Trevino, The Guardian‘s US columnist advocates Shooting Political Opponents and Establishing
Concentration Camps
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began with an altered press release from the Guardian. The
original stated that:
Today the Guardian announced the addition of Josh Treviño to their editorial
team. Formerly of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Treviño will be
the newest Correspondent for the Guardian’s growing US
politics team through his column “On Politics & Persuasion” which launches
on Monday, August 20.
Amidst the uproar, this was changed to
Today the Guardian announced the addition of Josh Treviño to its commentary team in the United States.
Formerly of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Treviño will be the newest commentator for the Guardian’s growing
US politics team through his column On Politics & Persuasion which launches
on Monday 20 August.
However before brazenly deciding to stand its ground, the Guardian tried to bluff its way out by a little surreptitious altering of its press release. As Ali Abunimah of Electronic Intifada noted:
The dishonesty deepens: Guardian demotes Joshua Treviño but hopes we won’tnotice
example of chutzpah (Yiddish for audacity/cheek) the Guardian press office
e-mailed Ali Abunimah informing him that:
is not a correspondent for the Guardian. He is a freelance writer on contract
to write opinion pieces. His articles will appear on the Guardian’s Comment isFree section of the site along with articles from many other freelance writers.
advance for making this correction.’
wanted Ali Abunimah to post a correction in order to hide its own dishonesty!
The Guardian’s press office’s standard response was that “We have long held that a range
of voices is one of the great assets of The Guardian’s comment
section” the company’s press office said in an emailed statement. “We
look forward to the open and robust debate that we are sure will follow between
Josh and Guardian readers,”
 |
| ‘Free Speech’ at the Guardian includes support for concentration camps |
there is nothing wrong with an ‘open and robust debate’ even with someone who
is as desperate as Trevino to hide his tweets and blogs. But even The Guardian draws at advocates for
a second holocaust or genocide. After all it hires censors (moderators) on its on-line Comment is Free to weed out anything that might suggest, for example, that there are any comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany pre-holocaust.
concentration camps would be beneficial to the US military campaign and
specifically cited the British concentration camps in South Africa:
‘one might look
especially to the Boer War, in which a fractious, semi-fanatical culture was
slowly ground into submission by an occupying force several years after the
seeming success of the initial invasion. If it sounds familiar, it should: and
so the means of victory there offer an instructive thought experiment for Iraq
today.’
Make no mistake: those means were cruel. I have stated previously that I
endorse cruel things in war, to eschew them
is folly. The British achieved victory over the Boers by taking their women and
children away to concentration camps, by laying waste to the countryside, and
by dotting the veld with small garrisons in blockhouses at regular intervals.
The men who remained were hindered in their movements by the wire stretching
from blockhouse to blockhouse (a phenomenon that the Morice Line experience has
shown would be massively more effective now); they could either surrender or
die. Absent women and children, the rules of engagement were lax.
he had previously tweeted, re the second Gaza flotilla that:
on the new Gaza flotilla – well, most Americans are cool with that. Including
me.”
publish a ‘clarification’ even before he’d started work. He simpered
It is entirely my responsibility as a writer’ he
twittered, ‘that my Twitter statement about American activists on the Gaza
flotilla was misunderstood.’
A much
misunderstood man by all accounts. But
we had gotten the wrong impression:
‘any reading of my tweet of 25 June 2011 that holds that I applauded,
encouraged, or welcomed the death of fellow human beings, is wrong, and out of
step with my life and record.’
Quite and
he was nothing if not self-effacing.
Indeed he is almost a pacifist, such is his horror of applauding,
encouraging or welcoming the death of fellow human beings. Warming to his theme, Joshua continued in his
semi-apologetic mode:
‘Any such reading is also my fault. I do not apologize for my views or my ideology.’ Naturally, ‘But for giving
the impression that I welcome killing, I do apologize. I was quick,
intemperate, and too clever-by-half. I failed as a writer. And that is not the
fault of my readers, but of myself.’
