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The Spectacle Blog
Aaron Goldstein is doing an able job defending himself from allegations that he is an “Islamophobe”(whatever that is), and I hereby endorse his self-defense. He has nothing to apologize for.
Likewise, our former AmSpec blogging colleague Jennifer Rubin has come under attack, this time from somebody who for no good reason is tremendously respected by the establishment media, the ever-tiresome James Fallows. Fallows says the Washington Post “owes the world an apology” for a post in which Rubin assumed that the Norway shooter was a jihadist and used that as a launch to make a broader point — an entirely solid point, no matter who did the shooting — that in a world this dangerous, we should maintain a strong national defense.
Michelle Malkin already has ably defended Rubin, but I feel like adding my own two cents.
First, as somebody who took very strong issue with the Left’s false and entirely warrantless blaming of the right for the Tucson shooting, I must repeat that it is always a bad thing for a journalist to make an assumption of guilt for any person or group in a situation like this before all the facts are in. But there is a huge difference between the unhinged rants on the Left after poor Gabrielle Giffords was shot and the measured, thoughtful tones of Jen Rubin — who, after all, didn’t use any loaded words, much less demagogic rantings, but merely used currently available knowledge to make a broader point. Indeed, unlike the Left’s attacks on Sarah Palin after Tucson, the point of Rubin’s post was NOT to cast blame and raise anger at all, but rather to make the larger argument about defense spending.
More important. Rubin wasn’t merely speculating. There was every reason to believe that jihadists were the murderers in Norway, for the simple reason that at least two jihadists publicly said that the attacks were jihadist and that more were on the way:
Al Qaeda-linked terrorists quickly commented on today’s attack. Abu Suleiman al Nasser, who is described by the SITE Intelligence Group as a “prominent jihadist,” linked today’s attack to Norway’s deployment of forces in Afghanistan, and said the “mujahideen” were likely behind it. Nasser also said today’s attack was related to the December 2010 suicide attack in Stockholm, Sweden, that killed one person. “Norway was targeted today to be a lesson and an example to the other countries of Europe,” Nasser said in a statement released on the al Qaeda-linked Shumukh al Islam forum, according to a translation provided by SITE. “Since the Stockholm invasion we had threatened more operations and we demanded that the countries of Europe withdraw their armies from the land of Afghanistan and stop their war on Islam and Muslims. We repeat our warning anew to the countries of Europe, and we say to them: carry out the demands of the mujahideen, because what you are seeing is merely the beginning, and what is coming is more.” Another jihadist, who is known as Amir Grozny, said today’s attack was in retaliation for Norway’s deployment of troops to Afghanistan.”You have moments to get your soldiers out of the tomb of Khorasan, else you will see blood flow in the streets,” Amir Grozny said in a post at the Shumukh al Islam forum, according to SITE. Today’s attack takes place just nine days after Norwegian prosecutors filed charges against Mullah Krekar, a radical Islamist cleric who founded the al Qaeda-linked, Iraq based Ansar al Islam. Krakar threatened to carry out attacks against government officials if he was deported from Norway. Also, on July 8, prosecutors sought to charge three men linked to al Qaeda for plotting terror attacks in Scandinavia. Mikael Davud, a Uighur, and Shawan Sadek Saeed Bujak, an Iraqi Kurd, both confessed to plotting attacks; the third suspect, David Jakobsen, an Uzbek, was released last year.
Yet Fallows blasts Rubin for reporting on this apparent jihadist link in the course of a broader point. This is the same James Fallows, though, who actually excused and in some way added to the attacks on conservatives and Sarah Palin after Tucson:
That’s the further political ramification here. We don’t know why the Tucson killer did what he did. If he is like Sirhan, we’ll never “understand.” But we know that it has been a time of extreme, implicitly violent political rhetoric and imagery, including SarahPac’s famous bulls-eye map of 20 Congressional targets to be removed — including Rep. Giffords. It is legitimate to discuss whether there is a connection between that tone and actual outbursts of violence, whatever the motivations of this killer turn out to be. At a minimum, it will be harder for anyone to talk — on rallies, on cable TV, in ads — about “eliminating” opponents, or to bring rifles to political meetings, or to say “don’t retreat, reload.”
