Palast delivers another scathing review of Galloway, anti-abortionist

[BurtWorm]

Received via e-mail. No link:


GALLOWAY: DEADLY ANTI-ABORTION THREATS FROM REPUBLICAN'S FAVORITE "LEFTIST"

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Note: Palast and Cindy Sheehan will be speaking at the Operation Ceasefire concert sponsored by DC Anti-War Network and United for Peace and Justice -- all day and night at the Washington Monument.

by Greg Palast

During his debate with Salman Rushdie at the recent Edinburgh TV Festival, someone asked George Galloway if television should broadcast an adaptation of Rushdie's novel, "Satanic Verses." According to Rushdie, Galloway replied, "If you don't respect religion, you have to suffer the consequences."

Holy Jesus! This was, unmistakably, an endorsement of the death-sentence fatwa issued against Rushdie by Ayatollah Khomeini.

Add this endorsement of killing for God to Galloway's notorious opposition in Parliament to a woman's right to choose abortion, and you get yourself a British Pat Robertson. What next? Will he be "saluting the courage, strength and indefatigability" of abortion clinic bombers, as he saluted Saddam?

The Honorable Member of Britain's House of Commons has become the new love-child of American progressives for his in-your-face accusations about our own government's mendacity in sending our troops to war in Iraq. I myself quoted Galloway with admiration.

But the man who saluted the "courage" of Saddam Hussein in 1994, who today can't and won't account for nearly a million dollars in income and expenditures for a charity he founded to buy medicine for Iraqi children is not, friends, the best choice as our anti-war spokesman.

Where did this guy come from? Who invited him here? The answer: US Senate REPUBLICANS. As Cindy Sheehan was gathering public sympathy as the Gold Star mom against the killing in Iraq, the Republican party decided to import an easier target to pummel. So they brought over the "I-salute-your-courage, Saddam" religious fundamentalist
crack-pot who can't tell us where the money went.

That's why the Republicans chose him for us. This gross cartoon from abroad whose "charity" is stuffed with loot from an Oil-for-Food profiteer is the image they prefer on TV to Cindy Sheehan whom they dare not confront.

Yes, Galloway was the punching bag that punched back, and for that we are appreciative. Now GO HOME, George.

We need to repudiate this guy -- before the warmongers do, with glee.

I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let Karl Rove or some sick GOP Senator pick my heroes for me.

Some well-meaning progressives have said that my exposing Galloway plays into the hands of the "other side." Friends, this isn't a World Cup match, with sides; it's a World War, with too many dead bodies piling up.

Galloway says, "I have religious beliefs and try to live by them. I have all my life been against abortion and against euthanasia."

Well, Mr. Galloway, you may live by your beliefs -- anti-choice, fatwas, Saddam's "courage" -- but too many are DYING by your beliefs.

I admit, I was suckered by Galloway. I was the first journalist in the UK to rush to his defense on television when he was accused of wrong-doing. I wanted to believe in him, but the hard facts condemn him -- and us, if we don't act true to our moral imperative.

Mr. Galloway told the Independent newspaper, "I'm not as Left-wing as you think."

Indeed, he isn't.

Next Saturday, September 24, Cindy Sheehan and I will be speaking at the Operation Ceasefire gathering in Washington DC, sponsored by the DC Anti-War Network and United for Peace and Justice. Please join us.

Hopefully, our voices won't be drowned out by George Galloway's antics.

[AzDar]

1. Since I'm not too familiar with Galloway before he took Norm

(Choppers) Coleman to task so brilliantly, all I can do is hope that this isn't true.
Mr. Galloway certainly has the right to not have an abortion...He does not, however, have the right to tell others that they may not.

[BurtWorm]

2. The pro-fatwa bit is kind of disurbing as well.

To put it mildly.

