Among the many American “news” sources that offer barely veiled propaganda, the Associated Press is one of the most outstanding for its unfaltering repetition of the official line from Washington, and its careful nurturing of Islamophobia. With partners like Yahoo!, which almost exclusively favours AP in its listing of top news on its default front page, AP daily pounds out a roster of “fear and terror” articles, no matter what other crises mount that are far greater in importance and impact to the majority of human beings. AP clearly has a role to play: in conditioning, training and deflecting attention.

In the world constructed by AP’s tropes and fantasies, this is what reality is meant to look like today:

Regarding the inauguration of Obama:

“Though much of the world will party through the night Tuesday after Obama is sworn in as America’s 44th president — just as it did when he was elected — there are signs the ardor is cooling as the sheer weight of his challenges sinks in.”

“Everyone was dreaming a little.”

…but the world is “fickle”…

“Dozens of developing countries rely on U.S. foreign aid, which historically has been generous.” [The question is: generous to whom, and are the intended beneficiaries ever meant to be anyone other than U.S. corporations?]

Regarding the Israeli truce in Gaza:

“Israel mounted the offensive three weeks ago to halt years of rocket attacks.” [This is a myth perpetuated by media outlets such as AP even more than the Israeli government. As a myth, it is easily laid to rest, except that AP wishes to breathe new life into it each time it publishes a story.]

“Hamas, which rejects Israel’s right to exist, violently seized control of Gaza in June 2007, provoking a harsh Israeli blockade…” [Does Israel accept Hamas’ right to exist? Does it accept the Palestinians’ right to exist when it exiles them to the margins of a land they once occupied? And since Hamas was democratically elected by the majority of Palestinians, in both the West Bank and Gaza, how does AP explain its “violent takeover”? And why should a Palestinian power struggle mandate an Israeli blockade in return?]

“The Israeli operation outraged the Muslim world, sparking dozens of demonstrations.” [Apparently, we are all Muslims now too — the AP ignores the massive demonstrations that have occurred all over the planet.]

So THE WORLD trembles with love at the mere mention of “Obama,” while all those who oppose Israeli genocide and demonstrated against it were “Muslims.” In the meantime, the only real threat to peace is Hamas, and its bottle rockets. Palestinians, not being white, European, privileged allies of the U.S., unlike Israelis, are less than human, and less than important, except as “obstacles.” All that Israel ever does is respond and get provoked, it never initiates — a pristine white victim of irrational brown people, you can almost hear its maiden-like screams across the white Atlantic.

With “reporting” like this, the media will keep anthropologists in business for a long time to come, as we try to clean up the damage they cause in creating a deranged culture of war and hatred. And it is hatred, a subtle, insidious, and racist hatred that motivates and encourages AP to write the kind of articles about Gaza as it has.

In the meantime, as the message sinks in deeper that anyone who protests is a Muslim, or Jew hater, is it a wonder that some militaristic knuckleheads appear on this  blog to insinuate that the author is somehow pro-Taliban, Taliban-leaning, or a Taliban sympathizer? It is a world of bleak ignorance, and self-destructive war lust that these people live in. If only they could live on another planet, and leave this one to humanity.

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