Howard Dean calls Al Jazeera America 'The Fox of the Muslim world'

[bigtree]

tweeted by, Howard Dean ?@GovHowardDean 51m

Al Jazeera's coverage is a joke. They parrot the Iraqi govt line. Al Jazeera America cant be taken seriously. The Fox of the Muslim world

[tarheelsunc]

1. I thought they were controlled by the Qatari government... eom

[iandhr]

3. Your right

[Raksha]

44. That's what several knowledgeable people have told me.

It's something that's easily verified too.

[Warpy]

53. Yes and no. When the Emir set them up, it was on his money

but he set them up to be independent.

They're quasi independent, they do know who is buttering their bread. However, direct control is rarely exerted.

As for Dr. Dean, perhaps he needs to watch them a few times before he shoots from the lip. Yes, the stories about the Middle East have a slant or two, but the absence of loaded language is incredibly refreshing.

No, I still don't watch televised news as a general rule However, Al Jazeera so far is about as far from the nonstop paranoid propaganda churned out by Pox News as you can get.

[David__77]

2. IRAQI government line?

Huh???? I hope this isn't what he said, because that couldn't be further from the truth. It's more pro-Salafist, pro-MB, sure. But if anything Jazeera displays sectarian bias against Iraq for being led by Shiites.

[MNBrewer]

4. I remain skeptical...

[scooter rider]

41. Of?

*the check mark indicates a verified account*

[MNBrewer]

43. of whether this is actually Howard Dean or a hacked twitter account

[Cali_Democrat]

72. There has been no indication his account was hacked

[cthulu2016]

5. The odds against al Jazeera being impartial in covering the Arab world

are close to infinite, so they are likely to be in the bag for somebody.

I haven't made a study of who they're in the bag for so I don't know if Dean's statement is true or false in specific. (It seems odd that anyone would be in the bag for Iraq, specifically)


Some Americans learn (correctly) that US media is largely fake and then fall into the trap of thinking that means foreign media is not fake.

It doesn't.

Many foreign media outlets are just as partial, as partisan, as politicized, as propagandistic as any other human information endeavor ever has been or will be.

[MADem]

10. Look at who OWNS them; there's your answer.

Jeez, it's like people here crying that RT is "fair and balanced" because it has a pretty green logo and they hire addled losers paying alimony to six wives like Larry King.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Jazeera_Media_Network

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, provided a loan of QAR 500 million ($137 million) to sustain Al Jazeera through its first five years, as Hugh Miles detailed in his book Al Jazeera: The Inside Story of the Arab News Channel That Is Challenging the West. Shares were held by private investors as well as the Qatar government.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/al-jazeera-america-launch-5-609014

Who owns Al Jazeera America
AJAM is part of the global Doha-based news organization financed by the royal family of Qatar. Last July, Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani handed over power to his son Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, 33. Qatar has only 1.9 million people but is the world's richest country, with stakes in Barclays and Volkswagen. The emirate has supported uprisings in Syria and Libya and, according to Bloomberg, has lent $8 billion to Egypt since the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak. However, in July, close to two dozen employees at the company's network in Egypt resigned over what they characterized as the network's biased coverage of the Muslim Brotherhood.

[Raksha]

45. Thanks for the documentation. Howard Dean needs to get his facts straight.

[VanillaRhapsody]

51. Isn't that the prince that is second highest investor in Fox News?

[Turborama]

56. Nope, just as wrong as Dean thinking AJA is owned by Iraqis. It's Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal

who you're thinking of.

As reported here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8992753

And here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8993276

[MADem]

61. You are thinking of this fellow, who owns 7% (No. 2 investor, yes) of that pile of dogshit

Rupert Murdoch, controlling owner of News Corp., with Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit in March. Waleed holds 7 percent of the voting stock of the media company.


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129584557

Indeed, according to the latest filings with the SEC, Waleed now holds 7 percent of the voting stock in News Corp., more than any other person not named Rupert Murdoch, and he has repeatedly voted to support Murdoch's priorities. And News Corp. has invested in Waleed's own Middle Eastern media venture, called the Rotana Media group. Khan described sitting by the billionaire prince and the media baron as they strategized about billion-dollar deals and exchanged tips about fuel efficiency on their respective jets.

