Posted by Doug
Fri, 09 Sep 2005 15:35:25 GMT
Unbeknownst to US news agencies, “enemy combatants” in Guantanamo are on a hunger strike—for the last month. Granted, I’m not much of a news freak. My buddy, Britton Fraley, is always pestering me that I should do more to catch up. So, I’ve subscribed to the BBC RSS Feed.
That’s where I learned about the hunger strike.
A lawyer said the inmates were prepared to strike until they got a fair hearing and humane treatment or died.
Forsaking my good Republican upbringing, I think the situation in Guantanamo is getting out of hand. The reason I’m posting about this though is that it appears the US news media isn’t reporting the hunger strike. A Google News search for ‘hunger strike guantanamo’ doesn’t show any hits from a national US news agency. It appears a few (two in NYC, the Boston Globe, and a brief mention in Amarillo, TX) local US news agencies have reported it as have a handful of special interest groups.
Is Guantanamo considered “not news” by CNN? I thought they were the liberal bunch. What about the New York Times? I can understand why Fox is quiet about it. I’m just really surprised this hasn’t been reported more.
I guess this is one reason why I don’t really follow mainstream news: it’s hard to know who’s a good source of information. I suppose what I’m supposed to do is follow them all and draw my own conclusions about what the “real news” is. I just don’t have time for that though.
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Posted in War, Politics | 2 comments
Posted by Doug
Tue, 25 Mar 2003 15:21:00 GMT
It astounds me I’m able to read
Dear Raed. Despite living in Bagdad, he seems to be doing OK. He does describe images on TV of heavy civilian casualties and describes his fear of urban warfare. I think they are afraid and angry, but mostly afraid. My heart goes out to them. I truely wish we weren’t bombing them. I don’t think I’m smart enough to know whether this was is “necessary” or not. Whether it is or isn’t, the Iraqi people are the ones to suffer the most.
I find it incongruent to read his description of having to go hunt for food in the stores, not having any meat, paying all their money just to get some vegetables and then I go downstairs and choose what kind of snack I want. It’s only by the grace of God that I have the life I do. I could have been born to an Iraqi family. I’m not that different from Raed: just a tech guy trying to make it. Only the odds are heavily against him. I feel like I’m having a tough time in our current US economy. Just think if our currency was so devalued. What has Raed done to deserve the circumstances he’s in? What have I done to deserve mine? The answer’s the same in both questions.
Posted in War | no comments
Posted by Doug
Mon, 24 Mar 2003 20:34:00 GMT
This was an excellent
blog by
raelity bytes. I too have often thought about the Garden of Eden while listening to the news lately.
If you’ve turned on your television set or opened your daily newspaper over
the past days, you’ve no doubt come to recognize the region currently under
an attack of “Shock and Awe” at a glance. Detailed colourful maps, swirling
three-dimensional fly-throughs, satellite photographs, and live video are
shoved in your face at an alarming clip. And these are peppered with icons
representing strikes, missiles, bombs, planes, ships, troops, refineries,
oil fields, and labels designating points of interest, borders, regions,
cities, and rivers.
Yet beneath the audio-visual din, I find my eyes and ears drawn to mention
of two particular points of orientation: the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Once, according to my old school books, the “cradle of civilization,”
Mesopotamia (meaning “between the rivers”) sits quietly and unassumingly
in the background.
A Google for Mesopotamia turned up
this lovely resource put together
by The British Museum. One wonders what a Google for
tigris and euphrates will turn up in the
days and years to come.
Posted in War | no comments
