February 8, 2008

Fujita, grilled?

The other day I disparaged the pathetic Madison, Wisconsin newspaper, The Capital Times, for its inane letter publishing policy. I must continue the theme. On January 26, 2008, it published a long letter from area 9/11 conspiracy theorist Kevin Barrett. Excerpts, with my boldface:
I am out of a job because The Capital Times and other mainstream media outlets refuse to report the news....

Along with hundreds of other scholars, engineers, architects, and former high-level military, intelligence and executive branch officials..., I have pointed out that the official story of 9/11 is a ridiculous fairy tale....

Last week, the probable next prime minister of Japan, Yukihisa Fujita, grilled current prime minister Fukuda for half an hour about the controlled demolition of the World Trade Center and the staged events at the Pentagon and asked whether the Japanese police could arrest George W. Bush for his complicity in 9/11. Why wasn't that front page news?....

[M]y reputation has been ruined, at least in the eyes of the fewer and fewer people naive enough to believe the mainstream media...
Today, we see this hilarious response:
Dear Editor: I am Yukihisa Fujita, a Japanese MP who was mentioned in a Jan. 26 letter to the editor by Kevin Barrett. I wish to correct two points in his letter:

1. I can never be the probable next prime minister because the prime minister of Japan has to be elected among Lower House MPs, while I am an Upper House MP! I do not have any position in the shadow Cabinet in the Democratic Party of Japan.

2. I never asked the Japanese police to arrest President Bush.

Yukihisa Fujita,

Japan
Some things aren't in the news because — unexciting as it may be to the mind of the conspiracy buff — they didn't happen.

45 comments:

john said...

And you think that obviously forged letter means anything? That is, anything other than more evidence that the long arm of the B-C-R syndicate* reaches across the world. Prove that it came from Fujita, and that he is not part of the official story.

*Bush-Cheney-Rove. Ask fstop for corraboration on this. He should now be in the Safeway parking lot in El Segundo (good wi-fi connection there).

I'm Full of Soup said...

Yeah but Judie (the editor of the Capital Times) wants to print anyone's opinion especially if it is against that lying Bush & Cheney.

And can you prove it did not happen Ann? Perhaps Bush or Cheney sent in this letter and pretended it was from this alleged Upper Minister Fujita? Or maybe Fujita is really a Lower Minister and is just a wannabe Upper Minister.

Oh brother, too too many facts to verify and questions to answer. I am so glad I don't work in the MSM. When do they find time to sleep and relax?

Simon said...

Barret wrote:
"[M]y reputation has been ruined, at least in the eyes of the fewer and fewer people naive enough to believe the mainstream media...."

Divide by zero error. Your reputation can't be ruined when you don't have a positive reputation to ruin in the first place.

I'm Full of Soup said...

John - have we met at the CIA HQ? It's a bit Spooky that you are on the same assignment as me.

john said...

AJ-

Better to ask: "Are we in the same parking lot?" Ajdust the rabbit ears on your hat a little, your signal is weak.

john said...
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rhhardin said...

The MP writes English well. Too well.

john said...

Simon - lol

Rhhardin - More evidence. It all fits.

rhhardin said...

Aha, there's a youtube hearing with subtitles here

hdhouse said...
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MadisonMan said...

Prof. Althouse, did you see the news today that the Cap. Times will cease print publication on the 26th? They'll still have a web presence.

Ron said...

Simon -- if the code of his life had been written properly, he could've trapped off his divide by zero error, "printf'ed" a nice error message and exited gracefully....but noooooo, not him! His mom must've page faulted in the delivery process, that's why he's corrupted...

Synova said...

I watched as much of that video as I could handle. I got to the part about how they weren't shown any pictures of planes at the Pentagon.

Interesting that two claims are made... that the damage wasn't as big as an aircraft *and* that aircraft are made of light material and couldn't punch a hole through the wall of the reinforced building.

And not having pictures always brings the question... if it's a hoax, wouldn't there be pictures?

Unknown said...

Madison newspaper plans to cease daily print edition

By late spring, Madison residents will have one fewer daily newspaper to choose from.

The Capital Times announced Thursday it will transition to an Internet-based newsroom, downsizing to twice-weekly print newspapers.

The afternoon newspaper’s circulation — currently just over 17,000 — has been diminishing for the past 40 years, and it risks losing competition from other local newspapers, said Clayton Frink, publisher of The Capital Times.

“We felt like we weren’t doing what we set out to do,” Frink said in an interview Thursday. “Moving to the Internet provides us a way to solve this problem.”