Khan says he asked Waleed about anger in some Arab circles about the rhetoric heard on Fox, and the prince replied this way:

"Look, I'm not there to direct the news policy, I'm there to invest in News Corp. — and hopefully they've got some sense to do news properly."

Officials at News Corp. and Fox News declined to comment for this story, while officials at the Kingdom Foundation, the prince's charity, did not reply to a request for comment.

Investigative reporter Neil Chenoweth of The Australian Financial Review has written extensively about corporate intrigue at News Corp. In an e-mail, he says Murdoch valued the prince for two reasons: His investment helped Murdoch hold some rival investors at bay, including Liberty Media CEO John Malone; and it helped him smooth the path for the expected succession of James Murdoch, his younger son.

[joshcryer]

55. Note: the resignations happened because AJE was for the MB, not against.

AJE supports democratic action more than anything else. And thus that's why they supported Morsi even if Morsi was a creep.

[MADem]

71. The guy who was running AJ (Wadah Khanfar) was most assuredly MB-trained; he was fired.

"Steps down" is a nice way of putting it--he was pushed down the stairs.

I think one of the Emir's relatives is in the slot now.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/09/201192012481969884.html


You will see, in typically polite fashion, that not a bad word is said in this article, but do a little digging around the net and the real story comes out.

[leftstreet]

6. Does that mean FOX 'parrots' the US govt line?

Interesting

[MADem]

7. But..... but...... but......!!!

I can see heads exploding, here!

I love Howard Dean....but I love Al Jazeeeeeeeera!!!!!! But I love Howard Dean!!!!!!! But I love Al Jazeeeeeeeeeeera!!!!!!!!

They'll probably keep AJ, and throw old Howard under the bus! How dare he have disappointed by .... NOT WINNING!




Any news enterprise that is owned by an EMIR should be given a bit of stink-eye; that's just logical! And Howard has a point--I'm sure they're every bit as "fair and balanced" as Fauxsnooze is!

[freshwest]

30. Can't take it anymore!

[newfie11]

8. I prefer them compared to ABC,NBC,CBS,FOX

At least I hear news not infotainment.

[deaniac21]

9. Howard nailed it

as always

[MADem]

11. Of course he did.

Stand by for some SERIOUS cognitive dissonance from the peanut gallery, though.

If it says USA SUX, some folks just love it! It's the oddest thing...

[freshwest]

27. USA SUX, Evil Empire, etc. is just another American Exceptionalism camp.

Like Obama and the NSA meme. The all-knowing and all-powerful Ruler.

He's here, he's there, he's everywhere, he's sniffing in your underwear!



If the USA is to be evil, it must be Exceptionally Evil, the biggest, baddest and most diabolical that ever was.

It's fucking magic! We are able to force everyone to do our bidding!



The Lord of Darkness rules the planet!

We will always be #1! USA, USA, USA!

Mwahahahahaha!

[MADem]

28. Ha ha ha!

You just went ahead...and made my day!!!!!

[freshwest]

40. GMTA!

[arely staircase]

12. yes and no

they definitely have a pro-Arab/anti-Israel slant (go figure) but are much better at news gathering and reporting than Fox. Better than CNN too.

[cascadiance]

17. Kind of like RT not being good now on LGBT issues, but bless them or having on Thom Hartmann!

I think the important message to send is that we are having to basically get our news from multiple sources because they all (unless they are funded as a non-proflt like LINK and FSTV) have biases based on who owns them or funds them). And since our country's media is largely biased towards the 1% here that owns them, MOST of what they talk about is biased and not informative or us average citizens. And for me, that bias is a lot heavier in ways that directly affect us than those biases of foreign media like Al Jazeera, RT, BBC, and France 24. Until we get non-government and non 1% owned/funded media we're going to have to watch a hybrid of these media outlets to get a more balanced perspective.

[pscot]

21. A balanced news diet

well seasoned with skepticism is essential to healthy understanding.

[arely staircase]

22. well the RT homophobia puts them beyond Fox News for me, but

I agree with you overall that a wide range of sources is the best way to stay informed.

