GOOGLE SILENCES DISSENT

[1John2_26]

Should Google silence freedom of speech when it is critical of a religion or people?

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Google dumps news sites
that criticize radical Islam
Search giant axes another news page,
calls terrorism discussion 'hate content'

Posted: May 23, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern

2006 WorldNetDaily.com



Search engine giant Google has cut off its news relationship with a number of online news publications that include frank discussions of radical Islam the New Media Journal becoming the latest termination, as its owner just discovered.

Frank Salvato, who began the agreement with Google News last September, said he received a reply from the company's help desk Friday indicating there had been complaints of "hate speech" on his site, as first reported by media watchdog Newsbusters.org.


The e-mail, which cited three articles that dealt with radical Islam and its relationship to terrorism, read:


Hi Frank,
Thanks for writing. We received numerous reports about hate content on your site, and after reviewing these reports, decided to remove your site from Google News. We do not allow articles and sources expressly promoting hate speech viewpoints in Google News (although referencing hate speech for commentary and analysis is acceptable).

For example, a number of the complaints we looked at on your site were found to be hate content:

http://www.newmediajournal.us/staff/peck/05102006.htm
http://www.newmediajournal.us/staff/stock/05082006.htm
http://www.newmediajournal.us/guest/imani/04222006.htm

We hope this helps you understand our position.

Regards,
The Google Team

Newsbusters says it has observed a pattern of intolerance toward conservative sites that deal with radical Islam and terrorism.

Rusty Shackleford, owner of The Jawa Report, received a similar e-mail message March 29 informing him: "Upon recent review, we've found that your site contains hate speech, and we will no longer be including it in Google News."

Two weeks later, Jim Sesi's MichNews.com was cut off, with Google providing three examples of "hate speech" by conservative writer J. Grant Swank, Jr.

Newsbusters commented: "At first blush, one can easily ignore such business decisions by the most powerful company on the Internet as being routine. However, on closer examination, such behavior could give one relatively small technological corporation (when measured by the size of its workforce) a degree of political might that frankly dwarfs its current financial prowess."

The media watchdog noted columnist and blogger Michelle Malkin wrote in February 2005 her difficulties in becoming part of Google News. Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs had a similar complaint.

When Google News launched its beta site in April 2002, it said its mission was to construct an unbiased news engine free of human intervention using new methods of aggregating news from sources worldwide.

According to the April Nielsen/NetRatings report, 49 percent of all searches conducted in the U.S. in March 2006 were carried out on Google.

Along with the dropping of conservative news providers, Google has received other complaints of liberal bias.

Last June, a conservative book publisher said Google rejected his ad for a book critical of Bill and Hillary Clinton while continuing to accept anti-Bush themes.

Eric Jackson, CEO of World Ahead, said his ads for "Their Lives: The Women Targeted by the Clinton Machine" were rejected, without further explanation, due to "unacceptable content."

As WND reported, 98 percent of all political donations by Google employees went to support Democrats.

CEO Eric Schmidt gave the maximum legal limit of donations to Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry and to primary candidate Howard Dean.

Schmidt also contributed the maximum amount to Sen. Clinton, whose role in helping her husband intimidate his female accusers is addressed in the new book.

In May 2005, Google rejected an attempt by the conservative activist group RightMarch.com to run ads critical of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., while continuing to run attack ads against besieged House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas.

Also, Google agreed to allow the communist Chinese government to have the search engine block "objectionable" search terms such as "democracy."

In addition, the company came under fire for an editorial decision to rank news articles in search results by "quality," giving preferential placement to large and predominately liberal media outlets such as CNN and the BBC over conservative news sources, even if they are more recent or pertinent.

[micatala]

Here is wikipedia's definition of hate speech.

Hate speech is a controversial term for speech intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action against a group of people based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. The term covers written as well as oral communication.

From http://www.answers.com/topic/degrade on 'degrade.'

To reduce in grade, rank, or status; demote.
To lower in dignity; dishonor or disgrace: a scandal that degraded the participants.
To lower in moral or intellectual character; debase.

Here is the conclusion to the second of the three sites linked to by 1John.

Islam is killing people. Islam is killing non-Muslims and Muslims. Islam is killing old and young. Islam is killing Jews and Christians and Hindus. Islam is moving across the world like a dark, evil cloud. When will the free world realize that Islam is as Islam does?

