Letters to the Editor
casual_observer
Published Letters: 1249 Editor's Choice: 1
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Latest home-grown fizzle
[Read the article: Our rotted press corps, a division of "Camp Victory"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Jon Dubya said: Despite now having any infomation about the suspects, the media (and especially Fux News) were going on and on tyring to strain themselves to find SOME link with "Al Queda."
I listened to some of the CNN coverage yesterday, as much as I could stomach. al Qaeda was indeed mentioned in each and every minute of coverage, it seemed.
By placing all the focus on 'al Qaeda inspiration' for this act, the media does a great disservice to the public. For example, if it turns out that the failed attempt involved British nationals, or legal residents who were Muslim, thoughtful news coverage might want to look back to Gordon Brown's speech last week to the labor party, and comments he made there. Might he have made any comments that would have angered British muslims?
But no time was wasted trying to explain why British Muslims might feel the need to conduct such acts. Instead, the events in Glasgow and London were placed in or near the 'al qaeda cubbyhole'. And therefore they were explained. If schemes are "al qaeda inspired", there is then no need to look at things such as British Muslim employment rates, whether the Muslim community in Britain is enfranchised or isolated, and so forth.
Instead, we get this from Blair:
"Tony Blair has launched a powerful attack on 'absurd' British Islamists who have nurtured a false 'sense of grievance' that they are being oppressed by Britain and the United States."
--Nicholas Watt, Observer
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,2115929,00.html
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Blair story in full
[Read the article: Our rotted press corps, a division of "Camp Victory"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's very short.
Blair launches stinging attack on 'absurd' British Islamists
Nicholas Watt, political editor
Sunday July 1, 2007
Observer
Tony Blair has launched a powerful attack on 'absurd' British Islamists who have nurtured a false 'sense of grievance' that they are being oppressed by Britain and the United States.
In his most outspoken remarks on Islamists, the former Prime Minister warns that Britain is in danger of losing the battle against terrorists unless mainstream society confronts the threat.
Blair's remarks, in which he also attacks some civil liberty campaigners as 'loopy loo', were made in a Channel 4 documentary recorded last Tuesday on the eve of his departure from Downing Street.
'The idea that as a Muslim in this country that you don't have the freedom to express your religion or your views, I mean you've got far more freedom in this country than you do in most Muslim countries,' Blair told Observer columnist Will Hutton, who presents the documentary.
'The reason we are finding it hard to win this battle is that we're not actually fighting it properly. We're not actually standing up to these people and saying, "It's not just your methods that are wrong, your ideas are absurd. Nobody is oppressing you. Your sense of grievance isn't justified."'
Blair held out the example of the overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan - criticised by Islamists as an example of the heavy-handed imperial West oppressing Muslims - to highlight unfounded claims of grievance. He asked how it is possible to claim that Afghanistan's Muslims are being oppressed when the Taliban 'used to execute teachers for teaching girls in schools'.
Blair added: 'How are [we] oppressing them? You're oppressing them when you support the people who are trying to blow them up.'
Blair, who normally chooses his language carefully when he talks about Islamists, also takes a swipe at critics who accused him of undermining civil liberties. 'When I'm trying to change the law in order to make it easier to deport people who engage in terrorism - the idea that that's an assault on hundreds of years of British civil liberties is completely absurd. Some of what is written on this is loopy-loo in its extremism.'
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Take these car bombs and call me in the morning
[Read the article: Various items]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I've just heard a radio report that at least a couple of the London/Glasgow bomber cell members were doctors. Medical Doctors.
We have here the most telling condemnation of universal, socialized medicine and nationalized health-care. This is what happens when a nation frees medical professionals to practice without the supervision of watchful and public-spirited insurance companies. In a free country such as ours, we know that it is we, the people who bomb doctors clinics and offices. Here is a clear example of what happens when that carefully-constructed system--bolstered by millions in campaign contributions [bribes to elected officials]and a vast army of lobbyists--breaks down. The Doctors start bombing us.
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From the article
[Read the article: Michael Gordon trains his stenographer weapons on Iran]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Mr. Daqduq [alleged Hezbollah operative-c_o] was captured in March in Basra. To avoid giving away his Lebanese accent, he initially pretended that he was a deaf mute, General Bergner said. But he eventually began to speak under interrogation.
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Owner's Guide
[Read the article: Michael Gordon trains his stenographer weapons on Iran]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Training Pet Parrots
From Lianne McLeod,
Your Guide to Exotic Pets.
Basic Training
Training pet parrots has benefits that extend well beyond the entertainment value of a parrot that can talk and do tricks. Training will strengthen the bond you have with your parrot, who will look forward to the one-on-one attention involved in training sessions, especially when success means lots of praise and attention along with favorite treats. In addition, teaching some simple commands will make handling your parrot easier.
Keep it Positive
The key to training your parrot is to keep the interaction positive. Three concepts provide the basis for parrot training:
Parrot does something good --> give a reward
Parrot does something undesirable --> ignore it
Never punish your parrot
This and other information on parrots at:
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/behavior/a/birdtraining.htm