Instead of six papers a week, The Capital Times will publish two weekly tabloid newspapers on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Frink said.

Wednesday’s edition will consist of week-in-review type articles, with interviews, sports and a “vigorous opinion editorial section,” according to Frink.

Thursday’s paper is a replacement for Rhythm, the current entertainment section. The new section, still without a name, will include lifestyle and entertainment content, and it will focus on how people spend their time and money today, Frink added.

Both papers will be delivered with the Wisconsin State Journal and will appear free on newsstands around the city.

With a circulation of about 80,000, the first new paper will be delivered April 26.

The transition means staff cuts for The Capital Times, Frink said. But with the transition to the Internet, reporters will be expected to write and post stories on captimes.com as fast as possible.

“If a basketball game ends at 10 p.m., we should have results up by 10:01,” Frink said.

The newspaper also announced Dave Zweifel, current editor-in-chief, will step down to editor emeritus and be replaced by Paul Fanlund, current executive editor.

The 68-year-old Zweifel, who has been the newspaper’s editor for 25 years, said with such a big transition to the Internet, it is a good time for him to step down.

“This new project is going to require a lot of intense work I don’t think I can do anymore,” Zweifel said. “I’m not going to be as involved in day-to-day stuff, but I’m still going to write my column.”

http://badgerherald.com/news/2008/02/08/madison_newspaper_pl.php

Unknown said...

"Prof. Althouse, did you see the news today that the Cap. Times will cease print publication on the 26th? They'll still have a web presence."

But of course! They're in hiding! The Bush goons are coming to get them, for being the only print paper willing to publish the truth!

At least I think that's what the messages coming through on my dental fillings are saying...

Revenant said...

Fujita, grilled?

What a ridiculous idea!

Everybody knows that fujita are supposed to be pan-fried and served with a dipping sauce. "Grilled" -- hmph! I bet he eats them with french fries and ketchup. Damned Midwesterners.

IgnatzEsq said...

Of course, if a single Japanese member of the Diet questions the Bush 9-11 story, it should be front page news. Because, it like proves that it was a giant conspiracy and a 9-11 was an inside job. And once again, you Ann Althouse, are standing in the way of the truth.

If only you would agree to debate someone in Appleton, WI in front of 40-60 people... because then, and only then, would the American people understand the horrible truth. The blood is on your hands.

Fen said...

/fess up

I'm Yukihisa Fujita.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Patca:

You should get yourself one of those tinfoi hats- they deflect all transmissions before they can get to your fillings.

Trooper York said...

I am Yukihisa Fujita......No wait a minute....I am Sparatcus....No, no that's not it....I am Curious Yellow......No that's not it....I am what am and that's all that I am.....No wait, that's McCains theme.....I am Sam....No I'm not retarded, that's Rosie O'Donnell...
I am as helpless as a kitten up a tree...no that's Hillary ploy for sympathy....I am the Eggman....that it...that's the ticket.... let's make an egg salad and put on a show!!!!!!!

MadisonMan said...

I notice the Japanese MP did not deny grilling the PM Fukuda about the controlled demolition of the WTC for a half hour. Therefore, it must have happened.

There. I think I have the conspiracy mindset down.

Trooper York said...

They also did not deny serving them raw, cause they loves them that sushi.

lurker2209 said...
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lurker2209 said...

Um...why should the Japanese give a damn about whether 9/11 was a hoax or not? I mean, if they were one of our allies in Afghanistan, maybe, but Japan doesn't have a military! Maybe the Japanese are providing some sort of non-military support in Afganistan and therefore have a stake in all this, but otherwise it doesn't seem all that useful for the Japanese government to have an opinion on it. And even less useful for people in Wisconsin to care about said opinion.

And I'm not sure how I see this newspaper going online is really such a good thing. Now they just have unlimited digital space to print these sorts of letters.

Hoosier Daddy said...

I'm waiting for fstop to provide some clarification on this important matter before I venture any comment.

P_J said...

"Are you suggesting that we should believe everything the Japanese government — the government of Fukuda and Machimura — tells us?"

Hoosier Daddy said...

Disregard previous post. Trooper York has informed me that fstop is currently in the same facility as Brittney Spears and is not available for comment.

Trooper's intrepid traveling correspondents broke the story early this morning however I declined to view the photos of fstop being carried out of the car feet first proving to the world that like Brittany, he too prefers to go commando.

Back to your regularly scheduled blogging and I need another Scotch.

Balfegor said...

残念ながら藤田幸久はこの俺様なんだよ!

