Sirs:

Without your complete and objective, unbiased coverage of the events concerning the Iraq situation as well as the happening in the Arab world, those of us in the U.S. would be left to the mercy of the White House's and Pentagon's distortions.

Please continue with your balanced coverage.

 

Jefferson Hunt

Editor: Thanks. Al-Jazeerah.info won't let you down.

 

 

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International Solidarity Movement July 30th 2003 For immediate release

British school teacher treated like terrorist

[Ben Gurion Airport] Yesterday morning, July 29th, David Watson, a 35 year-old high school teacher and humanitarian aid worker from East London, was turned away at Ben Gurion airport. He was denied entry into Israel, and threatened with being sent back to the UK in shackles. He refused to be deported without a legal hearing. He has now been granted a hearing for Thursday, July 31st, at 12:00, under Judge Barron at Tel Aviv District Court.

The Israeli security forces claim he is a threat to security. David is a member of Amnesty International, has done poverty relief work in Brazil and Malawi, and has previously met with the ISM in the Palestinian territories to talk about humanitarian relief in the area. It is likely he was turned away because of Israel's policy of denying entry to people associated with peace groups like the ISM, which is a Palestinian-led organisation devoted to fostering non-violent means of ending the occupation.

Contact numbers: Huwaida, ISM spokesperson, +972 67-473308 ISM office, +972 2-277-4602

 

 

 

Dear Sirs,

I've thoroughly enjoyed your website and find it very informative, interesting, and thought provoking. As an American, I have very few sources of information about the Middle East.

I originally intended to respond directly to the author of this article, Lessons From the Killing of Uday and Qusay, Amr Mohammed Al-Faisal, but their email address wasn't included. I think the inclusion of authors' email addresses would be a great addition to your site.

I had a few comments about this particular article:

1) The contention that it took 200 US troops, six hours to kill the 4 people is terribly misleading. Obviously, if the goal was to kill those 4 people we could have done it in ten minutes with smart bombs, helicopter fire, tanks, demolition, etc. It took six hours because our original goal was to take them alive.

2) Also, we had all those forces because we wanted to intimidate them into surrender, we had to protect our forces while they were dealing with the house, and we wanted to have overwhelming force available so as to minimize the threat to our troops.

3) The notion that the US military is incompetent and/or weak is clearly false. But more importantly, any person of authority promoting the idea that the US military is weak is totally irresponsible and directly leading to extra deaths of Muslims. Every extra second that people fight the US is another second that more Muslims die. The press loves talking about the 1-2 US soldiers that die everyday. But everyday that we are fighting the resistance means dozens of Muslim deaths. Anyone promoting this idea is either completely in denial, has some other political agenda, or worse, wants Iraqis to die.

4) The idea that we "lost" in Korea and Vietnam because of a lack of strength is dead wrong. We lost because of politically constrained tactics. You can't fight an enemy by fighting only to a given border and then giving them total sanctuary. This is a plan for disaster. In Korea, we made the humanitarian decision that we didn't want to escalate to the point where our only option was to nuke China. The ultra popular McArthur got relieved because he disagreed. In Vietnam, it was pure political cowardice that doomed the mission. Fortunately, we have learned our lessons.

5) Regarding looking to the East for military strength and strategy, be careful what you wish for. The only countries in the East that have any decent military are Japan, South Korea, and Australia. What they have in common is that they have become Western countries that happen to be in the East.

Obviously, I'm speaking from a Western and an American point of view. However, I'm very open minded and would love any comments, thoughts, clarifications, or any reply at all.

Sincerely,

Rick Savage - Los Angeles - USA

 

Editor: Some authors provide email addresses but others don't. You can still write to the author on Arab News email: opinion@arabnews.com 

 

 

 

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I am writing in response to the article entitled  'Slandered' Arab TV stations reject US claims of biased Iraq coverage" from the Jordan Times, Tuesday, July 29, 2003.

In the article, the author wrote:

"Two Arabic-language satellite channels on Monday violently rejected slanderous US accusations of being unbalanced in their coverage of Iraq ... referring to an interview Wolfowitz gave to Fox News on Sunday in which he accused Arabic-language news reports about Iraq of inciting violence against US troops ... Wolfowitz cited a false report by Al Jazeera tv that US forces had arrested an imam in Iraq, when in fact, according to Wolfowitz, no such arrest had been made."

I added the underlines, to emphasize those specific words so I can speak about them.

