Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Glenn Beck's latest grave fear: human rights for Palestinians

Still gloating over the Obama administration having thrown Van Jones under the bus to placate those attacking him (how's that working out?) based on smears originating from fringe conservative conspiracists like WorldNetDaily (I'll post more on this subject later), Glenn Beck yesterday played some more supposedly ominous audio from Van Jones demonstrating how spooky and scary it is that he had been appointed to advise the White House on green jobs.

[Beck:] Communism, radicalism, black nationalism, racism is not something you just tolerate or don't endorse. Those are the things that this administration must reject.

This isn't a victory, this is a diversion. I'm not going to play their game. This isn't about me and Van Jones, even if that's what they want to make it. This is about taking Obama at his word when he said to judge him by the people he surrounds himself with.

Would you want Van Jones anywhere near American policy? A man who says things like this:

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

JONES: Human rights has [sic] no borders. Wherever there are human beings, it's important for human rights activists to show support, show solidarity. What we want to see, at this point, is the rights of the Palestinian people being respected. And, at this point, the end of the occupation, the right of return for Palestinian people. These are the critical dividing lines — global dividing lines — questions of human rights. We have to be here.
And then Beck notes that Van Jones said this in an interview with Mumia Abu-Jamal which is supposed to further indicate that President Obama is by implication a secret communist black nationalist who hates white people, who hates (white) cops and wants to take over America and what not.

Talking to Abu-Jamal hardly indicates any of those things. Otherwise, Amy Goodman would be a communist black nationalist!

And while Beck is terrified by someone proposing respect for the human rights of Palestinians, stuff like this is going on

Meanwhile, on Friday Israeli troops fired tear gas at a journalist from Al Jazeera while she was live on the air covering a Palestinian protest against the Israeli separation barrier in the West Bank. This is part of reporter Jacky Rowland’s live report.

Jacky Rowland: “The residents of the village of Bilin—oh [bleep]—the residents of the village of Bilin come every week. I may have to stop soon, because we’ve been gassed right here. Anyway, the residents of Bilin come every week to the village to basically make the point that this is their land that has been stolen to build this wall, their land which has also been stolen to build the illegal Jewish settlement of Modi’in Illit, which is just beyond the wall. And they are also making the point that no amount of tear gas, no amount—they’re throwing straight at me! Sorry, we’re under attack!”

News Anchor: “OK, Jacky, are you”—

Rowland: “They’re obviously trying to take us off the air.”

Anchor: “Right.”

Rowland: “I’m OK. I’m OK. It’s not fatal. I’m still here. But the soldiers are basically throwing tear gas canisters”—

Anchor: "Did you see where they came from, Jacky?

Rowland: “—right at us. I beg your pardon.”

Anchor: “I mean, did you see where they came from? Was there any warning?”

Rowland: “No. They threw it straight at us. It’s quite obvious that we’re the target now, not the protesters.”
Al Jazeera’s Jacky Rowland was not injured in the attack. However, in the West Bank village of Na’alin, two photographers were shot Friday while covering another demonstration.
And let's not forget reports like this.

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