1) Peter Jennings portrayed a Palestinian terrorist as a
man who was forced into it since he "was in favor of the peace
process until, as he told an Israeli newspaper, the Israelis didn’t
withdraw from the territories and went on building Jewish
settlements."
2) ABC’s World News Tonight featured a story on the
plight of two Palestinian teenage girls "trapped" in California.
Judy Muller let the girls spout off about their grievances, such as how
Israel wants them to live like "dogs." Seconds before one
proclaimed how "we want to live in peace like other children in the
world," Muller sympathetically relayed how on suicide bombings the
same girl "understands the despair behind such actions."
3) On Monday night, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell cut through
Yasser Arafat’s condemnation of suicide bombers to point out how
Arafat’s wife proclaimed that if she had a son that there would be ‘no
greater honor’ than to have him murder Jews.
4) Two celebrities over the weekend denied ever uttering
two provocatively un-patriotic sounding comments. Actor Alec Baldwin
maintained that he never said he’d leave the country if George W. Bush
became President and actor Danny Glover insisted that he had not charged
that the U.S. "is a purveyor of violence" around the world. The
record for both shows otherwise.
5) Letterman’s "Top Ten Fun Things To Do In a
Jet." Plus, the Late Show Web page has posted the winning picks in
its "Top Ten Contest" for the "Top Ten Reasons Bryant
Gumbel is Leaving The Early Show."
>>> Now online, the latest Notable
Quotables, the MRC’s bi-weekly compilation of the latest outrageous,
sometimes humorous, quotes in the liberal media. Amongst the topic
headings in the April 15 issue: "Touting a Terrorist's
Denials..."; "...While Hiding Terrorists' Guilt";
"Anxious For Afghan Quagmire"; "Rationalizing Terrorist
Murderers"; "Ashcroft's Terrifying Tactics"; "Paying
Ransom = Imperialism"; "Cheering Anti-Free Speech Law";
"Ignorant & Unjust Texas Verdict"; "Happily Aiding
Brock's Vendetta"; "Missing Bill's ‘Unmatched Ability’"
and "SUVs' Win Is Environment's Loss." To read all the quotes:
http://archive.mrc.org/notablequotables/2002/nq20020415.asp
For the Adobe Acrobat PDF version:
http://archive.mrc.org/notablequotables/2002/pdf/Apr152001nq.pdf
<<<
1
ABC’s
Peter Jennings demonstrated once again on Tuesday night how he sees the
Middle East through the eyes of a Palestinian. Compare how he described
terrorist coordinator Marwan Barghouti, captured by the Israeli Defense
Force, with how CBS’s Dan Rather and NBC’s Tom Brokaw set up their
pieces on events of the day in Israel.
Jennings endorsed Palestinian spin about an
"occupation" as he announced on the April 15 World News Tonight:
"Today in Ramallah the Israelis arrested a Palestinian who’s been
central to the Palestinian uprising against the occupation. His name is
Marwan Barghouti. He was in favor of the peace process until, as he told
an Israeli newspaper, the Israelis didn’t withdraw from the territories
and went on building Jewish settlements."
Yes, a peace-loving man until he was forced to
start planning terrorist attacks on civilians.
Dan Rather set up a CBS Evening News story:
"In the Middle East today, Israeli forces arrested one of Yasser
Arafat’s top lieutenants and plan to try him as a terrorist. That
provoked new anger from the Palestinians, even though as CBS’s David
Hawkins reports, Israel’s Prime Minister said his tanks and troops will
soon pull back from most, not all but most, Palestinian towns."
Over on the NBC Nightly News, Tom Brokaw
noted: "The Israelis have captured a man they say is a key aide to
Arafat and a major figure in the suicide attacks against Israeli targets.
His name is Marwan Barghouti."
