And I say the Taliban's main crime is . . .

Post #12,580 by Andrew Grygus 10/10/01 2:29:47 AM Reply	And I say the Taliban's main crime is . . . . . that they have institutionalized a whole list of crimes against man (and especially against women) and against humanity, one of which happens to be training and exporting terrorists. None of these are random acts (condemned by the majority as they would be here (and most elsewhere)), they are fully integrated into the sect as part of it's culture. So times are hard in Afghanistan. Oh how my heart bleeds for the poor Taliban (most of whom seem to be Arabs and Pakistanis who are in Afghanistan by choice). [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #12,583 by dmarker2 10/10/01 3:19:40 AM Reply	Re: Please humor me on one point ... What I want to illustrate here is just what can be done to blacken the image of an enemy ... Do you recall this event before the US congress where Bush was requesting approval to mount his campaign against Hussien's Kuwait invasion ... In this testimony, a woman who said she worked as a nurse in a hospital in Kuwait city stated how Iraqi troops had entered the hospital and taken all the incubators from the maternity ward & had removed babys & 'thrown' some on the floor while doing so - the woman cried as she gave this testimony & so did many congresspersons & senators & also the public who saw replays of her testimony. This particular bit of evidence was amongst the most damning and emotive ever given to justify the claim that the Iraqis were murderous bastards who deserved what ever came to them. My question is - do you recall that testimony & do you agree generally with what I am saying about its impact ? Doug
Post #12,624 by Andrew Grygus 10/10/01 11:27:54 AM Reply	I remember reading about the story . . . . and thinking it didn't make sense at the time. Baby incubators? what the hell is this about? Of course there will be plenty of stuff like this from both sides (we just won't hear the ones from the other side), but in the case of the Taliban, the story I've referenced, while it may be embellished in detail, is pretty consistent with what we've been hearing for well over a year now, and consistent with the Taliban's stated policies. "Conform or die" [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #12,747 by dmarker2 10/10/01 6:47:54 PM Reply	Re: The later facts were damning ... The girl was not a nurse - she was the daughter of a Kuwaiti diplomat. The story was fabricated and she was coached by a group of people working with the CIA. The man who did the coaching and the 'company' he worked for also went to Russia to help plan Yeltsin's re election back when it was believed Yeltsin was going to be creamed by the communists & right wingers (Yeltsin won). The point about the incubator testimony was that it was pivitol evidence used to sway public opinion. It sure sucked me in at the time. Now ask yourself - that evidence swayed a nation but was baced on a bare-faced & concocted lie fed to the congress & senate. It was done by the same people who are now in power in the US. When intelligent people get taken in by such monstrous lies, we can either shrug it off or decide to be far more critical of suspect reports that seem to serve a specific purpose. That report on the Taliban smacks of this same dirty tricks swaying of public opinion. I give it a 70% - 80% probability of being deliberate misinformation. But only time may tell. Either way - as evidenced by your own opinion, it has achieved its desired effect. Cheers Doug Marker ( a - 1st casualty of war - truth b - who are the acknowleged worlds masters of propaganda & news manipulation)
Post #12,818 by Andrew Grygus 10/10/01 11:23:16 PM Reply	I am sorry, it has achieved nothing here. I was quite as convinced of the evil of the Taliban months ago as I am today, and quite as convinced they should be liquidated then as now. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #12,822 by dmarker2 10/10/01 11:34:10 PM Reply	Re: So be it I know I am not immune to propaganda - but as I get older I do find myself rating certain types of item on a scale of probability for its potential as truth vs blatant propaganda - this is made all the more significant when it gets proven that some of the most emotive propaganda turns out to be fabricated by people associated with ones own govt. Propaganda doesn't always offend me - I do want to be able to understand what the true intent is. Telling lies to the Senate began back in Roman times :-) Cheers Doug

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