pentagon

It's the ninth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon this weekend, and while one war has ostensibly been wound up, another still rages--and inside the US the culture wars have reached a fever pitch, with Islamophobic ugliness centering on the anniversary seemingly everywhere. From a pastor in Florida threatening to burn Qurans on Saturday (and terror alerts being issued because of his actions) to the ongoing media arguments over the Cordoba House community center, American Muslims feel threatened, and the outreach to the larger Islamic world is threatened. To discuss the anniversary, we're joined by Fekkak Mamdouh, who was headwaiter and union leader at Windows on the World in the World Trade Center, and Reverend Dr. Jacqui Lewis, Senior Minister of the Middle Collegiate Church. They talk about interfaith outreach, the hard work that has been done to create understanding since the attacks, and what we can still be hopeful about.

A top general appears in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and what does he say? Well, it depends what you read, doesn't it? Read the New York Times, the Hill, and most of the U.S. press and the general came out (as it were) for the first time for a review of the Pentagon's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy. Significant, but newsworthy? Absolutely. Just as newsworthy were comments the General made about U.S./Israel relations, comments which didn't make it into those papers. For the first time, Gen. David Petraeus, the head of U.S. Central Command, said in effect that Israel's total impunity is becoming a liability--and I quote: "The conflict foments anti-American sentiment due to a perception of U.S. favoritism for Israel." He continues: "Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of US partnerships...and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world...Al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support." Noteworthy? I'd say so. Especially given the timing in the middle of a U.S./Israel spat. A wake-up call? Well, maybe, but only if you heard it. The New York Times account by Elisabeth Bumiller led with what Petraeus had to say about Iran: "No nuclear weapons this year." And what he didn't say--whether Don't Ask Don't Tell should actually be repealed. While he supports a review, he didn't have the time, he said, to lay out his opinions. So non-news led the news at the Times and they weren't alone. Makes you wonder about the Grey Lady's slogan: "All the News that's Fit To Print." Can anyone give me a definition?
The F Word is a regular commentary by Laura Flanders, the host of GRITtv which broadcasts weekdays on satellite TV (Dish Network Ch. 9415 Free Speech TV) on cable, and online at GRITtv.org and TheNation.com. Follow GRITtv or GRITlaura on Twitter.com.

Comcast, the nation's biggest cable and broadband Internet company, has plans to take over NBC Universal. The result would be a new kind of media monster that would not only produce some of America's most popular entertainment but also control viewers' access to it. Comcast would control the joint venture's day-to-day operations but Pentagon contractor GE would retain a 49 percent stake. The likely impact on consumer choices? Well you tell me: the Washington Post reports that all in all, the joint venture would control more than one out of every five television-viewing hours. With almost one in four cable subscribers in the U.S. a Comcast customer and NBC Universal owning not only NBC but also dozens of cable channels, including Telemundo, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo as well as theme parks, TV stations such as Washington's WRC (Channel 4), and Universal movie studios, the NBC Comcast deal is a biggie. In the meantime, it's time to cherish ever more all that remains in the way of independent media. And yes, that's our self interest speaking. -- Laura Flanders