepidation, at the expressions of freedom underway in the Middle East and North Africa,

The celebration against tyranny began in Tunisia, spread famously for 18 days in Egypt and sparked passionate protests in a half of dozen other countries, including Iran and now Libya.

Lessons about peaceful protest provided hope and enthusiasm; they fueled the imagination of millions who previously believed there was no non-violent way to overcome dictatorship, or no alternative but radical fundamentalism. Instead, their yearning is clearly focused on a more democratic system.

But instead of celebrating that joy and promise, some American congressional leaders are eager to create a different focus in the next few weeks. A controversial congressional hearing aims at American Muslim communities to highlight the threat of the most radical among them.
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Beware the lure of the 10,000

During the recent snowstorm in the Northeast, television journalists ominously reported that some 10,000 airline flights were canceled.

In the immediate hours after two planes crashed into the World Trade Center, reports of the death toll claimed as many as 10,000 killed.

Several years later, the mayor of New Orleans gave the national media the same figure in his early estimate of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Beware the lure of the 10,000.

Whether a huge terror strike against nation’s security or a natural disaster, authorities in the U.S. and elsewhere are likely to provide the most convenient and usually the largest number that journalists are willing to accept, or at least unlikely to challenge. Continue reading →

In China-U.S. relations, expect ‘hegemony’ to dominate

The odd little word “hegemony” was absent during two recent and heavily publicized meetings between the U.S. and China, but that’s only because the leaders were trying to make nice.

Military and economic relations almost inevitably will become more strained in the future, so expect to hear “hegemony” again and again from diplomats and commentators; a word that is always meant in its darkest, most accusatory, sense.

The most common synonym is “dominance,” as in one state being dominant over others. And in the tug-of-war between the U.S. and an ascending China, it represents power, at least perceived power. Continue reading →

On reporting hypocrisies and hypocrisies in reporting

Disclosing the gay-bashing preacher who hires his own rent-boy is a satisfying feeling on a purely personal level; all cultures have a special distaste for the hypocritical and two-faced, especially by the intolerant. On a more professional level, it is … Continue reading →

"Torture" vs. “enhanced interrogation techniques”

Disclosing the gay-bashing preacher who hires his own rent-boy is a satisfying feeling on a personal level. All cultures have a special distaste for the hypocritical and two-faced. So it is even more gratifying when journalists uncover the nation’s national … Continue reading →