Who could fail to be impressed by the man’s modesty? Clearly the Guardian was impressed by its decision to hire the a genocidal maniac from the Republican Right. The idea that he regrets the loss of human
life is akin to David Irving’s theory that Hitler was deceived by Goebbels about
the Holocaust and was in fact one of the great supporters that the Jews had in Nazi
Germany! That Trevino, the paid Republican
hack, Texas loudmouth and verbally incontinent sewer rat, lies through his teeth is obvious to anyone but Matt Seaton (who had the job of defending him) and his boss Janine Gibson.
It since turns out that the original tweet which caused such a furore was in fact one of the mildest. Yesterday
Abunimah posted another such:
‘American student shot dead by
Israel “deserved” to die says Guardian’s Joshua Treviño.’
in case people were not clear, Trevino explained regarding the murder by Israel
on the high seas, of Furkan Dogan, that ‘“There are some Americans we’re better
off without. Furkan Dogan is one of them.” – This was written on 3 June 2010.
Yet despite this Trevino began his new Guardian career on 20th
August.
lies?’. And the
answer is because the ‘liberal’ Guardian has jackknifed to the right. Under the fading, ageing Alan Rusbridger,
former bicycling correspondent Matt Seatton (US CIF editor), Jonathan Freedland,
Janine Gibson, Chief of the US operation, Martin Kettle, Polly Toynbee and a host of other right-wing pundits (despite
proclaiming its belief in a wide range of views, the Guardian’s journalists and
columnist have steadily moved to the right over the past decade, such that
only Seamus Milne and Jonathan Steele are the only ones left, with Steve Bell doing the
funnies (they haven’t yet banned him or sacked him!)
at least the ones we have got our hands on!) are below:
2010 in reference to 19-year-old American Furkan Doğan, who was killed
execution-style aboard the Mavi Marmara, Treviño wrote,
“Make no mistake: in choosing to aid Hamas on the #flotilla, Furkan Dogan
raised his hand against his country. His fate was deserved.”
is one of them: .”
after Israeli forces murdered 9 unarmed civilians aboard the Mavi Marmara
in international waters, Treviño tweeted,
http://twitter.com/jstrevino/status/15206978772
“Only way the #flotilla story gets
better is if it’s revealed the IDF drew Muhammed on a bulkhead.”
On 2 June 2010, Treviño tweeted
after the murder of 9 unarmed activists on board the Mavi Marmara that:
“After examining the facts on #flotilla, I condemn Israel: for being too
nice, too soft, too accommodating to the scum of the earth.”
this was certainly an example of liberal humanitarianism (though it could be
argued that for someone who’d like to see a few concentration camps
established, it was probably was too few killed). You can
find many moreexamples at Topsy.
reading of my tweet of 25 June 2011 that holds that I applauded, encouraged, or
welcomed the death of fellow human beings, is wrong, and out of step with my
life and record.’ Ah yes. What a life. None of which stopped him remembering that:
anniversary of the Gaza flotilla, on which I salute the IDF for doing the right thing,
the right way.’
that The Guardian was more than likely aware of Treviño’s record when it hired him. Citing a radio
interview with conservative radio host Peter Ingemi
on Saturday 18 August 2012, Treviño explained how he became a columnist at The
Guardian (starting at approximately 20 minutes).
Twitter feed. I started to engage over the past few years with a couple of Guardian
personnel there.”
launch event for The Guardian’s US editionhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/info/2012/may/01/washington-launch-event.
“Shortly thereafter,” he says, The Guardian began to discuss hiring him
for a daily column.
are to believe Treviño – admittedly difficult given his record – The
Guardian knew about his vile tweets all along. Enough. It is time for The
Guardian to stop the lies.’
Treviño’s falsehoods. Readers are
encouraged to write to the Guardian editors and its more influential
Rusbridger, Editor in Chief: [email protected]
Gibson, Editor in Chief Guardian US: [email protected]
Seaton, Editor Comment is Free US: [email protected]
Chris Elliott: [email protected]
a copy of your letter to Electronic Intifada at [email protected]
The dishonesty deepens: Guardian demotes Joshua Treviño but hopes we won’tnotice
