Neocons Fume Over US Boat to Gaza

opednews.com July 16, 2011

By Ray McGovern

My co-passengers and I of the U.S. Boat to Gaza have now gone from “High-Seas Hippies,” according to the right-wing Washington Times, to participants in a flotilla full of “fools, knaves, hypocrites, bigots, and supporters of terrorism,” says Alan Dershowitz in his usual measured prose.
Poor Alan, he seems upset at our audacity not only to hope for humane treatment of the 1.6 million Gazans, who currently live under a cruel blockade, but to force the issue. To stop our boat before it could leave Greek waters, Israel’s Likud government gave itself a self-inflicted black eye and again brought the oppression of Gazans to worldwide attention.
This time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government did not even have to kill people to add to Israel’s growing “delegitimization” before the civilized world. Facing growing international condemnation, Netanyahu and his allies have reason to worry.
In recognition of our modest accomplishments, we U.S. boaters have now made it onto Dershowitz’s “Dishonor Roll!” At first reading of his intended insults, my laughter was uncontrollable. I’ve been called a lot of things before, but I cannot remember being labeled a “knave.” 

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Murdoch lieutenant Hinton quits Dow Jones

By Paul Thomasch and Yinka Adegoke

NEW YORK, July 15 (Reuters) – Les Hinton, the top executive of Rupert Murdoch’s Dow Jones & Co, resigned on Friday after becoming a target of criticism for the phone-hacking scandal that occurred when he oversaw News Corp’s British newspapers.

Hinton stepped down as the British phone hacking scandal surrounding News Corp began to spread to the United States. He is the highest ranking executive yet to resign over a crisis that closed down the News of the World tabloid and scotched News Corp’s $12 billion attempt to buy out BSkyB.

I have watched with sorrow from New York as the News of the World story has unfolded,” Hinton wrote in a memo to staff after resigning as chief executive of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal.

“That I was ignorant of what apparently happened is irrelevant and in the circumstances I feel it is proper for me to resign from News Corp, and apologize to those hurt by the actions of the News of the World,” he added.

At the Wall Street Journal, news of Hinton’s departure was greeted by gasps and a stunned silence, despite much speculation in both London and New York that he could be toppled by transgressions that occurred on his watch.

Hinton’s resignation came on the same day that another top Murdoch confidante, Rebekah Brooks, stepped down as chief of News International, which is responsible for all Murdoch’s British papers. Brooks worked under Hinton when she was News of the World’s editor and he ran News International.

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Revealed: Cameron’s 26 meetings in 15 months with Murdoch chiefs

By Oliver Wright and Nigel Morris, independent.co.uk
Saturday, 16 July 2011

From l-r: News International Chairman and Chief Executive James Murdoch, News International Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks, Former spokesman for the Prime Minister and former editor of News of the World Andy Coulson, Prime Minister David Cameron/Getty Images; Reuters; AP

The scale of private links between David Cameron and News International was exposed for the first time last night, with the Prime Minister shown to have met Rupert Murdoch’s executives on no fewer than 26 occasions in just over a year since he entered Downing Street.

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Rupert Murdoch says sorry to Dowler family over hacking

15 July 2011
BBC

Click on link for video

Rupert Murdoch speaks to the media after a meeting with the family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

A “humbled and very shaken” Rupert Murdoch has apologised to the family of Milly Dowler in a meeting in London.

The chairman of News Corporation requested the meeting after it emerged that the murdered schoolgirl’s mobile phone was hacked by the News of the World newspaper in 2002.

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Rupert Murdoch apology to Milly Dowler family was sincere, says lawyer

The News Corp boss ‘held his head in his hands’ as he apologised to the murdered girl’s family over phone hacking

Matthew Taylor guardian.co.uk,
Friday 15 July 2011 19.11 BST

Rupert Murdoch has made a “full and humble” apology to the family of the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler at a private meeting held at a central London hotel.

The global head of News Corporation “held his head in his hands” and repeatedly told the family he was “very, very sorry”, according to the Dowlers’ lawyer Mark Lewis.

He was very humbled and very shaken and very sincere,” said Lewis speaking outside the meeting at the five-star hotel. “I think this was something that had hit him on a very personal level and was something that shouldn’t have happened. He apologised many times. I don’t think somebody could have held their head in their hands so many times and say that they were sorry.”

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Rupert Murdoch ‘sorry’ in newspaper adverts

16 July 2011
BBC

National newspapers are running a full-page advert with a signed apology from Rupert Murdoch over “serious wrongdoing” by the News of the World.

The advert states: “We are sorry for the serious wrongdoing that occurred.”

Rebekah Brooks, a former editor of the paper, and senior News Corporation executive Les Hinton both resigned on Friday over the phone-hacking scandal.

The printed apology expresses regret for not acting faster “to sort things out”.

“I realise that simply apologising is not enough. Our business was founded on the idea that a free and open press should be a positive force in society. We need to live up to this.

“In the coming days, as we take further concrete steps to resolve these issues and make amends for the damage they have caused, you will hear more from us”, says the statement, signed “sincerely, Rupert Murdoch”.

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