Olympics: Brian Williams introduces Iranian team like a rabid dog

[wtmusic]

Instead of talking about the 5 beaming athletes in one of the biggest moments of their lives, Williams doesn't waste a golden opportunity to slam Iran's president for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel and their "nuclear ambitions". Not a word about the team.

Can we put politics aside for a couple hours, Brian, and celebrate with these kids? Maybe pause to realize that these young men and women, competing with passion and spirit and good sportsmanship, could soon be doing their best to kill each other thanks to our glorious President?

Fuck you Brian.

[FlemingsGhost]

1. The ancient Games were held under a truce.

Warring city-states would put aside their differences and compete in the spirit of the upmost sportsmanship, in order to please the gods.

When the present day world can follow suit, I'll give a shit about the Olympic Games.

[wtmusic]

2. At least symbolically

that's what happens now (back then the kings would always be present).

If we made a country's leader's presence mandatory to participate, the world would be a better place.

[Lindacooks]

3. Brian Williams is a right wing dipshit.

And shill. He ruined NBC's millenium celebration by droning on about Monica Lewinsky whenever President clinton was on the screen. I hate his lily livered guts.

[wtmusic]

4. It sounded scripted

I'm sure that perfectly-timed little soundbite came hot off the fax machine to remind viewers of the DANGER WHICH LURKS ABROAD.

[Beausoir]

46. It was definitely scripted. He was reading prepared remarks.

But who prepared them for him?

[Nutmegger]

5. Oh man

Williams never surprises me. What the hell is wrong with these people???

[MisterP]

6. on to Mt. Damavand!!! yee-haw!!!

We'll shell their mosques and whip their women with rebar!
Over the Zagros Mountains, boys!!!

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

7. "Rush Limbaugh doesn't get enough credit"

"It's my job as a reporter to listen to his show."

That tells you all you need to know about Brian Williams.

[wtmusic]

10. Hell, now they can replace Costas with Al Michaels

and double their propaganda potential...

[upi402]

8. but hey, he has nice hair!

:shrug:

[bobbieinok]

9. when I 1st saw him, I thought 'a suit with shoulders'....never could

see how he could be anchor of network news

[wtmusic]

11. Next to him, Peter Jennings had personality nt

[upi402]

47. I think his hair keeps the ears from smashing together

:shrug:

[slaveplanet]

12. nevermind that the Mullahs

are the ones with all the power.

but facts be damned, lets make the impotent Iranian president have equal footing with the American president. GE coverage at it's finest, they sure know how to target their audience. This had to be scripted as they know they are losing massive numbers of nightly news viewers and the propaganda still has to be catapulted somehow.

[henslee]

13. A big fck yoo. I heard it from the other room and was shocked. He's

becoming a full on tool. And he knows better.

[datadiva]

14. I was really looking forward to the opening

He totally ruined it. He brought up every bad or controversial thing any nation has had in the last 50 freakin years. I was disgusted.

[Bluebear]

16. Truly, so was I.....

So much for escaping the burdens of life with a little international unity and harmless TV escapism. He totally stunk up these ceremonies.

[incapsulated]

15. Fucking asshole

I've always hated him.

[fujiyama]

17. I absolutely agree

That's exttrerremely diisstasteful.

The Olympics were supposed to be about brotherhood. But I always find tthis sort of blather by the announcerrs during hte Olympics. I wonder if thhe CBC haas coverage (I live nearr the border) and if their announcerrs always bring in politics.

But I would add though that both our sides could be out killing each other thanks to both leaders, who are nuts.

[breakfastofchampions]

18. I wish they would seperate the politics form the Olympics

[malaise]

23. You cannot separate

sports from politics.

[Hardrada]

19. I almost miss the days of the East German judges

and the USSR national anthem repeatedly played. I think anouncers were not nearly as snarky then. Maybe because the USSR had lots of missiles. Maybe Iran got the point.

[incapsulated]

20. They were an enemy we could respect, heh

Ah, the cold war days. Made life simple, in a way. Who will push the red, candy-like button first?

[Starbucks Anarchist]

21. Republican pollster Frank Luntz likes Williams.

In fact, he told a RW organization that Williams was the "go-to guy" for them.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200502070007

[malaise]

22. I loved the music and the acrobats

The acrobats with the peace dove were beautiful. Fugg Brian Williams. I expect NBC to be as classless as usual.