2
Palestinians
"trapped" in the United States? ABC’s World
News Tonight on Monday featured a story on the plight of two Palestinian
teenage girls "trapped" in California because they are now
unable to return to their West Bank homes. Instead of looking at how much
better off they are living in San Francisco, ABC News reporter Judy
Muller, who has praised the far-left Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
for how it "stands alone in countering the myriad media critics on
the far right," devoted the piece to letting the two girls spout off
about their grievances, such as how Israel wants them to live like
"dogs."
The two young women were in the U.S. to attend
the Academy Awards were a film in which they were involved was up for an
Oscar. It didn’t win.
Muller sympathetically relayed how though one
of them "insists she would never be a suicide bomber, she understands
the despair behind such actions." But Muller didn’t see any
contradiction in then reporting that the "girls are using their time
here to meet with American teenagers. Their message is simple." And
the message of those who "understand" suicide murderers? One
explained: "We want to live in peace like other children in the
world."
Anchor Peter Jennings introduced the April 15
story: "Mr. Powell said today that he has been focusing in part on
securing humanitarian relief for the people in need after the Israeli
invasion. So many Palestinians have been trapped in their territories. We
also noticed today that there were two young Palestinian women who ended
up trapped here when they had gone to Hollywood."
Judy Muller began the subsequent story, as
transcribed by MRC analyst Brad Wilmouth, over a wide shot of the audience
at the Academy Awards:
"Somewhere
in this audience at last month’s Academy Awards were two Palestinian
girls. They traveled to Hollywood in hopes that a documentary about the
lives of seven Israeli and Palestinian children would win an Oscar. The
film didn’t win. And now the two friends, Sanabel Al-Faraja and Kayan
Al-Saify, are stuck in San Francisco -- and in limbo. They want to return
to their home, a refugee camp in the West Bank, but their parents say the
Israeli offensive has turned their home into a war zone. That has them
worried and angry."
Kayan Al-Saify,
West Bank resident: "They want from us to be like the dogs, like the
animals, but we are not like this. We are strong and brave."
Muller: "Sanabel was one of the children
featured in the documentary. When it was made five years ago, she was ten.
Her father, a journalist, was held for several years without charge at an
Israeli prison. This week Sanabel, who is now 15, learned from her mother
that her father has fled, fearful of being detained again."
Sanabel Al-Faraja:
"She said for me don’t come back to your home because that’s
dangerous for you."
Muller:
"In the film, Sanabel was one of the few children who expressed hope
that Israelis and Palestinians might one day live in peace."
Sanabel now:
"But now my everything is changed. I don’t have a home. My hope is
lost."
Muller allowed
her to rationalize murder: "The little girl who once danced with joy
[video of her dancing] is now a sad young woman. While she insists she
would never be a suicide bomber, she understands the despair behind such
actions. The girls are using their time here to meet with American
teenagers. Their message is simple:"
Sanabel to a
group of teens: "As you see, I have hands, I have legs, I have a
spirit just like you. And we want to live in peace like other children in
the world."
Except when we’re murdering civilians on
behalf of a Palestinian state, which never existed, by blowing ourselves
up.
Nonetheless, Muller concluded by letting us in
on what we missed: "It was the message she was prepared to deliver if
the film had won an Oscar. Now she delivers it to anyone who will listen.
Judy Muller, ABC News, San Francisco."
3
On
Monday night, of the broadcast networks, only NBC cut through Palestinian
victimology and Yasser Arafat’s condemnation of suicide bombers to point
out how Arafat’s wife proclaimed that if she had a son that there would
be ‘no greater honor’ than to have him murder Jews.
Andrea Mitchell noted on the April 15 NBC
Nightly News: "Saturday Arafat condemned all terrorist acts against
civilians. But now there’s this: His wife Suha, who lives in Paris with
her young daughter, tells a London-based Saudi-owned newspaper that if she
had a son there would, quote, ‘be no greater honor’ than to sacrifice
him for the Palestinian cause."
What a sexist.
