Ruth's Report: THE INTERCEPT

THE INTERCEPT was supposed to be this wonderful outlet. Grossly overfunded, it would do important work.

That is not what has happened.

Not one bit.

Danny Haiphong (BLACK AGENDA REPORTS) reports:

The Intercept emerged during the Obama era to provide a service to whistle blowers. Journalist Glenn Greenwald, for example, helped form the Intercept in the aftermath of the corporate media backlash to Edward Snowden's leaks about the massive surveillance machine possessed by the National Security Agency (NSA). The Interceptprided itself as a trustworthy source tailored to those interested in making state secrets a matter of public record. Then Donald Trump was elected and subtle changes to the content of the Intercept’s work became evident. By this time the Intercept was neither a safe source for leaks nor a reliable source of journalism.

On November 15th, the Intercept attacked WikiLeaks , the most well-known publisher of Washington's dirty laundry. The attack centered around WikiLeaks's communication with Donald Trump Jr. According to the Intercept, WikiLeaks has "given ammunition" to detractors of the group through its direct contact with Trump Jr. over Twitter. The tweets, which revolved around the release of Trump's tax documents, are supposedly proof that WikiLeaks "advised" the Trump Administration and is thus in cahoots with it. However, sources such as MSNBC, New York magazine, and The Atlantic do not give the Intercept’s claims much credibility.

WikiLeaks' request for Trump Jr. to release tax information could be seen as a strategic move to pressure the Administration to respond to the broader attack on WikiLeaks. The fact remains that at the time of the accusation (October 2016), Trump's tax history was already being scrutinized by the corporate press. WikiLeaks was also being attacked by the corporate press for releasing Podesta's emails, many of which revealed key policy blunders of the Obama-Clinton machine. The emails revealed that the DNC had in fact rigged the Democratic primary against Bernie Sanders among a sea of evidence of Clinton's servitude to Wall Street. The author of the Intercept article fails to mention this context at all.

Omitting the importance of the information leaked by WikiLeaks regarding the Clinton machine lays bare the partisan character of the Intercept's attack. And this is not the first time that the Intercept has damaged its journalistic reputation with partisan politics. The Intercept was implicated in the exposure of Reality Winner's identity in the insubstantial leak regarding Russian interference in the 2016 elections. It also published an anti-Syria hit piece comparing President Assad to fascists. Most recently, the Intercept was found to have withheld important Snowden leaks that may have changed the course of the war in Syria.

These instances of the Intercept's alignment with US imperialism raises many questions. First, what is it that prompts the media source from publishing articles that do nothing but aid the Democratic Party wing of the empire? And furthermore, how do the Intercept's recent journalistic blunders fit into the broader historical moment? These questions are vitally important as they point to the necessary approach to handling contradictions. This particular point in history is characterized by a crisis in every facet of US imperialism, making independent journalism that much more important to the development of a movement that can seize the time.

THE INTERCEPT has only demonstrated how the media continually fails We The People.

This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for today:

Thursday, December 7, 2017. Connecting the craven.

If you ever think the party of the self-righteous doesn't have its own flaws, look around at all the jerks offering excuses for Al Franken.

‏ @annekbrooks

I’m not wild about what Al Franken did.  Fine if people wish for him to step down.  But make no mistake, he’s not on the scale of Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein and Roy Moore. How Trump got elected after the Access Hollywood tape is still beyond my comprehension

39 replies187 retweets672 likes

"He's not on the scale of Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein and Roy Moore."

Collectively or individually?

There we have it. That's the level that Anne Brooks is willing to hold accountable.

Anything less and there doesn't need to be any consequences, she'll just note that she's "not wild about" it.

There's your answer.

You can assault a woman. You can put your hands on her. You can make her live in fear and Anne Brooks will come along and tell you that she's "not wild about what" you did but it's "not on the scale of Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein and Roy Moore" so you don't have to suffer consequences.