[MADem]

33. RT sucks on anything that Putin objects to--it's not "RT"--it's the Kremlin News Network...

or "The Pootie Channel." Or the "We Used to be the KGB, But We Don't Call Ourselves That Anymore" channel. Pure propaganda.

And he takes issues with a lot more than LGBT matters--even though that's more than enough, in most people's minds, to discredit them thoroughly as a source.

If one holds progressive values, anyway...

No one would take any US outlet seriously that had Putin's views on equality--they shouldn't be given a pass just because they are foreign.

If Pootie don't like it, it don't get aired.

[dkf]

13. I don't follow enough AJ to notice but Howard is usually right.

That statement plus Catherina's pieces are good to know. Thanks!

[Catherina]

14. Have no idea how AJAM covered it but here's the whole Dean context.

To his point that AJAM can't be taken seriously, nobody watching their negotiations thought they'd be any better than AJE which used to be a fine station. The Al Jazeera network exists for propaganda, royal squabbles and exacerbating sectarian strife. Keep the little people divided so the Emir and the House of Saud can divide the spoils as they see fit.

I don't get AJAM so I didn't see the segment he's complaining about but here's the context if it helps.

Rec'd for Dean noticing it can't be taken seriously.

Howard Dean ?@GovHowardDean 9h

While State occupied with Syria, Maliki attacks unarmed Iranian dissdents. So far 19 dead, five executed with hands tied behind back.

Pretty obvious that Maliki is an Iranian puppet. What is State doing abut this?

Where is the UN, which promised to monitor the safety of the Iranians stuck in Iraq? As is so often the case the are ineffective.

Good chance that when we get the details this makes Maliki a war criminal for ordering unarmed dissidents murdered.

And since the US guaranteed dissidents safety in writing that at least makes us look weak and unreliable if not worse.

We are now apparently supporting a mass murderer as prime minister of Iraq

Death toll now 23 in Iraqi massacre of unarmed Iranian dissidents

34 unarmed dissidents now dead in Iraq. Reports of Iranian intelligence at the scene with senior Iraqi General overseeing the massacre.

Death toll up to 44 in Iraq Massacre as nine unarmed injured Iranian opposition are executed in cold blood. No action from US Govt or UN.

Why are American Taxpayers supporting Arms and other aid to Iraq's Maliki? The are in the pocket of Iran.

Latest from Iraq: 52 dead, 9 missing in Iraqi army attack on unarmed Iranian dissidents. Iraq denies but Tehran confirms and gloats

Al Jazeera's coverage is a joke. They parrot the Iraqi govt line. Al Jazeera America cant be taken seriously. The Fox of the Muslim world

https://twitter.com/GovHowardDean

[KoKo]

52. Howard Dean did a recent interview with Abby Martin on RT...

Governor Howard Dean Breaks the Set, Wealth Disparity and Soaring Debt: Thanks Reagan!

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="

?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


EPISODE BREAKDOWN: On this episode of Breaking the Set, Abby Martin talks to former Vermont Governor and US presidential candidate, Howard Dean, about the his 2004 presidential run, and current views ranging from healthcare to the US military’s use of drones. Abby then wraps up the show remarking on the 31st anniversary of the President Ronald Reagan’s Economic Recovery Act, and speaks with to Richard Wolff, Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, and author of ‘Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism’, about why ‘Reaganomics’ is not a cure-all for the US economy’s fiscal woes.

[KoKo]

54. Video is fixed...if anyone is interested...

[LuvNewcastle]

68. Enjoyed the video.

I always like seeing interviews with Howard Dean. I don't agree with him on some things, but he doesn't use weasel words when he's being questioned. He speaks directly, in plain English. He says he might run in 2016, but it isn't likely. I think a Dean presidency would be interesting to see. The interview with the professor at the end about the economy was worth watching, too.

[Douglas Carpenter]

15. I think a lot of people imagined Howard Dean to be a lot more progressive than he actually was or is

IN 2004 there were so few voices who got the attention of the mainstream media who spoke out against the invasion of Iraq - So the most visible candidate who did was labeled by the media as "far left." He also supported civil unions at a time when that was considered almost a marginal idea. So the notion that Howard Dean was some kind of 21st Century George McGovern took hold in a lot of people's minds - both supporters and detractors.