If the report by Al Jazeera tv was false, why are the US accusations Slanderous?  The article goes on farther, but it never says anything else about whether the article in Al Jazeera tv was false or not, just this part where they mention it briefly, as if they're hoping you don't notice.  But they repeat the word slanderous over and over again.  Slanderous means that Wolfowitz was lying, if he's telling the truth then it's not slander.  If the report in Aljazeera tv was false, then what Wolfowitz said isn't slander.

The fact that the article skims by the false article in Al Jazeera tv but hits again and again on Wolfiwitz' comments, and always called them slanderous, is just an illustration of how this article itself is biased. 

It also mentions that Al Jazeera tv says it is misunderstood because it doesn't publish it's stories in English, and so no one actually reads them firsthand.  Why not?  Is it afraid that if it published it's stories in English that we really would see how biased they are?  

 

Why would they think that?  Do they think we respond to everything with violence?  Why? Why would they think that?  If it is the truth when we say they lie, they should deal with it.  If they fear that speaking the truth incites violence against them, that is just sad.  It shines the light of truth on their own intentions, because they believe everyone else has the same intentions as they do and this belief makes them slip and reveal their true hearts with statements like this. 

Remember that if you live by the sword then you will die by the sword.  What comes around goes around.  If you sew hatred and preach to react to everything with violence, sooner or later your words and the seeds you have sown will grow and turn upon you, and you will be destroyed by your own children.  That is a fact that cannot be denied, it is written in the fabric of the universe.

 

 

Daniel May, Afghanistan

 

 

Editor: You're overreacting, the media including Aljazeerah tv, which is not related to this website by any means, do not cause violence or wars. Wars are planned for years and sometimes for decades before they are launched. Anyway, Aljazeera tv is in Qatar, just few kilometers away from the headquarters of the Central Command ...

 

 

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Dear Editor,

 

It's too bad Japanese reporters had to suffer, but truth is the first casualty of war.  I hope they are feeling better.  I hope the situation only served to strengthen their resolve.  You can kill the messenger, but you can't kill the message.  I hope journalist continue to speak up or this world is in big trouble.

 

You have to remember this is "George Bush's War!"  The imbedded reporters were co-opted, and many others were returning before victory was even declared, because they couldn't get their stories out.  Peter Jennings is paid $7 million a year to tell America whatever Bush wants them to hear, including well paid Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage.  There was a $200 million dollar media blitz before we went into Iraq to convince Americans and the world our need to invade Iraq, but the rest of the world didn't buy it.  If it were the truth, Americans and our global neighbors would not have needed the big propaganda machines.  And now we see the whole thing was based on lies and deceptions by Bush and the PNAC Boyze.  That's why no one was to question the President, not even the White House Press Corp threaten by Ari Fleischer not to ask the wrong questions.  Many were afraid of being accused of being unpatriotic, and many of our journalists were also smeared  with a long list too numerous to mention here. 

 

At the outset, Lebanese journalists found 200 of our military troops killed in a field.  Their cameras and film were destroyed, and they were beaten up.  Then we see how the reporters were attacked in Baghdad, despite the warning from Kate Addie former BBC Chief war correspondent, disciplined for efforts to save her fellow reporters.

WARNING! PENTAGON THREATENS TO KILL INDEPENDENT REPORTERS IN IRAQ

http://www.gulufuture.com/news/kate_adie030310.htm

 

Reporters saw the unrecognizable burnt bodies of Saddam's son's due to "Tow Missiles" being used on the buildings, but they were not allowed to take any pictures, until these Iraqi men, were and reconstructed by plastic surgeons to look like Uday and Qusey -- those pictures were as phony as $3 bills, and they don't look anything like the original pictures. They were enemies and never seen in public together.  Even if they kissed and made up, they would separate during the guerrilla warfare for sure.  I am not an apologist for them or Saddam, but how many times are they going to kill them, and Saddam?  When are lies going to stop? Uday and Qusey Dead Again http://www.themedianews.com/uday_and_qusey_dead_again_.htm

 

They have played the hoax saving of Pvt. Jessica Lynch to the hilt.  As a POW, she is a hero and a sweet girl little home town girl, but the story differs from what actually happened.  Originally, she was ushered from the plane by CIA and FBI on arrival to keep the press away, unlike the other POWs returning.  She was not shot up, but in a traffic accident, and could have been deliberately sent in the wrong direction, according to CBS who exposed it.  An Iraqi ambulance tried to bring her back, and our troops shot at them.  She did not have amnesia according to her down to earth honest parents.  