There have always been those who assault.

Sadly, there have always been those -- like Anne Brooks who excuse away assault.

Does Anne have kids?

Does she tell them that no one has the right to touch them?

If she does, does she quickly qualify, "Unless it's a Democrat in Congress!"?

There are laws and you either hold people accountable -- everyone, especially the powerful -- or you don't.

I'm not in the mood on the Al Franken subject. We have long documented his evil ways here.

He's guilty and he needs to resign.

Will he?

He doesn't have the character to do so gracefully.

Which is why he said he would yesterday and then, after that, announced he was still thinking about it and would let them know.

Guilty or innocent (and he's guilty), he's harmful to the Democratic Party and that's not going to change. For the good of the party, it was argued, he should resign. He agreed. Then, hours later, it became, "Wait, I'm going to think some more."

Al has no character.

Nor does Anne.

What he did was wrong. He's done it repeatedly. He's done it for years, decades. And there have been excuses and weasel words.

What he did is against the law.

He needs to go.

It's not a mistake -- you don't make a criminal mistake repeatedly.

It's this willful disregard for reality that allowed Abeer not only to be gang-raped and murdered but to be ignored by so many during the US trial.

A 14-year-old girl.

Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi is the 14-year-old Iraqi girl who was gang-raped and murdered March 12, 2006. US soldiers Paul Cortez and James Barker began raping her while Steven D. Green was in the other room murdering Abeer's five-year-old sister and her parents.

February 18, 2014, AP's Brett Barrouquere reported the 28-year-old Green was found dead in his Arizona prison cell on Saturday and that, currently, the operating belief is that it was a case of suicide.

May 7, 2009 Steven D. Green (pictured above) was convicted for his crimes in the March 12, 2006 gang-rape and murder of Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi, the murder of her parents and the murder of her five-year-old sister while Green was serving in Iraq. Green was found to have killed all four, to have participated in the gang-rape of Abeer and to have been the ringleader of the conspiracy to commit the crimes and the conspiracy to cover them up. May 21, 2009, the federal jury deadlocked on the death penalty.

Alsumaria explained, "An ex-US soldier was found guilty for raping an Iraqi girl and killing her family in 2006 while he might face death sentence. . . . Eye witnesses have reported that Green shot dead the girl’s family in a bedroom while two other soldiers were raping her. Then, Green raped her in his turn and put a pillow on her face before shooting her. The soldiers set the body afire to cover their crime traces."

Evan Bright reported on the verdict:

As the jury entered the court room, Green(red sweater vest) let out a large sigh, not of relief, but seemingly of anxiety, knowing the weight of the words to come. As Judge Thomas Russell stated "The court will now publish the verdict," Green interlaced his fingers and clasped them over his chin. Russell read the verdict flatly and absolutely. Green went from looking down at each "guilty" to eyeing the jury. His shoulders dropped as he was convicted of count #11, aggravated sexual abuse, realizing what this means. A paralegal at the defense table consoled Green by patting him on his back, even herself breaking down crying at the end of the verdicts.
After Russell finished reading the verdicts, he begged questions of the respective attorneys. Wendelsdorf, intending to ensure the absolution of the verdict, requested the jury be polled. Honorable Judge Russell asked each juror if they agreed with these verdicts, receiving a simple-but-sufficient yes from all jurors. Green watched the jury flatly.