Um...why should the Japanese give a damn about whether 9/11 was a hoax or not? I mean, if they were one of our allies in Afghanistan, maybe, but Japan doesn't have a military! Maybe the Japanese are providing some sort of non-military support in Afganistan and therefore have a stake in all this, but otherwise it doesn't seem all that useful for the Japanese government to have an opinion on it.

Well,

(1) Japan has a military, they just call it a "self defense force" because of the way we rewrote their Constitution for them after we conquered them in WWII. It's still, at least on paper, one of the most powerful military forces in East Asia.

(2) Japan has been involved in the Middle Eastern theatre, albeit entirely in support roles, because the Constitution we rewrote for them prevents them from engaging in active hostilities.

(3) Japan is one of our most important allies today, and the government of Japan, under Koizumi, Abe, and now Fukuda, some of our most loyal diplomatic allies. Lots of Japanese, still sore about the nukes, the firebombing, and the sixty years of occupation, are kind of pissed off about that.

When I was in Tokyo, I remember that every Friday, the fascists had a little parade down the road through Koujimachi, up to the back gardens of the Imperial Palace, with black vans and Wagnerian music over the loudspeakers. In a sort of ritual, the police would prevent them from reaching the Palace each time, and they'd go home. But in any event, many Japanese do care, and would like to drive a wedge between Japan and the United States. Shintaro Ishihara, for example -- the ultranationalist governor of Tokyo. He wrote A Japan that can say No back in the early nineties. The No there is directed at us, the United States.

Trooper York said...

Well didn't they try that with
Dr. No back in the 60's and that didn't work out so well.

Danny said...

Oh, that is rich! Nice to see the Capital Times go out with a bang. Interesting to see how a city of 200,000 manages to sustain two big-budget alt-weeklies.

John Kindley said...

I never read the Cap Times when I was going to school in Madison. I got all my news from that other Madison newspaper, The Onion. I found the latter to be a much more reliable news source.

Steven said...

As a practical matter, Japan has to go along with us. There's no chance of an East Asian league consisting of, say, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea; Taiwan and Korea have bitter memories of decades of Japanese imperial rule. And the geopolitical rivalry between China and Japan would be natural even without China's historical resentments.

Accordingly, Japan cannot create a local alliance to counterbalance China; all resistance to the PRC pretty much has to be organized through another power, more acceptable to Taiwan and South Korea. The EU isn't volunteering to get involved in East Asia, which leaves the U.S. as the only plausible core of a counterbalance to China.

So, Japan, to further its own interests, needs as much influence over U.S. policy in East Asia as possible. The logical way to do so is to provide as much support to the U.S. outside of East Asia as its internal politics can possibly stand. Anything else risks the U.S. ignoring Japan's interests when formulating policy in East Asia, whether by doing things Japan doesn't like, or withdrawing from the region and leaving Japan facing China with no allies. That would not be in Japan's best interest.

Of course, there are various people in Japan who don't like it. But as long as people who are rationally calculating Japan's best interest are in charge (and the U.S. remains responsive to Japanese concerns in East Asia) Japan will remain a reliable U.S. ally.

Peter V. Bella said...

You people do not understand anything. For God's sake! It is the Dominos. The Dominos, through their Imperial Wizard, Huckabee are trying to take over the earth. fstop has the proof of the domino conspriracy.

There are Dominos in the government and they collapsed the WTC buildings. The Dominos will soon have their man in the White House. Prepare for the rapture.


Now excuse me, I have to go check the fstop on my camera.

Mr. Forward said...

Yukihisa Fujita

PLay it backwards
a tiju fas i hikuy
A tissue fast, I haiku

Unknown said...

"... because they didn't happen."

When has that ever stopped a paper-selling story?

rhhardin said...

Radio Japan is always anti-nuke and anti-war and anti-Israel, but fun to listen to because occasionally they interview some serious person with a really weird accent or deficiency in English that amusingly breaks the frame of expertise they set up.

Consider the Economy Class Syndrome expert, or the Bamboo expert.

Every year they have a Hiroshima program with over-the-top lugubriousness. It's a way of forgetting stuff. Hiroshima was like really bad weather.

Part of that forgetting is pro-peace attitudes as judged by rhetoric.

Here is a proposal for Japan mediating between Islam and the West, that finally footnotes itself that there may be some problem with shitheads blowing themselves up at the diplomatic table. A very difficult thought for Japan.

Anonymous said...

Japan doesn't have a military!

There! And if that doesn't convince you that it was a government hoax, consider that torpedoes won't work in the shallow water of Pearl Harbor. Google it!

