Yes, this is just outrageous. I think the military should check with reporters before launching attacks to make sure it is ok with reporters and does not inconvenience them. Also, it is very disturbing that the military would want to have control over what reproters with frontline units are transmitting. Ditto with respect to vetting them for trustworthiness. They should jsut put anyone who can get a press card up there and let them report whatever they want. Anyway, I doubt the reports going out over Iraqi TV are much different in tone from what NBC, ABC and CBS are reporting. That's why they hate Fox News so. Fox reports, we decide.
Let me try to respond. You may have a very intellectual analysis of the situation but the vast majority of the protestors have no idea what's going on, they just are for "peace" or some other vague emotional longing that lets them revel in moral superiority without having to make hard decisions. Then they take the view that their view is the only worthwhile view and castigate those who are trying to act in their countries best interests as corrupt,immoral or worse. Instead of trying to amke their arguments in a democratic manner, they take to the streets and try to use the coercion of mob rule to force others to let them control the debate. They block bridges and major hgihways, knowing all the while that the authorities will treat them with kid golves and the media will delight in giving them notoriety. All this might be tolerable if we were arguing over global warming or globalization or some other leftwing hobbyhorse, but we are not. We have troops facing death in a foreign land. These homefront protests cannot help but give heart to the enemy. The Peter Arnett interview is only one example. Add to that this country's unfortunate history of backstabbing our allies, whether they be Cuban freedom fighters at the Bay of Pigs, the South Vietnamese, the Latin Contras, the Kurds or the Iraqi Shiites after Desert Storm, when the political pressure heats up, and it makes plenty of people very angry to see it all being repeated again.
During War this is the only rally I want to see..... http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/5514765.htm P.S. As I have said before..I am against the War for economical and soldier casualty only ( the problem is it is to late to be against it in my opinion, you have to show support for your troops )........you gotta love them Cubanos...
El Cubano, I hate to separate Americans into hyphenated groups but I love those Cubanos. They are an inspiration to me.
Great points, AAA. Let me share with you my experience, which is, incidentally, exactly opposite yours. http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15798
I am closely associated with many Cuban Americans here in Florida and they ALL VOTED FOR BUSH, Poppa Bush and Both his Sons. The Cubans understand what its like under a Dictator, thats why they live in Florida and not Cuba. They voted with their feet, many of them swimming and paddling here.
THE KURDS GOT THE NORTH, THE SHIITES GOT THE SOUTH AS SOON AS BASRA FALLS. Shiites and Kurds together are 75% of the population and they ALL hate Sadam. YES I SAID "ALL" BECAUSE THAT IS THE FUCKING TRUTH. If america had a border with Iraq they would all be living here by now. The press will be all over Iraq when Sadam is gone, and then the true story will be obvious to all. That will be a great day for the world.
Glory To A People Confronting Invaders Damascus SyriaTimes politic 1-4-2003 Dr. Khalaf Al- Jarad, editor-in-chief of Teshreen daily, wrote that observers, readers and viewers felt fed up with hundreds of articles, studies and analyses fuelled by American and British media several weeks before the launching of the present barbaric War on Iraq. In fact, these media also centred on the meetings and press conferences which were held by the two leaders of Britain and America; and the main reason was to mobilise the potentials of their peoples to contribute to the efforts to attack Iraq on one hand, and to defeat Moslems, Arabs and Iraqis psychologically on the other. No doubt, the leaders of the U.S.A and Britain wanted to convince their peoples that the occupation of Iraq represents ÃDemocracyÃ. Moreover, these media worked hard to frighten the American people and convince them that Iraq, which is thousands of miles away from the U.S.A, is a threat to American people and their security. In the light of the above-mentioned fabrications and lies, American decision- makers exerted every possible effort to show that Iraq possesses mass destruction weapons... But U.N nuclear inspectors lauded Iraqi cooperation with regard to disarmament on one hand, and the reports of these inspectors showed that Iraq does not possess any kind of mass destruction weapons on the other. The U.S.A and Britain in their war on Iraq today represents a violation of the international laws and U.N. charters and, above all, the legitimacy of peoples all over the world to decide their destinies. President Bashar Al- Assad said in the latest Arab summit in Sharm El- Sheikh that America and its allies want to dominate the Arab area and plunder the riches of Iraq and the rest of the Arab countries. Secondly, the Anglo-American attack on Iraq aims to draw a new map regarding the Middle East and this new map must serve the expansionist schemes of Israel and the evil plans of the U.S.A. Administration. Three days before launching the War Iraq, British and American leaders declared that the Iraqi question will not be solved if the Iraqi leaders accept to resign and there must be a war on Iraq to change its political map and divide it into entities meeting the needs of the U.S.A and world Zionism. Twelve days have elapsed since the British and American war machines have begun to destroy IraqÃs infrastructure and kill and wound thousands of Iraqi civilians, most of them children and old people. Different Kinds of highly sophisticated and destruction weapons have been used by the Anglo- American invaders to make their military campaign against Iraq a success. Failure was and continues to be the result of the Anglo- American invasion.. All observers believe that American and British lies, which aim to hide their casualties in the present War on Iraq, will do nothing but deepen the wounds of the public opinion in both Britain and the U.S.A and dwarf the brave stances of the peace loving peoples all over the world including Spain, Britain and America. The attacks of the invaders on Iraqi souks, popular districts and civilians show clearly the barbaric war and the criminal acts of those who pretend to be Ãcivilizedà and Ãdemocraticà human beings... The Iraqis are fighting bravely to defend their dignity, independence and land. The massacres being perpetrated by the invaders will only lead to their defeats and the collapse of their evil alliance. http://www.teshreen.com/syriatimes/s-tu/po012.htm
I will bet you $10,000 US that we (the Americans) are generally right about Hussein having weapons of mass destruction. I will bet you a further $10,000 that the general reaction of Iraqis after the country is liberated will be one of unrestricted joy. I will even throw in another $5,000 and bet that at least half of the weasel nations try to reverse their anti-war statemetns post-bellum. If you do not accept, I expect you to leave this forum forever. Have a great day.