Much of the rest of the article describes some of the current situations and events in the world relate to what might be termed 'fundamentalist Isamists', as well as some of the atrocities committed. I can't see simply relating events that have actually happened as hate speech.

I do object to the implication in the above quote that 'Islam' as a religion, and all Muslims by association, are guilty of the crimes committed by some Muslims, whether these acts are committed in the name of Islam or not.

Following the logic of Stock, et. al., we could easily make a similar case against Christianity. Certainly the Christian scriptures contain ample examples of violent behavior, and even exhortation to violent behavior in the name of God. Certainly history is full of examples of Christians committing horrendous atrocities, often in the name of God. The genocide of native americans, Australian aborigines, Jews of many times and many places, African colonialism, Rwanda, slavery in the U.S., etc. etc. are all examples. Would it be valid to use these examples to conclude 'Christianity is as Christianity does?'

Yes, there are differences, and although I have scant knowledge of the Koran and only a passing knowledge of Muhammed and his life, I am willing to entertain evidence the Islam does not contain the themes of love, forgiveness, and non-violence that are present in Christian scriptures to the extent that they are found in the New Testament especially. HOwever, the presence of these themes in the Christian scripture does not nullify the violence and bloodshed that is espoused elsewhere in the Bible.

However, I have no confidence that I am getting anything like an objective picture of the Islamic religion from Stock, et. al.

In the sense that these articles 'degrade' Muslims and the Islamic religion, they could probably be classified as hate speech. On the other hand, this would be a pretty low threshhold for what constitutes hate speech, as the principle problem is simply gross over-generalization, and ascribing to a larger group the sins of a subgroup.

Personally, if I were google, I would not drop these sites because they were hate speech. I might drop them from the News section if most of their content was of this ilk because this content is not news. However, if most of their content is 'news' and they have a few articles like these that could be described as editorializing, then I would not consider that sufficient justification for dropping the sites.

[juliod]

Should Google silence freedom of speech when it is critical of a religion or people?

There's nothing about "silencing" or censoring there. Google provides a service where it gives you articles from legitimate news sources. The web page under question isn't a real news source, and shouldn't be included. The facts that they found this out via complaints about hate speech isn't relevant.

If I was using Google News, I wouldn't expect to see those neo-nazi screeds show up.

DanZ

[Shamgar]

Here is wikipedia's definition of hate speech.

Hate speech is a controversial term for speech intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action against a group of people based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. The term covers written as well as oral communication.

I "love" wikistupidia. . . . the editable "resourse". . . . I wonder how many posts are verified by peer review like a valid encyclopedia. . . . . . oh how I digress. . .say when was that defintion coined? Did it exist in the 1800"s or was it in the 1900's after the vomit of "civil rights" and "equal rights" came into being? Oh yeah it is a new definiton which never existed for thousands of years. . . .must explain why "civil rights" and "equal rights" was not a universal practice of Christains for those 2000 years. . . .go figure. . . I wonder did the head of the protestatnts or the catholics think in terms of "civil rights" and "equal rights" a few hundred years ago?. . .yeah I didn't think so. . . they thought any anti-Christain speech was hate speech. . . .

As we have already said, they cannot endure to hear or to see that we accursed Goyim should glory in the Messiah as our chemdath, and that we are as good as they are or as they think they are. Therefore, dear Christian, be advised and do not doubt that next to the devil, you have no more bitter, venomous, and vehement foe than a real Jew who earnestly seeks to be a Jew.

Luther's Works: The Christian In Society IV. Vol 47. American Edition. Edited by Franklin Sherman. (Philadelphia: 1981) ISBN: 0-8006-0347-8. Page 217.

The Crusades marked a new and worsened relationship between the Jews and the Church, one that would not improve as long as anti-Semitic activities were sanctioned by Church officials.

The Jewish Almanac: Traditions, History, Wisdom, Achievements. Complied and Edited by Richard Siegel and Carl Rheins. (New York: 1980) . Page 137.

If I was using Google News, I wouldn't expect to see those neo-nazi screeds show up. DanZ

hahahahaha the granfalloon. . . . pavlov's dog's hear the bell and they salivate. . . . the drones of the melting pot hear something contrary to the melting pot they dehumanize and vilify. . . .

