- What fascinates me is how people at FOX News have convinced
themselves that they're "supporting the troops" while supporting
the U.S. government's continued occupation of Iraq. After all, no one can
honestly still claim that the troops are dying for "freedom"
because Saddam Hussein is now in jail. Moreover, according to Iraqi Shi'ite
Sheik Raed Saadi, it is now Sunni and Shi'ite Muslems in Iraq who are uniting
"to liberate" (his words) Iraq from the occupiers.
-
- "Well, they're dying in the war on terrorism,"
is now the response of FOX News commentators, embracing the government's
attempt to morph its unprovoked war of choice against Iraq into its "war
on terrorism."
-
- Pardon me, but isn't there a difference between Middle
East terrorists who are retaliating for prior acts of U.S. foreign policy
and Iraqi insurgents who are simply resisting a foreign occupation of their
country?
-
- Moreover, how can the installation of U.S. troops in
a land thousands of miles away for the purpose of serving as a magnet for
millions of people in that part of the world who hate the United States
because of its brutal, deadly, and hypocritical decades-long Middle East
foreign policy honestly be considered "supporting the troops"?
And isn't it possible that some of those people who are now killing American
soldiers in Iraq are simply responding to President Bush's "Bring
it on!" taunt that he issued to all those nearby Middle East terrorists
several months ago?
-
- What are U.S. soldiers in Iraq dying for now? They're
dying to maintain a brutal military occupation, an occupation whose mission
is to prevent what President Bush calls a "power grab" of Iraqis
trying to oust a U.S.-appointed puppet ruling regime known as the Iraqi
Governing Council, a council that includes the U.S.-appointed Ahmed Chalabi,
who hadn't been in Iraq for 45 years, who just happens to on the lam for
a conviction for bank fraud and embezzlement in Jordan, who is proud that
he misled America into falsely believing that Saddam Hussein still possessed
weapons of mass destruction, and whose pockets are currently being stuffed
with $350,000 in U.S. taxpayer money every single month.
-
- Shouldn't the commentators at FOX News be piercing themselves
with some critical questions regarding their "support of the troops"
in Iraq? Why are the occupation of Iraq and the installation of a corrupt
U.S.-appointed puppet regime there worth dying for? Why are they worth
sacrificing the life of even one U.S. soldier for? Indeed, why are they
worth killing for? What exactly is the relative worth that FOX News puts
on the lives and psychological well-being of the troops they claim to support?
-
- More fundamentally, of course, U.S. troops are killing
and dying in Iraq because U.S. officials, including the president and others
in his administration, the Pentagon, and certain members of Congress, with
the full support of some of the FOX News commentators, sent them into a
hotbed of rattlesnakes in Iraq for the purpose of accomplishing a "regime
change," a goal that has turned into a deadly trap for U.S. troops
from which there is now no escape, at least not before the November elections.
For U.S. officials know that if the occupation troops are withdrawn, the
result might well be worse than having left Saddam Hussein (a former U.S.
government ally) in power, which could obviously jeopardize the president's
bid for reelection.
-
- Moreover, let's not forget that those who are ambushing
and attacking U.S. troops in Iraq might be more motivated by their causes
ó the ouster of a foreign occupier from their land and vengeance
for many years of a deadly and hypocritical U.S. foreign policy in the
Middle East ó than U.S. troops are motivated by the cause that U.S.
officials have assigned to them ó the installation of a U.S.-approved
puppet regime in Iraq.
-
- So excuse me for asking an indelicate and perhaps trite
question, but with friends like FOX News "supporting the troops,"
who needs enemies?
-
- - Mr. Hornberger is founder and president of The Future
of Freedom Foundation.
-
- http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_6868.shtml
-
-
-
- Comment
Alton Raines
4-27-04
-
- You know you're watching Propaganda Central when even
the damn weatherman and sports anchor at Fox are piping up with long winded
defenses of the president and his policies and openly disparaging anyone
who would even think of being against this war as being an unamerican lunatic
and possible communist. Fox feels like it rose right out of the grave of
Joseph McCarthy. Early mornings, "Fox and Friends" is less a
morning news program with sports and weather as it is state-television.
It reminds me of Russian television prior to the reformation. The only
difference being, the anchors in Soviet run Russia likely wanted to speak
out against the Totalitarian regime. These "Hannitized" zombies
for Bush on "Fox and Friends" don't have any original thoughts
outside of the Bush-Cheney brain-lock.
-
- It was Fox that had a news anchor choke up and say our
troops were "...in there doing the Lord's work."
-
- About the only place you'll see anything close to 'dissent'
is what little time they allot Allan Colms on 'Hannity & Colms' as
he struggles to present the opposing view, usually against the childish
off-camera mockery, sneers and pot-shots of Sean Hannity who routinely
attempts to disrupt Colms' segments with guests. The man simply can't keep
his mouth shut and can't conduct himself in a civil manner, quite often
calling for producers to unplug the microphones of guests with which he
disapproves or doesn't want to hear. One never sees this kind of behavior
out of Colms, who treats Sean's right-wing guests with respect and dignity,
always attempting to engage them in civil, meaningful debate. Hannity makes
it a point to question the patriotism of anyone center-to-left. The continual
implication on his part is that anyone who disagrees with Bush or Hannity
or the right wing is mentally disturbed, likely Satanic and most definitely
unamerican. He invokes his religious zeal as though it were a given that
everyone "sane" in the world shares his worldview and Roman Catholic
molded perspectives, and wraps it all in the flag just for good measure.
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