In 1968 a moderate Senator from Minnesota named Eugene McCarthy was willing to challenge LBJ for the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States on the basis of opposition to the Vietnam War. Given his boldness to take on the established sensible center - Eugene McCarthy was presumed to be a very left-wing and perhaps even a radical left figure. In fact like Howard Dean, Sen. McCarthy's actual record and actual positions did not support that notion in the slightest. A couple of weeks before the Democratic convention - with LBJ out of the race and RFK gone from this world - a real war opponent and fighting progressive with a record and actual positions to show for it did make a last minute entry into the race for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. I speak of course of South Dakota Sen. George McGovern. But the left and ant-war supporters had to a large degree already rallied around the campaign of Eugene McCarthy. I recall that some of the McGovern supporters enraged Sen. McCarthy with buttons that said, "George McGovern is the REAL Eugene McCarthy." In other words McCarthy was simply not what his supporters imagined him to be - Sen. McGovern was much closer to what McCarthy supports imagined Sen. McCarthy to be. I suppose in 2004 the button should have read. Dennis Kucinich is the REAL Howard Dean.

[MannyGoldstein]

16. But Dean was far to the left of Kerry, Clinton, and the rest

of the DLC establishment at the time.

[ProSense]

18. No, he wasn't

Howard Dean has never been particularly progressive.

Kerry: We Still Have a Choice on Iraq
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/06/opinion/we-still-have-a-choice-on-iraq.html

Kerry Says US Needs Its Own 'Regime Change'
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0403-08.htm

While Kerry never let up on Bush, there were other Democrats who did initially.

Video: Dean reacts to capture news
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/3710796#3710796

Speaking to reporters Sunday, Dean said, "This is a great day of pride in the American military, a great day for the Iraqis and a great day for the American people and, frankly, a great day for the administration. I think President Bush deserves a day of celebration. We have our policy differences, but we won't be discussing those today. I think he deserves a day to celebrate as well."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3710459/

An Open Letter to Howard Dean
by Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich

Dear Chairman Dean,

<...>

That's what most Democrats want, too. Your performance in the early stages of the primary, and your recent chairmanship of the party, were made possible by many, many progressive and liberal Democrats. It was their hope and expectation that you would prevent the party from repeating its past drift to the Republican-lite center. They hoped that this time the party would not abandon them or its core beliefs again.

Yet you say that you hope the President succeeds. With no pressure exerted from the leadership of the Democratic Party, the past threatens to repeat itself in 2006. We may not leave Iraq or our minority status in Washington for a long time to come.

Dennis J. Kucinich

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0504-21.htm

[Douglas Carpenter]

20. I hope it is not upsetting to hear this from me. But I agree with you

I respect Gov. Dean for making opposition to the invasion of Iraq a campaign issue. But the notion that he was left-wing or progressive or even a New Deal Democrat was an illusion like Sen. Edward's fighting for the working poor -- a crock of bullshit.

[MannyGoldstein]

25. "I'm from the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party"

Why would Dean say that?

Because he was far to the left of Kerry, Clinton, and the rest of the Neoliberal crowd:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Dean_presidential_campaign,_2004#Positions

[Douglas Carpenter]

29. Then Congressman Bernie Sanders in his 1998 autobiography, Outsider in the House

described then Gov. Howard Dean as a moderate or perhaps even conservative Governor. Although to be fair - that was moderate to conservative by Vermont standards. Although, remember before he became to be seen as a liberal figure he had won the praise of the DLC. He's not a bad guy - just your typical, Gore, Clinton, Obama type centrist who happened to take the right position regarding the Iraq war. And as Barney Franks said at the time, Gov. Dean recognized there was a niche for a candidate to position themselves as the candidate of the left in the 2004 primaries and Gov. Dean made a decision to try to fill that niche.

Bloomberg BusinessWeek Magazine had this 2003 article about him that is probably quite fair.

Who's the Real Howard Dean?

Howard Dean has fought his way to the front of the Democratic pack jostling for the 2004 Presidential nomination partly because he has won the hearts of so many liberals with his antiwar rhetoric and shoot-from-the-lip style. But who is the real Howard Dean? Is he the left-of-center insurgent being portrayed in the press or the business-friendly fiscal conservative and pragmatic moderate who governed Vermont for 11 years?

