Posted by Catch of the day (65.35.186.56) on October 06, 2001 at 20:12:31:
This is a response to an American (Troubled), on this American BBS :
http://www.capitolgrilling.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum&f=1
The title of the thread is Americans do not have access to the truth, this is a moderate American BBS, with the least Red Necks of any other American BBS.
Troubled,
Yes, one reason they have these dictatorships and monarchies, is because the USA support, and protect these dictators, like they do with the Saudi, and Kuwaiti Royal families. And now the US want to oppressed any signs free speech in the ME as the story of Al Jazeera above shows.
Some people with the morality of a Machiavelli have decided that keeping these puppet Royal dictators is better for the US interest, however such an immoral manipulative policies is not good on the long run, it is the catalyst for creating the likes of Ben Laden, or Chi Givara, or Kumaini....Actually one of Ben Laden main complains is that the Saudi Royal are Puppets, and has let the US occupy his country Saudi (His country for Muslims is like the Vatican for Catholic).
Now Ben Laden is criminal to use terrorism, but if you think about it he has no F16, or B52 Bombers, to be able to face the US with a civilized war, such as WWII, or Vietnam, or The Gulf War, but then even in these classical wars there were a lot of civilians, or as they are neatly called "collateral damage" (more than 1.5 million Iraqis are the collateral damage of the Oil war, and the US Sanctions, and counting).
Any way we can not ask the terrorist Ben Laden to be moral, and humanitarian, he is not liked even in the Middle East, that is why he had to go to Afghanistan, the last stop on Earth, to be among the most radical group, which is more radical than most radical Muslim minority (Talban is like your KKK, and Red Necks)
But we can, and should ask the American people to be moral, and humane, after all we keep bragging about our democracy, and morality for which we justify every action and war, and make every one which oppose us look evil, because he is not democratic....
Will may be asking to save the lives of innocent Afghani, and Iraqis civilians is too much to ask for when 80 +%
of Americans are asking for revenge.
But at least Americans should not be beating and killing Arab and Muslim Americans, and burning their Mosques, and Churches in the USA, the home of the brave, and the land of the free. Innocent Americans Muslim women being beaten in the streets of America, a poor Arab Christian man who works in a gas station killed,.... why ? Even the ignorant Iraqis who captured the US, and British Air Force Pilots who were bombing their cities, and bridges with Cluster bombs, did not beat or harm these pilots, and Saddam returned them back to the US looking more healthy and fed than most Iraqis.
To the person who said Christians do not kill for religion, I guess he or she did not hear of the Crusade, or the Jewish Holocaust, and many more....Actually Ben Laden who doesn't represent Islam (although he claims it) any more than Tim MacVeih represents Christianity, to my knowledge is not saying he is doing this because of Religion. He clearly stated his reasons " The occupation of Saudi, Israel treatment of the Palestinians, and the US blind support of it, the crimes of the Oil war, ...." I am not saying these reasons are right or wrong, and certainly he should never have used uncivilized, classical terrorism because that is wrong. But he, as fanatic as he is, has not said that this is about Christians and Muslims, or about "Hating our way of life"
As far as media outlets in the Middle East, I just mentioned 2 (BBC, VOA), but they have many more like Radio Monte Carlo, German Radio, Israel Radio, Canada Radio......., all in Arabic, 24 hours a day, and people listen to them all the time, and most Arab countries have Satellite TV dishes.
Actually you can see reference to some of these here (some links do not work)
http://media.fares.net/TV_and_Radio/
As far as the person who said the article is 30 years old that is not possible because it talkes about the Gulf war (11 years old), and frankly some Americans knowledge about the ME is 30 years old, if any, and you need to start from scratch, from the first corner stone of this history to know how and way did you make these people who still till this day love Americans, make them angry. Believe me it is not because they hate freedom, or they hate your way of life.
But how are you going to find out the truth about the ME if you live in America ? It is very very difficult. Yesterday I was watching "Cross Fire" on CNN, and the person who was representing the US side was Richard Perle, and the one representing the Arab side was Martin Indyk ( He was recently Israel Ambassador) !
I assume CNN did not find one American Arab or Muslim from the 6 million to speak for them.
That is one hell of a fair democracy, and free speech !
That is way not only I do not blame Joe-6 packs for being misinformed about the ME, but I do not even blame educated and intelligent people like you here.