Re: A great sorrow

From: Tim Cole (tcole@ADOBE.COM)
Date: Wed Sep 12 2001 - 00:34:12 EDT


> Two things concerned me during the morning's media coverage. The first was
> the trial in the media of Bin Laden. Don't get me wrong. I'm no fan of him,
> his group, or their tactics. But the media, in what seems to be a time of
> guerrilla war if not all-out war, were often inflammatory in their comments
> concerning Muslims and Middle Easterners.

> I find it hard to believe that Bin Laden could have pulled this off alone.

Agreed. There's no way he could have been flying all four planes at once.
However, he's quite capable of organizing and financing this type of
operation.

> Seeing him as our number one bad guy simultaneously creates a false sense of
> ending to what has only begun and risks exacerbating an international
> situation that has been treacherous, at best, since my childhood.

Well, if the speculation had been reckless, then I might agree. However
there's good a priori reason to suspect Bin Laden of involvement (his past
track record, his recent media statements, and, apparently, activity at his
training camps recently). I think that he, as an individual, has been the
subject of speculation, not all Middle Easterners or Muslims. And, of
course, you don't watch that kind of carnage and not want to learn who is
responsible...it's a vitally important question that has got to be asked.

> How many other Middle Eastern countries might be helped to take the final step
> toward support of Afghanastan because of the American arrogance broadcasted
> world wide at the hands of our media and their speculation?

I don't think that should really be a matter of concern. I really don't
think the rest of the world takes our media all that seriously. I don't
think that those nations are sitting on the fence, ready to be toppled one
way or another based on Dan Rather's sense of professionalism.

> Also, if Bin Laden isn't behind these attacks, the media
> attention to him may create a false complacency--case solved even if it
> isn't.

You'll remember that they thought Oklahoma City might be Arab terrorists at
first.

> Sometimes silence on the airwaves is preferrable to speculation and talk that
> at times bordered on virulent racism.

I guess I missed the racism...I heard a fair bit about Bin Laden, but not
about Arabs as a group.

Oh, and, BTW, Sept. 11 had been declared an "International Day of Peace" by
the UN...I guess not everyone received that bulletin...

Regards,

TC



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