ArabNews has a piece that practically drools over Robert Fisk, the blogosphere’s favorite whipping boy. So, in the spirit of a good solid takedown of extreme stupidity, it’s time to rip into this tripe…
MEN of virtue and honor are a rare breed. When they are to be found it is often the sad fate of such beings to be misunderstood or at best ignored. Yet these misfits of humanity are the source of all major changes in history even if few of them see the fruits of their sacrifice.
Man is the only creature that is entirely aware of his frailties. Yet, with this daunting knowledge in mind, he sacrifices to defend ideals that bring few material comforts but require great suffering. I would like to underline in this article a name on the list of Men of Virtue. The name is that of Robert Fisk, who has, without any doubt, sacrificed much for his honor and stood with courage in the face of intimidation and threats.
Yes, Fisk belongs with such great historical heros like Brutus, Judas Iscariot, Jefferson Davis, and Leon Trotsky. You know you’re in deep shit when the Saudis refer to you as a "Man of Virtue".
Robert Fisk is a journalist who has dedicated his life to defend the helpless and the downtrodden. He has frequently unmasked the tyrannies and hypocrisies of those who would otherwise be invisible were it not for men and women like him. In thanking Mr. Fisk, I also thank all the journalists who manage to move us and most important of all lift the veil on the ugly faces of tyranny were it just for a few seconds.
Yes, like the ugly veil of tyranny that surrounds the Arab world, where beheadings, slavery, and torture are all common? Oh wait, you don’t want to talk about that one. After all, it might distract from your whole Evil American and Protocols of the Elders of Zion BS, wouldn’t it? Too bad so few journalists lift the veil that covers the disgusting tyranny in the Arab world.
Mr. Fisk does not need my praise, nor I am sure, does he expect it. However, when small men like John Malkovich start to ask for his death and when the voices of obscurity and obtuseness try to smother his honesty just because they happen to be louder not better, then it is time to protect and encourage a man who has put both his life and his pen on the line.
Believe me, praise from the Saudi’s ilk isn’t much praise at all. It also might be helpful to mention that those who threatened his life were the same Islamic fascists that the Saudis have created. Last time I checked, it was a bunch of radical Pakistanis that tried to kill Fisk, not John Malkovich.
Dear Mr. Fisk, Thank you. We thank you for trying to be an honorable man in a world where the sleazy and vile are honored, and the kind and virtuous are ridiculed. Thank you for going on for so long from country to country and year to year, even though you haven’t anything more to prove. You’ve won prizes and written hundreds of articles. You could have simply rested on your laurels and said, "I’ve done my bit for human rights and all." Thank you for trying to be right, even when you’re wrong. That’s better than just hiding behind what is "acceptable." I’m grateful that you’ve always stood for what you believe in, even when I’ve disagreed with some of your positions. At those times I always knew you wrote what you believed was right and that takes courage.
Yes, thank you Robert Fisk, from the three thousand souls lost at the World Trade Center. Thank you from the hundreds killed by Saudi tyranny. Thank you from the women beaten on the streets of Kabul. Thank you from the Sufis whose religious beliefs made them the targets of the Taliban. Thank you from all the voiceless and oppressed people who are under the thumb of the corrupt and tyrannical fascists that have smothered the Islamic world. It’s so nice to know that someone is sympathetic to the cause which has beaten, oppressed, and killed them. Such courage you display to stand with such monsters and still believe in their twisted cause!
In the dwindling voice of justice in today’s world, you are among the loudest and are therefore the most maligned. If nothing else should console you, know that by your articles the least you do is keep hope alive for someone, somewhere, and that is a great achievement and a great responsibility. Finally, in thanking you, I also thank the others who have been out there writing about human misery and suffering. They don’t let us forget about AIDS in Africa, the war in Chechnya or the women of Afghanistan. They help make the invisible visible, and give victims a voice. That is why I took this moment to stand at the shores of the island of the honorable and salute one of its inhabitants.
Yes, thank you for speaking out against all those killed by Islamic fundamentalists in Africa, the Chechens who have been held hostage by al-Qaeda trained insurgents, and the oppressed women under the Taliban! How dare they resist the scimitar of Wahhibism and try to free themselves from oppression!
It’s clear that the fanaticism on display here knows no bounds. Robert Fisk is a man who has willfully ignored massive violations of basic human rights in favor of a crusade against the principles of democracy and freedom. He is a man who tries to justify his own beating by a group of thugs rather than try to fight those who would see such thuggery continue. He’s a spineless, gutless traitor whose moral compass is permanently out of whack.
No wonder the Saudis like him so much.