 

Both stories of her parade and the deaths of Saddam's sons broke here the on the same day when Bush's popularity had dropped drastically, and appears to be mass manipulation of the news.

 

But didn't Rumsfeld say they would plant false information and stories before even going into Iraq, then upset when the truth leaked out.  "Pentagon leaks of military secrets to news organizations are hurting the war on terrorism and endangering America lives," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told senior officials. 

BUSH WOULD SEND SWAT TEAMS TO JOURNALISTS HOMES CIA EXPERT http://www.rense.com/general27/devour.htm

A friend put this on his website, and received a DNS = Denial of Service and had to get an offshore ISP.  They don't want us to know what is going on: "A Treasonous Media Cover-up" http://www.wanttoknow.info/mediacover-up

This war is a game by the Neo-Cons, and they have even made up playing cards.  We Americans are being brainwashed and loving it.  "The news is what we tell you it is," according to Ruppert Murdock media mogul of Fox News, Harper Collins Publishing, and a close friend of Bush. 

Careful: "The FB-eye may be watching Reading the wrong thing in public can get you in trouble"
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2003-07-17/rant.html

But what people don't understand, we do not have freedom of the press in America, so therefore are living under a dictatorship and fascism (when the private sector merges with the government i.e the media).  The same thing is happening in Iraq, they now have several newspapers, but can only print what our government tells them they can print.  So much for liberation and democracy.

Now the Bush Administration has tried to label anyone "unpatriotic" who opposes his policies -- nothing could be further from the truth.  "Blind allegiance is the mother of tyranny, not patriotism." -- R. Lee Wrights

 

He has used threats, intimidation and even murder i.e. Wellstone.  The FBI arrive at the same time the plane went down, and it's a two hours away from the nearest FBI office -- do the math!  Now they are getting bolder, and arresting people with different political views.  People are already being pick up and prosecuted by tribunals and without legal counsel under the Patriot Act.  They are not enemy combatants, often just a matter of child support. "What are you going to do when they come for you?"

 

Read: "They're Coming to Take Me Away" -- by Atty. Edgar Steele (attached).  It's a keeper! 

 

Denial of the assistance of counsel in Alaska as secured in the SIXTH AMENDMENT -- Sounds unbelievable? -- It's not

http://www.jusbelli.com/Frameset.html 

While tracking and tracing American citizens, DARPA and the Office of Information Awareness headed by convicted felon Poindexter are having institutionalize betting on the lives of our troops, citizens, diabolical world terrorism, and war.  There were going to be passwords, secret names and Swiss bank accounts.  Ashcroft or Rumsfeld have not spoken out against it, so they must be for it.  This is height of in your face blatant arrogance and criminality.  It's fraught with abuse and run by those who can make things happen to hedge their bets i.e. a general could deliberately get his troops killed in an ambush, or the USAF could attack a N. Korean plane to start a war.  It like Pete Rose betting on his baseball game, then throwing the game, only when the government does it, people die, perhaps even entire nations.  Pete was removed from baseball and denied entrance to the Baseball Hall of Fame for gambling.  I think anyone up to and including Rumsfeld and Poindexter should be removed from the Pentagon, DARPA, and the Office of Information Awareness.  It's absolute insanity, legitimizing their whole agenda in plain view.  They are criminals.

The $50-80 million dollar "shorts" bought by our government prior to 9-11, indicates foreknowledge -- but no names yet.  It was traced to Buzzie Kronegard CIA agent working in Canada for Alex Brown with ties to Deutsche Bank. Then the story suddenly died, but Bush controls the CIA/FBI.  He also sold his American Airlines stock the Friday before 9-11, just like his Harkin stock on insider trading.   This newest illegal Pentagon gambling scheme doesn't get more macabre and barbarous. if a foreign country did this the Neo-Cons would be screaming:  

"Pentagon's Futures Market Plan Condemned"  (Is this good cop - bad cop now?)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=6&u=/ap/20030729/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/terror_market_10

We are the most entertained and least informed nation in the world.  This is why I also read the foreign press and listen to the BBC.  It's a sad, sad day in America too!

"To oppose corruption in government is the highest obligation of patriotism." -- G. Edward Griffin

BCC: friends

PS: "Neo-Conned" by Rep. Ron Paul (R) TX http://www.thelibertycommittee.org/neo-conned.htm

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http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=1&id=267735

 

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).