[IndyOp]

3. Greg critiqued Galloway, so I'll critique Greg:

Greg GET A GRIP:

Galloway says, "I have religious beliefs and try to live by them. I have all my life been against abortion and against euthanasia." Good. These are ideals of mine, too -- we aren't anywhere near providing the sort of support to people that would make these events exceptionally rare, but they are perfectly acceptable ideals.

"What next? Will he be "saluting the courage, strength and indefatigability" of abortion clinic bombers..." Completely unfair leap: Just because someone is against abortion does NOT mean that they support abortion clinic bombers!

"But the man who... can't and won't account for nearly a million dollars in income and expenditures for a charity he founded to buy medicine for Iraqi children..." I am not ready to throw stones about this item - nearly a million dollars out of how much total? 'Can't account?' - Why? His fault or someone else's?

Where did this guy come from? Who invited him here? The answer: US Senate REPUBLICANS.Do you have a Republican who will testify?


I am concerned about this: "the courage, strength and indefatigability" of...Saddam? I can understand that he may have made this comment in frustration - but it does not match his values of respect for life.


This is VERY disturbing: According to Rushdie, Galloway replied, "If you don't respect religion, you have to suffer the consequences." This was, unmistakably, an endorsement of the death-sentence fatwa issued against Rushdie by Ayatollah Khomeini.

Explanation Mr. Galloway?

[BurtWorm]

5. You make some good criticisms of Palast's attack.

But when one says they're "against abortion and against euthanasia" and cites religion as a reason for it, it seems to me they're saying more than just that they want it rare.

[IndyOp]

6. It is possible that you are right, and then again

my Native American/Buddhist friend is also against abortion and euthansia for religious reasons -- and he is willing to 'work the problem' by providing effective sex education and health care and education and jobs with decent wages -- all of the things we know reduce unwanted pregnancies. As for euthanasia - he does not believe that a human life (his or anyone else's) is theirs to end. If I give him the benefit of the doubt about this, and I also know Christians and Jews and Unitarians who think similarly, then I can give the benefit of the doubt to Galloway.

Peace.

[geek tragedy]

12. Does your friend salute Saddam's courage, and think that Syrians

are 'lucky' to be ruled by the Baathist dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad? Was the saddest day in your friend's life the day the USSR fell? Does your friend regard the secular Iraqi left and trade union movement as collaborators who deserve to be shot?

Galloway is a reactionary, tyrant-loving goon. He deserves the benefit of nothing but the back of progressives' hands.

[BurtWorm]

13. I don't know what Galloway's religion is.

I don't know much about him except he delivered a couple of lovely blows to some gasbags I can't stand.

[tenshi816]

37. Galloway's Catholic.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

14. I respect other religions, because I want people to respect my choice..

to not have one. How does that translate into agreeing with their beliefs?

"If you don't respect religion, you have to suffer the consequences."

Does anyone have a link to the full quote? Is it taken out of context?

[BurtWorm]

15. The context, apparently, is that he said it to someone who suffered

the consequences of allegedly disrespecting Islam.

Another piece of the context?: Galloway is MP for a section of London with a high percentage of Muslims.

[IndyOp]

21. Galloway's section of London has a high percentage of Muslims -

That is a very important piece of context! I would like to hear in what ways his opinions do and do not echo theirs - his positive comments about Saddam do echo exactly what many, many Muslims in the Mideast thought of Hussein once the US had Iraq in its crosshairs:

A friend who travels often to the Mideast said that Hussein was disliked/hated by most Arabs until the US began systematically destroying Iraq (Gulf War; Economic Sanctions; weekly bombing raids that continued for over a decade). My friend commented that he was really suprised when, during the build up to the US' unprovoked attack on Iraq, a friend in Egypt became angry when he insulted Hussein.

This is exactly the context in which I can understand Galloway making positive comments about Hussein.

:kick:

[DerekG]

25. We're led to believe anyone who has an aversion to abortion is suspect

Alas, I'm a Christian socialist, and I share Galloway's sentiments. I guess I'm out of the club.

