[Peace-discuss] angry with the News-Gazette

[Ricky Baldwin]

[Folks, here's my quick letter to the News-Gazette
about their abject failure to turn up at our recent
event.  I think some more letters are in order.  There
is just no way this event was not news, and they need
to be called on their ideological selectivity. - RB] 

Dear Editor:

The News-Gazette decided not to report on a truly
amazing event on Thursday April 1 at the Champaign
Library.  A military mom talked about her
UIUC-graduate son who was recently killed in Iraq. 
Three other veterans spoke of their experiences, from
Vietnam to the First Gulf War, as well as one woman
who is currently on active duty.

Since the News-Gazette had ample notice of the event
and has covered several returning veterans and their
families on the front page lately, we can only guess
that our paper ignored the event because all the
speakers are opposed to the current conflict in Iraq. 
That is, they apparently didn’t fit the image that the
editors want us to believe about soldiers and the
ongoing war in Iraq.

The speakers told us about disgruntled troops,
appalling living conditions, lack of training and
about necessary equipment not sent.  They spoke of the
government deception and moral cowardice that put
these young people in harm’s way unnecessarily.  And
they talked about the difficulties that many veterans
face in getting proper medical care.

The event was very enlightening, as was the
News-Gazette’s decision not to cover it. 

Ricky Baldwin
801 E California Ave
Urbana, IL 61801

217-328-3037




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