[Kickin_Donkey]

24. Tell the fuckers what you think ...

Here's the link:

http://www.nbc.com/Footer/Contact_Us/

[phylny]

25. Done:

Subject: Totally inappropriate comments by Brian Williams

On an evening where people from all parts of the world were celebrating youth, accomplishments, hard work and determination at the opening ceremony of the Olympics, Brian Williams had to insert political statements, especially when the Iranian delegation marched proudly.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but it was worse than listening to Katie Couric blathering on.

If he had to discuss politics, why didn't he mention that virtually the entire world is against the Amercan's occupation and violence in Iraq when the American delegation marched by? I guess it doesn't fit with his right-wing agenda.

Disgusting.

[canichelouis]

26. Done

[malaise]

27. Brian Williams does not know one fugg

about the views of the entire world. He has no class but why is that a surprise. He is the ideal icon for the corporate games.

We may as well collectively abandon any notion of a peace truce for the olympics. Since 1984, with the takeover by the corporate media and sponsors, the Olympics has been about nothing but corporate greed and American interests. Study the Salt lake City scandal instead of watching this bullspit.

[DoYouEverWonder]

28. Yes, we need to complain about this to NBC

Brian Williams was disgusting. This is a sports event, not a political rally.

These are the same asshats that complained about politics at a political persons funeral, yet it is okay for Williams to inject his political opinions every chance he got last night. It was beyond disgusting.

[FSogol]

34. Done. n/t

[Lerkfish]

36. here's what I sent....

Hatespeech at the olympics? shame.


why are we subject to references to hatespeech from your announcers during the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games?

for at least two countries, the political orientation of your announcer or producers (whoever allowed such blatant activity)
apparently made it seem ok for you to stir political hate turmoil in an event that should have been as apart from that as apples and oranges
WHY do I need to be watching the Iranian team and hear hatespeech about their country's nuclear energy program?
and WHY do I need to be watching the Danish team and hear a roiling up of the editorial cartoon controversy, which has sparked violence?

Do either of those topics relate to the olympics in some way, or do both of those relate the personal political dogmas of NBC or their employees?

Does NBC feel responsible for stirring up political unrest unnecessarily that has already sparked violence, no matter how you feel about the issue?
Is this tantamount to yelling "fire" in a crowded theatre?

Surely, the proud traditions of NBC broadcasting have suffered a black eye last night. What are your explanations for such egregrious behavior?
And better, what will you do to prevent them for the rest of the broadcast.

The entire world is watching. Keep that in mind.

Sincerely,

[leftchick]

37. GE does not care what we think

it is pretty obvious.

[MoJoWorkin]

40. Done, and it felt damn good to tell NBC how inappropriate

"little" Brian's comments were!

[KyndCulture]

29. got a link? I don't have TV and I really want to see this BS

I think they are really abusing this moment of peace....

[blue cat]

30. He is politicizing the Olympics for real!

They accuse us of politicizing something that we did not, then they do what they accuse us of. The preacher at the CSK funeral said that he was speaking her ministry, and that the president should not have been surprised that peace and civil rights would be talked about at her funeral since it was her life's work. Just report sports, we don't need to hear your political opinion on them.

[blue cat]

31. Did I hear that someone wanted to complain to NBC?

phone # [phone] to leave a comment on a recorded line now. If nothing else, maybe we can influence the workers who check the messages to realize that BW is wrong, and vote D.

[KyndCulture]

32. I am so lost..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=386866&mesg_id=386866

[Oreo]

33. My thoughts EXACTLY

I was SO mad listening to him bring up the worst thing about each country.

Israel - had to mention Munich playing in theaters NOW!
Denmark - cartoons
etc etc etc

He ruined the athletes procession.

[Lerkfish]

35. similarly, the Danish team was intro'd with reference to the cartoon

controversy. As if the athletes of either country have anything to do with either issue.

I felt both references were inappropriate.

[postulater]

38. Exactly what my wife and I thought while watching that.

[Catchawave]

39. Oh the hypocrisy of the MSM...

and the recent bloviating about the political eulogies in tribute to Mrs. King, who was a political figure hellbent on peace, human rights and tolerance!

It was almost as if Brian Williams was trying to "swiftboat" those countries for Rove. He should have stayed with the geography lessons, which I always find interesting.

