Whitewashing a Terrorist

Media reporting today of the acquittal of terrorist fund-raiser and cheerleader Sami Al-Arian was, as usual in such cases, sensitive and caring. Readers at breakfast could finish their eggs in peace, not knowing that al-Arian had begged a Cleveland audience "to create a Palestine 'from the river to the sea,' concluding: 'Thus is the way of jihad. Thus is the way of martyrdom. Thus is the way of blood, because this is the path to heaven.'"

The above quote is, of course, from FrontPage Magazine. Such comments were tastefully pruned from stories that appeared in the AP, Washington Post and -- to save the predictably worst for last -- the New York Times.

The Times's Eric Lichtblau was not content to simply omit references to the blood-curdling character of this creep's activities. Yep, you can always expect the Times to go that extra mile. It is, after all, Times policy. Instead, Lichtblau droned on and on with quotes from al-Arian's supporters, noted approvingly that al-Arian had worked "in support of Palestinian independence" (Times-speak for "killing Jews") and threw in this hunk of baloney:

"In the mid-1990's," Lichtblau reported, "news coverage of Mr. Arian drew attention to his opposition to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and led some critics to label the University of South Florida as 'Jihad U.'"

That's just factually incorrect. It was, of course, the "Palestine from the river to the sea" rants that put Arian and his academic sanctuary on the map. Misinforming readers -- hey, that's what the Times is all about, nowadays.

As has been my usual practice when the Times bites the big one, I'm sending a copy of this item to the Empty Suit, New York Times spokesman (a/k/a "public editor") Barney Calame. Something else for you to ignore, Barney, while you shill for management and focus on trivia.

Trackposted to: Stuck on Stupid, Basil's Blog, TMH Bacon