Iran’s state-run news network blames ‘Israeli death squads’

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/18/irans-state-run-news-network-blames-israeli-death-squads-for-sandy-hook-shooting/
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Iran’s state-run news network blames ‘Israeli death squads’ for Sandy Hook shooting
Posted by Max Fisher on December 18, 2012 at 10:20 am
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Screenshot of PressTV, an Iranian state-run outlet.

Iran’s state-run media outlet PressTV, which broadcasts in English, on Tuesday carried a story blaming Israel for the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. PressTV has a well-earned reputation for incendiary anti-Israel stories and for wild conspiracy theories, but even this seems a far stretch for the organization, which maintains a bureau office in the District.
PressTV portrays Adam Lanza as a “patsy” – their word – who is taking the fall for an Israeli special forces squad sent to punish President Obama for not better supporting Israel. The ongoing investigation is in fact, they argue, a concerted U.S. government “cover-up.” It’s not clear why the United States would cover-up an attack against the U.S. government, but if you think that’s the most glaring inconsistency in this story then I have bad news for you: it gets a lot worse.
The outlandish theory is not very clear, but it appears to argue that the attack would have been retribution for Obama’s diplomacy during Israel’s recent clashes with Gaza and for his potential selection of former Senator Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary, a move opposed by some pro-Israel groups. The story’s evidence largely relies on an interview with an Arizona one-time gubernatorial candidate named Mike Harris who publicly associates with neo-Nazi groups, a series of fatuous questions (i.e., implying that the school was filled with Israeli troops, “Why were so many children told to close their eyes while leaving the building?”), and, I am not making this up, anonymous e-mail forwards.
The story is very long and can be frustrating to read for its obvious logical fallacies, but here is a representative sample:
After Harris’ broadcast, key members of the military and law enforcement community contacted Veterans Today in full support of Harris’ analysis.

One three star general is quoted as saying, “Harris hit the nail right on the head and it is about time someone spoke up.”
As days have passed, key issues involving the Sandy Hook terror attack have been cited as “debunking” the “lone gunman” cover story: From a viral email that is growing every hour with more reasons to doubt the official story: According to the official story, Adam Lanza was found with his older brother’s ID, and it was not stolen. However, older brother Ryan – whom officials say is very cooperative – claims not to have even seen his brother since 2010. Where would Adam get this ID? And why does such use not qualify as a theft?
According to the official story, Adam Lanza was wearing a black outfit with a mask and bulletproof vest. Why would he want to hide his identity, and why would he wear a bulletproof vest if he planned to kill himself?
The PressTV story is sad and upsetting, mostly for its incredible insensitivity but also, to a lesser degree, for the obvious bankruptcy of Iranian propaganda. Who, exactly, is this story supposed to convince? Iran is not North Korea; information flows in and out of the country much more freely, and though public attitudes toward the United States are not exactly warm, nor are they so twisted by hatred or ignorance that such an outlandish story as this would seem likely to convince many readers. And, beyond the Mike Harrisses of the world (he also blames last year’s Norway shooting on Israel), it doesn’t seem likely to exactly turn American opinion away from Israel or toward Iran. And yet here it is, outrageous, offensive, and clearly counterproductive, for all the world to see.

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jbb34
12:15 PM CST
Max fisher obviously has not read many Arab and Farsi media stories. These type of ridiculous conspiracy theories blaming Jews for all the world's problems are the norm. Maybe one day the Arab and Muslim world will look inward at why their societies are failing so miserably instead of blaming Jews for all their problems.
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justnfree
5:24 AM CST
I like this part in the article:
"The story is very long and can be frustrating to read for its obvious logical fallacies, but here is a representative sample"
It means don't go read the whole article yourself and understand what they actually said. Just read the part that we selected for you.
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JohnDoRiteG3
12/18/2012 11:37 PM CST
Yo! Yo! Far Out! The 'Clowns of that failed IRANIAN religious dictatorship, yeah! Rag-Tag Imams believing every "BREAKING WIND NUZZBREAK" on 'Ol'Sly'FAUX NUZZ! Poor Ahmahddadedaajon really sucked up every word Karl Marxx Rover spewed even when his "paid-for-candidate, "Mutt!" failed to win! Since Old Khomaniac Khameanny fell out of his cheap pine box during that funeral, the IRANS have been glued to FAUX NUZZ! Fair? Balanced? RIGHT! Just like the way they have turned The Walh Screet Jourinal to crap, too! Strange! "Mutt" hasn't uttered a word about any of the "Takers" at Sandy Hook to date! Phew!
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eddietheblur
12/18/2012 10:36 PM CST
That is about as plausible as the Fox Propaganda Channel interpretation of what happened at Benghazi, Solyndra, or Fast and Furious. No one with any common sense would believe such nonsense, right?
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crickenbock
12/18/2012 8:19 PM CST
Iran is getting very nervous with Syria having descended into chaos. They think they're next.
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amithereyet
12/18/2012 9:32 PM CST
They'll sow what they reap.
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rabbitmanjack
12/18/2012 8:16 PM CST
LOL...

