A First for the Blogosphere
Amazing, just amazing. The Yemeni governmental media is trashing my blog.
So I wrote an article (Y20) entitled Yemen’s Criminal Enterprise detailing the crimes of the Yemeni regime. (And the Yemeni newspaper, al-Thoury, was suspended for a week for publishing it in Arabic.)
Then I was on al-Jazeera and spoke in my normal forthright manner about the situation in Yemen. (See Jane Novak Slams President Saleh’s Regime on al-Jazeera.)
So now, every paper in Yemen is discussing the show. The governmental papers have the same normal spin: I’m an paid political operative but they cant decide for who for, so each paper says a different political party: the socialists, the PFU, the JMP. But its funny- since I’m talking about reform, now they are saying that anyone who is talking about reform is coordinating with me.
(Our friend the Yemeni editor Abdulkarim al-Khawani wrote an article recently about me called Stop Attacking the American Journalist, because the Yemeni governmental media was trashing me in response to my articles, and that was before the show, so you can imagine how bad they are trashing me now. )
The May 22 newspaper related to the ruling party says I’m a Zionist (ho hum, boring) and the blog is proof that I’m affiliated with an unknown political entity, and I’m a stooge, blah blah, blah. So now that their prior accusation (I’m a Yemeni man in disguise) has been debunked, they still refuse to accept I’m competent of doing this all by myself.
This article by Aws Al-Eryani at al-Motamar, the paper of the GPC (ruling party), says I have a blog not a website. He is a relative of the political advisor to the president and the head of the GPC who was previously a PM.
The author of the piece is a technical expert on websites. He designed the website of al-Motamar for $75,000 (US). Take a look and see how good he did. (BTW The al-Moamar website has 299 errors. Thanks Jeff! And take a look at his own website and try not to spit your coffee on the monitor. Seriously, click his links. ) How much website design normally, less than a thousand? The corruption is everywhere inYemen. This guy also designed the SABA news site. Beautiful isnt it?
Also he says I should write about Bush or Iraq (anything but Yemen). Then he calls me a Hashimite as if it is an insult (there’s lots of Hashimites in Yemen) because (referring to the articles on the civilian slaughter in Saada) I have lived with them for 40 days. Then he talks about my source (see) and says something insulting.
But my favorite newspaper headline is from Al-hurreia : Armies of Liberation Leads the War Against Yemen.
(LMAO)
I have to find out from Michael Totten in Lebanon if his blog has ever been attacked by name on the front page of a newspaper, if not, this is a first for the blogosphere and the VRWC. I’m used to them attacking me but this is the first time they went for the blog. (Thats really funny, and its good. )
Also I have a new troll doing a sock puppet thing with the media guy at the Yemeni Embassy who says in the comments: what goes around comes around. (See the comments here. I don’t play with trolls, but Jon nailed him.) But dang, spam karma is a good program: after the first 12 comments from Concerned Citizen, it diverted the next thirty into my spam folder so I dont even have to see them.
So that was my week.
PS: When the president’s press secretary (who turns out to be Faris bwahahaha) was attacking me on air, he said I work all night. So the Yemeni government must even be checking the times of my posts, so I think I’ll make the time on this one 3AM, just to make them feel good.
To keep it in context, these are a sample of the hundreds of emails I recieved from normal Yemeni citizens after the al Jazeera show:
1) I want to write this letter to you in spite of I can’t write English very well. First, I didn’t know you just two days ago through Al-Jazeera channel and I thank you for your frankness.
You are very good Journalist because you know write the fact and you know what’s mean of freedom, democracy and human rights those we haven’t in Yemen.
You have written little of information from more and more but it was good. We have 27 years old under army control without democracy and public wealth has gone to ruler familys accounts out side the country.
We don’t know, who General Ali sallh in spite of his stupidity to satisfy president w Bush and how president w bush in spite of his experience to believe Gen sallh.
Dear, I sure you that Yemeni government will try to give you money to stop writing but we are the Yemeni people pleas you to continue.
From today I will read all your articles because we need you and we need every clean sound everywhere.
Finally, we need your help and sympathize with us to have democracy, human rights and remove the army president before his son receive the presidential chair.
2) At first i would like to send you my best regards. i would like to take this oppurtunity to tell you about all the love and appreciaition we have for your support and fight against democracy and freedom, i would like to thank you for all your brave hummanitarian in supporting our nation especially your opinion and announcements you made in Al-Jazeera whom we all watched , we are really proud of you and with anyone following your steps.
3) from aden thank yo novak we looks when yo sbeking from agazira tv yo argood wamn we hop vist and se yo our contry is bad
4) I take this opportunity to express our thanks and appreciations for the remarkable efforts to explain to the West to what extent we -the Yemenis- are suffering.
5) I can only commend you on your excellent work on Al-Jazeera yesterday. You proved a true defender of the vulnerable and weak in this country.
Many people I met were amazed at the courage and the numbers you provided. They all believed you were speaking on their behalf and conveyed to millions what they had in mind for such a long time.
You can now sleep with peace of mind that you have done something that millions of Yemenis will thank you for. You brought a voice for the voiceless, hope for the hopeless, and courage for the fearful.
6) Dear friend and sister DR. jane novack
Please accept the admiration of the yemeni people becacuse you are concerned with lifting up their SUFFERING from the lunatic dictator
7) The fact that al-Sanabani could not negate anything you said was evident that you were effective and measured in your criticism. You struck a sensitive subject, that being Ali Saleh and his cohorts who have misused and abused the Yemeni citizens, the Yemeni economy, and the Yemeni future
Also the Foreign Minister of Yemen invited me on air to come and see Yemen for myself, but unfortunately its not a good time for me.
