Jill Carroll’s Release Had A Propaganda Price (UPDATED WITH CARROLL’S NEW STATEMENT)
Since Jill Carroll has now issued a statement herself saying her propaganda statement was coerced we are moving this post to the top of this site. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN for newer posts. See UPDATE in BOLD FACE on bottom for part of her statement.
Christian Science Monitor correspondent Jill Carroll’s release did have a price — a fee paid in the form of a propaganda statement she was ordered to videotape, her paper reports:
The night before journalist Jill Carroll’s release, her captors said they had one final demand as the price of her freedom: She would have to make a video praising her captors and attacking the United States, according to Jim Carroll.In a long phone conversation with his daughter on Friday, Mr. Carroll says that Jill was “under her captor’s control.”
Ms. Carroll had been their captive for three months and even the smallest details of her life – what she ate and when, what she wore, when she could speak – were at her captors’ whim. They had murdered her friend and colleague Allan Enwiya, “she had been taught to fear them,” he says. And before making one last video the day before her release, she was told that they had already killed another American hostage.
That video appeared Thursday on a jihadist website that carries videos of beheadings and attacks on American forces. In it, Carroll told her father she felt compelled to make statements strongly critical of President Bush and his policy in Iraq.
Her remarks are now making the rounds of the Internet, attracting heavy criticism from conservative bloggers and commentators.
Indeed, it is a bit easy for someone sitting on his fat butt at a computer in his livingroom or bedroom to blast someone who has made the kind of statement captors have demanded of prisoners in other instances. You can go back to the Vietnam War for other examples of this kind of forced statement.
And, yes indeedy, these statements are used for propaganda purposes. But they mostly deliver a message to the choir or near-choir members — those who already support the captors or are leaning in that direction. They don’t sway most people who see the statements because it’s clear what they are: coerced statements.
In fact, how Carroll responded to it is the way she should have responded to it, the Monitor points out:
In fact, Carroll did what many hostage experts and past captives would have urged her to do: Give the men who held the power of life and death over her what they wanted.“You’ll pretty much say anything to stay alive because you expect people will understand these aren’t your words,” says Micah Garen, a journalist and author who was held captive by a Shiite militia in southern Iraq for 10 days in August 2004. “Words that are coerced are not worth dying over.”
But here is the problem: most people DO realize those are not her words.
Some who are now going after her for it have other concerns on their plates. Politics today means attack and pigeonholing. To simply step back, take a deep breath and consider an issue — or seek or press for more facts — is perceived as “mushy.”
And, to be fair about it, everyone knows that those who are blasting her for making the statement would have said this if they were in her place:“No way! Then just kill me now. All of my friends, all of my co-workers, the whole world will think this is a spontaneous statement if I say it. In fact, I DARE YOU. Go ahead: saw my head off right now!”
They would have refused to make the statement. Really: trust them, if they suggest it as they sit in their homes risking all as they work on their laptops.
Shortly before her release, her captors – who refer to themselves as the Revenge Brigade – also told her they had infiltrated the US diplomatic compound in Baghdad, and she would be killed if she went there or cooperated with the American authorities. It was a threat she took seriously in her first few hours of freedom.
There are many questions about Carroll’s release, as the Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz points out. That’s a separate issue.
So, in essence, there are apparently some who suggest Jill Carroll is a wimp.
And, to be fair, have no doubt: there is no way she could ever be as brave as those who sit on their fannies in their homes at their keyboards not just raising legitimate questions about the release but demonizing her, hurling adjectives at her and politically pigeonholing her.
And, honestly, why shouldn’t she be harshly criticized, politically defined by others and demonized?
After all, she’s a member of that lilly-livered mainstream media that never risked a thing for a story — unlike those of us who have weblogs and have to worry all the time about our servers going down…
LATEST UPDATE: As of Saturday afternoon Carroll has issued a statement confirming that her statement was coerced. CLICK HERE for the full statement. Here is part of it:
During my last night in captivity, my captors forced me to participate in a propaganda video. They told me they would let me go if I cooperated. I was living in a threatening environment, under their control, and wanted to go home alive. I agreed.