From the September 4th, 2009 snapshot:

Turning to the United States and what may be the only accountability for the crimes in Iraq. May 7th Steven D. Green (pictured above) was convicted for his crimes in March 12, 2006 gang-rape and murder of Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi, the murder of her parents and the murder of her five-year-old sister while Green was serving in Iraq. Green was found to have killed all four, to have participated in the gang-rape of Abeer and to have been the ringleader of the conspiracy to commit the crimes and the conspiracy to cover them up. May 21st, the federal jury deadlocked on the death penalty and instead kicking in sentence to life in prison. Today, Green stood before US District Judge Thomas B. Russell for sentencing. Kim Landers (Australia's ABC) quotes Judge Russell telling Green his actions were "horrifying and inexcusable." Not noted in any of the links in this snapshot (it comes from a friend present in the court), Steven Dale Green has dropped his efforts to appear waif-ish in a coltish Julia Roberts circa the 1990s manner. Green showed up a good twenty pounds heavier than he appeared when on trial, back when the defense emphasized his 'lanky' image by dressing him in oversized clothes. Having been found guilty last spring, there was apparently no concern that he appear frail anymore.

Italy's AGI reports, "Green was recognised as the leader of a group of five soldiers who committed the massacre on September 12 2006 at the Mahmudiyah check point in the south of Baghdad. The story inspired the 2007 masterpiece by Brian De Palma 'Redacted'." BBC adds, "Judge Thomas Russell confirmed Green would serve five consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole." Deborah Yetter (Courier-Journal) explains, "Friday's federal court hearing was devoted mostly to discussion of technical issues related to Green's sentencing report, although it did not change Green's sentence. He was convicted in May of raping and murdering Abeer al-Janabi, 14, and murdering her parents, Kassem and Fakhriya, and her sister, Hadeel, 6, at their home outside Baghdad."

Green was tried in civilian court because he had already been discharged before the War Crimes were discovered. Following the gang-rape and murders, US soldiers attempted to set fire to Abeer's body to destroy the evidence and attempted to blame the crimes on "insurgents." In real time, when the bodies were discovered, the New York Times was among the outlets that ran with "insurgents." Green didn't decide he wanted to be in the military on his own. It was only after his most recent arrest -- after a long string of juvenile arrests -- while sitting in jail and fearing what sentence he would face, that Green decided the US Army was just the place he wanted to be. Had he been imprisoned instead or had the US military followed rules and guidelines, Green wouldn't have gotten in on a waiver. Somehow his history was supposed to translate into "He's the victim!!!!" As if he (and the others) didn't know rape was a crime, as if he (and the others) didn't know that murder was considered wrong. Green attempted to climb up on the cross again today. AP's Brett Barrouguere quotes the 'victim' Green insisting at today's hearing, "You can act like I'm a sociopath. You can act like I'm a sex offender or whatever. If I had not joined the Army, if I had not gone to Iraq, I would not have got caught up in anything." Climb down the cross, drama queen. Your entire life was about leading up to a moment like that. You are a sociopath. You stalked a 14-year-old Iraqi girl while you were stationed at a checkpoint in her neighborhood. You made her uncomfortable and nervous, you stroked her face. She ran to her parents who made arrangements for her to go live with others just to get her away from you, the man the army put there to protect her and the rest of the neighborhood. You are one sick f**k and you deserve what you got. Green play drama queen and insist "you can act like I'm a sex offender" -- he took part in and organized a gang-rape of a 14-year-old girl. That's a sex offender. In fact, "sex offender" is a mild term for what Green is.

Steven D. Green made the decision to sign up for the US military. He was facing criminal punishment for his latest crimes, but he made the decision. Once in the military, despite his long history of arrests, he didn't see it as a chance to get a fresh start. He saw it as a passport for even more crimes. What he did was disgusting and vile and it is War Crimes and by doing that he disgraced himself and the US military. His refusal to take accountability today just demonstrates the realities all along which was Green did what he wanted and Green has no remorse. He sullied the name of the US military, he sullied the name of the US. As a member of the army, it was his job to follow the rules and the laws and he didn't do so. And, as a result, a retaliation kidnapping of US soldiers took place in the spring of 2006 and those soldiers were strung up and gutted. That should weigh heavily on Steven D. Green but there's no appearance that he's ever thought of anyone but himself. He wants to act as if the problem was the US military which requires that you then argue that anyone serving in Iraq could have and would have done what he did. That is not reality. He does not represent the average

