Question to the CBC and Left

[a_majoor]

Although the link to the primary article is down as I write, the question still remains. I wonder what the answer will be?

http://canadaconservative.blogspot.com/2006/07/interesting-and-funny-question.html
http://www.civitatensis.ca/

Interesting (and funny) question
Civitatensis has posed an interesting question to the CBC and the left...
Canada’s political lefties and the CBC said to be so "scared" of Stockwell Day's religious beliefs. The same folks are now taking sides with the radical Shiite fundamentalists of "the Party of God" (Hezbollah).

How does that work?
That's a good question Civitatensis! LOL!!! How does that work?

Easy... spell it with me now... H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y... ;-)

 

[vonGarvin]

;D
CHRISTIAN fundamentalism is wrong, because as educated westerners, we know better.  Those poor cave dwelling A-Rabs don't know any better, so since they're dumb (perhaps retarded), we better take care of them because they can't take care of themselves.


THIS is the attitude of the liberal left, as I understand it.  Please note, however, that even though I typed the above, I certainly do NOT believe it.

 

[mcchartman]

The same folks are now taking sides with the radical Shiite fundamentalists of "the Party of God" (Hezbollah).

I hope I won't be flamed for making this statement, but since the 2006 Israelo-Lebanese conflict has started, I've been reading quite a few threads on this forum where Army.ca members accuse the Canadian Medias of 'taking the side' of Hezbollah. I am wondering what exactly lead you to this conclusion. Sure, they will spend more time speaking of the Lebanese victims for the most part, but that is also because their numbers are greater. The problem is that in many cases, the poster doesn’t seem to think that Lebanese victims are, in fact, victims. These posters should be reminded that the Hezbollah political party does not represent the majority of the population, having won but 14 seats out of 128 at the 2005 elections. Of course, this is not negligible, and it does mean that at least 10% of the population is supportive of their actions, but the point I am trying to make is that the majority of the population does not agree with the extremist vision of Hezbollah. In effect, what Hezbollah has done two weeks ago is to commit the country to a conflict most citizens definitely did not want. That, in my opinion, guarantees the fact that the Lebanese civilian casualties are victims - nothing more, nothing less. Having said that, why shouldn’t the Medias sympathize with these poor people, caught in the crossfire? I do not believe that the Medias are supportive of Hezbollah - they do however sympathize with the Lebanese civilians in the same way that they sympathize with the Israeli civilians subjected to rocket attacks. Certainly, Israel could not remain at a standstill after what Hezbollah pulled off, but that doesn’t mean that I should give up my critical thinking and necessarily agree with every subsequent move they make. I guess the Canadian Medias feel the same way in a sense.

As a final note, I should perhaps mention that ultimately, I do believe the Lebanese people as a whole to be indirectly responsible for the present situation. By failing at establishing a properly ordered government and letting an organisation such as Hezbollah freely develop their own armed branch separate from the Lebanese armed forces, they have caused much of their present misery. The fact remains however, that the average Lebanese citizen should not be mistaken for a radical Hezbollah militant. Consequently, it does not make it fundamentally wrong for the Medias to sympathize with them.

 

[Kirkhill]

No reason to flame that mcchartman. 

I am in general sympathy with your position.

From the media I would like to see more emphasis on the mechanics of how you might deal with missiles that are being launched from the front yards of people that allow the missile launchers to set up there.

I understand that that 10% of the population that voted for Hezbollah tends to be concentrated in the area from which the missiles are being launched.

My sympathies to the Maronite and Assyrian Christians, all those Sunnis, the Druze and Ismailis and all those Shia that did not vote for Hezbollah.  Apparently 90% of population?  Perhaps they could find some way of limiting the actions of Hezbollah so as not to allow them to disturb the neighbours?

 

[Bo]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't CBC owned by the government? Since our current conservative governmnent supports Israel's actions how can you associate CBC with the left?

Perhaps it's due to the fact that other news sources are so far right that relatively neutral news source such as CBC, seem left.

CNN is owned by Time-Warner
NBC is owned by GE
ABC is owned by Walt-Disney
CBS is owned by Viacom
FOX.....lol

All of these companies have strong a Jewish/corporate influence. This fact is reflected in how the media choose what to show and what not to show.

