Little something I got in the email
> I don't know for sure that this was written by the author ascribed to
> have written it, or a professional writer. I do, however, strongly
> feel that it is an accurate depiction of the reality of what is
> happening in Iraq and what we (the general public) know about it.
>
> A little more from the article:
>
> "What the media didn't show or write about were the two hundred-plus
> headless bodies found in the main mosque there (Fallujah), or the
> body
> that was put into a bread oven and baked. Nor did they show the world
> the hundreds of thousands of mortar, artillery and small arms rounds
> found within the "sacred" walls of the mosque. Also missing from the
> coverage was the huge cache of weapons found in Muqtada's "political"
> headquarters nearby."
>
> "Those who have read the ancient Chinese military theorist and army
> general Sun Tsu will recall the philosophy of "Kill one, scare ten
> thousand" as the basic theory behind the strategy of terrorism.
> Through
> fear, the terrorist can then manipulate the behavior of the masses.
> The
> media allows the terrorist to use relatively small but spectacular
> events that directly affect very few, and spread them around the
> world
> to scare millions."
>
> "Complete a multi-million-dollar sewer project and no one wants to
> cover it, but let one car bomb go off and it makes headlines. With
> each
> headline, the enemy scores another point and the good-guys lose one.
> This method of scoring slowly is eroding domestic and international
> support while fueling the enemy's cause."
>
> "It appears many members of the media are hesitant to venture beyond
> the relative safety of the so-called "International Zone" in downtown
> Baghdad, or similar "safe havens" in other large cities. Because
> terrorists and other thugs wisely target western media members and
> others for kidnappings or attacks, the westerners stay close to their
> quarters. This has the effect of holding the media captive in cities
> and keeps them away from the broader truth that lies outside their
> view. With the press thus cornered, the terrorists easily feed their
> unwitting captives a thin gruel of anarchy, one spoonful each day. A
> car bomb at the entry point to the International Zone one day, a few
> mortars the next, maybe a kidnapping or two thrown in. All delivered
> to
> the doorsteps of those who will gladly accept it without having to
> leave their hotel rooms -- how convenient. "
>
> "There is a transparent reason why the majority of car bombings and
> other major events take place before noon Baghdad-time; any later and
> the event would miss the start of the morning news cycle on the U.S.
> east coast. These terrorists aren't stupid; they know just what to do
> to scare the masses and when to do it. "
>
> "I find it amazing that some people are more apt to listen to a movie
> star's or rock singer's view on how we should prosecute world affairs
> than to someone whose profession it is to know how these things
> should
> go. I play the guitar, but Bruce Springsteen doesn't listen to me
> play.
> Why should I be subjected to his views on the validity of the war?
> By
> profession, he's a guitar player. Someone remind me what it is that
> makes Sean Penn an expert on anything."