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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us April 29, 2006 LETTERS: at length Media pushes Bush propaganda in Middle East By Gerald Cavanaugh Ashland The Dallas Morning News guest editorial the Tidings published on April 21, is best understood as an example of how dangerously confused and timid such opinion makers are when confronting the criminal enormities perpetrated by the Bush cabal. The editorial judges the Iraq disaster to be a problem only because it’s colossal failure prevents America from properly addressing what is now perceived as the “real” threat to our national security, namely, Iran. How can the editorialist accept at face value the notion of “the Iranian Menace”? Why is it necessary for America and its foreign victims to suffer another catastrophe like the invasion and occupation of Iraq before our political elite and our media opinion makers have the common sense, the patriotism and the courage to call a halt to the criminally incompetent machinations of the Bush administration? It is clear to all but simpletons that the “Iran Threat” is being marketed as a campaign ploy in the run up to the midterm elections. Iran does not and never could present a meaningful threat to America’s security, any more than Saddam’s Iraq could. Iran’s current regime is no more oppressive of its people than the regimes of dozens of other nations in the world with whom our government maintains friendly relations. Even if Iran could develop a nuclear weapon — a task that experts say will take them from two to ten years — why is that a reason to contemplate invading and devastating that land? India, Pakistan, Israel and other nuclear-armed nations have not even signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and yet we countenance their behavior. Why does the Bush administration refuse to give Iran a security guarantee part of a weapons control package? The abject failure of our elite leaders and our media to resist the pro-war propaganda makes them both accessories to war crimes and crimes against humanity. America has the legal obligation under the NPT “to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to the cessation of the nuclear arms race and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.” America has never even tried to fulfill that pledge. Instead of standing bewildered on the sidelines, if not actually beating the war drums, our political elite and opinion makers ought to be asking why every year this nation has to spend more on weapons than the entire rest of the world, why this “Republic” needs more than 700 imperial military bases worldwide, and why this freedom loving democracy believes it has the right to force its will unilaterally and aggressively on any target it chooses. While they are at it, they might ask why so many Americans think it is acceptable for their leaders to advance such policies, including we should add, the use of torture, “rendition,” and secret prisons. It is possible that our nation, drowning in false pride, militarism, materialism and consumerism, has simply lost its soul. But it may be that with Iran as the target that Bush and his cult l are engaged in yet another great deception, focusing the public’s mind on another (false) threat while looting the public treasury for the sake of its “base.” It’s been done many times before. Lack of information clouds AFN debate By Lester Ingber Ashland I have not seen much detailed technical information about costs and potential future competition to AFN, presented to the public from AFN, the AFN Options Committee, the Council, or the Tidings. I assume the public is supposed to take it for granted that these sources know more than the average citizen, and that they have the technical know-how, experience, and divine guidance to make these decisions based on non-political technical savvy? If Ashland citizens pride themselves on thinking for themselves, it would seem in their best interests to provide them with the same technical information that presumably these sources have digested? In the interest of promoting dialouge based on substance rather than form, I offer a paper that was recently made available via the Social Science Research Network. The PDF report "WiMAX: Opportunity or Hype?" can be downloaded at no charge from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=892260 . I think that quite a few issues relevant to the future of AFN are presented. At the least, there is something here you can agree or disagree with, or even dismiss as not relevant for some sane reasons. For once, it might be a good idea to educate the local public on issues, so they can make informed decisions, instead of rushing to hire non-local consultants to do the thinking for us? It would be nice if the Tidings could provide a page for any person to contribute online Web site addressesof similar technical information under relevant timely section headings — without commentary or opinions which have their place in other media. The Tidings gives priority to letters on local and regional topics of current interest. It seeks to encourage thoughtful, well-reasoned letters and to discourage personal attacks, repetitive messages and personal disputes. Form letters are not published in the Tidings, nor are letters identified as having been published in other publications. Contributions to the Opinion page should be e-mailed in text-only format to [email protected]. Please include your address and a daytime phone number where you can be reached for confirmation. Letters are limited to 250 words. At Length submissions are limited to 400 words. Submissions may be edited for length, content and clarity. See www.dailytidings.com for our expanded letters and opinion section. . DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. 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