 

[TMM]

;D
CHRISTIAN fundamentalism is wrong, because as educated westerners, we know better.  Those poor cave dwelling A-Rabs don't know any better, so since they're dumb (perhaps retarded), we better take care of them because they can't take care of themselves.


THIS is the attitude of the liberal left, as I understand it.  Please note, however, that even though I typed the above, I certainly do NOT believe it.

Good thing I know you don't believe it or you'd be up for a throat punch

It might be the attitude of *some* on the left but not mine or that of people I associate with. It's one thing to lean left or right but leaning doesn't mean you have to tip over.

 

[George Wallace]

All of these companies have strong a Jewish/corporate influence. This fact is reflected in how the media choose what to show and what not to show.

Hic!  Tin Foil Hats all around!  Hic!

 

[hugh19]

Actually I find the antisematism of his post quite disturbing.

 

[GAP]

These posters should be reminded that the Hezbollah political party does not represent the majority of the population, having won but 14 seats out of 128 at the 2005 elections. Of course, this is not negligible,

Having won but 14 seats in South Lebanon, a predominately shite area, co-incidentally the same area that the rockets are coming from, the same area that Israel is shelling. Take the gun away from a dead Hezbollah fighter, and what do you have? A civilian...they look the same, they dress the same, there is no uniform except civilian dress. There's a line of logic there.

I'm not criticizing you, just pointing out that just because someone says it's so, does not make it so. Granted, the reverse is true also, but there is a history of disinformation here. The media is like water...it takes the path of least resistance. Controversy makes stories, controversial stories make good bylines. Good byelines lead to $$ and promotions. It takes a dedicated reporter to flesh out the truth, and I have read and heard few lately.

 

[Cdn Blackshirt]

Well just as an aside as to how "Anti-Conservative Party" the CBC is, yesterday during the live interview after the Hep-C program was announced, the lead plaintiff of the lawsuit against the Federal Government went on-and-on about how thankful he was that Mr Harper and the Conservative Party were doing the right thing, and how deeply ashamed he was of the Liberal Party, Mr Chretian, Mr Martin and Mr Rock.  The video excerpts the CBC showed CUT every single word of that out although it was the majority of the man's interview.

The CBC - "All the news we want you to see...."


Matthew.    :

 

[Journeyman]

Good thing I know you don't believe it or you'd be up for a throat punch

You just know the whole Middle-East crisis is an emotion magnet when TMM is threatening throat punches! 

 

[probum non poenitet]

The video excerpts the CBC showed CUT every single word of that out although it was the majority of the man's interview.
The CBC - "All the news we want you to see...."

Can't wait for CBC's next installment in the Trudeau miniseries ...  :dontpanic:

This Fall on CBC: Trudeau III - Justin: The People's Prince Takes Back the Throne

 

[zipperhead_cop]

As a final note, I should perhaps mention that ultimately, I do believe the Lebanese people as a whole to be indirectly responsible for the present situation. By failing at establishing a properly ordered government and letting an organisation such as Hezbollah freely develop their own armed branch separate from the Lebanese armed forces, they have caused much of their present misery. The fact remains however, that the average Lebanese citizen should not be mistaken for a radical Hezbollah militant. Consequently, it does not make it fundamentally wrong for the Medias to sympathize with them.

Okay Mcchartman, so riddle me this, :  If 90% of Lebanon is a "victim" of Hezbollah and wants to be distanced from their racist terror, then why didn't the rest of the government appeal to the UN for a stabilization force big enough to flush though and eliminate these clowns? 
I see them as being like associates of an outlaw biker gang.  They all know what is going on, they don't mind having parties on their property, or hiding some drugs or guns when the heat is on.  But when it comes time to do some door kicks, they are the first to say "Hey!  I just partied with those guys, I didn't do nuthin'!"  Despite them being in countless surveillance photos with the fist-f<>s, and there being solid info that they are assisting the operations.  That region is a massive tribute to "having your cake and eating it too".  Israel is tired of being the baker.  Time to end this once and for all. 
And I have made this point in another thread;  at such time as Hezbollah sets up a missile battery on your building, or leaves some missiles in your living room, perhaps it is time to take a nice drive or stroll northward.

 

[mcchartman]

why didn't the rest of the government appeal to the UN for a stabilization force big enough to flush though and eliminate these clowns?

Well I believe the problem with your point of view zipperhead_cop is that you think of Lebanese people as a whole entity. As far as I know, there is no such a thing as a Lebanese nation. In any case, if there was such a thing, it would be barely three generations old. Let me explain myself.

