[Kjeldorian Royal Guard 42]

CNN just announced that the FBI has recieved a video that shows Daniel Pearl dead. For those of you who do not know, he was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. He was in Pakistan working on an interview when he was kidnapped by Islamic extremists. The U.S. refused to release the people being held at Guantanamo Bay (kidnapper's demands) so the kidnappers shot Daniel. I am deeply saddened by this. His wife is nine months pregnant with his child and my heart goes out to her.

To any of you who have family in the armed forces fighting against this type of inhuman behavior, I salute them. This is just horrible. There is just no other way to put it.

You can read more about it here:
http://www.msnbc.com

[Computer]

:nods: very horrible just the thought of that sickens me. Maybe it's about time we put our backs to the sea and start walking leaving a wake of destruction behind us. As a nation we can't, and shouldn't tolerate this kind of behavior. I hope and believe that Bush will have enough sense to not sit on his hands.

~~My prayers go to his family and his child~~

[Karl Marx]

What I find most interesting about the Pearl story is that he was one of several Americans taken as political hostages in 2000-2002. The Abu Sayef, a guerrila separatist movement in the South Phillipines, took 3 American hostages in the last 2 years. One, a Californian, has already been decapitated. The others, a married couple from Kansas, are still in captivity. We must ask: why is it that the Pearl abduction warrents so much more coverage, concern, and government action than the other abductions of Americans? Anyone remember Geoffry Shilling from Oakland, who was also abducted by the Abu Sayef in 1999, but who escaped? The only coverage related to him was stories about his mom being sad that he was gone. What's with the Pearl double standard? I guess he was from the media, so he's more coverage-worthy. (???)

[Kjeldorian Royal Guard 42]

Exactly Karl. Without the media, we would know nothing. Without media, you would not have heard about those other cases at all. So you see, these people are the backbone of communication throughout the world. When someone is murdered while trying to serve and inform the masses of truth, it is very sad indeed. Not that his life is any more important than any human being's life. Daniel died while trying to help all of us learn more about who we are as a human race. I look at a reporter in the field as I look at a soldier in the field. They are there for you and me. To protect our way of life.

It's not about who got more coverage. It's about the loss of a human life.



[ This Message was edited by: Kjeldorian Royal Guard on 2002-02-21 16:34 ]

[Karl Marx]

The coverage discrepancy stood out to me because it reminded me of another one: US casualties versus Afghan civilian casualties. I was shocked to read internal Fox and CNN directives to de-emphasize Afghan civilian casualties during the bombings.

As for the Pearl murder, the Senate is currently looking at how to reform policy for hostage situations. I hope this will result in a standardized approach to hostages, one in which any American taken hostage, journalist or not, warrants the same government response.

[Computer]

Alright we bought to get way to political I can just see it now.

In my opinion I don't think we should report on Afghan casualties. For one we dont' need a bunch of left wing bleeding hearts crying about hose poor pitiful Afghans. It's they're own leaders that put them in this positions and it is their leaders that are hiding behind them like cowards making them targets. Do you suggest that the 20,000 something people that died in the WTC should just go unpunished, or maybe we can send in a bunch of American ground troops over to extract the leaders rather than bombing thta way we can have even more American casualties. I'm sorry for they're people and it's terrible that they get caught in the middle of these situation, but when they're leaders disguise hangers as hosipitals and vice versa to play on the American media then what choice do we have?

[Whybkuul]

the afghan citizens that are killed in the bombings have nobody to blame but themselves. they are responsible for allowing their leaders to commit atrocious acts against citizens of other countries. i have NO sympathy whatsoever for them, when i see them cheering that thousands of people died in the NYC tragedy. all i wish is for every single afghan citizen to burn in hell for eternity because they took no action against their leaders after this sh*t

[sSdD]

i just think that killing a reporter is inhumane and should not be tolerated... i also heard that he was beheaded?? idk i didn't beleive that...but my prayers and concerns go out to his family and friends.. and may those that did this feel the burden for the rest of their lives

[BitterBeerFace]

*Grabs the soap box, takes out note cards*

Well, 20,000 is highly inflated, I believe it was more like 3500, but numbers aren't the really important thing. I can't stand when people see "innocent civillians being killed"... it's the OLDEST trick in the book to hide your important military stuff where civillians will die. The people in those countries could care less about public opinion there, as well as the public's lives, but they know that if the US civillians hear about "innocents" being killed, we'll raise hell. Repeatedly, the following other countries/groups have used that strategy against us, and succeeded: (N. Korea/China, N. VietNam, Saddam Hussein, Lebanese Terrorists and Somali Warlords) After Viet Nam, every country that for whatever reason finds themselves against the US has used that strategy. If we keep running away as soon as there are some deaths, then the current system of making Americans go away will keep working. Part of the reason the media has told its reporters to keep a lid on deaths-reporting is that specific reason. The main reason we don't report about hostages is the other way groups have tried to deal with the US... they take hostages, get a lot of attention, and then they get what they want. If we don't report about it, and don't pay attention, then they have no reason to take hostages. If you negoiate with them, they can gain something from taking hostages, and will take more hostages.

That being said, our stupid foreign policies has forced us into the situation where people are pissed at us, and will use those strategies against us.

[Computer]

::sets the soapbox at his feet and prepares his response::

AMEN BITTER!

Yea I did inflate the 20,000 but hey like you said numbers aren't important. The best way to deal with hostage situations is to do no negotiating whatsoever. Although in that you run the risk of losing an American life but on the other hand you may prevent the loss of any further people by showing that taking hostages will accomplish nothing. One angle that I think few people bother thinking of is that he was over there to get "the other side of the story". He was wandering around in enemy territory trying to talk sense with people that obviously have none. It was foolish of him to put himself in harms way like that, keep in mind that I'm in no way blaming this on him, but you wander around in a snake pit, you gonna get bit. The media is very important to our society, but they also have thier agendas (typically to promote leftism, but that's another issue) so just cause you hear it on the news to take it for truth as I see many foolish people doing.

::relinquishes the soapbox::

[Greebo]

*grabs the soapbox*
...

....

.....

*puts it down carefully*

No, it's too easy point out the glaring contradictions in Computer and whykbuul's posts about afghan casualities.
It'll only start another post war here.

_________________
Most evil admin around.
Offical Ville songwriter.
"Captain Smart Ass"

[Snaggletooth]

::tucks soapbox under arm and leaves thread with it::

[ROOFCUTTER]

Greebo...memories Fade to black...