Gautam Mukunda wrote: > > --- "Marvin Long, Jr." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I don't, really. But several reports out of Iraq > > that I've seen and heard > > contain a notes about how the locals consider the > > Iraqi exile community a > > bunch of elitists who escaped when the going got > > tough and who hope to > > lord it over the rest when they return on Uncle > > Sam's dime. Now maybe > > that's an exaggeration...IIRC one of those reports > > was on NPR, so it is > > therefore immediately suspect to 1/2 or more of all > > good red-blooded > > Americans. :-) > > > > Marvin Long
The same ones who think Rush Limbaugh is a level-headed, fair, and rational thinker with no political agenda, it would seem. > > More than that - my real objection to NPR is that they > _never_ mention, _not ever_, that every interview they > conduct in Iraq is conducted in the presence of the > Iraqi secret police, and that people who say things > opposed to the government _have been_ killed for doing > so. You don't think that maybe that affects the > reliability of what we're hearing? > You're apparently not listening to NPR, nor even able to conceive that they could have balanced coverage. Rather you're taking cues from someone else on what they are and aren't doing. NPR _has_ and _does_ mention that the UN inspectors have been unable to interview any scientists alone, (and reporting the big news when they finally get *one* scientist to agree to be interviewed alone) as well as how any reporters out and about with recording gear are assigned a special "minder" to "keep them out of trouble" The times that they report on off-the-record interviews, the general barometer of the Iraqi public is that they'd love to see the end of Saddam, but are less receptive to the idea of the USA doing it, don't really have any suggestions on *how* to do it without the USA, and generally have some contempt for the opposition leaders in exile for not sticking around in the bad times like they have. Such contempt would be understandable, even if the circumstances made it necessary for the opposition to leave Iraq, even if they never got to enjoy the easy life in exile that is part of the perception. They have a right to such opinions because they endured under Saddam's thumb and they others haven't. -- Matt _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
