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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: portage who wrote (14882)	3/18/2003 11:18:26 AM
From: Threshold	Respond to of 89467

I hope wstera doesn't trade stocks. He seems to embrace the mainstream media. Those same talking heads who feed us all the positive garbage about the stock market and the economy. Government is in the business of lying to the people. Democrat or Republican, it makes no difference. If trading the stock market hasn't taught people to look beneath the surface of what our business and government leaders feed to us, then nothing will.

To: portage who wrote (14882)	3/18/2003 11:40:41 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

Scud Stud lobs a missile at Bush During the Gulf War, NBC reporter Arthur Kent was famed for his boyish good looks. Today, liberated from the network, he's free to say that Bush is out of control. By Louise Witt Salon Premium March 17, 2003 Arthur Kent is pessimistic. A few weeks ago, Kent, an independent documentary filmmaker and journalist based in London, thought another war with Iraq could be avoided and a negotiated settlement could be reached with Saddam Hussein. Not anymore. He fears "dark forces" will unleash a conflict that will kill and maim thousands of innocent civilians, give rise to virulent anti-Americanism and anti-Westernism and plunge the world into strife for years to come. This isn't idle speculation. Kent first reported on Afghanistan in 1980, soon after Soviet forces invaded the country to subdue mujahedin guerillas. A decade later, NBC News sent him to Dharan, Saudi Arabia, to cover the impending war with Iraq. That's where Kent became an instant celebrity when, in January 1991, he reported live on an Iraqi Scud missile attack. With his dashing good looks, as well as his stylish Italian leather jacket, the media dubbed him the "Scud Stud." After the Gulf War, Kent continued to report on the Middle East and Afghanistan. In June 2001, three months before Sept. 11, PBS aired his film on the Taliban's brutal rule, "Captives of the Warlords." A few weeks ago, his show on the History Channel, "History Undercover," interviewed U.N. weapon inspectors about Saddam's arsenal. So, who are these "dark forces?" Our leaders. Kent harbors no love for Saddam Hussein. He considers him a tyrant who has starved his people for the past 12 years while buying even more weapons. But the 49-year-old journalist fears that the Bush administration's heavy-handed foreign policy toward Iraq will have devastating and long-lasting repercussions. "These people appear to be doctrinaire political fundamentalists," he told Salon during a recent interview in New York. "I think the Bush administration proceeds at its own peril." In the city for a few days to film shows for the History Channel, Kent strode into the lobby of the midtown Omni Berkshire Place for our interview looking precisely the part of a broadcast TV journalist: navy blazer, a light blue shirt open at the collar and pale gray trousers. Even in the middle of a long winter, he had a slight tan. Only a few gray hairs at his temples hint at how much time has passed since he became the Scud Stud. To have some privacy and quiet, Kent suggests we talk at a corner table in an empty dining room. We barely sit down before he launches into his criticisms of Bush's foreign policies. Clearly, he's agitated about the imminent war. [continued ...] salon.com

To: portage who wrote (14882)	3/19/2003 2:50:16 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

All-American protesters Editorial The Chicago Tribune Published March 18, 2003 Not since the Vietnam War has the American public been so divided about the prospect of a military engagement, or so resoundingly vocal about it. Beyond the tens of thousands who have taken to the streets to demonstrate, millions more argue and disagree and freely express opinions in smaller groups, at home and in public. In many countries, including Iraq, such vocal dissent could get you jailed, if not killed. Even after more than two centuries of democracy, there's still an uneasy undercurrent among some Americans that such dissent is somehow disloyal. A few days ago, an airline passenger who had two "No War with Iraq" signs in his suitcase said a federal transportation security agent who opened his luggage inserted a handwritten note. It said: "Don't appreciate your anti-American attitude!" Whoever slipped that note into the protester's luggage is profoundly confused. Dissent is not anti-American, or unpatriotic. Quite the contrary. What is happening today in America--fierce, vociferous, even to some, offensive, debate over war--reflects the robust health of our democracy. The U.S. appears likely to go to war. At that point, if the past is any guide, much of the American public will close ranks behind its soldiers. Dissent may subside a bit then, but many who feel passionately that the war is wrong likely will continue to speak out. Let's hope so. America stands for the defense of the opportunity to speak freely, to express an opinion and not to be muzzled either by fellow citizens or the government. On Sunday, the Tribune introduced readers to Fran Johns, mother of Robert Sarra, a sergeant in the Marine Corps. While her son is in Kuwait awaiting orders, Johns sends him packages and a constant stream of e-mails. And she does something else that sets her apart from many military families: She marches in anti-war rallies, holding a sign that says: "Marine Mom Against the War." Halfway across the globe, her son understands. "I know my mom is protesting the war," he said. "It doesn't bother me. She's doing it for the right reasons. She's doing it because she's worried about me and the other guys out here. So how can I object to what she's doing?" There's a lesson in that for every American. Copyright © 2003, Chicago Tribune chicagotribune.com