Things that I was forced to say while captive are now being taken by some as an accurate reflection of my personal views. They are not. The people who kidnapped me and murdered Alan Enwiya are criminals, at best. They robbed Alan of his life and devastated his family. They put me, my family and my friends–and all those around the world, who have prayed so fervently for my release–through a horrific experience. I was, and remain, deeply angry with the people who did this.
I also gave a TV interview to the Iraqi Islamic Party shortly after my release. The party had promised me the interview would never be aired on television, and broke their word. At any rate, fearing retribution from my captors, I did not speak freely. Out of fear I said I wasn’t threatened. In fact, I was threatened many times.
Also, at least two false statements about me have been widely aired: That I refused to travel and cooperate with the US military and that I refused to discuss my captivity with US officials. Again, neither is true.
I want to be judged as a journalist, not as a hostage. I remain as committed as ever to fairness and accuracy–to discovering the truth–and so I will not engage in polemics. But let me be clear: I abhor all who kidnap and murder civilians, and my captors are clearly guilty of both crimes.
Now, I ask for the time to heal. This has been a taxing 12 weeks for me and my family. Please allow us some quiet time alone, together.
UPDATE:
– Crooks & Liars is also disgusted by some of the commentary on Carroll. The quote John Amato includes from one of Carroll’s critics is truly stunning. Read it yourself (we will pass on posting it or linking to it here).
–A Blog For All:
It isn’t hard to understand why Carroll made those tapes. She was coerced. The problem isn’t Jill Carroll, but the coerced propaganda coup that will make things more difficult for the US, Iraqis, and coalition forces. I also fear that this will make things more difficult for journalists operating in Iraq who are not necessarily embedded with coalition forces. I figure that we’ll get to hear more about her ordeal in the coming weeks, which should help shed light on what had happened.
MORE ADDITIONAL VIEWS: Since some readers have asked for a larger sampling of views we offer this.
–Ed Morrissey (a leading conservative blogger):
Not long ago, the US acknowledged that even its POWs had to make these kinds of bargains with captors to avoid torture and murder. Many brave men died at the hands of the North Vietnamese trying valiantly to remain defiant through years of captivity because of the prevailing orders at the time that forbade American servicemen from acting in their own defense, losses that inspire us to acts of courage but also in the end did nothing to prevent the enemy from using POWs as propaganda tools. By the time of the Gulf War, the American public had developed the sophistication to understand that programmatic answers videotaped by agents of tyranny meant nothing.I wonder why we forgot it in this instance. Jill Carroll will have plenty of time to tell us her story, but I think we would all benefit by taking a deep breath and holding our fire until she’s safely home and in a clearer mental state. The Christian Science Monitor’s explanation makes sense; if it’s untrue, we’ll know soon enough, but for the moment I think we can all give Carroll the benefit of the doubt.
–Allah Pundit, guest blogging on Michelle Malkin’s site:”In fairness to Carroll, a lot of people would say a lot of things they didn’t mean in those circumstances. Let’s see whether she defends it now. Assuming, that is, that anyone in the media bothers to ask her.”
–Liberal Oasis:
And LO doesn’t want to single out certain hostages and imply that they deserve more attention that others, when in fact every hostage situation is equally disturbing, regardless of the captive’s background.But the insidious reaction among certain conservatives to the release of Jill Carroll, seemingly trying to undermine her journalistic reputation, is worth noting. Because Carroll is the kind of war correspondent the Right claims to want.
She was under the control of people who have not hesitated to cut the heads off of people in the past. You can not sit here and tell me that these hate mongers on the right would not do the same if in Jill’s position. They would bow down and kiss the asses of their captures while burning the American flag if it was a choice between life and death.I still have a problem understanding how the right can sit there and say this garbage yet they have no problem defending torture. Hell they could take this and turn it into a great defense for torture. “Look Jill Carroll cracked and said what they wanted to hear just from capture, imagine what some cutting and slicing would do”. Instead they jump on their attack of Carroll and her statement she made while in captivity.
I’ll say it again: this woman is not a soldier, and she was under no obligation whatsoever to hesitate for a nanosecond when asked to participate in producing a propaganda video if she thought that doing so would help win her freedom or, in the alternative, that hesitating might put her in danger.That said, the videos (well, I guess one video and one web-based segment) are now out there, and they are clearly pieces of propaganda value. Once she’s had a chance to catch her breath and be with her family, she does need to tell us if those are words she would have chosen or not. Because the words are out there now, and they will be used by the enemy. Whether she wants to claim them or not is her choice, but she can’t just leave them bouncing around out there without some clarification.
–Orrin Judd in a post titled “Did She Have a Dentists Appointment She Had To Get To?” writes:”May as well just come right out and say she was a willing participant.”
–Digby:
Jill Carroll has more testosterone in her little finger than all these bedwetters put together. I’m sorry that she has not given the 101st one-handed keyboarders the picture of blood and horror they need to get satisfaction from their safe little offices, but I think it’s highly unlikely these bedwetters would have handled themselves with such fortitude in those circumstances. They are after all, the same brave soldiers who believe the shoe bomber is a greater threat to the nation than having thousands of ICBM’s pointed at every major American city.
If all of these Islamist groups that privately hate America, openly endorse terrorists, and oppose our efforts in Iraq are so overjoyed about Jill Carroll’s release, that should tell you something. As in, she ain’t on America’s side.What is it about Carroll, in particular, that brings out all this effort and elation by extremist Muslims who wouldn’t lift a finger for any of the American contractors or soldiers held hostage? Ask yourself that. The answer is quite obvious. Jill Carroll’s extremist buddies tell us everything we need to know about her.
–The Mahablog’s “April Fools” post has an extensive roundup and also suggests what the real sticking point with Carroll’s critics is:
No matter how vile and mean and ignorant righties can seem to be, they can still surprise me and get even more vile and mean and ignorant….What set of the feeding frenzy was a video she made while still a hostage in which she criticized George Bush….Even worse, in the eyes of righties, she was quoted as saying after her release that her captors hadn’t hit her and that she was “kept in a safe place and treated very well.â€?
–Conservative blogger Dr. Sanity shows why she has that name:
Jill Carroll was under duress.Thus, I think we must not judge Jill Carroll for anything she may have said to her captors in any videotape she made with them before her release. We should be patient and allow her time to heal from the psychological trauma she may have suffered. We should understand that anyone undergoing this kind of ordeal is not to be expected to stand up to the threat of death or torture. She has neither the training nor the need to do so. There are no secrets she could have betrayed; and she is not a soldier and has nothing but her own life to protect and defend.
I’m not sure how I would behave under similar circumstances. I know that I would be willing to say anything necessary to stay alive. I hope I would be able to stand up to my captors and not do anything of which I might later be ashamed….We should leave her alone to heal. I wish her well.
–Hootsbuddy’s Place:”Within hours of her release Jill Carroll was the subject of sneering, rabid, unconscionable rhetoric simply because of what she was wearing and her carefully-worded remarks about her ordeal. This column [the Monitor piece quoted above} drives home the simple point that the main job of a hostage is to remain alive.”
–Meryl Yourish:”How about waiting for the facts to come in before accusing the woman of being a traitor to her country? I really hate it when bloggers do this…For God’s sake, the woman was kidnapped at gunpoint, saw her translator shot, and spent 82 days in captivity in fear for her life. You can’t wait one effing day to see if maybe, just maybe, she was making the latest video under duress?”
–Texas Truth:
I am sorry. Sorry to all of those who look at this woman as lucky. Sorry to all of those who look at her as fortunate. Sorry to those who think she had a strong constitution to survive such an ordeal. Have we all been duped? I think so!My father used to have a saying, “That boy ain’t right.” I amend his statement to be That girl ain’t right. Was the kidnapping a put-up? Was it planned? Did she actively take part? I think the answer to all three questions is a resounding YES!
–Gina Cobb:’
So maybe Jill Carroll will come through with moral clarity about the terrorists who held her, given a little time and distance or a lot of time and distance. That will be seen.By the same token, anyone who believes in the truth of any statements made by Jill Carroll at the behest of the terrorists, or considers them relevant to any public policy debate, is (a) foolish, (b) pro-terrorist, (c) anti-American, or (d) all of the above. For now though, let Carroll enjoy her freedom again and save your anger for the terrorists who committed the barbaric crime of kidnapping Jill Carroll, killing another person in the ambush, and threatening for three months to kill Jill Carroll.
–In Search of Utopia:”Whatever… These people are beyond being idiots. Cut the woman some slack. If anyone should be accussed of being a Bukkake recipient, it is these morons from the Right, who have taken so many facials from Karl Rove and the Bush Administration, that they should be elegible for the Porn Actors pension fund.”
–Conservative blogger Dr. Rusty Shackleford, a specialist in issues involving terrorist hostages (he covers the issue constantly and takes the issue of freeing hostages beyond blogging) is not pleased with some of the stuff he’s reading:
It’s disturbing that so many are willing to begin naysaying the character of one who has been victimized for the past three months…What would you say to your captors after months as a prisoner? You’d tell them exactly what they want to hear. Remember, the only video we have of Jill Carroll are two segments taped while she was still a prisoner–under a considerable amount of duress. The second video we have is one taped in the offices of The Islamic Party of Iraq–the political front for the same terrorists who had victimized her!..So, let’s reserve judgement on this one until she is free to speak her mind without fear of retribution.
–Incomprehensible Demoralization:”Apparently the sight of a western woman in a hijab is just too much for some people. The swiftboating of Jill Carroll has kicked off in earnest. And it’s disgusting. I don’t know how far I will get on this post before I become too infuriated to write.”
TMV NOTE: We do not usually say “conservative blogger” when we quote in roundups. In this case, we wanted to make sure we underscored the fact that NOT all conservative bloggers are blasting Jill Carroll.
You can also join the discussion of this post on the site The Gather.
14 Responses to “Jill Carroll’s Release Had A Propaganda Price (UPDATED WITH CARROLL’S NEW STATEMENT)”
I agree that Ms. Carroll should not be criticized for lying on video to save her life; she is a form of entertainer, a journalist, not a soldier, contractor, or government civilian who has made a pledge not to sell out her country, or the truth, under duress.
Ms. Carroll’s hunger for drama and carelessness had already led to the death of her translator, and the case can be made that she had been traumatized by the experience, and brainwashed by her captors, leaving her psychologically unstable.
Who knows what the last moments were of people who had been killed by terrorists, whether relatively recently, like Richard Perl, or longer ago, like Leon Klinghofer, and others. Did they refuse to perform for the terrorists, and die for it? Some of them seem to have resisted the demands of their captors, from what we know from witnesses, while, for others, like Mr. Perl, who died surrounded only by human hyenas, we’ll never know.
As far as lionizing the press, I am afraid I don’t get it. Most journalists are, first and foremost, narcissistic entertainers for whom the facts come second to their opinions.
I am happy that Ms. Carroll was released, but she was no hero. Most people aren’t, and that’s okay.
As far as the Christian Science Monitor being “an unsung hero,” please. I was in the Balkans during the conflicts and disorder (the conflicts combined a breakdown of law and order with feuds; there were no “wars” there), and the CSM’s reporting was among the worst, during a period when objectivity and fact checking were thrown out the window by the vast majority of the press, as the Article “The Partisan Press,” in the Winter 1993 (I think it was) Issue of “Foreign Policy” made clear. The CSM is just a little more hypocritical than papers like “The Boston Globe,” or “The Guardian,” who make no secret of their political agenda.
Jill Carroll is likely to remain hostage to one of the most cumbersome contrivances of American journalism: the pretense of impartiality. Assuming that she wants to continue in her career as a reporter, it’s unlikely that she’ll freely air her thoughts and feelings about the war in Iraq. To do so would, supposedly, prejudice her ability to be an objective, unbiased journalist. On the hallowed pages of the American newspaper, the free expression of opinion is the exclusive province of self-important columnists and anonymous editorialists. (more …)
Well, let us now hear the truth soon about Muslims how they are the good people and Bush and all his followers are the real terrorists.
As we all know Jill went to Iraq because she knew the USA was wrong and she felt bad for the Muslims.
Now you all can ask yourselves why would they let Jill go and not kill her?
Because it is against Islam to kill any person that is a Muslim or that is NOT an enemy and Jill is not an enemy that shows and proves that Muslims are not savages as the USA as the USA bombs houses and Mosques and any woman and children who ever they feel for what? to steal their riches and to take over their lands to control the people and make them live and believe their same evil ways.
No, it will never happen Muslims of Islam we are with GOD we are not with Satan and we defend our hotly lands and people and if any one calls it a terrorists act to defend their land their religion and their people then you know those are the real terrorists.
As for Jill the news is saying she was under duress when she made the statements that the USA should leave Iraq and stop killing the good innocent people.
We all know that is the biggest lie as Jill went there for this reason as she stated.
For the society of the USA you watch close if Jill try to reveal any remarks about the truth they will say she is unfit and put her in a hospital and dope her up with their evil drugs so she cannot reveal the truth.
Or maybe if greed hits her hard enough she can be paid off and shut her mouth we will see soon.
The USA is sick and evil and any one who stands with their evil ways you mark my word their will be no mercy upon any of you here and after.
Alison Shunstrom
Author of “World Peace”
ashunstrom@yahoo.com
maybe it’s a typo, but Dr. Sanity is a woman.
Am I missing something? When did the remarks made by people kidnapped in Iraq become the measure of one’s status as a victim? Unless I am mistaken, being taken against one’s will and witnessing one’s translator being murdered does constitute a crime and does make one a victim.
If I understand the issue, the fact that Jill Carroll made remarks after her release that can be interpreted as sympathetic to the insurgents has raised the ire of many neo-con supporters of the Iraq war and the policies of the current administration.
If I understand this new victim equation, had Jill Carroll been murdered and her body was subsequently found, she would have been seen as a full-fledged victim. Unfortunately, the fact that she was released and made her statement means she wasn’t actually a real victim, but more likely a collaborating propagandist.
Let’s assume that Jill Carroll was able to negotiate her release by virtue of an ability to express an understanding of the motivations and objectives of her captors…say she convinced them she was sympathetic to their cause. Further, let’s assume she agreed to make the statements she made as part of her negotiated release. Finally, let’s also conclude that upon her release, she had no obligation to make the statement she agreed to make.
Apparently, those criticizing Ms. Carroll ceased all further analysis at this point. Unfortunately, our poisoned partisan environment has seemingly overtaken any obligation to apply additional reasoned and rational thought. That’s unfortunate.
Regardless, I felt compelled to offer another perspective. Three years into a conflict with no certain end in sight has led me to conclude that what we need may not be more of the same. Henry Kissinger used to talk about detente when speaking about the Middle East. Since 9/11 such thinking is characterized as unpatriotic if not outright treason by the neo-cons.
Absolutist banter now permeates both sides of most arguments and issues…especially Iraq and the ‘war on terror’. Ironically, at the same time, most people, if confronted, would acknowledge the likely end result of such discourse…look no further than the Israeli – Palestinian conflict. And yet, when the issue is our own (i.e. – American safety and security), we succumb to the same dogmatic, non-retractable positions. Clearly, history tells us the longer the conflict festers, the more recalcitrant both sides become.
Before making any conclusions it’s important to point out some critical background influences. One, this administration has repeatedly linked 9/11 to Iraq…not by saying Iraq participated in 9/11…but clearly by saying that Iraq is the battlefield upon which the ‘war on terror’ is being waged. Polls confirm the effectiveness of this manipulative mantra. Add the new phraseology of Islamo-Extremists to the equation and you have now further broadened the assault, the scope, and the divide. Now toss in longstanding sectarian conflicts, Kurdish independence, and Shia animosity at years of Sunni dominance and oppression. This seems pretty complicated to me.
Again, we’re over three years into this conflict and some argue we are closer to civil war than to democratic civility. The history of societies has always proven that rule or change by the application of power will eventually fail if it doesn’t include persuasion…that being winning over the hearts and minds of those you seek to rule or change.
So where does that leave us with Jill Carroll’s remarks and the Iraq situation. I don’t know Jill Carroll so I can only offer plausible observations. What I have read is that she is sincere in her concern for Iraq and the outcome of this war. She is respectful of Iraqi cultural and religious influences. She has tried to be a voice of moderation. Nonetheless, she was kidnapped by those who saw her as a target and a tool in their efforts to prevail.
Most importantly, she was apparently able to convince them of her sincerity and her integrity…she changed their hearts and minds to some degree…first to convince them to release here…and second, and more importantly…by completing her promise to make the remarks she made…to convince them that humanity is valuable and can also be trusted. Again, she didn’t have to keep any promise she may have made and I am not to saying that what her captors have possibly done to other victims or intended to do to her wasn’t criminal and heinous. Regardless, she apparently touched some portion of their humanity…found some common ground upon which to agree…and unless we achieve more of this, we will remain sworn and reviled enemies. When absolute ideology is allowed to dehumanize the enemy, resolution can only be achieved through the barrel of a gun.
Lastly, as a non-believer, I am fascinated by the fact that on both sides of this conflict and many other long standing conflicts are individuals with fervent religious beliefs. I don’t know Jill Carroll’s personal religious beliefs, but I’m willing to assert that her actions better typify religious principles than the combatants on all sides of the Iraq conflict. If we can’t find some common humanity, we are destined to lessen all of humanity. As it stands now, there will continue to be many more victims…regardless of how one defines the concept. Wars may allow for humanity to be suspended, but in the end it is only our humanity that can end wars.
If I may be permitted a moment of self-congratulation and celebration, my blog called it right about Jill Carroll’s early pro-terrorist statements. I cautioned that Jill Carroll’s early statements could not be taken at face value and urged patience.
My earlier post, written at at time when Jill Carroll’s only statements so far were pro-terrorist, is here: Give Jill Carroll a Little Time Before Condemning Her Latest Statements “Give Jill Carrroll some time before being too concerned about her public pronouncements saying nice things about the terrorists who held her.” Read more . . .
Traveler:
That would be Daniel Pearl, the WSJ journalist who was murdered by terrorists in Pakistan. Richard Perle (not Perl), aka the Prince of Darkness, remains safely stateside and very much alive.
Thank you for that. I did assume that not all conservative bloggers were against Jill Carroll, tho those of us on the left started much earlier to support and blog for her release. Thank you.
At the end of the article you state that “NOT all conservative bloggers are blasting Jill Carroll.” I’m just wondering if all (or a vast majority) of those bloggers that are (were) blasting her are conservative, however. I’m inclined to think so. And if that is indeed the case, does this say something about how conservative bloggers work? I would not have even thought the things that they were saying about her but it sure seems that a lot of people did and all at the same time as well. Things that make you go “hmmm”, I guess.
Now we have our answers,
As we look back at why Jill Carroll went to Iraq in the first place was to help the Iraq people because she felt bad for them.
These statements comes from both Jill’s Mother and Father and written by the same paper Jill works for the Christen Science.
But Jill now comes home and says all these statements are false and the Iraq people the same as she once defended calls terrorists.
Hmmm that is very strange more like a typical ignorant American move.
One thing if she knows that the Iraq people are right and the Americans are the enemies to the people she is an American and she is christen American reporters some end up dead over there so we ask why would her family allow her to go and why would we go if she knows all of this?
Or is it as her Parents said Jill was concerned for the people of Iraq and now she returns alive because of the same people she talks about and as a typical greedy ignorant American very ungrateful for those same people who kidnapped her to let her live they could of saved her from the real enemies the Americans the real terrorist oh yah if Jill were to come under some truth the Americans would of killed her in a secong just as Bush was the one who created the 9-11 right beside his accomplice Bin Laden you fool American people just as it was Bush and Straw who created the London attacks sure they will bring you the people the took out the orders but the people who took out the orders do not know where they came from they were just doing their work what they were told.
We get back to Jill a pure typical ignorant hypocrite American.
Alison Shunstrom
ashunstrom@yahoo.com
Posted January 19, 2006, at 11:50 a.m.
Mary Beth Carroll, Jill’s mother, issued the following statement asking for her daughter’s safe return:
“My daughter, Jill Carroll, was taken hostage on Saturday, January 7th, in Baghdad, where she works as a reporter. Jill’s fairness in reporting and her genuine concern for the Iraqi people made her the invited and welcomed guest of many Iraqi friends.
A video just released gives us hope that Jill is alive, but has also shaken us about her fate. So, I, her father and her sister are appealing directly to her captors to release this young woman who has worked so hard to show the suffering of Iraqis to the world. Jill has always shown the highest respect for the Iraqi people and their customs. We hope that her captors will show Jill the same respect in return. Taking vengeance on my innocent daughter who loves Iraq and its people will not create justice.
To her captors, I say that Jill’s welfare depends upon you. And so we call upon you to ensure that Jill is returned safely home to her family who needs her and loves her. Jill’s father, sister and I ask and encourage the persons holding our daughter to work with Jill to find a way to contact us with the honorable intent of discussing her release.”
Posted January 20, 2006 at 11:04 a.m.
Jill Carroll’s father, James Carroll, appeared on two Arab-language television networks Thursday evening, Eastern time. This is his statement to Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya.
“I want to speak directly to the men holding my daughter Jill because they also may be fathers like me.
My daughter is powerless and does not have the ability to release anyone. She is a reporter and an innocent person.
Do not sacrifice an innocent soul. Instead, use Jill’s abilities as a reporter. Allow her to be your voice to the world. Her life as a reporter would better serve your purpose than her death.
As a father, I appeal to you to release my daughter for the betterment of your cause. I ask the men holding my daughter to work with her to initiate a dialogue with me.”
In reply to American hate-monger “alison shunstrom” (whom also posted ridiculous comments here: http://www.hubpolitics.com/archives/000390.php)
“As for Jill the news is saying she was under duress when she made the statements that the USA should leave Iraq and stop killing the good innocent people. We all know that is the biggest lie as Jill went there for this reason as she stated. ” –
You have to be kidding me? You really aren’t this stupid right? You own a computer and wrote some book, so I imagine you didn’t ride the short-bus to school (or did you?)
First, she is a reporter. She went there to cover and report on the news as fair and balanced as she could. Second, never did she ever say in any of her reporting that US should leave Iraq … or stay in Iraq for that matter. She reported the stories. Plain and simple. She left her own politics out of it as part of being a responsible reporter. The her statements, the statements of family should never , ever be taken out of context. She was kidnapped for nearly 3 months. Threatened with death more than 3 times. What would you say in that situation? Third, the fact that she condemned those that kidnapped her and recanted any statement made while she had a gun pointed at her or was in fear for life does not mean she doesn’t sympathize with daily plight of average Iraqi citizen. You’re equation in that statement is simply wrong. Based on a simple internet search, you are a “student” of philosophy. I’m interested in how formed your argument to come to this conclusion. What type of argument or logic did you use? Syllogistic Logic? Predicate Logic? Modal Logic? Just exactly what form of an argument where you trying to make, cuz I can’t find one that fits… Or maybe, the answer is there is nothing logical about your argument.
Fortunately, we live in vibrant and colorful world. It is not black and white. There are many mirky-shades of morality in it. Not every Christian is a good person. Not every Muslim is a good person. Every culture and religion has people in it that are evil. No exception. Open your eyes. To deny that that she was kidnapped and threatened by people who happend to be Muslims, would be like denying the attrocities of people that were Catholics during the Crusades. Should the world deny that? Should we do the same as you, and simply say it never happened? I have a novel idea, why not draw lines between true good and true evil, rather than between cultures or countries or religions or political parties??? I know, its hard thing to imagine. But apparently, as the author of “World Peace”, you should already know this.
I wonder if the Gitmo prisoners are allowed to change thier stories and say they were under duress
The ignorance becomes most Americans most are wrong
I have a couple of things pass by as theories but at this point no one would believe them as I do not even think any one wouldconsider most are on the opposite looking for bad from the good Muslims.
Jill may be a spy all right but for USA a big set up between bush and bin those 2 work together I just have not figured out the exact reason there must be something getting ready for this to take the eyes away from what was preparing.
I believe Bush and Bin Laden work together and Bush had everything to do with setting up 9-11.
For the ignorant ones who refuse to beleive the truth keep on living your lives in denial you are the losers here and after.
The ignorance becomes most Americans most are wrong
I have a couple of things pass by as theories but at this point no one would believe them as I do not even think any one would consider most are on the opposite looking for bad from the good Muslims.
Jill may be a spy all right but for USA a big set up between bush and bin those 2 work together I just have not figured out the exact reason there must be something getting ready for this to take the eyes away from what was preparing.
I believe Bush and Bin Laden work together and Bush had everything to do with setting up 9-11.
For the ignorant ones who refuse to believe the truth keep on living your lives in denial you are the losers here and after.
HMMMMM
WAIT A MINUTE COULD IT BE THE HOLY SHRINE THAT THE USA BLEW UP?
YAH I THINK THAT WAS A PART OF IT BUT THERE IS A LOT MORE THEN THAT.
OH FOR THE IGNORANT ONES THAT WOULD SAY “NOW WHY WOULD WE DO THAT.
THAT IS BECAUSE BUSH THE USA IS TRYING TO CAUSE CHAOS AMONG THE MUSLIMS TO PUT THEM AGAINST EACH OTHER SO THEY CAN SAY LOOK WE ARE HERE IS BECAUSE OF THIS,
ALSO FOR THE BIGGEST REASON FEAR THE USA KNOWS THAT ALL AMERICANS ARE IN DANGER AND THEY HAVE NO WAY TO WIN THAT IS WHY BUSH SAID WE WILL STAY IN IRAQ UNTIL ALL MUSLIMS ARE DEAD OR WE DIE DOING IT.
BUT ONLY THE FOOL THE IGNORANT ONE WOULD NOT KNOW OF THE REAL TRUTH BECAUSE YOU DO NOT LIVE BY TRUTH.
Alison Shunstrom
PING:
TITLE: Jill Carroll Heading Home
BLOG NAME: A Blog For All
She’s already landed at Ramstein AFB in Germany, after a short stay in Baghdad’s Green Zone. Her next stop will be Boston to be reunited with her family and friends in what I can only imagine will be an emotional and joyous homecoming.
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TITLE: Now they want to swiftboat hostages who get releas
BLOG NAME: The Boston Progressive
Jill Carroll (seen here in a frame from a video recorded in February, while she was still a hostage) Was released Friday, after 82 days in captivity by an Islamic fundamentalist group in Iraq.
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TITLE: The brouhaha in the blogosphere on post-Carroll release commentary
BLOG NAME: Sister Toldjah
It was probably a good thing that I didn’t have time to blog this past weekend as things got pretty nasty in certain circles over comments made by certain bloggers in the aftermath of Jill Carroll’s release (see Joe Gandelman’s post …
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TITLE: Lying Under Duress
BLOG NAME: Parableman
I’ve been thinking through the ethics of deceit with respect to April Fools jokes and other kinds of false statements that may or may not be considered lying. The Jill Carroll case has raised an important further sort of case that I hadn’t been thinking about. What about when someone says something they don’t believe to be true under duress? For background on the details of her case and her deliberate statements (under threat) of things she didn’t agree with, see the Moderate Voice’s excellent roundup. There seem to me to be at least three issues that may have a moral bearing on how we should evaluate such false statements, and I think the end result is much more messy than we would generally like moral issues to be….