America's newest global war -- David Sirota

[xchrom]

http://www.nationofchange.org/america-s-newest-global-war-1372514089

Out of all the harrowing storylines in journalist Jeremy Scahill's new film "Dirty Wars," the one about Abdulelah Haider Shaye best spotlights the U.S. government's new assault against press freedom.

Shaye is the Yemeni journalist who in 2009 exposed his government's cover-up of a U.S. missile strike that, according to McClatchy's newswire, ended up killing "dozens of civilians, including 14 women and 21 children." McClatchy notes that for the supposed crime of committing journalism, Shaye was sentenced to 5 years in prison following a trial that "was widely condemned as a sham" by watchdog groups and experts who noted that the prosecution did not "offer any substantive evidence to support (its) charges."

What, you might ask, does this have to do with the American government's attitude toward press freedom? That's where Scahill's movie comes in. As the film shows, when international pressure moved the Yemeni government to finally consider pardoning Shaye, President Obama personally intervened, using a phone call with Yemen's leader to halt the journalist's release.

Had this been an isolated incident, it might be easy to write off. But the president's move to criminalize the reporting of inconvenient facts is sadly emblematic of his administration's larger war against journalism. And, mind you, the word "war" is no overstatement.

[pscot]

1. Another WTF moment

How do we know the President intervened in Yemen personally? I read the article. The allegations are disturbing, but no documentation is given. Has the administration admitted this?

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Yes

At the end of the call, according to a White House read-out, Obama “expressed concern” over the release of a man named Abdulelah Haider Shaye, whom Obama said “had been sentenced to five years in prison for his association with AQAP.”

Read more: Why Is President Obama Keeping a Journalist in Prison in Yemen? | The Nation http://www.thenation.com/article/166757/why-president-obama-keeping-journalist-prison-yemen#ixzz2XeHr5aIr
Follow us: @thenation on Twitter | TheNationMagazine on Facebook

Suffice to say disturbing is really the word

[okaawhatever]

2. Give me a f**in break. Many have discredited the journalists claim. nt

[Warren Stupidity]

3. For our authoritarians: the bombing and the cover up have been confirmed by multiple sources

including our own government via wikileaks.

The serious mistreatment of Abdulelah Haider Shaye has also been confirmed by multiple sources, amnesty international, human rights watch, committee to protect journalists, and the international federation of journalists.

Probably denying the facts is not the best strategy you have here. Instead your best bet is to once again go for character assassination, either of Scahill or Abdulelah Haider Shaye, or both.

[xchrom]

4. ...

[marmar]

5. k/r

[nashville_brook]

6. k and r

[chervilant]

7. You know, I'm starting to suspect

that the corporate megalomaniacs--who've usurped our media, our politics, AND our global economy--expected Obama to be a balm to the Democrats/liberals/lefts' myriad wounds inflicted by Bushco's shenanigans. Perhaps they're thinking, "FFS, he's a Democrat! What more do you want?!"

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. The country is closing fast

I am not sure this will be stooped until it runs it's nasty course.