AFP notes, "During closing arguments at his sentencing, Green was described alternately as 'criminal and perverse' and deserving of the death penalty, and as a 'broken warrior" whose life should be spared'." Brett Barrouquere (AP) has been covering the story for years now. He notes that Patrick Bouldin (defense) attempted to paint Green as the victim as well by annoucing that Green wanted to take responsibility "twice" before but that Assistant US Attorney Marisa Ford explained that was right before jury selection began and in the midst of jury selection. In other words, when confronted with the reality that he would be going to trial, Steven D. Green had a panic moment and attempted to make a deal with the prosecution. (The offer was twice rejected because the 'life in prison' offer included the defense wanting Green to have possible parole.) Steve Robrahn, Andrew Stern and Paul Simao (Reuters) quote US Brig Gen Rodney Johnson ("Commanding General of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command") stating, "We sincerely hope that today's sentencing helps to bring the loved ones of this Iraqi family some semblance of closure and comfort after this horrific and senseless act."

Green went into the military to avoid criminal charges on another issue. He was one of many that the military lowered the standards for.

May 28, 2009, the family of Abeer gave their statements to the court before leaving to return to Iraq. WHAS11 (text and video) reported on the court proceedings:

Gary Roedemeier: Crimes were horrific. A band of soldiers convicted of planning an attack against an Iraqi girl and her family.

Melissa Swan: The only soldier tried in civilian court is Steven Green. The Fort Campbell soldier was in federal court in Louisville this morning, facing the victims' family and WHAS's Renee Murphy was in that courtroom this morning. She joins us live with the information and also more on that heart wrenching scene of when these family members faced the man who killed their family.

Renee Murphy: I mean, they came face to face with the killer. Once again, the only thing different about this time was that they were able to speak with him and they had an exchange of dialogue and the family is here from Iraq and they got to ask Steven Green all the questions they wanted answered. They looked each other in the eye. Green appeared calm and casual in court. The victims' family, though, outraged, emotional and distraught. Now cameras were not allowed in the courtroom so we can't show video of today's hearing but here's an account of what happened. (Video begins] This is a cousin of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl raped and killed by Steven Green. He and other family members in this SUV were able to confront Green in federal court this morning. Their words were stinging and came from sheer grief. Former Fort Campbell soldier Steven Green was convicted of killing an Iraqi mother, father and their young daughter. He then raped their 14-year-old daughter, shot her in the head and set her body on fire. Today the victim's family was able to give an impact statement at the federal court house the young sons of the victims asked Green why he killed their father. an aunt told the court that "wounds are still eating at our heart" and probably the most compelling statements were from the girls' grandmother who sobbed from the stand and demanded an explanation from Green. Green apologized to the family saying that he did evil things but he is not an evil person. He says that he was drunk the night of the crimes in 2006 and he was following the orders of his commanding officers. In his statement, Green said if it would bring these people back to life I would do everything I could to make them execute me. His statement goes on to say, "Before I went to Iraq, I never thought I would intentionally kill a civilian. When I was in Iraq, something happened to me that I can only explain by saying I lost my mind. I stopped seeing Iraqis as good and bad, as men, women and children. I started seeing them all as one, and evil, and less than human." Green didn't act alone. His codefendants were court-martialed and received lesser sentences. Green will be formally sentenced to life in prison in September. [End of videotape.] The answers that Green gave were not good enough for some of the family members. at one point today, the grandmother of the young girls who were killed left the podium and started walking towards Green as he sat at the defendant's table shouting "Why!" She was forcibly then escorted to the back of the court room by US Marshalls. She then fell to the ground and buried her face in her hands and began to cry again. The family pleaded with the court for the death sentence for Green. but you can see Green's entire statement to the court on our website whas11.com and coming up tonight at six o'clock, we're going to hear from Green's attorneys.

Steven D. Green was convicted of War Crimes.

