Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Bloglines - CNN, Israel, and American public opinion

Left I on the News
A leftwing view of the day's news and the way it's presented in the media

CNN, Israel, and American public opinion

By Eli

This week I wrote:

I can hardly watch TV for 15 minutes without seeing an Israeli government spokesperson, and if I include American apologists for Israel, the time is even shorter.
Well, this isn't a scientific survey, but I think it's gotten even worse. Last night, flipping channels during commercials (I can't watch news all the time), I flipped past CNN twice. In both cases, in less than five seconds I was listening to an Israeli government spokesperson. Then this morning I tried again. 20 seconds later, there was Ehud Ohlmert.

There is incidentally, a very serious message in all this. Ask yourself why the Israeli government is putting so much effort into influencing the American public. I suspect you know the answer. It's because, probably even more than the Israeli public, it is the American public who hold in their hands the power to stop this war, to stop Israeli war crimes, by demanding that our government stop funding them (and stop providing political cover for them). Demonstrations this Saturday aren't going to do that, there's too far to go. But they are an important step. United for Peace & Justice wants you to call your Congressperson and the White House every day, and sign a letter to, of all people, John Bolton. Those things won't hurt, of course. But only massive public demonstrations of opposition to this war, as with the other ongoing U.S. wars, really have a chance to move public opinion, and in turn the government. Get out this Saturday to one of the national demonstrations being organized by ANSWER, or to whatever local events you can find.

Stand up! Speak out! Stop the war(s) on the world! [I really do need to update that graphic on the top of the page - with all the countries I managed to fit in, I didn't include Lebanon!]




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