A full week later, he still wasn’t backing down:
Well, in a sense, that’s what we do all the time. That is the purpose of storytellers, it’s the purpose of journalists, to say, OK, we see those four dots, let’s see if there’s a pattern there. And the thing I wrote for “The Atlantic” site an hour or two after the killing, I said — I made the point, number one, these assassination attempts are often so murky, we never really know. But number two, it’s legitimate in our current climate to ask whether there is some kind of question. I think that asking will go on for some time. And I do agree with what David Frum was saying earlier, that a particular kind of political rhetoric which suggests paranoia, conspiracy, that individuals are being victimized, that that can provoke people. We don’t know if it had any bearing in this case —
So let me get this straight. Even a week after Tucson, after it was absolutely clear that Palin and the right had nothing whatsoever to do with the Giffords shooting, Fallows was still saying that the very “purpose” of journalists is to connect dots and “see if there’s a pattern there,” and that “it is legitimate in our current climate to ask” if the rhetoric on the right had something to do with the shooting. But now that Rubin, VERY shortly after the Norway tragedy, doesn’t just connect nearly invisible dots but actually cites stories quoting jidahists themselves as claiming jihadist “credit” for the terrorism, Fallows says it suddenly is not only a horrible sin for Rubin to take the jihadists’ words themselves for real — these aren’t mere dots, they are what’s known as solid circumstantial evidence — but that is is a mistake bad enough that her employer should apologize to the world.
I have a better idea. I think the Atlantic should force Fallows himself to apologize to the world for his blatant hypocrisy.
View all comments (26) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Quin Hillyer
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/07/24/fallows-brain-lies-fallow
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Ragnar Knudsen| 7.25.11 @ 12:01AM
Rumors here in Norway are flying. Many are saying that Anders Breivik hasn't been the same since Norway's Women's Soccer Team was eliminated from The World Cup 2-1 by Australia.
Others are saying Breivik must have eaten some bad smelt.
J.C.Eaton| 7.25.11 @ 12:07AM
Of coures a mannerly Fallows should have apologized. He didn't and he won't. He is a tiresome lefty; you wish for what will never be.
Occam's Tool| 7.25.11 @ 1:25AM
Again, here's my bet: 85% plus of terrorist assaults world wide are committed by followers of the PBUH guy. Let's check out the next 100 terrorist attacks (counting Norway as 1) and see if this is borne out. Gentlemen's bet is OK. Anyone willing to take me on the other side and defend the Honor of The Religion of Peace (TM)? Clint, King,JHarp, Red? Anybody? Bueller?
Occam's Tool| 7.25.11 @ 3:33AM
The numbers are starting to come in:
CNN reports a kidnap victim, an 8 year old, was hung in Helmond Province by anti-American forces.
I wonder if Paulbots care about the death of 8 year old sons of allies of ours who aren't Jewish.
Probably not. The fact that they are children of allies of ours makes them evil in Paul's eyes.
Occam's Mommy| 7.25.11 @ 8:49AM
Now Junior, Take Your Meds & Go See Your Psychiatrist.
"Support for Ron Paul Runs High Among Members of the Military.
In fact, Paul’s popularity is so high among U.S. service members that the Texas Congressman’s presidential campaign has received more money from U.S. soldiers than any other candidate in the 2012 presidential race."
Oldefarte| 7.25.11 @ 11:36AM
Apparently this is terrorist-like attempt to disguise one's true identity and to create terrorist-like personal destrustion of someone else. Why not man-up and declare your true ID-moniker, which most of us are aware of anyway?????
Youngefarte| 7.25.11 @ 1:55PM
Oh Father, I cannot tell a lie. It is I, you're bastard mulatto son from Watts.
Mommy said to ask you for our support check ?
Remember your last visit, when that bad homeboy hit you with that cinder block.
Occam's Tool| 7.25.11 @ 5:12PM
"Your Bastard." Not YOU ARE BASTARD.
Youngefarte| 7.25.11 @ 5:40PM
Aaaand, You Are Bibi's Bitch, Hiccup Tool.
Oldefarte| 7.26.11 @ 10:18AM
It's YOU'RE ''''A'''''BASTARD, you dumb excrementhead piece of white trash. Learn proper grammaratical ENGLISH uses!!!!!!!!!
Oldefarte| 7.26.11 @ 10:25AM
PS, white trash: Ron Paul has about as much chance of being elected president as Obama does of the current president does of being given a snowball stand in the middle of downtown Chicago and running same profitably [even though he appears to be a sincere old coot in his belief system]!!!!!!!
Oldefarte| 7.25.11 @ 11:38AM
Amen, absolutely agree!!!!!!!
LC Jackboot | 7.25.11 @ 1:08PM
Well played Sir, Well played. Sockpuppets abound don't they?