[BurtWorm]

62. Aversion is not opposition.

Who doesn't have aversion to abortion? The question is, are you so averse to it you want to outlaw it?

[Jim Sagle]

4. It's called the Nazi-Soviet pact. Check into it.

[wurzel]

7. I don't have to agree with Galloway about everything.

I may agree with him about the war. That is no reason I should agree with him about anything else.

[mwm]

8. Galloway on This is Hell

Galloway was interviewed on This is Hell this morning 9/17/05
http://thisishell.net/
http://www.wnur.org/
It should be available in their archives in a few days, sooner if you bug them. It should be available via podcast even sooner.
Claim was made that 9 of the 10 Palast criticisms are answered in Galloway's book, "Mr. Galloway Goes To Washington: The Brit Who Set Congress Straight About Iraq", which is a very quick read, less than 90 pages. It was a good interview (the following interview with Norman Finkelstein was even better). Galloway is definitely feisty and does not take too kindly to some of the acquisitions that are quoted to him from the Palast article.
Interesting Galloway claims he was not familiar with the Palast article and that he had never heard of Greg Palast.

[JNelson6563]

10. Galloway never heard of Palast?

Oh that is hilarious! Considering what a burr under Blair's saddle Palast has been that notion is absurd.

Ever read The Best Democracy Money Can Buy?

Julie

[Jim Sagle]

27. But...but...but THAT would mean Galloway is (gasp!) a GODDAMN LIAR!!!!!!!!

[jmatthan]

32. Why should anyone have heard of Palast?

He is just a journalist, who claims to be an investigative journalist. There are thousands of them of great quality in the UK annd most a lot better than Palast.

His prime work (that brought him to my attention) concerned the US 2000 election, which is not of interest to normal British politicians. They are not generally intersdted in US politics TILL they are falsely implicated.

[muriel_volestrangler]

38. You would expect Galloway to have heard of Palast

given that he's done high-profile reports in the Observer and on Newsnight highly critical of Blair and Bush, subjects which you'd think would interest Galloway.

But then, you'd have thought he'd heard of Nick Raynsford, since he was the (Labour) government minister in charge of the fire services during the firemen's strike - again, something you'd think a socialist like Galloway would have followed (being the best known strike in the UK in the last few years). But Galloway didn't know who he was either. I think he doesn't follow day-to-day politics that much, really.

[jmatthan]

42. It does not explain WHY Galloway

should have heard of Palast.

How many British journalists that write for Sunday Times, Observer, Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Sunday Independent, etc., etc., let along the dailies, have you have heard of?

Palast may be unique in the US because he is from the US.

Palast is one of a herd in the UK. If I was not following US politics I would never have heard of Palast as an unique animal. As far as British poplitics is concerned the views of Palast are not very palatable.

The more I see Palast's page, I see ONLY jealousy.

His statement that the Republicans invited Galoway to the US shows his mentality and agends!!

Palast is really miffed about Galloway having stolen the thunder in the Senate Hearing with Norm Coleman. Not a single article by Palast had the impact of Galloway's testimony and that is shown up in how Palast is now writing about Galloway. Even Palast's Panorama shows on BBC have not had the power of the words of Galloway in the Senate hearing.

So I see JEALOUSY!!

[muriel_volestrangler]

46. It was Palast who uncovered the Florida election register scam

and Galloway was interested in that. He's written on election fraud in 2004, and Galloway said he was following that. He uncovered the links between Saudi charities, protected by Bush, and the 9/11 bombers - another area Galloway is interested in. He's done an expose that the oil companies had a major say in the post-invasion control of Iraq - another area Galloway is concerned with. And yet Galloway hasn't heard of him. This shows that Galloway is not keeping up with the bits of current affairs that he says concern him.

No, Palast's reports in the UK have stood out. I have no idea what you mean by "As far as British poplitics is concerned the views of Palast are not very palatable". Can you rephrase it, please?

It's not jealousy - it's that Palast doesn't think Galloway is worth admiring.

