Subject: Brilliant Canadian journalist, cf. Suzanne Goldenberg, Guardian
Date: Sun, 2 Dec 2001 12:07:57 -0800


 Sunday » December 2 » 2001

Speaking the truth can be politically incorrect

TOMMY SCHNURMACHER
Montreal Gazette


Sunday, December 02, 2001

The president of the United States must be very careful choosing his words.
Ever since George W. Bush made the mistake of describing the war on terror
as a crusade, his handlers have tightened the reins. If Bush wishes to speak
about Osama bin Laden and his followers, "evil-doers" is the only term he is
permitted to use.

If White House staffers weren't so eager to be politically correct, they
would allow their commander-in-chief to use a more accurate description.

Bin Laden isn't Roman Catholic. He isn't Jewish. And he's not from
Afghanistan. He is an Islamic fundamentalist from Saudi Arabia.

That's not an opinion. That's a fact.

Evil-doer?

You might think it's obvious bin Laden is no more than a demented religious
fanatic who encourages the mass murder of thousands of innocent people to
further his xenophobic agenda. You might even be convinced the man must
surely be reviled by everyone.

Think again.

In Monday's Toronto Globe and Mail, an article by Peter Cheney from
Islamabad notes "millions root for him as he plays his lopsided game of
cat-and-mouse with the forces of the United States."

Cheney's article contains a revealing comment by Pakistani athletic coach
Aftab Chaudhary. Apparently, the former Asian champion in the 110-metre
hurdles sees bin Laden as a philanthropist.

Chaudhary said, "America calls him a terrorist. He is not. He is a hero. He
gives to the poor. He is a great man and a great Muslim."

The United States was the victim of a massive terrorist attack on Sept. 11.

Since then, we have seen countless demonstrations, not against the
perpetrators, but against the United States and its campaign to dismantle
the Al-Qa'ida terrorist network. We have yet to see a single mass
demonstration against bin Laden anywhere in the Middle East, or anywhere
else, for that matter.

It might be politically incorrect to point this out, but it's true,
nonetheless.

There's no need to go as far away as Islamabad to see the victim ignored
while the villains are praised.

On last weekend's edition of the CNN show, The Capital Gang, political
pundit Robert Novak was scolding Israel for having launched an attack that
killed a top Hamas military leader described in some quarters as a
Palestinian activist.

Activist?

Maude Barlow is an activist. Jaggi Singh is an activist. They are concerned
and eloquent people who will speak out, demonstrate and organize protests
against policies with which they disagree.

The man who was killed was already responsible for the deaths of dozens of
Israeli civilians. A master bomb-maker, he had trained numerous Palestinians
to blow themselves up while killing as many Jews as possible.

Panelist Margaret Carlson described the man as a terrorist, to which Bob
Novak replied, "Well, why do you call him a terrorist? I mean, one man's
terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. ... They're trying to get their
own land."

When Carlson replied, "Bob, you're the only person who would call Hamas
freedom fighters."

Novak replied, "Oh, no, people all over the world do."

People all over the world also see Osama bin Laden as a freedom fighter
who's trying to get the United States out of Saudi Arabia. How would Novak
react to those who want the United States to negotiate with Osama bin Laden
and Al-Qa'ida?

Americans killed Indians and are still occupying their land. Does that give
Indians the right to kill American teenagers at pizza parlours to get their
land back?

While Novek chastised Israel, he still has a soft spot for Iraq and hopes
the U.S. administration will not attempt to remove Saddam Hussein from
power.

We seem to have lost perspective on what really happened on Sept. 11. A
terrorist network of 19 Arab hijackers murdered thousands of people whose
only sin was showing up at work.

But the world is so confused that one of the callers on my radio show last
week saw no difference between Osama bin Laden and George W. Bush.

The U.S. military might soon kill or capture "freedom fighter" Osama bin
Laden. If they then turn their attention to the despots who run most of the
dictatorships in the Middle East, they might well strike a serious blow at
international terrorism.

On the other hand, if they heed the pacifist advice of Bob Novak and
company, they will open themselves up to the work of state-sponsored
"evil-doers" who will pick up where Mohamed Atta left off.

- Tommy Schnurmacher is heard weekdays 9 a.m. to noon on CJAD 800 radio. His
E-Mail address is tommys-AT-total.net.

© Copyright2001 Montreal Gazette








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