[BiggJawn]

41. Did he mention how many Murkans are already suspended...

...pending further drug testing?

Three at last count. Could be altitude related hemocrit levels, but if they're ripping Iran and Denmark....

[JohnyCanuck]

42. Don't be surprised

When I first posted the link to this article Brainwashing America I was told it was too "over the top" to be true. Don't believe for a minute that the they don't know exactly what they are doing. The first rule of warfare is to always demonize and take away the humanity of the enemy as it makes killing them so much easier.

Brainwashing America
by Dr. Norman Livergood

The puppet Bush regime is using new, aggressive forms of brainwashing to change the very way Americans think and feel.

This is the psychological dimension of the demonic cabal's general onslaught against American workers, just as the "war on terrorism" is the military dimension and corporate crime and tax cuts for the rich comprise the economic dimension.

We are living under the beginning stages of a military dictatorship in precisely the same way that 1930s Germans suffered under the Nazi regime.

As in the case of Nazi Germany, state-sponsored propaganda (brainwashing) is a vital part of the Bush regime's strategy.

http://www.hermes-press.com/brainwash1.htm

From Television and the Hive Mind by Mack White:

Experiments conducted by researcher Herbert Krugman reveal that, when a person watches television, brain activity switches from the left to the right hemisphere. The left hemisphere is the seat of logical thought. Here, information is broken down into its component parts and critically analyzed. The right brain, however, treats incoming data uncritically, processing information in wholes, leading to emotional, rather than logical, responses. The shift from left to right brain activity also causes the release of endorphins, the body's own natural opiates--thus, it is possible to become physically addicted to watching television, a hypothesis borne out by numerous studies which have shown that very few people are able to kick the television habit.

SNIP

It is not just commercials that manipulate us. On television news as well, image and sound are as carefully selected and edited to influence human thought and behavior as in any commercial. The news anchors and reporters themselves are chosen for their physical attractiveness--a factor which, as numerous psychological studies have shown, contributes to our perception of a person's trustworthiness. Under these conditions, then, the viewer easily forgets--if, indeed, the viewer ever knew in the first place--that the worldview presented on the evening news is a contrivance of the network owners--owners such as General Electric (NBC) and Westinghouse (CBS), both major defense contractors. By molding our perception of the world, they mold our opinions. This distortion of reality is determined as much by what is left out of the evening news as what is included--as a glance at Project Censored's yearly list of top 25 censored news stories will reveal. If it's not on television, it never happened. Out of sight, out of mind.

Under the guise of journalistic objectivity, news programs subtly play on our emotions--chiefly fear. Network news divisions, for instance, frequently congratulate themselves on the great service they provide humanity by bringing such spectacles as the September 11 terror attacks into our living rooms. We have heard this falsehood so often, we have come to accept it as self-evident truth. However, the motivation for live coverage of traumatic news events is not altruistic, but rather to be found in the central focus of Cantril's War of the Worlds research--the manipulation of the public through fear.

There is another way in which we are manipulated by television news. Human beings are prone to model the behaviors they see around them, and avoid those which might invite ridicule or censure, and in the hypnotic state induced by television, this effect is particularly pronounced. For instance, a lift of the eyebrow from Peter Jennings tells us precisely what he is thinking--and by extension what we should think. In this way, opinions not sanctioned by the corporate media can be made to seem disreputable, while sanctioned opinions are made to seem the very essence of civilized thought. And should your thinking stray into unsanctioned territory despite the trusted anchor's example, a poll can be produced which shows that most persons do not think that way--and you don't want to be different do you? Thus, the mental wanderer is brought back into the fold.

http://www.mackwhite.com/tv.html

[DemInDistress]

43. Dem's were supposedly out of line at KIng's funeral politics

at a time when it was deemed inappropriate but during the Olympics its ok to be a political animal..la dee da
will the bush ass kissers ever cease? DOUBLE STANDARD ? HM
Besides we Dem's rarely get a chance to denounce the chimperor in public since he always gives speeches to captive audiences on military bases with scripted questions well then, bashing bush at King's funeral was apropos..

[glitch]

44. He shames the USA. nt

[Beausoir]

45. It was an outrage! The fear spigot was wide open.

I have never witnessed anything like it before.

The constant cynical fear mongering. Everytime a new country marched in, Williams would adopt a grave, somber tone in his voice and proceed to crap all over them.