Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 2149 Editor's Choice: 7
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The worst kinds of arguments
[Read the article: Notes on "A Tragic Legacy"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]seem to be the ones where everybody's right but they're too busy talking past each other to realize it. Its absolutely true that the AA program is overtly religious and though it is careful to try and be inclusive the reference to the diety as Him is indeed a dead givaway. But It's also true that the environment is rather uncoercive and most people are able to participate as much or as little as they choose. It's ALSO true that the meetings are totally inapproriate as a senterncing option for the reason Mona stated, attendance forced by a court IS a coerced endorment of religion and is clearly unconstitutional. I'd also note that it probably reduces the overall effectivness of the program. People who don't want to be at the meetings are unlikely to get much out of them.
Lastly, I wonder if Glenn realized when he brought the subject up, how many people would have strong opinions on the subject many of which are shaped by personal experience.
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Words matter.
[Read the article: Everyone we fight in Iraq is now "al-Qaida"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It is unsurpising that Army spokespeople might want to sow confusion by this blatant misdirection, but as you mention (without profanity - to your credit) there is absolutely NO reason for the press to go along with this. If it were merely laziness, it would be one thing but it's absolutely clear that the only reason for the change in terminology is an after the fact justification for our presence in Iraq and to sway US public opinion toward our continued participation in their civil war.
I suppose in the long run "Al Qaeda" is going to end up like "Kleenex" or "Aspirin". Something that was once a trade-name but has come to such common usage as to be a generic term for the category. That such laziness is being encouraged by the American press remains unforgivable.
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Laziness or lying.
[Read the article: McClatchy reports on shift in Iraq propaganda]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I was willing to attribute the misdirection inherent in press referencees to Al Qaeda in Iraq to laziness and a willingness to go along with the administration but I'm less sure of that now. Laziness on the part of the public may help them get away with it, but I am now convinced that the US media is deliberately and actively advocating for more warfare. What makes this even more depressing is that it makes all the discussion about impeachment or about how things will play out under a Democratic President moot. If GE and Time/Warner want the war to continue, they have all the tools necessary at their disposal to make it happen.
It's not even historically unprecidented. (In case anyone thinks I'm paranoid)
Remember the Maine
http://www.smplanet.com/imperialism/remember.html
As one of the few sources of public information, newspapers had reached unprecedented influence and importance. Journalistic giants, such as Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer of the World, viciously competed for the reader's attention. They were determined to reach a daily circulation of a million people, and they didn't mind fabricating stories in order to reach their goal.
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Taking the logic further...
[Read the article: McClatchy reports on shift in Iraq propaganda]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The media is hardly doing the public a disservice when it identifies a group by its own name.
So all I have to do is start calling myself the Beatles and the press will be doing no one a disservice by printing that the Beatles now have a new CD available by mail order only from the Virgin Islands.
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Cheney was among those
[Read the article: McClatchy reports on shift in Iraq propaganda]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]who didn't believe that 911 could have happened without state sponsorship. Apparently there are some people here who agree with him.
They're wrong for the same reasons.
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Recurring themes....
[Read the article: McClatchy reports on shift in Iraq propaganda]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Sysprog said this earlier...
The fact that these three groups, who are deadly antagonists, find it useful to collaborate on the same lie doesn't magically transform that lie into truth.
And then the thread was suddenly infiltrated by 9-11 conspiracy theorists.
Both facts, taken together help illustrate an important point. All the world over, the people who profit from conflict and chaos need each other. Most people, given a choice, would rather live in peace and free from fear. But those who prefer conflict usually have no difficulty in getting it going. All they have to do is accuse their enemies of being just like they are. In that sense GWB and OBL are indeed collaborators.
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I think my assumptions have been reversed....
[Read the article: Standards of American justice under George W. Bush]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]All this time, I have always assumed that it was officials in Government and the Military who were pushing for more, better wars and that the role of the press was that of enabler. As more time passes, It's becoming clearer that the press itself is actually a full participant and driving force in the logic of hatred and that the government is actually motivated by the coverage instead of the other way around.
http://www.humboldt.edu/~jcb10/spanwar.shtml
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It really is the era of Kafka and Heller.
[Read the article: Standards of American justice under George W. Bush]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Orwell too.
What these authors achieved of course was to create a distopian vision. But you have to remember that what they were working with is plain old human nature in all its glory and shame.
Even our Nation's founders saw people like Cheney coming from miles (and years) away.
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My concern for him stops there.
[Read the article: Standards of American justice under George W. Bush]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yes...We wouldn't want to deprive his interrogators of the jollies they get from the exercise of creating new ways to torment him. After all, the more US veterans there are with experience in coercive interrogation techniques, the easier the transition to civilian life. Think of the boon to local law enforcment agencies nationwide when all that talent becomes available.
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Where's all your outrage about the Americans currently being held by Iran?
[Read the article: Standards of American justice under George W. Bush]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This is, of course the default position of moral cowards. If they can point to an evil act performed by someone else, that automatically excuses any act performed on their behalf. The fact that the inevitable result is a quick descent into unbridled evil, remains unmentioned.
The Inquisition used to burn people at the stake. So of course sticking foreign objects up people's asses is just fun and games. You wouldn't want our brave soldiers to get bored now would you?