What makes the Granfalloon tick? Researchers have uncovered two basic psychological processes, one cognitive and one motivational. First, the knowledge that "I am part in this group" is used to divide up and make sense of the world, much in the same way that words and labels can be used to pre-persuade (see Chapter 6). Differences between groups are exaggerated, whereas similarities among members of the granfalloon are emphasized in the secure knowledge that "this is what our type does." One serious consequence is that the out-group members are dehumanized; they are represented in our minds by a simple, often derogatory label gook, jap, redneck, southerner, kike, nigger as opposed to unique individuals Nguyen, Susumu, Anthony, Elliot, Doug. It is a lot easier to abuse an abstraction. Second, social groups are a source of self-esteem and pride, a form of reverse Groucho Marx - "I'd be more than happy to join a club that would have me as a member."* To obtain the self esteem the goup has to offer, members come to defend the group and adopt its symbols, rituals, and beliefs.
Herein lies the secret to the persuasiveness the granfalloon. If the professional persuader, the advertiser, the politician, the televangelist can get us to accept his or her granfalloons, then we have a ready-made way to make sense of our lives the propagandist's way and as our self-esteem becomes increasingly linked to these groups, we have a strong motivation to defend the group and to go to great lengths proudly to adopt its customs. What the propagandist is really saying is: "You are on my side (never mind that I created the teams); now act like it and do what we say."

Pratkanis, Anthony and Aronson, ElliotElliot "Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion" (New York: 2001) Page 217.

Arno C. Gaebelein took a trip to his native Germany in 1937. He described his impressions in a letter to William Bell Riley, who published it in the Pilot. Gaebelein condemned most American press reports about the "new Germany" as slanderous and erroneous. It was obvious to him that Hitler had been taking necessary steps to stop the spread of Jewish-inspired Bolshevism. There is no question in my mind that Hitler was an instrument of God to save Germany and Europe from the Red Beast."(32)

Timothy P. Weber, "On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend" (Grand Rapids: 2004) Page 143.

[Shamgar]

Oh I see the force of facts has caused all the people with propaganda to flee. . . .

3. Many of us assumed that Christian Zionism exists in fundamentalist and Evangelical churches only. Upon closer observation, we discovered that in reality Christian Zionism has permeated Christians within mainline churches as well among Catholics and the Orthodox in various level and forms. It is an unconscious and superficial response to any Bible reading by people who have not the benefit of theological education or have not studied the Bible carefully and so accept things uncritically simply because they are written in the Bible. This means that our problem is not only with extremist evangelicals; it is with good hearted but ignorant Christians who need to be informed and educated.

Ateek, Naim, et al editors. "Challenging Christian Zionism: Theology, Politics and the Israel-Palestinian Conflict" (London:2005) Page 16.

"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country."

Edward Bernays, "Propaganda" (Brooklyn: Copyright 1928/ ReCopyrighted 2005), page 37.
U.S. Committee on Public Information WWI

"Fortunately, the sincere and gifted politician is able, by the instrument of propaganda, to mold and form the will of the people."
Edward Bernays, "Propaganda" (Brooklyn: Copyright 1928/ ReCopyrighted 2005), page 109.

"Ours must be a leadership democracy administered by the intelligent minority who know how to regiment and guide the masses. Is this government by propaganda? Call it, if you prefer, government by education."

Edward Bernays, "Propaganda" (Brooklyn: Copyright 1928/ ReCopyrighted 2005), page 127-128.

The majority vote is by no means the real public opinion. Its basically irrational character greatly reduces its power to rule in a democracy. Democracy is based on the concept that man is rational and capable of clearly seeing what is in his own interest, but the study of public opinion suggests this is a highly doubtful proposition. And the bearer of public opinion is generally a mass man, psychologically speaking, which makes him quite unsuited to properly exercise his right of citizenship.
Jaques Ellul, "Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes" (New York: 1973) Page 124.

[Wyvern]

Oh I see the force of facts has caused all the people with propaganda to flee. . . .

Flee, no, it's more the case of what does this have to do with the OP. If you want to hijack the thread you are free to try but don't be surprised when everyone tires of your antics and goes to a more profitable debate.

Plus theres the fact that you are already recycling your pasted quotes.

On a side note you seem to be very angry at these so called christian-zionists, why is this?

[Shamgar]

Oh I see the force of facts has caused all the people with propaganda to flee. . . .

Flee, no, it's more the case of what does this have to do with the OP. If you want to hijack the thread you are free to try but don't be surprised when everyone tires of your antics and goes to a more profitable debate.