Like many countries, the Lebanon we (don’t) know was mostly the product of European foreign policies and indeed colonialism which I do not intend to either praise or denounce - rather I am just stating facts. That being said, actual influences on the country are much more diverse. Today’s Lebanon (asp part of Syria) was one of the first territories to come under Muslim rule as Islam expanded; served as a shelter for persecuted minorities throughout the ages (including both Christian and Islamic sects); witnessed large populations move into the country while fleeing conflicts (notably Palestinians); was ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantine Empire and later on the Ottoman empire all the way to the British, which occupied Damascus after the downfall of the Ottoman empire in 1918 before being finally handed over to France as part of the Sykes-Picot accord. The country became independent in 1943 and the last French troops departed three years later. This means that influences on the country are multiple and this is reflected by the composition of the population. The demography of the country presents multiple ethnicities of multiple religions/sects which have no real bond between each other. In fact, the closest bond you will find is the idea of a Lebanese nation, which as stated above, exists only since two or three generations, if it exists at all. I hate to quote Wikipedia, but it does offer a concise summary of the demography of the country: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_people.

So why am I rambling about this? Well it so happens that these various groups do not happen to share a common vision of what direction should be taken by the country. This is therefore also a property of Lebanese politics, where each ethnic group is represented by at least one party. Now take into account the fact that not everyone of a single religious/ethnic group shares the same ideas: some are more leftists, some are more rightists, some would like to see the importance of religion increased, some would like it decreased, some preach closer ties to one neighbour, some preach closer ties to another etc. What you are left with is a puzzle of parties which number more than thirty, of which at least ten are considered major parties. Under these circumstances, unless there is a working coalition between religious/ethnic/political groups, the government is bound to be inefficient. This in part explains how a non-governmental entity such as Hezbollah was capable, with the support of the majority of the Shi’a population, to develop an armed branch separate from the Lebanese armed forces. Please note however, that while it may explain it, it does not excuse it. This is the reason why I included my last statement in my earlier post. Ultimately, only the Lebanese people are to blame for allowing this armed threat to develop.

To answer your question, I believe that this same inefficiency is also the reason why no such appeal was made by the government, which is currently being caught in a quagmire with each faction having a different idea on how to solve the situation. As a conclusion, it could be argued that with Lebanon having been at war for at least a quarter of its existence, it appears that only the deepest crisis makes the nationhood of Lebanon emerge as a reaction to conflict - but this nationhood is shallow indeed, and nowhere is this better reflected than in the government’s incapability to demonstrate authority in such a situation.

DISCLAIMER:
I am no expert on the Middle East, nor do I claim to be - but you can rest assured that I have forged this opinion myself through listening to news, reading and talking with Lebanese persons (two of whom I happen to work with, both of different backgrounds). That being said, maybe I am but partly right, maybe I am dead wrong. Provide me with enough evidence and I will gladly take it into consideration.

EDIT: I realize that the content of this answer may lead the conversation away from the original subject of CBC's stance. I therefore propose zipperhead_cop that if you, or any other, wish to pursue on this subject, a new thread be created or that we simply add our comments to an existing one. It was not my intention to deviate from the original subject.

 

[zipperhead_cop]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply. 

However, that just re-enforces my belief that Israel should go in there and shake the country out like a dusty carpet.

 

[civmick]

re: CBC and Harper govt.

Turning CBC away from the left with a tory government seems to me akin to turning a Nimitz-class using a kayak.  :

 

[zipperhead_cop]

re: CBC and Harper govt.

Turning CBC away from the left with a tory government seems to me akin to turning a Nimitz-class using a kayak.  :

I'm not so sure.  I think they could get it done with a word...."privatization".  :skull:

 

[GAP]

There is a serious possibility that if the Conservatives get a large majority or a second one, the CBC will go the way of the dodo bird.

 

[Weinie]

  Some extinctions are not to be lamented

 

[Guardian]

Here's hoping!

It's not just the CBC - I remember back when the UN post was hit, CTV put up excerpts from our observer's previous e-mail to them. They only put up the parts that talked about how close the rounds had been falling to them. I was waiting for them to put up the crucial last line - the one saying that the strikes were not deliberate, but of tactical necessity. CTV never did. Go figure.