[Peace-discuss] letter to the editor

[Ricky Baldwin]

[I was formulating a letter on the hypocrisy of
official US positions on Liberia and Iraq.  But I
wrote this, somewhat reluctantly, after concluding
that the mythical connection between Saddam and
al-Qaeda is more at the heart of our problem than I
had thought.  Others could probably be more convincing
-- please write!  But I think it just goes to show
that you can't assume not many people will believe
something just because it's insane. - R]

Dear Editor:

A well-chopped article in the News-Gazette (9/7/03)
reported on a recent Washington Post poll, finding 69
percent of Americans still believe that Saddam Hussein
was somehow personally involved in the September 11,
2002, terrorist attacks – even though there is no real
reason to think so.

What the News-Gazette left out is that, according to
the Post, none of those polled could explain why they
held this “groundless belief.”  Many claimed an
instinct or “gut feeling,” and experts described a
general “fuzz” aided by misleading hints from the Bush
Administration (WP 9/6/03).

Some experts in the Post article even suggested a
racist dimension, saying many Americans lump together
all things Middle Eastern.  This is an excellent
example of how war hysteria fans the flames of racism,
and racism in turn helps to justify slaughtering our
fellow human beings, even innocent civilians.

But both the Post and News-Gazette left out one
hopeful sign reported by NBC News.  Of the 1,003
adults polled, the actual responses showed less
gullibility: 37 percent said involvement of the former
Iraqi leader was only “somewhat likely”, compared to
32 percent who answered “very likely,” leaving 31
percent doubting any connection at all.  Given the
poll’s 3 percent margin of error, it looks more like a
three-way split.

Interestingly enough, the US media generally ignored a
related story the same weekend (AFP 9/5/03) that
Spanish intelligence has now joined the CIA and
British intelligence in the opinion that Iraq had no
links to al-Qaeda.

Ricky Baldwin
801 E California Ave
Urbana, IL 61801
217-328-3037



  


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