Ah more recylced responses since every post of mine has to do with the OP. . . .

Plus theres the fact that you are already recycling your pasted quotes. On a side note you seem to be very angry at these so called christian-zionists, why is this?

well if my quotes are "recycled" then you have ignored them twice since if you had bothered to read them once you should know . . .I know I am reaching here. . . why I am angry with these pseudo-Christians. . . .

Those who had see the nonaggression pact as the beginning of the northern confederacy were stunned. In response to this reversal of fortunes, there was "just one big awkward silence" from the prophetic experts.(88) One exception was the Weekly Evangel: "There are some prophets who are suffering no casualties. They are inspired writers of Bible prophesy. Their words shall be fulfilled. We may err when we forecast just how and when they will be fulfilled, but God's own time the entire prophetic plan shall be complete.

Timothy P. Weber, "On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend" (Grand Rapids: 2004) Page 92-93.


Because the acquisition of more territory was part of the divine plan, most dispensationalists saw no reason to dwell on the ethical implications of Israeli actions in the Middle East, though some Bible teachers warned against adopting an "ends justifies the means" attitude concerning everything that happened in the Holy Land. Despite the often messy complications of the founding and expansion of Israel, dispensationalists were sure that everything was finally in place for the playing out of history's last phase.

Timothy P. Weber, "On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend" (Grand Rapids: 2004) Page 158.

As the coming of a Jewish state looked inevitable, most dispensationalists were willing to make the needed adjustment in their interpretation. The Sunday School Times early concluded that the Jewish restoration included an initial return in unbelief.(37) Even Arno C. Gaebelein, who for years had insisted that Zionism was not the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, was willing to endorse a Zionist stat3e as a first step toward the authentic fulfillment: "That the Jewish people will be restored to the land in the end is inevitable, since God has so decreed in His Word (Jer 23:7-8). That restoration will be a restoration in faith. Now the Jews are seeking to go to Palestine in unbelief. Is there Scripture that leads us to suppose that their efforts will succeed? Yes, although we do not know when it will be."(38)
Timothy P. Weber, "On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend" (Grand Rapids: 2004) Page 169.

[Wyvern]

Ah more recylced responses since every post of mine has to do with the OP. . . .

How so? The OP brought up the issue of Google no longer carrying links to certain sites due to perceived hate speech. You on the other hand keep pasting other peoples works of an antisemitic and even sometimes pronazi bent. If you are trying to draw anyone else to conclusions you are going to actually have to say something on your own to advance and clarify your argument.

well if my quotes are "recycled" then you have ignored them twice since if you had bothered to read them once you should know . . .I know I am reaching here. . . why I am angry with these pseudo-Christians. . . .

I have read them more than twice and still am trying to see some common thread other than possibly you think jews are bad and nazis were good. Your pastes few as they are touch on out of practice democratic thought, the formation of Israel and how nazi germany is the only thing that saved europe from communism. Maybe I'm being thick but what are you trying to say here? Say it in plain language and in your own words so nothing gets muddled.

BTW what northern confederacy is Weber talking about?

[McCulloch]

BTW what northern confederacy is Weber talking about?

Maybe it is

• In the winter of 1803-1804, a group of Federalist congressmen plotted to establish a "Northern Confederacy" consisting of New Jersey, New York, New England, and Canada, to be established with the support of Britain.
• The Northern Confederacy is probably the only non-elven derived civilization
• As if this were not bad enough from Britain's point of view, an ominous cloud was gathering on the northern horizon. Czar Paul I of Russia, bitterly angered by the Royal Navy's searching of neutral ships trading with France, had decided Britain, not Bonaparte, was the main threat to European peace. Napoleon proposed an alliance, and found Paul highly amenable, not to say enthusiastic and if the Czar's proposal that a combined Franco-Russian army should dismember the Ottoman Empire, and then march on India, belonged in the realms of fantasy, his formation, in December 1800, of a League of Neutral Nations Russia, Sweden, Prussia and Denmark presented a genuine and very serious threat. The League more usually referred to as the Northern Confederacy announced a policy of armed neutrality, and began impounding British merchantmen in Baltic ports.
• But most likely it is: The Northern Confederacy list includes Russia, Eastern Europe, the Muslim republics of the former Soviet Union such as Armenia as well as Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Turkey, and Germany or other Germanic peoples. More at Theological Topic Search from Jerry Falwell's Liberty University