Brian| 7.25.11 @ 1:58AM
"I think the Atlantic should force Fallows himself to apologize to the world for his blatant hypocrisy."
The Atlantic is an honorable institution, so I'm sure it will do just that. Right after that magazine apologizes to the world for hosting, until recently, the America's premier Trig-Truther conspiracy freak.
Joseph| 7.25.11 @ 2:03AM
I believe liberalism is a mental illness. How else can you explain their lunacy?
Old Bob| 7.25.11 @ 10:44AM
Joe, when I see how liberalism fits together, working smoothly and making good use of the most defective materials, I have to believe it is at root Satanic. Even the mentally ill contribute to the liberal goal. It's truly a wonder to someone who thinks that things have to make sense to work.
R Martin| 7.25.11 @ 8:22AM
Crazed gunmen are sadly a periodic characteristic of all cultures, but then so are political vultures who scavenge political capital as they pick through the horrific violence. The left is just shameless.
Mike Giles| 7.25.11 @ 8:31AM
Yeah, right. The Atlantic will apologize - the day after the NY Times gives back Duranty's Pulitzer.
JP| 7.25.11 @ 9:17AM
If I'm not mistaken, Reuters and AP were the first to suggest an AQ link. After-all, some jihadist group took credit for the attacks within hours of the bombing.
And I'm not sure there is anything to apologize for. I mean I didn't know that hurting the feelings of jihadists was a no-no.
Rick Caird| 7.25.11 @ 9:42AM
The beauty of all this is that Fallows and Kos sent all these intellectually challenged lefties over to the WaPo to hurl ad hominems at Rubin. Meanwhile, Fallows does not allow comments on his posts.
Joseph| 7.25.11 @ 2:47PM
Typical liberal coward.
Oldefarte| 7.25.11 @ 11:49AM
Quin, Sadly we all know the disguised burka-like methods of the MSM-types and their attempts at assigning blame for acts of McVey-like morons intent upon destroying innocents. It's simply Rahmism 101 [ie never letting a good crisis go to waste for political purposes]. After 9/11/01, they attempted to McVey the cause of same, and after the Oklahoma City bombing their assination of conservatism was unrelenting. It's the same old, same old. Conservatism has nothing to do with these McVey nutcases and never will, as the tea partiers admirably demonstrated with their class act behaviors at their rallies. The leftist-liberals are simply dispicable/deplorable/worthless political warriors that will stop at nothing in order to attempt to prove their socialistic points, and everyone with normal intelligence is mostly aware of their domestic terrorism tactics within the MSM anyway!!!!!!!
jWarrior| 7.25.11 @ 1:32PM
Fallows was a speechwriter for Jimmy Carter and has been failing upwards ever since.
Victor Erimita| 7.25.11 @ 3:57PM
I loyally subscribed to The Atlantic for over 20 years, back when it was an interesting publication with a diverse selection of topics and viewpoints and when it had no discernable political agenda. Back then, Fallows was filing very interesting and competently written travel articles and pieces on personal computing and single-engine piloting.
Then somehow, he and The Atlantic got the idea that he was a Deep Thinker. He started by confidently predicting that Japan would take over the world economically, because of all their wonderful national economic policies, the "Keiretsu" and in short, not being the U.S. He has been weighing in equally heavily, and with every bit as much accuracy, on any number of topics since, all predictable and tedious recitations out of the leftist catechism. I call the publication 'The James Fallows Monthly' now. I sadly cancelled my subscription years ago, well before they went completely berserk, hiring Andrew Sullivan and so on.
C Bowen| 7.25.11 @ 8:08PM
Jen Rubin is a hack who would never make it at a local city newspaper. It's embarrassing to read Ruling Class sell-outs like Quin spend so much time on her.
Has Rubin mentioned yet that the Norway mass murderer is an ideological fellow traveler of hers? I think this faux hysteria from Quin and the Ruling Class folks at The Atlantic is a misdirection.
zilong| 7.25.11 @ 9:14PM
Palin put crosshairs on Giffords. Giffords said that kind of stuff could be dangerous. Giffords get shot. People bring up Palin.
And then the right wing "woe is us" machine went ballistic, because that's what you guys do.
An anti Muslim zealot kills liberal politician's kids. Rubin blames Muslims because she obviously wanted to blame them from the get go. A true journalist would be able to recognzie (in a split second!!!) that you don't take every looney fringe "Al Qaeda" wannabe seriously---unless of course you're a Likudnik hack who never fails to pound the war drum on Iran.