pbs = people's bullshit?
<< Mar 19, 2008 @ 18:59 >>
Dear Judy on NewsHour,
I was shocked and very frustrated to listen to statements made by some of Judy's guests on the March 19 episode of NewsHour, because they were not factual and went unchecked by other guests.
One guest made the comment that citizens of Iraq who were previously afraid for their lives because of Saddam Hussein can now "go out shopping." This is a ridiculous assertion given the level of violence in Iraq during the last 5 years. One million Iraqis have been killed in the 5 years of the current Iraq war versus the very aggressive estimate of one million Iraqis killed in the over 20 years of Saddam's reign. (And 500,000 of those one million were killed in the Iran-Iraq war, which the U.S. backed.)
Another guest questioned where the "blood for oil" argument comes from because the cost of oil is "at an all time high." Oil companies are posting record profits, with each year beating their previous year's record profits. The war has been extremely profitable for oil companies, and many United States politicians have significant ties, investments, or other involvement with oil companies.
Finally, a guest defending Iraq war spending made the assertion that the Constitution charged the U.S. government with providing national security, and then moved on to say that the government should be expected to tighten its belt when times are tough, not spend more. We are fighting the Iraq war using funds borrowed from Asia and other foreign sources. We are not being fiscally responsible.
me