Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Iran and Brooklyn Center

Iran's Khameni and friends - making a deal with evil (TOI)
How naïve I was before Trump. I used to see the media through rose colored glasses even though back then I thought those lenses were pretty clear. I rarely thought the media had any bias in their reporting. I used to defend them even if I disagreed with their take on things. But ever since Trump, my eyes have been opened wide.

This is not to say that Trump was a saint. He was much more a sinner. But the media refused to characterize anything he ever did in positive ways. No matter what he did, the media spun it negatively. Which would never be spun that way about one of their favored elites.  As I recently demonstrated with Biden whose policies in certain areas are simply a continuation of policies vilified by the media when Trump implemented them. Now that Biden is in charge and doing the same thing – not a word! 

We now have 2 more instances of that bias. Both of which are blatant in my view. 

First there is the recent explosion in the Nantanz Uranium Enrichment Plant in Iran. That has set back their nuclear program for up to a year. Although Israel has not claimed nor denied responsibility for it, it is pretty much an open secret that Israeli Intelligence was behind it. Iran certainly believes that and has promised to take revenge.  Biden has denied that the US had anything to do with it or having any advance knowledge of it. 

You world think the world owes Israel some gratitude for setting Iran’s nuclear ambitions back by up to a year. Wasn’t that after all the whole point of the disastrous deal with Iran the US made under Obama? ...to temporarily set back their nuclear ambitions for 10 years (about 5 years from now)?! 

Instead of expressing amazement and gratitude at the daring and precision of Israel setting back Iran’s nuclear ambitions - the media has been reporting how Israel has hindered the negotiations going on between the US and Iran to remove the sanctions - and restore the nuclear deal between them.  Adding… how it was a slap in the face of the US to do it while US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was visiting Israel.

This is media bias at its finest. Israel does the world a favor and the media all but condemns it. Even though its clear that Iran will not stop its negotiations with the US because of it. Why should they? They are crumbling under the Trump’s crippling sanctions and want them removed. They are not going jeopardize that. 

But nothing compares to the bias of a very sad event where once again a black man was killed by a cop. This time in Brooklyn Center, a suburb of Minneapolis. The story is being reported accurately, but the media spin has turned  this event into a racial incident. Here is what happened (about which there is no real dispute).

Kim Potter, a white 26 year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department accidentality shot  Daunte Wright - a  20 year old black man who tried to escape arrest on some outstanding warrants. He was pulled over on Sunday for a traffic violation, When he tried to get back into his car Potter mistakenly pulled out her gun instead of her Taser, yelled ‘Taser, Taser, Taser’ and fired her gun. The bullet struck Wright who then drove off and crashed into a tree. He died shortly after. When Potter realized what she had done she expressed immediate remorse. 

These are the unfiltered facts of the event. There was absolutely nothing racist about it. But that is not  how the media is spinning it. Even though they did not say it in so many words that is strongly impllied in their reporting. Which of course falls right in line with the violent protests and looting that followed. (See the video below) Protesters shouting phrases like ‘Hands up!’ ‘Don’t shoot’! Signifying their mistaken belief that this was just another racist shooting of a black man by a white cop.   

This was absolutely not a racist event. It was a terrible accident by an experienced cop whose 26 years of experience should have prevented it. It was tragic and should have never happened. A young man died.  His family will suffer a very long time because of it. There is not a doubt in my mind that Potter should be fired. Mistakes like that cannot happen without serious consequences. 

There is little doubt in my mind that in addition to being fired, this event will haunt Potter for the rest of her life by suffering a sense of guilt over killing a human being. But there was no malice. No intent to kill or permanently harm anyone. She believed she had pulled out her taser instead of her gun. She believed she was simply following police procedure. And in the heat of the moment, she made a a grievous error. 

And yet without saying it in so many words the media spin suggests that this is yet another instance of  institutional racism.  That is the theme of every report I have seen - at least by the electronic media. Their sense of outrage is palpable.  

Instead of criticizing the violent protests that erupted, they are reporting it without comment. Making it seem like those protests are justified. People that watch these reports can easily see it the way the media is spinning it:  As yet another instance of a black man being killed by a white cop. Adding fuel to the fire by comparing it to the murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin. Whose  trial is taking place just a few miles from where this incident took place! 

I see little value in a media that that uses their constitutionally protected rights to forward an agenda based on lies.  Freedom of the press should not be protected when the the reporting is so misleading. 

The media’s job is to keep the public informed. That is the purpose of their constitutional protection. But when they misinform - that is not much better than yelling ‘Fire’ in a crowded theater. Which is not constitutionally protected  Nor should it be. Yelling ‘Fire’ is exactly what the media is doing with their spin here. Innocent people can -and very likely will - get hurt.  

The sad thing is that the media actually believes that they are forwarding a positive agenda with their spin. They believe they are acting to eliminate racism. In my view they are doing the opposite, they are contributing to the polarization we are all experiencing now. It is us versus them. If you don’t see it the way the media does, you are a racist. And that solves nothing.