Posted on 11/12/2001 12:06:18 PM PST by A.J.Armitage
Murderous? Whew! What propaganda outlet are you subscribing to? The northern alliance just took Mazar-il Sharif. The first thing the occupants did is drop their veils and shave. Sounds like a bunch of people who dearly loved the Taliban doesn't it? What about those fifty men women and children who were gunned down by the Taliban. Do you think their families are angry at the US?
Just because CNN and the leftist press from Great Britain feed you stories you can sink your teeth into, don't sell your soul to them. They are about as propagandist as they come.
Buy a clue.
As opposed to where we are now, where the muslim street hates our abundance and society and acts to kill us when they can, I'll accept 10% more hate if they are afraid of the price they will pay for actual actions and therefore simmer in their own juices.
Is a network leftist simply if they have reports that do indeed have content that is labeled leftist? Or is it their whole philosophy? Someone point me to a news source that reports everything as it really is, unbiasedly. Anyone out there have a particular news source they always trust?
If a news outlet produces their presentations in such a manner as to reflect the leftist viewpoint, they're leftist. Yes most news outlets do produce leftist presentations on occasion. Where the problem comes in is when that leftist viewpoint excedes 50%. For my taste, it's a problem when they excede 10%, but that's my own taste.
You asked if anyone has a news source they always trust. I don't. I do have sources I trust more than others based on my observances of their past presentations. I try very hard to judge every single news presentation I hear. Even FoxNews and other sources I like slip false statements through. But they are better than the alternatives. CNN is nothing but propaganda most of the time. And if you don't like what they're selling, you're the problem according to them.
Here's an example of story from both viewpoints.
Yesterday the Red Cross warehouse was the victim of US bombing in Kabul. The manager of the facility was angered by the bombing and condemned any nation that would do such a thing. "The Red Cross is a humanitarian agency, and should be out of bounds for such attacks", he stated. Local Taliban officials sited this as still another example of United States sponsored terrorism. Local families lives were disrupted and joined in the condemnation of the United States' actions.
Yesterday the Red Cross warehouse was struck by US bombs during the night. There was no loss of life. The manager of the facility was angered by the bombing and condemned any nation that would do such a thing. "The Red Cross is a humanitarian agency, and should be out of bounds for such attacks" he stated. Local Taliban officials and neighbors of the facility joined in the condemnation. The Taliban stated that this was another example of US sponsored terrorism. When reached for comment US officials noted that the Red Cross warehouse facilities were being used to store Taliban weapons. As such they considered the warehouse to be a bonified military target.
They can give the leftist viewpoint as long as they balance it off. Some news sources seldom do. One of my favorites is the newspaper article that gives a false headline trashing the US or a conservative viewpoint, then during the last couple of sentences of the article, reveals the real truth. This happens all the time. There's an example on the forum right now.
I'm not opposed to wars for the right reasons and I would have to agree that having four jetliners hijacked and intentionally crashed into buildings would constitute the right reasons. But (you knew it was coming), I still reserve my right to feel uncomfortable about bombing targets in a nation where culpability has yet to be established. Unlike many Freepers, I didn't stop questioning the government and its motives when an R was elected instead of a D. I still maintain that there is precious little difference where the important things are concerned. Maybe Afghanistan is the right target, maybe not. Maybe it's about getting bin Laden, maybe it's about oil. I haven't seen enough evidence from our intelligence community to be sure either way.
Sure it feels good that we're doing something, but I won't just assume that it's the right thing just because I'm told that it is. The federal government doesn't have much of a track record to leave me feeling assured.
But hasn't bin Laden finally gotten around to admitting it was his guys who did it? I would think that would settle the issue, presuming bin Laden's still in Afghanistan. It's always possible he left secretly. I guess we'll find out when the Northern Alliance takes the rest of the Taliban's territory.
The government's purpose is to protect innocent Americans, so that's the highest consideration. Of course innocent lives, of any nationality, are more important than monetary cost. -- tex-oma
I agree with, and will here amplify, Aaron's point:
In the prosecution of a Just War (the analysis herein naturally depends upon the War in question being a Just War of retaliatory defense), the State's priorities are as follows:
1.) The Lives of domestic Civilians (Principle of Covenant)
2.) The Lives of domestic Soldiers (Principle of Covenant)
3.) The Lives of enemy Civilians (Principle of Charity)
4.) The Lives of enemy Soldiers (Principle of Charity)
These priorities are ordered thusly, not on the basis of any disparity in the values of the respectives Lives (life = life = life = life, period), but on the basis of a disparity of respective Duty. State is Covenanted to provide the defense of the Lives and Rights of its Citizens -- indeed, that is its only legitimate reason to exist.
If I owe tex-oma $1,000 dollars, and I see A.J. Armitage starving and destitute for want of $100 to food and shelter, my first duty is to repay tex-oma the $1,000 which I owe. It does not matter how much I may wish to extend Charity to AJ; that money is not mine to give (unless, God willing, tex-oma should release me from my debt to perform Charity). Likewise, State's first duty is the Defense of its Covenanted Citizens; State does not even have the moral option of extending Charity to the enemy in War unless its duty in this regard is fulfilled. (For the same reason, all Foreign Aid is illegitimate -- no matter how Charitable, State has the primary duty not to tax even one dollar away from a single taxpayer for any duties other than those it is Covenanted to perform.)
A codicil to points #3 and #4 must here be stated -- the "Brutal Peace" codicil. IF State is reasonably confident that a brutal attack (even one of horrific brutality) against 10,000 enemy soldiers or even enemy civilians will so completely demoralize the enemy that a rapid peace will thereafter be acheived -- saving the lives of its Citizens (and, perhaps, many enemy lives also), then the brutal attack is not a "necessary evil", but rather a moral necessity to the performance of its primary duty to secure the defense and Peace of its own citizenry. While I would not class the fire-bombing of Dresden (which was a completely wanton and sadistic orgy of slaughter having no redeeming value, IMHO) among this sort of action, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima -- given the uncertainty of Japanese surrender prior to that action -- arguably fits the bill. (Nagasaki, OTOH, was probably unnecessary, historically speaking. But, hindsight is 20/20).
As always, IMHO.
What is in America's long range interest? Get bin Laden, than over and out for good. Build fortress America and let the world fight their own infinite wars - religious, ethnic, economic or political. Heed George Washington if our nation and its constitution are to survive this century.
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