NBC‘s Olympics broadcast last night included a profile of Grenadian runner Kirani James. The small island is peaceful now, viewers learned, thanks in no small part to Ronald Reagan’s decision to invade. Here’s the clip:
(UPDATE: As you can see, someone at NBC is keeping tabs on YouTube, and they’ve taken this down twice. You can watch the segment– along with a shampoo ad– at the NBC site.)
The U.S. invasion is described as an attempt to “put down an Communist coup and restore the Grenadian government”; the broadcast goes on to refer to the U.S. “liberation” of the country.
In reality, the Grenada invasion was something very different. Before the internal coup that was the pretext for the invasion, the Reagan administration claimed that the left-wing government of Maurice Bishop was building an airport for Soviet fighter planes. They also claimed that U.S. citizens on the island were at risk.
Media were barred from covering the early part of the Grenada invasion, so broadcasts were left airing Pentagon-supplied footage and, as is so often the case, parroting the claims of U.S. officials about the threat to national security posed by, among other things, Cuban soldiers in Grenada.
As Robin Andersen detailed in her book about wartime propaganda Century of Media, A Century of War (excerpted in Extra!, 1-2/07), most of the claims made by the Reagan administration to justify the invasion were false. Americans were not in dangers, and there was no secret Soviet military airport. But in NBC‘s propagandistic re-telling, Ronald Reagan saved a democracy.
When it comes to serving imperial interests, NBC is dedicate
(Once more, with feeling … )
When it comes to serving imperial interests, NBC is dedicated to going for the gold.
And the competition is fierce, innit?
Looks like the clip was removed by NBC, I’d been looking for it since I was a little put off by that version of history being trotted out in that forum.
Really, the whole part of the narrative about the students and the airport are really red herrings. about the only fact that is true about the airport is that there were Cuban engineers and workers assisting with that project.
It would be a bit more honest if the bloody coup and killing of the (small S) socialist Prime Minister Bishop by Coard less than a week before the US invasion, were used as a rationale for the invasion, which may have been a component of why it was done. It’s hard not to think that the bombing for the US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut just 2 days prior to the invasion may have also contributed to the rushed (fairly poorly planned) effort. And that trying to replace the pain and shame of the 241 dead Marines and Sailors killed in the Bombing, the largest single day casualties affecting US forces since WWII.
I think that the murder of Bishop rather than the contrived story of saving Students who were at minor risk of danger would have made me less cynical about this operation.
I also wonder whether NBC doing the puff piece perpetuating the Reagan MYTH re. Grenada was a way to try and curry favor with the Right wingers who think NBC and its family of networks are nothing but schills for the Democratic Party.
I saw the coverage of James’s victory in the 400m, and the NBC announcer managed to repeatedly (and it’s a short race) mention that the anniversary of the U.S. invasion is a national holiday (“Thanksgiving”) in Grenada.
While that was annoying, I was more irritated to learn that apparently it is true. Grenadians have the right to their own opinions about the invasion, and I can understand how the experience for real people there could involve many factors that aren’t apparent to most people in the U.S., whatever their politics.
But I personally would be thankful if Grenada could see fit to reassign their official thanksgiving to a day less conducive to being used to bolster the case for future wars.
I found it interesting that when I clicked play, YouTube said that the NBCOlympics2012 blocked it on copyright grounds. NBC is definitely protective about their white supremacist propaganda trashing Maurice Bishop’s New Jewel movement that was aiming to liberate Grenada’s workers. Hammonds’ narration of the U.S. “liberating” Grenada from Communism is absolutely laughable. Communism is a label used by this propaganda in order to crush popular movements. But Dr. King said that trust pressed to the ground has to rise up. Thank you FAIR for bringing this to our attention. As Don Rojas in his article “We Are one People From One Caribbean” said, it is our duty to “pull down these artificial barriers of colonialism and neocolonialism and to develop that oneness and unity that we nearly lost. -RF.
Be reasonable. It’s the only thing america has won since helping out with WW2, and it was deemed sufficiently important for Clint to make a film about this major victory for democracy™.
Grenada was the beginning or at least the second recent installation of “the wars of pretext.”
It’s EVERYWHERE: PBS’ Ken Burns’ “The War”, Moyers and Company’s Karl Malantes; even, Nova Science Now’s Conscience Inhibition by electromagnetic pulses over the prefrontal cortex, previewed by “war is how humans ‘progress’.” Neil DegrAss Tyson, sponsored by the likes of Koch or W Bush.
The article on the invasion did not mention three factors: the Marine loss in Lebanon (Reagan’s stupid blunder that was opposed by his military advisors: Israel invades, conquers, and Reagan sends the occupying Marines! Totally idiotic!) Thank you Geo for mentioning it. The second issue ignored is that Canadians sent an airplane and evacuated their students at the medical school prior to the big invasion. A third factor: Grenada is under British control and idiot Reagan had no damn business invading that island. He did so as a smoke screen for the Lebanon blunder. Read more on the Israeli Lebanon invasion in Noam Chomsky’s Fateful Triangle: the United States, Israel, and the Palestinians. (I warn you: it will create anger and tears!)