.Iran, you are no more than an innocent child.

Your fears, make you blind to truth..
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rabbitmanjack
12/18/2012 8:40 PM CST
Those who support Moloc, will perish..
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DanInBoston
12/18/2012 6:31 PM CST
Absolute hate-filled stupidity from the official Iranian Press, as always. So, they lie about the holocaust. They lie about the horrific Newtown school massacre? You think maybe they are lying too about their nuclear activities?
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Truth Seeker 2
12/18/2012 7:15 PM CST
Israeli death squads involved in Sandy Hook bloodbath: Intelligence analyst
Written By: Gordon Duff, a Marine Vietnam veteran.
http://www dot presstv.ir/detail/2012/12/18/278706/israeli-squads-tied-to-newtown-carnage/

He is not Iranian.
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Randolf Kendall
12/18/2012 7:50 PM CST
In light of this new evidence, the US should launch immediate retaliatory airstrikes against Israel. They need to be made to understand we will not tolerate this kinds of terrorist attacks against our public schools.
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maybe_just_checking
12/18/2012 7:58 PM CST
Randolf Kendall
8:50 PM EST
"In light of this new evidence"

Poe's Law in evidence once more. What can we do?

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amithereyet
12/18/2012 9:34 PM CST
"He is not Iranian."

This may be news to some people, but it is possible to simultaneously be (a) not Iranian (b) an ex-Marine (c) a Vietnam vet and (d) mad as a Jew-hating hatter.
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myonecent
12/18/2012 6:21 PM CST
They have it all wrong. It was Bush all the way. Oh wait, it might have been aliens who were reliably reported by the media to have landed in Hartford the night before.
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Jumper
12/18/2012 5:51 PM CST
That is the level of wack-a-doodle crazy I expect from the Fox Newsies of the world.
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roby3926
12/18/2012 5:33 PM CST
Interesting!
These are surely the same people who danced in joy on the street in the Muslim countries after the 11th Sepember' s attack in New York.

Just criminals!
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Shimon Vega Carvajal
12/18/2012 5:28 PM CST
THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN,,IS A VERY SICK REGIME,IT IS VERY TERRIBLE,TO SAY SUCH A STATEMENT,THOSE ISLAMICS TERRORISTS ARE REALLY SICK...
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jnr30
12/18/2012 9:36 PM CST
Really? The Mullahs more often than not do well enough in that regard. They don't need WAPO's assistance in the least. Nutter eejit masters of half-wit theocracies always tend to look and sound like part time lunatics to the rest of us.
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printreporter
12/18/2012 5:25 PM CST
Wow, so this story inspires hours of earnestly anti-semitic blood libel comments that are passed along unfiltered. I make a joke about blood and matzoh to mock the morons posting here and that gets deleted? Sad that the WPost monitor is as stupid as all of these anonymous Jew-hating mouth-breathers.
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maybe_just_checking
12/18/2012 7:59 PM CST
post it again, but label it "sarcasm". That might pass muster.

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Bgood-
12/18/2012 5:25 PM CST
Right now..its not the time for any news agency, or group or country that is not or has nothing to do with the healing of our nation to take advantage of us while we are in mourning. For God's sake, our kids bodies some have not even been under the ground yet.
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Tizenabi
12/18/2012 5:07 PM CST
How surprising that PressTV elected itself to be a mouthpiece for a neo-Nazi anti-Semitic conspiracy theory - again.

Most of the reactions to this story that I have read from Iranians online range from ridicule to profound embarrassment towards the Iranian regime.

The comments below that are trying desperately to validate the Iranian article are great examples of the types of people that support the Palestinians. I suggest that you all read them as well for an impromptu tour of the 'minds' of this sort of people.
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SharpDiamond
12/18/2012 5:11 PM CST
I knew it was coming. It was only a matter of time before you pop up here. After all it is the law governing the use of "Reductio ad Hitlerum" over internet and you just proved it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law
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maybe_just_checking
12/18/2012 8:05 PM CST
SharpDiamond
6:11 PM EST
"I knew it was coming"

well, blaming the Jews for everything was and is one of the hallmarks of the n*zi propaganda machine. So perhaps it's not entirely inappropriate. However, I'm pretty sure that the Iranian political system is not based on N*tional S*cialism.

I would like to see some citations for the Iranian reaction.

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loverunning
12/18/2012 8:22 PM CST
Tizanab , where is your body the Mullah tallow? are you two blogging hard again to get America in war with Iran ,.
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