Conservative Vermont business leaders praise Dean's record and his unceasing efforts to balance the budget, even though Vermont is the only state where a balanced budget is not constitutionally required. Moreover, they argue that the two most liberal policies adopted during Dean's tenure -- the "civil unions" law and a radical revamping of public school financing -- were instigated by Vermont's ultraliberal Supreme Court rather than Dean. "He was not a left-wing wacko," says Bill Stenger, a Republican and president of Jay Peak Resort, who says he supported Dean because of his "fiscally responsible, socially conscious policies."

Business leaders were especially impressed with the way Dean went to bat for them if they got snarled in the state's stringent environmental regulations. When Canada's Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. wanted to build a new manufacturing plant on 700 acres of Vermont farmland in the mid-'90s, for instance, Dean greased the wheels. Husky obtained the necessary permits in near-record time. "He was very hands-on," says an appreciative Dirk Schlimm, the Husky executive in charge of the project.

read more: http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2003-08-10/whos-the-real-howard-dean

[MADem]

37. But..... but...... but......!!!

He had all the kewl kidz with the orange hats!!!!!!!

The ones who partied hard and didn't precinct walk or sell their candidate, many of 'em!

He HAD to be progressive!!!!!

Orange HATS, doncha know!



Seriously, I knew a lot of people who liked Howard Dean, but the only ones who were calling him a screaming leftie were the screaming righties. He was a center left sort, a bit progressive here, a bit not-so-much there.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

42. I don't know what all this has to do with him not caring for Al Jazeera

Apparently you have to like them to prove your progressive street cred?

[MADem]

65. I like Howard just fine.

He's just not a fire-breathing lefty like some folks believe. He's center-left, and a pragmatist.

I like people who are pragmatists. I too believe that half a loaf is better than none.

And I think Al Jazeera is full of shit sometimes, too. They aren't as full of shit as Faux, but they can fling it with the best of 'em, if they have an interest in skewing a topic.

[HardTimes99]

49. This is some fascinating 1968 historical detail (much thanks for this) and insightful

analysis of Dean (whom I supported in 2004 b/c he was the leading anti-war candidate, even while knowing he was a centrist).

I hope Dean takes a run at Hillary from the left in 2016. He has a way of cutting through bullshit with a surgeon-like scalpel that I find quite refreshing.

[Douglas Carpenter]

19. after listening to hours and hours of CNN beating the war drums and pumping out buckets and buckets

and buckets and buckets of bullshit like they have on any number of occasions on any number of issues - I find it outlandish that because one network on one particular report also shows some bias - and I don't dispute that they have a bias - we are to presume that they are not be taken seriously - While the very same mainstream media that lied and deceived the American people into so many wars are some how or other superior.

[KoKo]

50. Agree.... Wolf Blitzer started out as Pentagon Reporter and his fame

came from his being in a Baghdad Hotel where he covered with huge glee the "Rockets Red Glare of the Bombs in Gulf War I under Poppy. He's pretty much been CNN's voice for War Humping since. As a DU'er said in jest today: "He never leaves CNN ...sleeps under his Desk in the "Situation Room."

There have been rumours that he still has CLOSE ties to the Pentagon.

[Douglas Carpenter]

57. prior to that Blizter worked for the right-wing Jerusalem Post and for AIPAC

working for AIPAC.

Blitzer began his career in journalism in the early 1970s in the Tel Aviv bureau of the Reuters news agency. In 1973 he caught the eye of Jerusalem Post editor Ari Rath, who hired Blitzer as a Washington correspondent for the English language Israeli newspaper. Blitzer would remain with the Jerusalem Post until 1990, covering both American politics and developments in the Middle East.[12]

In the mid-1970s, Blitzer also contributed to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as the editor of their monthly publication, the Near East Report. While at AIPAC, Blitzer's writing focused on Middle East affairs as they relate to United States foreign policy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_Blitzer

[KharmaTrain]

62. That Wasn't Wolfie...

...that was Peter Arnett, Bernard Shaw and the late John Holloman who were in El Rashid hotel when the bomb began dropping in '91. Wolfie never left the Pentagon...