[jmatthan]

53. The election fraud was concerned with Americans by Americans!

Why do you have to depend on BBC Panorama to publicise that?

As far as the Brits, and other nationalities are concerned, it was only of passing interest to the majority of us.

We know the election was stolen and the American democratic system is so poor and warped that you have no remedy.

We all worked on our systems to ensure that it did not happen in our countries.

However, Americans allowed it happen despite all Palast's writings in 2002 and again in 2004, and it will happen again in 2006!!

So Palast's writings are quite valueless to us in other parts of the world.

Are you interested in why the BJP lost the election to the Congress in India and what some well-known British or American journalist may have written about it? I didn't think so.

What I see here in this thread is the arrogance characteristic of Americans (right and left) that we around the world should be concerned what a big-headed, jealous American journalist is writing in the British media and the feeling that he should be read by a British Member of Parliament.

For God's sake why, when most of you Americans fail to read him anyway!!

[muriel_volestrangler]

56. Well, Galloway talks about election fraud in the USA

so you'd think he'd know who uncovered one of the major examples of it (and it's Newsnight, not Panorama, that Palast does reports for, by the way). I personally found it very interesting, and still do. If I, as a member of the British public, have seen several of Palast's pieces, in print and on TV, about subjects Galloway talks about, you'd think he'd know who he was. Yes, I do have a feeling that British MPs should keep up with what appears in the British media. Is that really a strange thing?

[jmatthan]

57. They may but the name of the journalist is unimportant

unless he happens to be British and who has had direct access to the Member.

What was important was that it was a Panorama piece - the name of the journalist is of least significance in a panorama presentation.

I have seen hundreds of Panorama presentations live and I cannot remember a single journailist associated with the stories.

Palast has a big head - he thinks he is Panorama!!

[BurtWorm]

59. You can't reason with a cult member.

Apparently Galloway accumulates them.

[jmatthan]

33. No. What is that?

eom

[BurtWorm]

49. Palast's book, a collection of his investigative journalism.

It's mostly about US politics, but it also includes some of his pieces on Blair.

[jmatthan]

58. Doesn't interest me!!

eom

[mwm]

9. Galloway on This is Hell

Galloway was interviewed on This is Hell this morning 9/17/05
http://thisishell.net/
http://www.wnur.org/
It should be available in their archives in a few days, sooner if you bug them. It should be available via podcast even sooner.
Claim was made that 9 of the 10 Palast criticisms are answered in Galloway's book, "Mr. Galloway Goes To Washington: The Brit Who Set Congress Straight About Iraq", which is a very quick read, less than 90 pages. It was a good interview (the following interview with Norman Finkelstein was even better). Galloway is definitely feisty and does not take too kindly to some of the acquisitions that are quoted to him from the Palast article.
Interesting Galloway claims he was not familiar with the Palast article and that he had never heard of Greg Palast.

[geek tragedy]

11. Galloway also said that Terri Schiavo was 'murdered,' has allied

himself with the Muslim brotherhood, has befriended people deemed by the UN to be terrorists, applauds the murder of Iraqi trade unionists, and said that Syrians are "lucky" to have the Bashar al-Assad as their dictator.

He's a Swamp Thing.

Go the fuck home, George.

[mwm]

16. Has anyone read Galloway's book?

I have not read it. I would be interested to know from someone who has read Galloway's book, "Mr. Galloway Goes To Washington: The Brit Who Set Congress Straight About Iraq", whether it debunks any of Palast's criticisms? It is a bad way to form judge a person just based on what their critics say about them. Not defending him just want to hear from someone who read both Galloway and his critics.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

17. Supposedly there is a link to the full text on the website...

but I can't find it. :shrug:

http://respectcoalition.org/

[pox americana]

18. If Palast or whoever wrote this "e-mail" is now an SBVT warrior, fine.

Everybody has to eat. Nice link-less smear.