But most Americans don't know who he was, let alone what he did, even today.

The impulse to look away is always there.

The refusal to demand justice.

The reluctance to demand the right thing be done.

After all, we're just talking about girls and women, right?

They don't matter.

Didn't the US government make that repeatedly clear in Iraq as one occupant of the Oval Office after another put women's rights on the chopping block and sold out Iraqi women repeatedly to install fundamentalist thugs?

Right now, in Iraq, they're attempting to lower the marriage age for girls to 9. President Donald Trump hasn't said one word. And this is a second attempt. They tried it in 2014 as well. And then-President Barack Obama didn't say one word.

Women and girls don't matter, their actions explained. As do Anne Brooks' words.

She doesn't deny what Al Franken did. She even says she's "not wild about" it. But, in her 'big picture,' it's important that Al stay in Congress, not that women are safe.

Time and again, this civilization sells out women and girls (and male survivors as well). Don't pretend this isn't related to the impulse of war and endless war.

Remember when Hillary was screaming for war on Libya and Barack agreed?

Look where the led.

Bruce Dixon (BLACK AGENDA REPORT -- text and audio):

If the news that black Libyans and black migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were being sold as slaves in Libya was a surprise to you, then you were not reading Black Agenda Report during the 2011-2012 NATO intervention in that country. We covered it. Almost everybody refused to question US foreign policy in Africa during the reign of our first black president. Many US news outlets, many otherwise reasonable people with access to foreign news, and countless others around the world averted their eyes and their ears to the anguish of hunted, lynched and massacred black Africans in Benghaz, in Tripoli, in Sirte and Bani Walid. But as the US Navy and US Air Force unleashed thousands of tons of bombs and missiles on innocent civilians and the military forces of the Libyan government, without which Uncle Sam’s and Barack Obama’s racist rebels could never have toppled Muammar Gadaffi, you heard and read about it each week in Black Agenda Report.
That is, if you were listening to or reading Black Agenda Report.
This kind of unflinching coverage is the reason Black Agenda Report has been targeted by Google, which now suppresses the appearance of our content in its search results alleging that we are so-called “fake news" or tools of the Russians. Of the roughly two dozen leftist publications singled out in this manner Black Agenda Report is the only one owned by blacks or oriented toward a black audience. There are slicker and prettier web sites with far larger audiences peddling other kinds of black experience and consciousness, profitably delivering black eyeballs to corporate marketers. These outlets do not challenge cherished beliefs. They neither question nor contradict the lies our corporate masters tell us, lies which some of us repeat to each other.

Anne Brooks whores out her beliefs and maybe feels that all women can be whored since she whores out her beliefs?

That's not justice.

‏ @democraticbear

Stand with Sen. Al Franken (D) MN!  He is not a rapist, a pedophile, a sexist, a Right Wing Republican... Likely, most of his actions were, well, stupid.  However, the last accusation is fraudulent.  He has taken responsibility.  Has Trump or Roy Moore?  Franken, do not resign!

27 replies181 retweets300 likes

Adam B. Bear needs to take "women rights activist" out of his profile.

He's not.

Al Franken is a criminal who has assaulted women repeatedly.

The last woman to come out? Tina Dupuly (the eighth woman to step forward). She wrote at THE ATLANTIC:

