How to Read and Understand the Capitalist Press

CRAWFORD, Texas: The Bush administration has issued blistering criticism of Hamas, saying the group provoked Israel's airstrikes on Gaza by firing rockets into southern Israel.

Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman, said Saturday that Hamas, the group that controls Gaza, was responsible for the outbreak of violence and called its rocket attacks "completely unacceptable."

"These people are nothing but thugs," he said. "Israel is going to defend its people against terrorists like Hamas."

After Israeli airstrikes, Bush administration calls Hamas "thugs"
By Robert Pear; Published in International Herald Tribune December 28, 2008
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/28/mideast/policy.php

"... in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying."

—Adolf Hitler , Mein Kampf, vol. I, ch. X
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Lie

The phrase [big lie] was also used in a report prepared during the war by the United States Office of Strategic Services in describing Hitler's psychological profile:

His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Lie

To understand capitalists and their press especially nowadays, you must presume that the truth is exactly the opposite of what they say. The International Herald Tribume article above is a case in point, a good example. Let us look at what the article says and then compare it to the truth.

Item 1: Bush administration says Hamas provoked Israel's airstrikes on Gaza by firing rockets into southern Israel. The exact opposite of this is: Israel provoked Hamas by firing rockets into Gaza.

One very important point here, I must clarify that it was not the Palestinians or Hamas that broke the ceasefire; Israel was the one that broke the ceasefire since two months. They started operations and attacks here and there, trying to provoke a reaction, ’til there was a reaction, and then they claim that it was the Palestinians who broke the ceasefire.

DR. MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/12/29/israeli_attacks_kill_over_310_in

Item 2: A whitehouse spokesman says Hamas controls Gaza, was responsible for outbreak of violence, and said that its (Hamas') rocket attacks were completely unacceptable. The opposite is: The Israelis control Gaza, were responsible for the outbreak of violence, and their rocket attacks were completely unacceptable.

Hamas, as an organization, was, as Dr. Barghouti just mentioned, this government was democratically elected in front of the eyes of the whole world, and this is the only democratic election that happened in the Middle East, really democratic. And people—why just the world didn’t give this government a chance to prove itself? It was not going to throw rockets or just—when they had this truce and the ceasefire, who broke it? It was Israel. We had a siege for one-and-a-half months, nothing allowed in, no medicines, no food, no nothing. And still, Hamas and other organizations did not throw any rockets. Israel kept on coming, and they killed twenty-three people in three weeks. Of course, this provoked Hamas, and they just did not renew this issue of ceasefire, because it was useless.

DR. MOUSSA EL-HADDAD
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/12/29/israeli_attacks_kill_over_310_in

Item 3: Bush says "These people are nothing but thugs," and that "Israel is going to defend its people against terrorists like Hamas." The opposite is" The Israelis are nothing but thugs and that Hamas is going to defend their people against terrorists like the Israelis.

And we also have to be clear that those who are accountable—Ehud Barak, his orders over the past few months to withhold insulin, chemotherapy drugs, dialysis supplies, all forms of medicine from the people of Gaza, were just as lethal and just as murderous as the orders to send in the bombers and warplanes to attack mosques, to attack universities.

ALI ABUNIMAH
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/12/29/israeli_attacks_kill_over_310_in

As a parting shot here are some criticisms of Bush's "No Child Left Behind" education program:

Teachers and journalists have attacked the act for its delusional optimism, and rightly so.

NCLB sets up so many impossible expectations that only liars will prosper. Previous federal and state-level accountability programs have already prompted schools to disguise failure, particularly that of minorities, and NCLB’s requirements will only make things worse.

Fantasy and Fraud: No Child Left Behind President Bush’s new program is doomed to failure
by Ian Jobling
http://www.amren.com/ar/2004/02/#cover