[BurtWorm]

51. Here's the link.

http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=460&row=0

[shance]

19. The attacks by Palast to me seem to reveal some racism on Palast's part?

I don't know, however, something does not appear fully up front about the accusations by Palast. His argument contains more of an ax to grind than any legitimate criticism.

To me it seems Palast is not being fully honest about his reasoning for attacking Galloway. At the least it seems he doth protest too much, and there's appears no legitimate point in his attacks.

[BurtWorm]

47. It's not legitimate to criticize toadyism to Saddam?

Or religious opposition to abortion from a politician? Or financial unaccountability in a children's charity?

[jmatthan]

20. Greg Palast having a bout of jealousy

Some of you may remember how Greg Palast treated Randi Rhodes during an event about a year and a bit ago.

It is obvious that Greg Palast wants to be THE BRIT representative in the USA and cannot stand anyone stealing his thunder.

Reading between the lines it is very obvious that Greg Palast is absolutely horrified that George Galloway has a way with words which are far far superior to his control of the English language and Palast is not liking it one bit.

He cannot criticise Galloway on substance so he tries to hit him below the belt.

Shame of you Greg Palast. Quite unworthy of a true journalist.

[RandomKoolzip]

22. Palast isn't a Brit. He lives in Britain, but is an American by birth.

[jmatthan]

28. I said "The BRIT representative"

which implied he was an American who has made it in the British media and therefore is thought of (mainly by himself) as the "The BRIT representative".

I did not say he was a Brit!!

[BurtWorm]

23. Palast has done much more for the American left than Galloway.

I trust Palast. He may be wrong about Galloway, but that's no reason to dump him entirely. I think he deserves a bit more credit that that.

[jmatthan]

31. I must differ

Palast, may write well, but IMHO has a very big head.

Galloway does not have to do anything for America - he is a British politcian fighting to hold American imperialism, which is behaving exactly like British imperialists, at bay.

Galloway did not come to act on behalf of the American left. He came to defend himself from the American Senate Committee false statements against him, not to defend America or a powerless and gutless American left. (The American left thought they could use him and jumped onto his bandwagon!)

Why else was his testimony removed from the Congressional record.

Palast has jumped onto the Cindy Sheehan bandwagon for HIS OWN egotism.

[anitar1]

34. And I must differ with you. I like Palast's columns.

If anyone wants to read His work, go to CommonDreams.com and look for his name under journalists. His columns are there. I enjoyed Galloways speech in D.C., but I think he is the one who has an inflated view of himself. Go home, George.

[jmatthan]

41. Who put Bush back in power in 2004?

eom

[BurtWorm]

50. Palast? Are you confusing him with Jack Palance?

:wtf:

[jmatthan]

52. No.

Palast may complain all he wants but he just writes. He does not do!!

[BurtWorm]

44. Does having a big head disqualify someone from doing good?

Does Galloway NOT have a big head?

Take a look at The Best Democracy Money Can Buy again (if you ever looked at it). Maybe you need to refresh your memory of the good Palast has done.

[jmatthan]

54. For whom, the Iraqi people?

eom

[BurtWorm]

60. For any people.

[Laughing Mirror]

40. "reading between the lines ..."

I think so too. Is Galloway going to be speaking September 24 in DC? Palast sounds afraid of being upstaged by him.

I have heard Galloway speak and I've heard Palast. His fears are entirely understandable.

[NorthernSpy]

24. ooooh -- guess what?!?:

:nuke:I don't care.:nuke::nuke:I don't care.:nuke::nuke:I don't care.:nuke::nuke:I don't care.:nuke::nuke:I don't care.:nuke::nuke:I don't care.:nuke::nuke:I don't care.:nuke::nuke:I don't care.:nuke::nuke:I don't care.:nuke:



Galloway is a Scot and a former factory worker who says things that people I don't like don't want to hear.

He is one of us.

So I like him.

[BurtWorm]

26. Palast is alaso a working class guy from California.

You don't have to pick and choose.

