As Britain descends into the gutter with US imperialism, who is chronicling this slide? Fisk is an example of a mainstream writer who has become a pariah for some mild criticism. Tomorrow he launches Doc 3 in Glasgow. Listen to his talk, online live or download after...
imperialsism
Perhaps it’s the measure of a time when a respectable – if critical journalist become a dissident? Robert Fisk is the Beirut based Middle East Correspondent of The Independent, who has lived in the Middle-East for almost three decades, and talks tomorrow at the Glasgow launch of Doc 3 – the International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival. He has criticized other journalists based in Iraq for their "hotel journalism", arguing that they were out of touch with the events and atmosphere of the Baghdad streets. Only a few weeks ago Us Immigration officials stopped him boarding a plane from Toronto to Denver en route to speak to a packed crowd.
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/32812.html
Everybodys mooching around figuring out how to do alternative media. Here’s an anomaly: a writer who has retained a sense of political perspective, and integrity and who writes text for a mainstream newspaper – but has credibility.
He is a launching not only the festival but his book ‘The Great War for Civilisation : The Conquest of the Middle East’ at 11am, Friday 14th October, Glasgow Film Theatre 12 Rose Street, Glasgow. If you can’t make it or its full up…there will be a LIVE AUDIO STREAM of Robert Fisk's talk 11am 14/10/05 at: http://stream.nodel.org:8000/sofafisk.mp3 or http://stream.nodel.org:8000/sofafisk
“What we were actually doing to "keep the peace" in Basra was to turn a Nelsonian "blind eye" on the abuse, murder and anarchy of Basra since 2003 (including, it turns out, quite a bit of abuse by our very own squaddies). When Christian alcohol sellers were murdered, we remained silent. When ex-Baathists were slaughtered in the streets - including women and their children, a civil war if ever there was one - our British officers somehow forgot to tell the press. Anything to keep our boys out of harm’s way.
But this is what has been happening in Basra. As the locally recruited police force (paid by the occupation authorities) sucked into its ranks the riff-raff of every local militia - as it did in Sunni areas to the north - we ignored this. Even when an American reporter investigating this extraordinary phenomenon was murdered - almost certainly by these same policemen - the British remained silent. We were "controlling" the streets. In Amara - by awful coincidence, the very same Kut al-Amara with whose name, I’m sure, my favourite prime minister will soon be ennobled - British soldiers now operate just one heavily armed convoy patrol a day. That is the extent of our "control" over Amara. Now we are reducing our patrols in Basra. You bet we are.
And a familiar bleat is rising from the sheep pen. "Outside powers" are interfering in southern Iraq. Thirty-five years ago, it was the Irish Republic that was assisting Britain’s IRA enemies. Now it is Iran that is supposedly urging the Shia of Basra to revolt. In other words, it’s not our fault - yet again, it’s the bloody foreigners what’s to blame.”
Organised by Rebecca Gordon Nesbitt, Klaus Jung, Mona Rai and Paula Larkin, Document 3 co-ordinators, in collaboration with Variant magazine. The organisers have issued a statement saying:
“Due to the large numbers expected, and for people only free at lunch-time, Robert Fisk will also be doing a book signing (with a bite to eat) after his talk at Glasgow School of Art Mackintosh Gallery 167 Renfrew St., Glasgow 1pm-2pm, Fri 14 Oct.
If you should miss the talk, or it's really busy, Radio Ramadhan Glasgow 87.7fm (a community-based radio station which runs for the duration of Ramadhan, broadcasting within the Glasgow area) will be airing the talk. And you will be able to download the audio file from all sites listed here.”
SoFA Talks http://www.sofatalks.net 
info@sofatalks.net
SoFA (Glasgow School of Art, School of Fine Art) and Document 3
Read Robert Fisk's daily comment from the Middle East at:
http://www independent.co.uk
Links to articles by Robert Fisk will be posted on:
http://www.sofatalks.net
Document 3 : The International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival......will screen 90 films from 47 different countries over one weekend - a truly international selection of feature-length and short documentaries past, present and recurring issues with regard to human rights from every corner of the world....opens at the Glasgow Film Theatre on the evening of Friday 21st Oct and runs to Monday 24th Oct at: GFT, CCA and Gilmorehill....check out the web site for full programme of films and talks:
http://www.docfilmfest.org.uk
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/32812.html Everybodys mooching around figuring out how to do alternative media. Here’s an anomaly: a writer who has retained a sense of political perspective, and integrity and who writes text for a mainstream newspaper – but has credibility.
He is a launching not only the festival but his book ‘The Great War for Civilisation : The Conquest of the Middle East’ at 11am, Friday 14th October, Glasgow Film Theatre 12 Rose Street, Glasgow. If you can’t make it or its full up…there will be a LIVE AUDIO STREAM of Robert Fisk's talk 11am 14/10/05 at:
http://stream.nodel.org:8000/sofafisk.mp3 or http://stream.nodel.org:8000/sofafisk “What we were actually doing to "keep the peace" in Basra was to turn a Nelsonian "blind eye" on the abuse, murder and anarchy of Basra since 2003 (including, it turns out, quite a bit of abuse by our very own squaddies). When Christian alcohol sellers were murdered, we remained silent. When ex-Baathists were slaughtered in the streets - including women and their children, a civil war if ever there was one - our British officers somehow forgot to tell the press. Anything to keep our boys out of harm’s way.