[Douglas Carpenter]

64. yea I remember Wolfie was a leading correspondent at the time. But it was Peter Arnett who

broadcast from Baghdad - frequently reporting on the civilian casualties of the U.S. bombing campaign.

[KharmaTrain]

66. I Was Just Watching Back The Video...

...I rolled tape that night and if people think our media was having a "wargasm" over Syria, that was nothing compared to the coverage not only of Chicken Noodle Nuze but all the networks that evening...

[KoKo]

70. It was like they were massive July 4th Fireworks Display and not destruction

with collateral damage. A prelude to the Iraq Invasion and hooplah over statue of Saddam being torn down...where it turned out it wasn't the people of Iraq who tore it down but "our" people on the ground who staged it.

Wolf was head cheerleader and he was reporting from Kuwait not Baghdad as poster MADem below corrected me.

[MADem]

63. Wolf Blitzer actually started out as one of Pat Robertson's 700 Club reporters.

It’s scary to hear someone carry-on like Pat. But it’s sort of strange to realize that Pat and Wolf Blitzer go way back together. Yep! Wolf used to work for Pat Robertson's CBN way back when Pat was setting up his news bureau and Wolf was the 700 Club’s reporter from the Middle East. He was a lot younger in those days, but in those beginning days Pat exposed Wolf Blitzer to a viewing audience that topped the Nielsen ratings at 28.7 million monthly viewers! That’s a great way to launch one’s career. But Wolf Blitzer likes to keep that part of his career kind of quiet. He doesn’t list the 700 Club’s news bureau in his biography. He doesn’t tell CNN’s audience that Pat was like an angel to him when he was just an independent reporter starting out. But those of us who watched Pat’s show could never forget Wolf Blitzer’s reports. He was presented to us as such an expert—we were just so proud of him! And look how high he’s gone. You’d think he’d give Pat a little credit. No doubt he says “Thanks” by inviting him on CNN!

http://www.yuricareport.com/Media/OnPatRobertsonWolfeBlitzerAndDavidCorn.html

He also has written under an alias:

In writing for several Israeli newspapers in Washington, Blitzer has used the names Zev Blitzer and Zev Barak.[11] Zev (זאב is the Hebrew word for "wolf" and Barak (ברק is the Hebrew word for "lightning" (which in German/Yiddish is Blitz).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_Blitzer


I thought Wolf was "in the rear with the gear" back in Kuwait when the shit hit the fan in Baghdad. It was Peter Arnett and Bernard Shaw who were crapping their drawers in that hotel room in Baghdad....ah, memories! I watched that unfold on CNN International via satellite!

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/01/16/cnna.shaw.arnett/

[Jefferson23]

23. He does not seem to know much about Al Jazerra, when it began and later:

Al Jazeera and U.S. Foreign Policy:
What WikiLeaks' U.S. Embassy Cables Reveal about U.S. Pressure and Propaganda
by Maximilian C. Forte

http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/forte220911.html

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

24. I love Dr Dean

I don't care for attractive Arab women with delightful British accents making apologies for their own subjugation either.

[Cleita]

26. David Schuster is an attractive Arab lady with a British accent? Who knew. n/t

[Douglas Carpenter]

31. attractive Arab women with delightful British accent can't possibly be strong independent women.

Everyone knows that.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

32. The ones not reading government bullshit off the teleprompter can be(n/m)

[Douglas Carpenter]

38. after listening to hours and hours of government stenographer bullshit on CNN

I don't see anything wrong with hearing a different perspective every now and then. I can't see why listening to the world from a different point of view is so dangerous. Al Jazeera America and Al Jazeera English have a lot more independent investigative journalism then you will ever find from the caviar correspondents and government stenographers who inhabit the mainstream American media.

[freshwest]

39. But nicer than Ann Coulter, doing the same thing. Ah, the 1% media. Just sayin'

Last edited Sun Sep 1, 2013, 06:29 PM - Edit history (1)

I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
No, I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well, I wake up in the morning
Fold my hands and pray for rain
I got a head full of ideas
That are drivin' me insane
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
No, I aint gonna work for Maggie's brother no more
Well, he hands you a nickel
He hands you a dime
He asks you with a grin
If you're havin' a good time
Then he fines you every time you slam the door
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
No, I aint gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
Well, he puts his cigar
Out in your face just for kicks
His bedroom window
It is made out of bricks
The National Guard stands around his door
Ah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.