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Barret wrote
Yukihisa Fujita...asked whether the Japanese police could arrest George W. Bush for his complicity in 9/11.

Yukihisa Fujita wrote
I never asked the Japanese police to arrest President Bush.

He doesn't even refute Barret on this point either. They don't call him Slick Yukihisa for nothin'

Anonymous said...

""[M]y reputation has been ruined, at least in the eyes of the fewer and fewer people naive enough to believe the mainstream media....""

"Divide by zero error. Your reputation can't be ruined when you don't have a positive reputation to ruin in the first place."

Heh. Actually, I read the "zero" as being the of number people who believe the MSM. Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin'!!

Balfegor said...

As a practical matter, Japan has to go along with us. There's no chance of an East Asian league consisting of, say, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea; Taiwan and Korea have bitter memories of decades of Japanese imperial rule.

Korea, yes; Taiwan . . . it depends. The Taiwanese Taiwanese apparently have much better memories of the Japanese Empire than the Chinese Taiwanese who evacuated there when they lost the civil war. Lee Teng-Hui, former president of Taiwan, was born and raised on Taiwan under Japanese rule, and apparently has pretty fond memories of Japan. His brother served in the Imperial Navy and is interred in the Yasukuni shrine. He's even engaged in cosplay, and dressed up as a Japanese comic book character.

The occupations of Korea and of Taiwan had somewhat different characters. In both cases, the occupied peoples were obliged to adopt Japanese names and learn to speak Japanese, but while Japan wanted to absorb Korea culturally (thinking Korea's native culture was too weak to sustain an distinct cultural region within the Empire, or something), Japan did not pursue that policy quite so aggressively with respect to Taiwan or China proper. In China proper, of course, there were the Rape of Nanking and all kinds of other atrocities, but I don't think you had much -- if any -- of that in Taiwan.

All that said, South Korea vis-a-vis Japan is a sort of odd situation, because in fact, a lot of South Koreans will express a ritualised hatred of Japan (for a string of invasions running back into the middle ages -- it's not just 1905-1945), and then turn around and enthuse about their favourite Japanese drama actors or pop singers and suchlike. Particularly among the younger generation, who never collaborated with the occupation (on account of not being born yet), I don't think there's nearly the same pressure to be ostentatiously anti-Japanese. And they aren't. So I think there will be scope there for diplomatic alliance, as the old guard leaves the scene.

I'm a little interested to know what the attitude of the new President, Lee Myung-Bak, is towards Japan. He was born in Osaka, and he participated in anti-Japanese demonstrations when he was young (when Park Chung-Hee, formerly an officer of the Empire's notorious Kwantung Army, was dictator). I wonder whether his attitude has mellowed any.

But all that aside, you are right that, at least for the time being, Japan is stuck with us (and maybe Australia) as their closest effective allies in counterbalancing the PRC.

Unknown said...

My hope?

That family memebers of the 9/11 denial movement traitors are one day trapped in a burning building where they are forced to either burn alive or jump 100 floors to their death.......then i hope someone shows up at the site and claims the the ACTUAL murderers are not that at all......and then I hope the 9/11 traitors spend the rest of their lives reading in the newspapers that the monsters who killed their relatives are innocent.

I also wish that we could bring back the old days when traitors like the 9/11 denial beasts suffer the tradional traitors fate.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Balfegor said...

Re: e:

then i hope someone shows up at the site and claims the the ACTUAL murderers are not that at all......and then I hope the 9/11 traitors spend the rest of their lives reading in the newspapers that the monsters who killed their relatives are innocent.

Your hope is loathsome and shameful, but I have to point out -- you know they would just blame a conspiracy in the US Government, not the monsters who actually killed their relations.

Tibore said...

"... then i hope someone shows up at the site and claims the the ACTUAL murderers are not that at all......and then I hope the 9/11 traitors spend the rest of their lives reading in the newspapers that the monsters who killed their relatives are innocent."

Sadly enough, your wish is already granted. 9/11 deniers do show up at Ground Zero, and they are trying to claim "the ACTUAL murderers are not that at all", but rather are trying to place the blame on the government for blowing up the towers and Pentagon.

And this is disgusting. The 9/11 deniers should quit telling lies and realize that 9/11 was not done by the government. But, the truth tellers have been telling the so-called truth movement that for years, and they've yet to listen.

Original Mike said...

I am out of a job because The Capital Times and other mainstream media outlets refuse to report the news....

Yep, 'cause that one semester teaching gig guaranteed you a job for life.