Palast on Galloway. He may have nailed Norm Coleman, but............

[Dr.Phool]

I'll concede that Norm Coleman and Christopher Hitchens are both assholes (actually facts, not a concession), but maybe this guy needs a closer look. Especially when Republicans are sending him around the country as a representative of the left.




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.


**********
Greg Palast's commentaries can be heard on the CD "Weapon of Mass Instruction" (Alternative Tentacles 2004) produced by Matt Pascarella and Jello Biafra. Jello will host Palast, The Coup, LeTigre, Bouncing Souls and others at the Operation Ceasefire event at the Washington Monument. Research on Galloway was directed by investigator Leni von Eckardt.
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[BurgherHoldtheLies]

1. It is Galloway's fire and command of the language I admire

And that is what I want to see from Democrats. Mr. Galloway is not running for office in the US, so I don't need to concern myself with the details of his views.

I admire his style, his command of language and his ability to force the warmongers to answer long outstanding questions.

[rodeodance]

2. He has lots of goods points here. Maybe too much off a good thing

may not end up to be a good thing.

[julianer]

3. These are smears

They have all been disproved. A rebuttal can be found here (a far left UK site)

http://leninology.blogspot.com/2005/09/palasts-palimpsest.html

Please stop circulating this stuff.

The question is what has happened to Greg Palast???

[pretzel4gore]

4. why's greg wasting the limited psychic energy

that the very tired liberal/left has, on sir george galloway, who, at least, encourages us when nothing else does?
that makes no sense.....there's so much awful awful on the plate, why add this? it's like ralph nader 'elected geeb' (brother of john ellis bush, or 'jeb') that was damping down so much energy just 2 years ago.....why?

[KoKo]

7. I kind of agree with you. I don't know what's going on

with Palast about Galloway, but to see someone who stood up to Coleman was to watch an heroic action. I don't know why Palast feels Galloway's "antics" can take anything away from Cindy Sheehan since Cindy is very impressive on her own. (I just saw her in person here in NC..and there's no way "antics" by anyone are going to faze this lady or those around her in Veterans for Peace.

We need some energy at this point, just like you said, and I'm so tired of the wind being taken out of our sails by those we admire on the Left.
:-(

[tocqueville]

5. Amen

what the US anti-war and progressives need the least is Galloway.
Big words and rethorics don't make up for facts.

[deutsey]

6. I have to say I wasn't overly impressed with what I saw on CSPAN

Hitchens came off as the pompous blowhard that he is, but Galloway seemed to be a blustering demagogue as well, at least until his final comments of the evening (which I thought were excellent and left Hitchens looking like a real ass).

The debate was interesting at first, but then it quickly became redundant with a lot name-calling on both sides.

As for the anti-war movement here in America, we have homegrown spokespersons right here (Cindy Sheehan topping the list), we don't need to look to England for them; I admire Galloway for smacking the arrogant US Senate down, but the more I learn about him, the more of an ideologue he appears to be.

I don't like ideologues of any stripe.