Mick Hartley

One of Noam Chomsky's more familiar rhetorical devices is to present himself as the only individual  - thanks, we are to assume, to the sheer intensity and unimpeachability of his moral vision – capable of seeing through the lies of the western media. It's implicit throughout his latest piece on the killing of Bin Laden (criticised here here and here), but, nearing the end of his article and realising that he hadn't yet made it explicit, he manages to squeeze in the necessary, in a bizarre comment on the choice of the name Operation Geronimo for the Bin Laden search-and-destroy mission:

The imperial mentality is so profound, throughout western society, that no one can perceive that they are glorifying bin Laden by identifying him with courageous resistance against genocidal invaders.

Eh? It's an obscure point for sure, but nevermind: the message is clear. Only one man can see through the miasma of untruth and distortions to grasp the truth buried beneath. 

Can this clarity of vision be found anywhere else? Who besides Chomsky has the moral courage to penetrate the lies of the imperial mentality, and understand who the real terrorists are? 

Ah yes:

Chosun Shinbo, the publication put out by Chongryon (General Association of North Korean Residents in Japan), has called the U.S. military operation to kill Osama bin Laden evidence of the U.S. being “the main culprit of state terror.” 

The publication, which represents the stance of the North Korean authorities, heavily criticized the U.S. in an article of the same name, calling the killing the actions of an arrogant imperialist and an infringement of state sovereignty.”

The North Korean media had not previously commented on the death of Osama bin Laden, so, albeit while Chosun Shinbo is not an official state newspaper, it can be seen as the first North Korean reaction to the issue.

The article asserted, “Implementing military action without reporting it to the Pakistani government is an undeniable infringement of sovereignty.” 

It went on, “Obama ordered the secret operation personally and then declared so naturally and proudly, ‘Justice has been done.’ It is the reckless figure of an imperialist who reigns over the whole of humanity.”