[gulfcoastliberal]

29. I enjoyed him blasting the senate repukes but being anti-choice and anti-

Israel turns me off. I think Palast is right about this. Don't put this guy on a pedestal. Just being anti-choice is bad enough. And I do wonder where the million bucks went (also wonder how much more US companies swindled from the oil for food program).

[Maple]

30. George Galloway

"The steering committee of the Marxist-Islamist alliance consists of 33 members - 18 from myriad hard-Left groups, three from the radical wing of the Labour party, eight from the ranks of the radical Islamists and four leftist ecologists (also known as 'Watermelons' -green outside, red inside). The chairman is Andrew Murray, a leading light in the British Communist party; co-chair is Muhammad Aslam Ijaz, of the London Council of Mosques. Among the major players from the Left are Lindsey German, who resigned as editor of the Socialist Workers' party newspaper to become convenor of the Stop the War coalition; John Rees, also of the SWP, and, of course, George Galloway. Indeed, the first proud progeny of the alliance is Galloway's Respect party, which fought and won the London seat of Bethnal Green and Bow, with its substantial Muslim electorate."

SNIP

"But there are small voices of doubt. To some within Britain's Trotskyite Alliance for Workers' Liberty, the unholy marriage is outright heresy. One Trot describes SWP advocates of the Black-Red alliance as 'demoralised Guardian readers with headscarves', a withering allusion to the SWP organiser who ordered secular, socialist women to cover their heads while demonstrating with their Muslim sisters outside the Israeli embassy in London. And he is scathing of SWP monitors who enforced gender segregation to mollify Muslim sensibilities at a demonstration in Trafalgar Square. 'Marxists are secular or they are not Marxists,' said the Trot with principled purity.

Dogma runs deep. The Islamists accentuate the positive, noting Galloway's opposition to abortion and his professed religious faith, which, according to one, 'will surely be welcomed by British Muslims who see Respect as a real alternative'. And why complain when the Left is so obligingly on message? Take Spark, the organ of Arthur Scargill's Socialist Labour party, which hailed Asif Mohammed Hanif, the British suicide-bomber who attacked a beachfront bar in Tel Aviv, as a 'hero of the revolutionary youth'. Hanif, declared the paper, had carried out his mission 'in the spirit of internationalism'. "

Reprinted from The Spectator:

http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?I...

And in the Spectator it's:

1. 2005-08-20 United in hate by Douglas Davis
Douglas Davis shows how secular Marxists and Islamic fundamentalists have buried their differences to wage war on the war against terror

http://www.spectator.co.uk/search.php

but you need a subscription there, hence the reprint

[anitar1]

35. Thank you very much. n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

36. ANOTHER THREAD on this piece by Palast posted here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4808523
Thread title: Greg Palast on George Galloway - hold your flames and read this.

I didn't see the current thread before I posted this one. I found the piece at Palast's web site, not in an email. It's here:
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=460&row=0

[tenshi816]

39. Some more interesting Galloway stuff

from the Alliance for Workers' Liberty website (which is hardly a right wing organisation):

http://www.workersliberty.org/node/view/4222

http://www.workersliberty.org/gallowayrespect?PHPSESSID=98c1a4654a9fd84fb578003fe2a821f8

http://www.workersliberty.org/node/view/905

http://www.workersliberty.org/node/view/4748

http://www.workersliberty.org/node/view/3925

http://www.workersliberty.org/galloway

Lots of links on the site about GG (you can search), some of it entertaining, some enlightening, all of it interesting.

Edited to fix link.

[KittyWampus]

43. Palast Can't Stand Someone Else Getting Face Time & Attention.

[BurtWorm]

48. How do you know that?

[jmatthan]

55. Ask Randi Rhodes

[jillan]

45. Galloway will be on Bill Maher next weekend.

It will be interesting to see how Bill handles all of this.

[DS1]

61. Palast invalidated himself on the second line

:eyes: