El Beeb - The Dhimmi Broadcasting Corporation

Rebalancing act at the BBC
[Posted 4:14 PM by David Pryce-Jones]
The BBC is an integral part of Britishness, is it not, part of the national heritage, synonymous with fair play, and respected for it, especially by foreigners who resent that their news media are essential tools in the hands of the regime. Well, here is a personal anecdote to illuminate reality. Out of the blue, a solicitous lady from the BBC World Service rang me up to ask if I would comment on President Bush's visit to Pakistan. Gladly, I said.
And what would my comments be? The visit, as I saw it, was a timely reassurance that American overtures to India were not at the expense of Pakistan. But here was Mr Bush proclaiming the virtues of democracy while hobnobbing with a military dictator--a contradiction, surely? Indeed, I said, but Pakistan is a necessary ally in the war against political Islam, and that takes priority. Win the war, and then we shall address democracy. Whether the solicitous lady was convinced is open to doubt but she would let me have my say, and we settled on the time for the broadcast.
Hardly ten minutes passed before a more senior male producer was on the line, not at all solicitous, but in a hurry to tell me that I would not be giving my comments after all, in the interests of "rebalancing the program." This marvellous euphemism is surely a special BBC gift to official spokesmen all round the world.

Some more on El Beeb shutting up views it dont like. Dr Sean Gabb, Director of Communications for the Libertarian Alliance, was invited to take part in a discussion of multiculturalism on the BBC World Service. Also taking part was Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, a regular columnist for The Independent. Dr Gabb was taken off air just half-way into the discussion and told he was no longer required. Thanks to BNP & Me for the links.
http://www.libertarian.co.uk/news/nr015.htm or you can hear the audio here.

Some more good news from Iraq, oh and this is also not reported by El Beeb:

Iraqi Security Forces, Coalition launch Operation Swarmer

TIKRIT, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces and their Coalition partners launched the largest air assault operation since Operation Iraqi Freedom I today in southern Salah Ad Din province to clear a suspected insurgent operating area northeast of Samarra.

Operation Swarmer began this morning with soldiers from the Iraqi Army’s 1st Brigade, 4th Division, the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team and the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade conducting a combined air and ground assault to isolate the objective area.

Attack and assault aircraft provided aerial weapons support for the operation and also delivered troops from the Iraq Army’s 4th Division, the Rakkasans from 1st and 3rd Battalions, 187th Infantry Regiment and the Hunters from 2nd Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment to multiple objectives. Forces from the 2nd Commando Brigade then completed a ground infiltration to secure numerous structures in the area.

More than 1,500 Iraqi and Coalition troops, over 200 tactical vehicles, and more than 50 aircraft participated in the operation.

Initial reports from the objective area indicate that a number of enemy weapons caches have been captured, containing artillery shells, explosives, IED-making materials, and military uniforms.

The operation is expected to continue for several days as a thorough search of the objective area is conducted.

Operation Swarmer follows closely the completion of a combined Iraqi – Coalition operation west of Samarra in early March that yielded substantial enemy weapons and equipment caches.

The name Swarmer was derived from the name given to the largest peacetime airborne maneuvers ever conducted, in spring 1950 in North Carolina. Soon after this exercise, the 187th Infantry was selected to deploy to Korea as an Airborne Regimental Combat Team to provide General MacArthur with an airborne capability.

ISF discover bomb by school

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Members of Iraq’s 3rd Public Order Brigade discovered a roadside bomb in front of a trade school at approximately 3:50 p.m. March 14 southeast of Baghdad.

The bomb consisted of one 155mm artillery round, two batteries and a block of explosives.

A team from 3rd POB recovered the bomb.

Some Tags & links:Biased BBC
dhimmi
http://www.newcriterion.com/weblog/2006/03/rebalancing-act-at-bbc.html
http://www.melaniephillips.com/diary/archives/001629.html

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