4
Two
celebrities over the weekend denied ever uttering two provocatively
un-patriotic sounding comments attributed to them. Actor Alec Baldwin told
CNN’s Judy Woodruff that he never said he’d leave the country if
George W. Bush became President, insisting that "I have never seen
one person produce one audio clip or one video clip or one piece of
evidence that I ever made that statement," and actor Danny Glover
assured FNC’s Rita Cosby that he had not charged that the U.S. "is
a purveyor of violence" in its war on terrorism.
In fact, back in September of 2000 FNC showed
a clip of Baldwin parsing his words: "I think my exact comment was
that if Bush won it would be a good time to leave the United States. I’m
not necessarily going to leave the United States."
Last fall, a newspaper quoted Glover
condemning the United States: "One of the main purveyors of violence
in this world has been this country, whether it's been against Nicaragua,
Vietnam or wherever." He also called on the U.S. to not kill Osama
bin Laden.
-- Alec Baldwin. Woodruff interviewed Baldwin
in Orlando, Florida over the weekend where Baldwin spoke at the Florida
Democratic Party’s convention. He declared: "I am a hope-to-die,
carry-me-out-in-a-box Democrat." Inside Politics on Monday featured
excerpts from Woodruff’s interview, including:
Woodruff: "You have not only been
critical at points. You said some pretty tough things about George W.
Bush. And the Republicans have made note of this. At one point, you were
quoted as saying that you’d leave the country if George Bush were
elected."
Baldwin
countered: "Right. And I am glad you asked that question, because,
you know, to this day, I have never seen one person produce one audio clip
or one video clip or one piece of evidence that I ever made that
statement, because I never made that statement, never."
Well, not so fast. While it is true that the
story about him leaving the U.S. if Bush won came second hand from his
wife in a story published in a German magazine, after it caused commotion
in September of 2000 FNC’s Brit Hume played this non-denial denial
soundbite from Baldwin: "I think my exact comment was that if Bush
won it would be a good time to leave the United States. I’m not
necessarily going to leave the United States."
Off-camera
female reporter: "You’re not really going anywhere."
Baldwin:
"I might go on a long vacation."
How soon until that overseas vacation will
begin?
Hume added in his September 18, 2000 story:
"Baldwin, you’ll recall, suggested on late night TV during the
Clinton impeachment that Henry Hyde and his family should be killed."
Indeed, on the December 11, 1998 Late Night
with Conan O’Brien, Baldwin thought it was funny to stand and shout:
"Stone Henry Hyde to death!" To read the full quote or to watch
the outburst via RealPlayer, go to:
http://www.mediaresearch.org/news/biasvideo_classics.html
As reported in the September 19, 2000
CyberAlert, a September 17 AP dispatch from Munich announced: "Baldwins
Will Leave if Bush Wins." The story read, in full:
"If
George W. Bush wins the U.S. presidential election this November, he may
not be the only one moving into a new house.
"Kim
Basinger said her husband, actor and Democratic party activist Alec
Baldwin, was serious when he said he would leave the United States if the
Republican wins.
"‘Alec
is the biggest moralist that I know,’ she was quoted as saying in Focus
magazine, which hits newsstands Monday. ‘He stands completely behind
what he says.’
"Asked if
she'd move with him, Basinger said: ‘I can very well imagine that Alec
makes good on his threat. And then I'd probably have to go too.’"
-- Danny Glover.
On FNC’s FoxWire at 10pm EDT on Sunday night, during an interview pegged
to the actor’s fundraising for AIDS research, Rita Cosby raised a
controversial past comment with Glover, an exchange taken down by MRC
analyst Patrick Gregory.
Cosby: "Now you’ve also been critical
of some other U.S. policies, particularly our war against terror. You’ve
said quote that ‘the U.S. is a purveyor of violence.’ What did you
mean by that?"
Danny Glover:
"I did not say that; I quoted Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King
said in his speech ‘a time to end the silence’ in 1968 that he meant
that, that he said that about the U.S., and I did quote Martin Luther
King."
Cosby:
"Did you think that the attacks on Afghanistan were justified?"
Glover
demurred: "That’s not the question that I really want to deal with
at this particular point in time, because the issue of AIDS far
outdistances the issue of what I feel about war in general. I’m
principally against any kind of conflict...and for finding ways in which
we can deal with the conflicts through ways which are, through negotiation
and reconciliation."
Cosby:
"Were you surprised though, because some people have come out
recently and made some comments and been upset with some of the things
you’ve said, saying we shouldn’t have attacked Afghanistan, that Bin
Laden shouldn’t receive the death penalty, are you surprised?"
Glover:
"Excuse me, you know one of the things that I talked about, I came
there, I was invited to Princeton University to talk about the death
penalty. I am a staunch opponent of the death penalty, and I have been
more years than I’ve realized it, and I’ve stayed, I’m pretty
consistent with my principle behind the issues around the death penalty,
and that’s what my speech was about. I in no way used that opportunity
and have anytime used any venue that I’ve talked at to talk about the
war in Afghanistan, at no time."
In fact, at least according to a November 16,
2001 Trentonian story, Glover argued that Osama bin Laden should not be
killed:
"Movie
star Danny Glover, known for his brutal gunplay in the Lethal Weapon movie
series, last night called on the U.S. to spare the life of Osama bin
Laden.
"As guest
speaker at an anti-death penalty forum at Princeton University, Glover
said America was the one to blame for bombing and terror around the world.
"‘Yes
-- Yes!’ Glover said when asked if American forces should spare the
Saudi terrorist's life.
"‘When
I say the death penalty is inhumane. I mean [it's inhumane] whether that
person is in a bird cage [jail] or it's bin Laden.’"
The paper quoted Glover as declaring:
"One of the main purveyors of violence in this world has been this
country, whether it's been against Nicaragua, Vietnam or wherever."
For more from the Trentonian story, refer back
to the November 19, 2001 CyberAlert: http://archive.mrc.org/cyberalerts/2001/cyb20011119.asp#5
5
From the
April 12 Late Show with David Letterman, as read by airmen at McGuire Air
Force Base in New Jersey, the "Top Ten Fun Things To Do In a
Jet." Late Show Web page: http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/
10. Going wicked fast and zooming around like crazy
(Staff Sergeant, Tony Niwore)
9. Taxiing up to Wendy's drive-thru window
(Captain, Jim Pederson)
8. Annoying your fellow pilots by leaving your turn signal on
(Lieutenant, Cindy Larsen)
7. Wanna impress people? Show up to your high school reunion in a C-141
(Technical Sergeant, Joe Baldwin)
6. We're not supposed to, but sometimes we go to the moon
(Lieutenant, John Lawton)
5. Land on an interstate, pull into service area and yell, "Fill 'er
up!"
(Senior Airman, Doreen Saal)
4. Even though there is no such thing, telling the new guy to take us
to hyperspace
(Technical Sergeant, Del Shaffar)
3. Playing Boggle -- Boggle's fun no matter where you are!
(Major, Jeff Eickmann)
2. Flying over the I.R.S. and dropping off my "taxes"
(Master Sergeant, Liz Mitchell)
1. Breakfast: Phoenix. Lunch: Brazil. Dinner: Paris.
(Technical Sergeant, Mike Pelton)
> The Late Show Web page on Monday posted
the winning picks submitted in its "Top Ten Contest" for the
"Top Ten Reasons Bryant Gumbel is Leaving The Early Show." To
see the winners: http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/top_ten/contest/
In a future CyberAlert (I didn’t want to
overload on top tens today), I’ll send the winning list as well as some
of the submissions sent to me by CyberAlert readers.
> Scheduled to appear tonight, Tuesday, on
NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Chris Matthews of CNBC/MSNBC/NBC.