A new story on life after the take over by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Mosul reveals the bizarre existence for academics at places like University of Mosul. ISIS has outlawed lessons on democracy and political thought in favor of concentrations on religious indoctrination and Sharia law. Not too surprising, ISIS also banned hotel management and tourism and archaeology.
Every aspect of life has been reordered in line with Islamic principles from vaccination schedules to fishing methods to rent disputes.
Given the continuing campaign of ISIS to destroy ancient sites and artifacts in the region, the archaeology faculty must have known that they were at the greatest risk in the ISIS move to bring the university in line with its Islamic values. Likewise, tourism is not a priority for ISIS, which continues to pay top dollar to take Westerners to ransom or behead as part of its blood-soaked culture.
One concession to the college students: foosball will be tolerated . . . so long as there is no gambling, no cursing or resentment and that the figurines have no heads. It is the same game of course but the headless figurines look like the other Western individuals who have the misfortune of encountering ISIS.
” the difference between WAPO printing a columnist which might or might not be propaganda and the WAPO presenting propaganda as a news story.”
I guess that difference is very meaningful to you somehow.
Let’s follow the bouncing ball, boys and girls. We’ve got a real Einstein in the logic department.
The US government created ISIS.
ISIS cuts off heads.
The US government represents the American people.
THEREFORE, the American people cut off heads.
Lol! Hysterical!
ISIS Bans Archeology and Tourism Studies At Mosul University While Cutting The Heads Of Foosball Figurines.
Please do not forget to give a big hearty thanks for the entity that made ISIS’s ascent possible:
The United States Government…. without the US governments unflinching support in providing financing, training, logistics and munitions not to forget the three decades of economic sanctions (which helped to bring secular Middle Eastern nations to their knees Iraq, Syria, Libya etal) and outright invasion and military occupation without which ISIS would not exist.
Stability and security operations are code for:
Instability
Instability within a nation state makes resource extraction much easier for multinational corporations.
Personanongrata – it appears that some of Saddam’s former generals are leading ISIS. They are battle hardened from three wars so they know what they should be doing and they are familiar with US tactics.
Much of the news on foreign affairs is highly manipulated and should not be taken at face value. Not to say this is not true, but excepting it as truth from any element of the main stream media in especially western culture, is not logical based on many of the insights we now have from such actions as Wikileaks and others. The war mongers will always to drumming up adversaries at the expense of the American taxpayer.
hskiprob – I find the foreign press more honest about American affairs.
Yes generally. This surely depends on what specific foreign press one is watching or reading. To me The Guardian is as bad as the Washington Post or NY Times.
So, the foosball figurines need to have their heads removed? That’s the great concession given the students?
“Inga says WaPo is printing propaganda now.
Huh.”
Notice the attempt to confuse the issue – the difference between WAPO printing a columnist which might or might not be propaganda and the WAPO presenting propaganda as a news story.
Fortunately for us Pogo Hears a Who is so simple he thinks these ruses will confuse of convince readers of this blog.
I don’t think readers will be confused. What do you think?
“It’s propaganda.”
Inga says WaPo is printing propaganda now.
Huh.
It’s propaganda.
“I will bet most readers of this blog realize the difference between news and political commentary.”
A distinction without a difference.
Your definition is about 50 years out of date (if it was ever true).
” the problem of political opinion inserted into what is presented as a straight news piece.”
Most, perhaps all, “news” is politically filtered.
Why it was chosen as a story, the angle taken, the conclusions, all political.
Most MSM “news” writers/producers/anchors are merely “democratic operatives with bylines” as Glenn Reynolds so deftly notes.
George Will’s column had “new information” (i.e., “news”), at least new to those outside of Wisconsin. it also had opinion mixed in. Unlike the rest of WaPo which pretends to be ‘impartial.’
@Pogo Hears a Who
I will leave it to readers to decide for themselves whether they think there is no difference between straight news and political commentary.
Readers might want to remember for future reference when they read comments by Pogo Hears a Who that this person claims there is no difference between political commentary and straight news.
TJustice
We Americans do have Dick Cheney and George W Bush to thank for unleashing this scourge upon the world. I mean, if they had not put Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz in charge and all…
@Pogo
Lest we forget, the open-minded and tolerant Democrats love these kind of partisan intimidation prosecutions. It also happened in Texas, to ex-Gov. Perry. And then you have Malloy and Rahm Emanuel who were intent on punishing Chick-fil-A because the owners didn’t believe in gay marriages. It is really funny to watch some people here try to spin around this kind of stuff. Sadly, those tactics actually work around the low-information types.
Hmmm. You writing that made me think of an Irish Poem. . .
Whores Of A Definite Coloratura???
An Irish Poem by Squeeky Fromm
Oh no! We aren’t partisan thugs!
And we don’t sweep our dirt under rugs!
We make up excuses
For legal abuses!
Then, respond with derision and shrugs.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Of course, lol.
Inga, it’s now news because Eric O’Keefe, a director of the Wisconsin Club for Growth, on Monday sent a certified letter to Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm demanding that Chisholm ask the Milwaukee County Circuit Court to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the DA office for these tactics.
“suggest that any op-ed piece or political column is news is deeply misleading. They are not.”
Apparently you think news and opinion are kept separate in the media.
An interesting claim, albeit demonstrably false.
“Apparently you think news and opinion are kept separate in the media.
An interesting claim, albeit demonstrably false.”
I never made that claim. On the contrary I have previously commented here and other places regarding the problem of political opinion inserted into what is presented as a straight news piece.
A different kind of problem occurs when one claims that a political column is news. It takes a lot of nerve to present a quote form a political columnist such as George F. Will and claim his quote is news.
I will bet most readers of this blog realize the difference between news and political commentary.
The question ought to arise: why would someone with a political agenda try to pass political commentary as news? Why would someone try to associate the news reputation of the Washington Post with political commentary from one of the nations leading conservative columnists?
I don’t know why this writer has attempted to confuse news and political commentary. But a first guess would be that the news story is simply not as interesting, compelling or dramatic as the commentary infused with political purpose.
In a few years when ISIS has been eradicated, hopefully, there will be some unfortunate University of Mosul graduates out looking for jobs. “And where did you go to school?” “umm.”
BFM,
This isn’t even new news. This happened back in 2011. It looks like several conservative blogs have glommed onto this old story too.
No, that is NOT what the investigation has been about. More propaganda.
Inga, the investigation was always about defeating Walker via lawfare.
And now it’s clear you are in favor of denying free speech, if enforced by Democrat prosecutors and police union thugs.
“…suggest the quote either appeared in a news article or reflects the editorial view of the Washington Post”
Lighten up, Francis.
I was pointing to the news being reported in WaPo, because lefties are deniers if it ain’t in the approved sources.
“I was pointing to the news being reported in WaPo,”
The quote in question appeared in a column by George F. Will on the op-ed page of the WAPO. George F. Will is a conservative political columnist. His column, along with all other political columns, is not news.
If the writer on this blog simply wanted to bring this case to our attention he could have quoted any number of straight news stories.
To suggest that any op-ed piece or political column is news is deeply misleading. They are not.
John Doe investigation for collusion. Get it right. Stop your righty propaganda.