The author Kate Harding, shortly after Tweeden published her account, wrote a piece for The Washington Post, headlined: “I’m a feminist. I study rape culture. And I don’t want Al Franken to resign.” In it, she rehashes what Steinem wrote 20 years ago: These are our guys, we must protect them especially if there’s a risk one could be replaced by a Republican. “If we set this precedent in the interest of demonstrating our party’s solidarity with harassed and abused women, we’re only going to drain the swamp of people who, however flawed, still regularly vote to protect women’s rights and freedoms.”
Really? If Democrats demonstrate our party’s solidarity with harassed and abused women something bad will happen to women’s rights? Are you kidding me? Is that why there is a slush fund on Capitol Hill to settle sexual-harassment claims with taxpayer dollars—because of feminism?
I heard this argument in private, too. It’s about protecting power and asking the victims to understand the larger goal of (maybe) protecting them sometime soon. This calculation was more reasonable in the 1980s. Now it seems like a Faustian bargain that’s doomed women’s ascension to real power: Boys will be boys and girls will be quiet.
I have a radical idea: Maybe Democrats can replace politicians who harass and abuse women with anyone other than an abuser. There are good men in the world. I married one. I’ve worked with many more. Do we really believe our talent pool will dry up and our caucus will be nonexistent once we kick out all the creepers? I don’t. What if protecting men who harass and abuse women isn’t actually good for women?
Maybe, just maybe, it’s only good for the men.
This year’s pervert purge has inspired many to look at uncomfortable truths about their heroes, their co-workers, and their values. The New York Times’s Michelle Goldberg repented of her support for Bill Clinton, writing a piece with a battering ram as a headline, “I believe Juanita.” For me, it’s been sinking in that the working white women who felt condescended to by affluent feminists voted, by significant margins, for an admitted sexual predator over the lady who’d not believe them if they were abused by someone she liked. Their choices don’t seem so ridiculous to me any longer.
Democrats sold our soul. Nothing makes that more clear than how women voted in the 2016 election.

In Iraq, the war drags on, months away from the 15 year mark.

Why?

No one can answer.

But they're suddenly and momentarily interested in the region -- because Donald Trump's talking of doing what Hillary wanted to.

‏Verified account @mtracey

Replying to @mtracey

It's not always clear what exactly to #resist when the problem is thoroughly bipartisan

24 replies62 retweets108 likes

As Donald rushes to make Hillary's desired US embassy move to Jerusalem, many call him out (but not the Prime Minister of Canada who is strangely silent).

The Iraqi government Tweets:

‏Verified account @IraqiGovt

The @IraqiGovt rejects the decision by the United States to relocate its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. We urge the United States to reconsider this decision which undermines the historical status of Jerusalem and threatens the peace & stability of the region.

12 retweets15 likes

A rather strange Tweet since they responded with hostility to President Emmanuel Macron of France making suggestions regarding Iraq.

But, if nothing else, the push by Donald Trump has had one effect.

‏Verified account @APDiploWriter

The last time I can remember this many #US embassies issuing identical security alerts about possible violent protests over a presidential policy decision was in March 2003 at the start of the Iraq war.

62 replies1,474 retweets2,130 likes

That's right, it's gotten Matt Lee to remember the Iraq War.

Day after day, he ignores it.

And he doesn't have the excuse he once did -- that it wasn't a topic he and Victoria Nuland discussed ahead of time in e-mails.

Yes, he and Vicky did a cute little performance daily where they pretended not to have scripted out each day's performance ahead of time.

But the e-mails tell the true story, don't they, Matt?

It's all this corruption that needs to be called out but is repeatedly tolerated.

Brian Ross is still at ABC. He lied about WMD in Iraq. And he's still there.

Al Franken counseled Democrats to vote for the Iraq War -- it was the "smart" thing to do.

Once on Air America Radio, he repeatedly justified the Iraq War. And attacked guests -- such as Meg Ryan -- for saying the war needed to end. Of course, Al is such a piece of s**t, he'd wait until they left the studio to inform listeners that the guests weren't as smart as he, Al Franken, was and they didn't understand the complexities.

Now his freaks like Anne Brookes insist that those of us who feel criminals should be held accountable don't get the complexities.

It's not that complex. He broke the law.

The Iraq War?

It's not that complex, the world was lied into it.

And we remain lied to. As we noted at THIRD, the question should be: WHY?

It's almost 15 years so why is it still dragging on?

We were promised it would end but it hasn't.

Why?

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