I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more
Well, when she talks to all the servants
About man and God and law
Everybody says
She's the brains behind pa
She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.

I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well, I try my best
To be just like I am
But everybody wants you
To be just like them
They say sing while you slave and I just get bored
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

[Raksha]

46. Great song - thank you for posting the lyrics. n/t

[mick063]

34. Not that I agree, nor disagree with his point

But Dean is a paid lobbyist.

I make it a policy to never trust the words of a politician that has opted for a career in influence peddling. They are part of the problem, not the solution.

All media must be taken with a questioning attitude.

[madrchsod]

35. i did`t know al jazeera was a mouth piece for the iraqi government.

would that be the same government that the usa works with everyday?

al jazeera was the only news organization that covered the gulf oil spill in depth.

[gulliver]

36. Fox News is already "the Fox of the Muslim world."

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal owns a bunch of News Corp.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

47. I watched Al Jazeera English regularly --

and found them to be a generally good news organization. Yes, they did tilt pro-Arab but I found it an interesting/educational balance to our very pro-Israel media.

[NuclearDem]

48. Muslim != Arab, Howard.

[Larkspur]

58. I love Howard Dean but he is biased FOR Israel

Al Jazeera patterned themselves after CNN when it was run by Ted Turner and it has some great reporters, unlike Faux News network.
Their reporting is respectable.

Also Al Gore respected Al Jazeera's main reporting, which is why he agreed to the sale of Current TV to Al Jazeera.

[RC]

59. More propaganda because Al Jazeera is more balanced over all, than any news source in this country.

Look at who is defending Al Jazeera in this thread and who is knocking them. That should be a clue right there, for the attentive.

Demonizing of any reasonably non-biased news source, to keep us confused and ignorant. Can't be have any facts from reliable sources that don't fit our national "news" bias around here. Heave forbid!

[Violet_Crumble]

67. That clue jumps out like a sore thumb. The campaign against Al Jazeera is pathetic...

I find it interesting to see echoes of the extreme RW types bubbling up in some posts I've read here.

From those extreme RW Arab-haters at Arutz Sheva:

Beneath any veneer of luxury, Qatar is a brutal dictatorship where a poet who criticized the emir was sentenced to life in prison. Al-Jazeera's coverage of the sentencing, by the way, was practically non-existent. (The poet's sentence was later commuted to 15 years.) Naturally, emirate-owned media protect the emirate. Come to think of it, it's against Qatari law to criticize the emirate or Islam.

Meanwhile, it is a 21st-century fact that tiny Qatar spends large sums of money to combat its image problem in the rest of the world. It spends even larger sums on war to shape the world itself. Al-Jazeera America and Hamas, in other words, are only part of the picture.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/13775

Of course, I won't be able to see AJA as I'm in Australia, but I've read Al Jazeera for a long time, and always found it to be somewhere where I could get independent news and opinion. I'd be expecting AJA would be much the same...

[joshcryer]

69. I haven't seen Al Jazeera America, but Al Jazeera English was unbiased in coverage.

Dean is specifically bashing Al Jazeera America, which is likely made for US consumption in order to profit. Only 40% of its coverage is Al Jazeera English, so I suspect it's more mainstream and suited for American sensibilities (which I should say, sucks, btw).

Here's Al Jazeera America covering the event that Dean said that Al Jazeera America was parroting the Iraqi line: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/1/mortar-attack-killsseveraliniraniandissidentcampiniraq0.html

Here's Al Jazeera English's version of events: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/09/201391125338385422.html

It's clear which version is unbiased and which version is slanted toward not ruffling feathers. The America version sort of puts the dissidents in a poor light and puts into question who attacked who, the English version unequivocally makes it clear that they were attacked and mentions the UN's condemnation (which wasn't even in the American version).

Does that makes Al Jazeera wholly biased? Not if only 40% of their reporting is on the American version of the show!

I still say Al Jazeera English is some of the best reporting in the Middle East by far.

[JI7]

60. imagine if Obama or Kerry had said it