Check out Clint Eastwood’s tongue in cheek movie “HeartBreak Ridge” (after Korean war) about the invasion .
Like most of the mythic Reagan memories, this is full of holes. My understanding is that the whole “invasion” was badly botched because of poor or little or no planning, which substantiates the idea that it was a face saving operation after Lebanon. Men were suddenly sent to Granada to do something and most didn’t know what the
H_ _ _ it was. Paratroopers were dropped and many perished in an angry sea. Students couldn’t understand why they were being “saved.” What a crock.
While there really might be a thanksgiving day in Granada, I suspect it was set up by the installed government.
This is a quote from an article on the subject.
“Thanksgiving Day in Grenada is commemorated by formal ceremonies although the event is largely not given much attention in the rural communities.”
http://acelebrationofwomen.org/2010/10/grenada-thanksgiving-day-celebrating-october-25/
The article is simply a straight telling of what the event is and why it happens. No editorial.
But even from this you can see that the US had no reason to actually invade. From hindsight and from the poor excuse that students at a school were in danger because of a coup that seemed fairly peaceful and wasnt exacty done by anybody claiming death to all americans.
Of course the victors get to make up a holiday.
NBC was owned at the time by General Electric – a major player of the military industrial complex. The USA won the major battles of WW2 but lost the war against fascism.
Ah!! Ronald Reagan, being placed at every turn ever higher and higher upon the proverbial heroes podium. This is the same guy who to the horror of most Jews, decided to visit a Waffen SS cemetery in Germany(Bitburg), placing a wreath on a Waffen SS soldier’s grave while completely ignoring to visit a holocaust burial site. He did visit Normandy first though. Way to go Ronny! Also thanks for wiping out unions, stagnating wages and giving the rich more tax breaks! As for the invasion of Grenada, another way to make him look macho as he did during WW2 making all those war pictures in Hollywood back lots instead of joining up to actually fight Hitler. Let’s not forget Ronny leading the charge in those Hollywood witch hunts for communists during the McCarthy era either. How about his support of the fascist Pinochet who with the help of The School of the Americas disappeared and murdered tens of thousands of Latin Americans. Yep! Old Ron was a true hero. At least that’s the way we hear it nowadays!
and barack obama has the audacity to trot reagan up as someone to behold. i remember the invasion and all the deaths of innocent people .reagan, nbc, barack obama, mitt romney, america is a sick society. i’m happy here in France!
re this in the story “Media were barred from covering the early part of the Grenada invasion.”
Contrarily, I remember hearing at the time that reporters were in fact ON THE BEACH as soldiers arrived and swept past them. Or am I thinking of Somalia?
Golly, in the fog of the several stupid wars we have had just in my lifetime, we seem to forget Granada. Maybe because Reagan is still such an untouchable icon of truth, justice and the American Way (whatever that is anymore) to the GOP.
The USAmerican Empire’s unwarranted invasion of Granada was the execrable Ronny Ray-Gun’s first nail into the coffin of the “Vietnam” syndrome. It was the first step toward the Iraq and Afghanistan quagmires during this never ending “Permanent War Economy(tm)”…
I saw that when it aired and nearly came out of my chair…
Then I remembered that NBC is OWNED by that egregious war profiteer G.E.
This MUST be what life was like during the final fall of Rome…
I remember some footage (or audio) at the time of the students at the med school in Granada (where nearly ALL of the USAmericans were ’cause they couldn’t AFFORD to go to med school in this execrable country)…
Who, when the marines showed up at the school, wondered what the hell the problem was and why those armed idiots were there on a peaceful island…
War PROPAGANDA…while off topic of Grenada, but on topic for the earthquakes in Iran.
What will the United States do? Whenever there is a disaster in the world ( except for Katrina) the U.S is there to help in a nano second. I wish the staying power was better though ( see Haiti) So….what will my country do for the human beings in Iran?
Do sanctions matter here? I wish that my country would come to the aid of the people of Iran. You might be angry with a country’s leaders, but WHY does that mean you have to crash down on the people?
The Olympics is supposedly a gathering together for people in peace…if you eliminate the quest for gold. However, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the United States cared about ALL the world’s people and we could send aid to Iran right away. Doesn’t humanity take precedence over an imaginary WMD? Isn’t this an opportunity to change the “game?”
I hope you take, my country tis of..whatever, this opportunity to be humane. You either care about humanity, or you don’t. Let’s see some true colors ( the nice ones.)
Thanks for pointing those things out, Frank and ajamu.
Im sorry but I can’t help but laugh.Granada????Really?Granada?This country is hanging on a precipice,and this is what put a burr in FAIRS saddle?I think next time somebody puts a gun to my head in a New york minute(robbery)..i will ask him his views of the pretexts for the invasion of Granada.This is all you got?This is what we should debate?
