September 27, 2001	atimes.com

Letters More responses to Escobar's 'This report ...' This report cannot be independently verified "So T S Eliot was wrong. This is the way the world ends: not with a bang - but with zillions of whimpers which cannot be independently verified." Just like the 5,000-plus whimpers at the World Trade Center on September 11. Ws Escobar's commentary was prescient indeed. In the Pentagon briefing of Wednesday, October 24, 2001, the Defense Department spokesman made quite a point that many of the reports of civilian deaths from US bombs could not be independently verified. The American news media subsequently reported little of the truth of civilian deaths that actually can be verified through numerous foreign newspaper and video sources. However, when the Pentagon spokesman asserted that there were "closed sources" (in otherwords, NOT independently verifiable) that the Taliban might poison relief food and blame it on the US, the reporters at the briefing audibilly gasped and dutifully reported the official rumor. The US is a great country with a commitment to freedom, but that liberty can be quickly undercut by a refusal to tolerate dissent, debate, and the search for truth. Unfortunately, the patriotism that has arisen from a truly tragic event is now being manipulated by the Bush regime to stifle questions and heap scorn upon the questioners. Escobar has written an analysis that American readers of Asia Times Online should take to heart. Dave Chandler Publisher, earthside.com Denver, Colorado, US "So the major public relations lesson is this: if you are rich and powerful and Western, you can bomb whatever you like ..." So bombing us is OK? mackirby I disagree, with your statement, "if you are rich and powerful and Western, you can bomb whatever you like, the way you like, for as long as you like. And you disclose information - if any - about it the way you like. If you are poor and miserable and Islamic, you shut up and get bombed." Rather it should be: "If you are rich and powerful and Western, you can be flown by madmen into a tall building or die in the collapse of that building while trying to save others. If you are miserable and Islamic you can lie about your role in the attack, then hide and refuse to face any sort of justice while innocent civilians are killed for your cowardice." Michael Ritsche I am deeply troubled with the influence the President of the United States, and his comrades, are having on the news available to the general public. If we were content with the US news sources, we would not be looking elsewhere for verification or additional facts. Only one month has passed and many times already our officials have been contradicted by the late reporting of facts. If anthrax had not occurred at the infamous tabloid headquarters, would we have ever heard anything? Rumsfeld complains of security leaks. What he complains about I saw on Iran-based news sources days, even weeks, before Rumsfeld complained. The facts from the Iran sources were supported by pictures, not just words. For the first time in my life, as a US citizen over 60 years of age, I fear my current government leadership. To me they are acting in the most Stalinistic-like manner that I have ever witnessed. Whether it is the president himself, or the hawks to whom the president is yeilding, I have grave concern that my country is diminishing itself in the global society we live in today. Jim Brock Was there a point to that rambling rehash of third world angst? Do innocent people die in that conflict? Have we ever pretended they won't? You bet, innocents are going to die. The US and United Kingdom have dropped over 3,000 weapons and if only 1percent miss, that is 30 UN mine inspectors, residential neighborhoods etc. The Allies would however have to target all 3,000 weapons at civilian targets to equal the death toll inflicted on the poor citizens of Afghanistan by the Taliban, a group of cultists who would be considered disorganized by a colony of bacteria. Is the US targeting Islam? Not likely; our last bombing campaign was against (far richer) Christian Serbia on behalf of the Islamic Kosovars. Independent verification as an unfair tool of first world dominance? The Taliban claimed a chemical weapons attack; that Israel and the CIA plotted the September 11 atrocity, and that they didn't, then they did, then they didn't, now they do, know where bin Laden is located. With that sterling record of falsehood why shouldn't the media remain skeptical? I enjoy disparate viewpoints and Asia Times Online usually does a fine job. I was disappointed to see sloppy, formulaic hand-wringing to the tune of the tired old North-South conflict. This is barbarism versus civilization, not poor versus rich. R M Henderson Atlanta, US Pepe you are mistaken. Most Americans are completely aware that Afghan civilians are being killed as a result of US bombing. This is a war after all that was declared and waged first by terrorists given safe harbor by the Afghani government. Afghanistan's leaders and people like yourself are simply insensitive to the grief of America. Most Afghans who die in this war will at least receive proper burials. Most of the 5,000 civilians who were vaporized in the aerial bombing of the WTC will be buried in a Staten Island landfill -their remains indistinguishable from the thousands of tons of rubble which fell on them. Perhaps the only thing we can agree on is the odiousness of CNN, though for different reasons. In my opinion CNN is a far left neo-pagan news organization with allegiance to no one. In America, as of late, CNN is known as TNN - Taliban News Network. Carl Cahill California, US Thank you, Asia Times Online and Pepe Escobar, for making real information on the current conflict available. I have often been ashamed of being an American, but never so much as now. Freedom? People with any link to the hijackers, however remote, are being held without charges, without access to legal counsel, without medical care. Defending our "culture"? It's a culture of garbage and greed. Victoria Brago Los Angeles Shut the hell up asshole, we lost 5,000 innocent people in 30 minutes, on September 11, or did you forget? George Marquedant Well. Pepe "Le Pew" Escobar, all I have to say is boo hoo. Bin Laden and his supporters drew first blood. Joe & Caroline Busch F*** off and die scum bag. We don't even have the right to defend ourselves? Susan Walkup This report is very ignorant and lacks foundation. I am sorry for the misguided information you have provided. Jonathan Stember I thought that the article was useless. Those guys over there are all a bunch of liars. And that damn bin Laden is a drug dealer too. Vijay Panvelkar I read your article with great interest, until I noticed no mention of the 5,000 civilians killed by the terrorists in the US or the fact the Afghanistan would not be being bombed if the leaders turned over the terrorists. However, you point out that several civilians have been bombed. Has it ever occurred to you that the leaders of Afghanistan may be bombing their own people or hiding around them as shields? Just like Iraq did? I do agree about CNN not being credible, but to say an Arab station is, come on! I hope the the war is over soon, so we can really help the people in Afghanistan. Michael Jacobs US In response to Escobar's hypocritical statement, I have one question: So where exactly is your evidence? On a related note, I'd like to point out that if thousands (let's be conservative and say 2,000) of bombs have been dropped on selected targets among the Taliban and only two major civilian casualties (non-targets) have been inadvertently hit, that's an error rate of 0.1 percent. I'm willing to accept that, or even 100 times that, considering the fact that around 6,000 of our most productive and hard-working civilians were killed by a group that hides among civilans in an attempt to incriminate the US for killing innocent people. Let us not back down in fear, but stand tall, stand strong, and be American. DNU US Why don't you learn to be a little more neutral? Your job is to tell the news with an objective point of view. You seem to be too emotional for your line of work, and it is very hard for us to see truth in such a highly emotional state of mind and point of view. Y Sorensen US Interesting that Escobar makes no mention of the World Trade Center, and the thousands of innocent citizens killed there. Nor does he seem to remember, the UN and the International Red cross have both cast doubt on the exagerrated claims of civilian deaths. One other fact, he doesn't seem to understand that many of the Taliban fighters do not wear uniforms. So are these fighters in civilian garb civilians when they are killed in trenches outside the cities? Yes, there are civilians being killed. Just like the civilians in the World Trade Center. Blame the Taliban, they had the chance to rid themselves of bin Laden. It's time to stop the politically correct banter and destroy the Taliban, bin Laden and his group. It's unfortunate that many civilians are going to be killed. Hopefully most of them can travel to the borders and escape the war. RKW

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