But this is what has been happening in Basra. As the locally recruited police force (paid by the occupation authorities) sucked into its ranks the riff-raff of every local militia - as it did in Sunni areas to the north - we ignored this. Even when an American reporter investigating this extraordinary phenomenon was murdered - almost certainly by these same policemen - the British remained silent. We were "controlling" the streets. In Amara - by awful coincidence, the very same Kut al-Amara with whose name, I’m sure, my favourite prime minister will soon be ennobled - British soldiers now operate just one heavily armed convoy patrol a day. That is the extent of our "control" over Amara. Now we are reducing our patrols in Basra. You bet we are.
And a familiar bleat is rising from the sheep pen. "Outside powers" are interfering in southern Iraq. Thirty-five years ago, it was the Irish Republic that was assisting Britain’s IRA enemies. Now it is Iran that is supposedly urging the Shia of Basra to revolt. In other words, it’s not our fault - yet again, it’s the bloody foreigners what’s to blame.”
Organised by Rebecca Gordon Nesbitt, Klaus Jung, Mona Rai and Paula Larkin, Document 3 co-ordinators, in collaboration with Variant magazine. The organisers have issued a statement saying:
“Due to the large numbers expected, and for people only free at lunch-time, Robert Fisk will also be doing a book signing (with a bite to eat) after his talk at Glasgow School of Art Mackintosh Gallery 167 Renfrew St., Glasgow 1pm-2pm, Fri 14 Oct.
If you should miss the talk, or it's really busy, Radio Ramadhan Glasgow 87.7fm (a community-based radio station which runs for the duration of Ramadhan, broadcasting within the Glasgow area) will be airing the talk. And you will be able to download the audio file from all sites listed here.”
SoFA Talks
http://www.sofatalks.net info@sofatalks.net SoFA (Glasgow School of Art, School of Fine Art) and Document 3
Read Robert Fisk's daily comment from the Middle East at:
http://www independent.co.uk Links to articles by Robert Fisk will be posted on:
http://www.sofatalks.net Document 3 : The International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival......will screen 90 films from 47 different countries over one weekend - a truly international selection of feature-length and short documentaries past, present and recurring issues with regard to human rights from every corner of the world....opens at the Glasgow Film Theatre on the evening of Friday 21st Oct and runs to Monday 24th Oct at: GFT, CCA and Gilmorehill....check out the web site for full programme of films and talks:
http://www.docfilmfest.org.uk 
Comments
Hide the following 4 comments
Fisk, Blair's asset not ours
14.10.2005 01:16
As a roving agent, Fisk is reasonably sincere in the propaganda he spouts. For him, the world hasn't moved on since the 70's, and he thinks that if he keeps banging on hard enough from his old school arab position, he'll wake up one day to find that normality has been restored.
Of course, the truth is that Blair has not suffered from mistakes and misunderstandings that will be one day corrected by Fisk's insights. MI6 is now fully in the hands of pro-Israel, pro-USA loyal goons of Blair, and their assets like Fisk are only worked to maintain some useful interfaces with forces that they wish to influence.
Hitler kept plenty of his own old school assets in the diplomatic services, and spy services, until he was willing to go 'large' with his greater plans. Such people are ALWAYS useful in the early stages. They reassure. They imply that the worst options will not happen. They state that every wicked move by the government is a silly mistake, and not a careful plan.
The best assets are those arrogant enough to believe their own assessment, regardless of all the proof around them. No lie detector in the world can detect lies uttered by a person that believes them to be the truth. Sincerity is therefore no proof of accuracy.
No man is more 'full of himself' than Fisk. When british bombers are caught red-handed in Basra, and EVERY detail of the coverage in the british press can easily be shown to be a lie (just like the coverage of the extermination of the Brazilian), old Fisk easily convinces himself that his pathetic EMPIRE view of Iraq over-rides any amount of proof on the ground.
Once again, many of you will not like what I am saying. Of course, you WILL NOT use history to identify the common nature of such journalists in times past. Psychology is partly the likelyhood of similar personality types to behave the same way in similar circumstances. Assets are controllable and useful for EXACTLY this reason.
Basic rule for all of us- if it appears in the Mass Media, it is not to be trusted. The LAST thing The Independent is is independent.
twilight
dusk
14.10.2005 08:33
alternatively TAKE them to some alternative MORE suitable forum, because WE'RE all getting a bit FED up of them!
looking for news not rants
The truth about Twilight
14.10.2005 11:25
What else could be the reasoning for your tactic on every post: to adopt a left position before attacking *every* individual or organisation that is actually doing something positive towards that position - with absolutely no evidence.
Sowing such divisions can only harm the anti-war/anti-imperialist movement, and yet it is all you seem capable of.
Why not piss-off and join the neo-cons who seem very happy with such a Manichean, all-or-nothing worldview?
Attacking Robert Fisk for being "imperialist", for fucks sake. Get a grip. Or admit your true agenda.
got your number
oh, twilight, twilight, twilight
14.10.2005 13:33
A recent post of one of you nutters said: see who benefits, it works every time!
It doesn't, it merely appears to confer support for your initially bollocks hypothesis, as a simple counter example should convince you.
I want firewood.
The house next door is made of wood.
The house gets demolished, thus providing me with a huge supply of firewood.
Therefore THE HOUSE WAS DEMOLISHED BY ME OR ONE OF MY ASSETS OR ONE OF MY GOONS!
Such argument is bad for your mental health and may infect others reading this activist news resource, leading to a general decline in the activist community's ability to think critically about events in the real world.
Please desist from posting, or at least do a philosophy GCSE or A level which will reveal to you how arguments can be constructed using valid logical syllogisms.
anarchoteapot