Ronald Regan, as president , was a creation of General Electric. NBC comes out of RCA, which is a creation of GE (See these links:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Regan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Electric, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nbc), so it’s no surprise to see NBC being a mouthpiece of war propaganda, especially in remembering their token saint, and manufactured president the double R!
If you don’t like what FAIR’s reporting, do us all a favor and bug out. All you do is lie, bitch, and complain about the perfidy of liberals and FAIR. ‘Cause that’s all you got.
Well Tim maybe tomorrow FAIR will talk about how it was Jimmy Carter who wanted voter IDs.Or how Obama knows Medicare will be broke in about 12 years and has no plan,along with no budget.Actually his plan has been to rob 760 billion out of medicare for Obama care.Or how Obama care is now up to 2.7 trillion from a promised estimate (pre vote) of 800 billion.And it has not started yet!Or how insulting was the Vps “they will put you back in chains yall”speech . Or how Obamas favorite Liz Warren,( picked as a keynote speaker for the DNC)now has a you tube film out that is a mirror image of Obamas “you didn’t build that” speech.Ok your not gonna hear this on fair.Or more likely there will be an article on how Reagan pushed a little girl down in the school yard.Ok actually that was Obama but you get the point.Again Grenada…..Really?
@michael e:
I’m not surprised that you are, or at least, appear to be completely indifferent to the needless loss of human lives in places such as Grenada, whenever our self-righteous and all knowing leaders decide to play war games in those places. I am a bit more surprised that you’re not outraged at the wastage of tax payer money that occurs whenever one of these interventionist adventures is set in motion. After all its always about the money, isn’t it, not about trivial things such as the right of people who are not Americans to choose their own way of life, and their own way to govern without living under the constant threat of being invaded or otherwise punished for not choosing as America, or at least its leadership class says they should.
Pleasehead
Im not being callous believe me9not like those on this sight who laugh away Israeli dead).I know people were killed and effected back in 1983.Lets look at the general history of that invasion.
Reagan had info that Cubans were building an airstrip to flood south America with weapons.Grenadas leader(Bishop)was taken down in a bloody military coup.Soon our medical students(800) were being threatened.It was stated that no Cuban soldiers were on the island.When we went in ,.we met heavy anti aircraft and ground fire from those invisible Cubans.50 were killed 800 captured and returned to Cuba.Arm caches were found already enough to arm 10,000 men with every conceivable modern weapon.The shipment of heavy weapons by Cuba to the tiny island had begun ,as our intel had forseen.45 Grenadans were killed and around 15 Americans.Many more wounded on all sides.Open free elections were held a year later.A day still celebrated there.Reagan was not a mealy mouthed behind closed doors kind of guy.He played few games.Now todays sifting of intel and info(and twisting of same) may lead some to believe that he was.My guess is if he were alive today he would smile …say’there you go again’…and shred you in about 20 words.He believed the danger was imminent, and acted.Today i believe the liberal media is so mired in wringing their hands,and holding their heads while they moan and rock back and forth,that they would not see a threat worth acting on if an armed man entered their home and strode into their child’s bedroom closing the door behind him.Liberals have literally hamstrung themselves into indecisive inaction,and indecision.Consumed by worries on every side they have become next to useless in making hard calls.That said we are talking about 1983 here.The obvious aim is to tarnish Reagan.Why care?It is an election year and the new guard in Washington is more and more hearkening back to his days as a way out of our financial problems.Strangely even Obama has been quoted using Reagan.So the lefts personal attack media turns its eyes to the grave of Ronald Reagan.Ladies and gents on the left you have a more present problem.A president out of ideas,completely inept,out of his depth who can’t find his ass with both hands and a staff of a 100.He asks for your support.You are gonna need to dig deeper that Reagan’s body to find any way to give that support.And your smoke screens are getting transparent.Now lets talk about unemployment………
Don’t know if it simply hasn’t gotten around to you yet, or you haven’t bothered to really look into the situation in Grenada beyond Wikipedia, Mikey, but just about everything you just espoused is nonsense that has already long been outed as such, save the bit about “Thanksgiving” in Grenada (which doesn’t prove much aside from the fact that people love an excuse to celebrate, and don’t need, or care much for a factual context). I suppose it would make sense that a regressive might cling desperately to old spin, but it doesn’t serve you well.
You left out the bit about Soviet-trained, laser beam equipped war-sharks.
You know Steve I am no expert on The invasion of Grenada.There is the basic accepted history(yes wickipedia) and there is the rewrite of the history that you consider fact.As always the words of the leaders at that time mean next to nothing in your world.Reagans words less than the hot dog vender at 52nd street.But i do know enough from what you just wrote(people love an excuse to celebrate)that you are pretty sure the people who live there,and lived through it- don’t realize that everything they Know and believe has long ago “been outed”.So again everybody is stupid and behind the times ,except the 23 year old liberal journalist corp who want to tell us the truth behind the truth behind the truth..