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Technology Stocks : Defense Play in Motion - WTC Reaction
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To: HerbVic who wrote (160)10/14/2001 9:56:17 AM
From: Dale Baker   of 225
 
That doesn't reflect what I have heard and read on the media in the past month - if I were really bored I would go find 30-40 links in major newspapers and TV sites with comments to the contrary.

I am reacting sharply because I have seen this elsewhere on SI - people cherry-pick a handful of quotes from "Muslim leaders" (self-appointed usually) then say that most of the "Muslim world" supports Bin Laden.

I strongly disagree based on what I heard. And all those millions of Muslims would be busy overthrowing their governments (Bin Laden's main goal) if they were true supporters. They aren't, just isolated handfuls of people shouting for the camera.

Indonesia has more than 100 million Muslims - has anyone done a real opinion poll there? Heard many experts on the diverse currents of Muslim opinion in Indonesian society? Or have we just heard about a few demonstrations on the news where the commentators breathlessly drew conclusions?

I could go out in the street here in Washington with a few hired thugs, burn a US flag and get 50 TV cameras in five minutes, including an interview on all the major networks. All it means is I am trying to manipulate public opinion. But the headline would be "FLAG BURNING DEMONSTRATION NEAR PENTAGON BLAST SITE!"

Here's a lesson from my first career in public affairs - critical, controversial views always get more ink, and make a stronger impression than moderates. Now we have a case where the cable news networks desperately want to crank their ratings (because hardly anyone watches in peaceful times) so they really highlight anyone who supports Bin Laden, every possible anthrax scare on the planet, etc.

I'm just saying people should look around and not assume the most dramatic conclusion, even if that's what a ratings-starved media is trying to feed us.

Not being religious, I am still disgusted at how Christianity has been used to justify all sorts of murder and repression over the years, and basic moral fascism on a level sometimes approaching the Taliban. But I don't consider the average church on the corner or the average churchgoer to be a supporter of all the nutcases who have committed atrocities in God's name in our culture.

And I don't think the vast majority of Muslims support this either.
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