Despite Antichrist's power, other nations will rise in opposition. Some time after Antichrist betrays Israel, a northern confederation of nations under Russian control will join with a southern confederacy to launch a devastating double attack against Israel. This move will prompt the intervention of Antichrist's armies from the west and a 200-million-man army under the "kings of the east." As armies from east and west converge on Israel, the Russian confederates will try to destroy Israel; but God will intervene to destroy them. With the northern confederacy annihilated, the forces of Antichrist and the "kings of the east" will do battle at Armageddon, a valley northwest of Jerusalem. While the battle rages, Jesus will return, wipe out the surviving armies, subdue Antichrist, and set up his millennial kingdom. Finally, the surviving Jews will accept Jesus as their Messiah. For a thousand years, King Jesus will rule the world from Jerusalem, while Jewish priests perform sacrifices in the restored temple. In the end, God will fulfill all the promises to Israel. The redemptive plan will be complete.

[Shamgar]

Ah more recylced responses since every post of mine has to do with the OP. . . .

How so? The OP brought up the issue of Google no longer carrying links to certain sites due to perceived hate speech. You on the other hand keep pasting other peoples works of an antisemitic and even sometimes pronazi bent. If you are trying to draw anyone else to conclusions you are going to actually have to say something on your own to advance and clarify your argument.

hahahahhaaaaaaa get an adult to read it to your then. . . and my post have hardly been pro-nazi. . . .but info about how the "Christain" zionist were pro-nazi along with many others during the 1930s. . . .

I have read them more than twice and still am trying to see some common thread other than possibly you think jews are bad and nazis were good.

Yeah you ability to "discern" is nil. . . .zip. . . zero. . . .as I have never said the nazis were "good". . . nor have I said neo-nazis are "good". . . your paint brush is busily painting away with a smear campaign. . . .the granfalloon. . . .

Maybe I'm being thick but what are you trying to say here?

Maybe? There certainly is no "maybe" about that. . .

BTW what northern confederacy is Weber talking about?

Oh your ability to "discern" is so "great" you tell me. . . . . .hey buy the book and find out for yourself. . . .

[1John2_26]

I'm glad I stopped by.

tselem wrote:
Shamgar,

Thank you for the completely irrelevant off-topic post.

. . . .more droning from the islamaphobic and literalist "Christian" zionist cult. . . . .are you trying to impose your will upon me and censor me? Why do you enjoy being so intolerant?

Is there freedom of the press or freedom of religion in Islamic countries? Saudi Arabia would do nicely as the case studdy since the Qur'an is published there AND the Kaabah is in that country.

As we have already said, they cannot endure to hear or to see that we accursed Goyim should glory in the Messiah as our chemdath, and that we are as good as they are or as they think they are. Therefore, dear Christian, be advised and do not doubt that next to the devil, you have no more bitter, venomous, and vehement foe than a real Jew who earnestly seeks to be a Jew.

I haven't seen a Jew behead a Christian ever.

Luther's Works: The Christian In Society IV. Vol 47. American Edition. Edited by Franklin Sherman. (Philadelphia: 1981) ISBN: 0-8006-0347-8. Page 217.

Another major dispensationalist figure who promoted the Protocols [Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion] in the 30s was William Bell Riley, the Baptist leader from Minnesota. He first came across the Protocols in the 1920s and rejected it as fanciful and far-fetched. But a few years later he read it again and was struck by how accurately it explained what was happening all over the world.(24) In 1934 Riley [William Bell Riley] published The Protocols and Communism, in which he argued that the same plot that had turned Russia communist was now at work in FDR's New Deal. "Today in our land many of the biggest trusts, banks, and manufacturing interests are controlled by Jews . . . Most of our department stores they own. . . The motion pictures, the most vicious of all immoral, educational and communistic influences, is their creation."(25) Visitors to Riley's First Baptist Church in Minneapolis got a steady dose of similar sentiments from the pulpit, so much that Jewish leaders identified the church as one of the most important sources of anti-Semitism in the Twin Cities.(26)

Timothy P. Weber, "On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend" (Grand Rapids: 2004) Page 136.

Last time I was in one, anyone could work in a store owned by "a Jew." AND, they could shop their too. AND the women didn't have to be covered from head to toe.

And, the Christians didn't detonate suicide bombs in anyone of them either.