You help make this website’s letters page one of the most erudite and provocative on the web. Here’s a couple of simple, powerful emails that proves the point that readers out there know as much as anyone paid to pontificate for a living. Here’s one about blogging:
The folks at the NYT and any other major news periodical or network don’t see the change that is happening. It is gradual change, but change. I’m 36, Andrew, and haven’t watched a nightly news on a network in I don’t know how long. I rarely even pick up a newspaper anymore. All my news comes from the cable news and the Internet. Blogging, what you and others are doing so well, is liberating to both the author and the reader. That idea of liberation would scare the hell out of the high and mighty if they were able to recognize it. They won’t. But over time, how and where we get information will continue to evolve. We aren’t going back to the elitist old way. I know I’m brighter and more thoughtful than most of the columnists out there. And there are many others like me. We are starting to patch together the news the way we want it. Not the way it is delivered to us.
I think he’s right, and that the blogging revolution is in its mere infancy. Here’s another simple point contra-Bob Wright. Again, I think it speaks for itself:
The thesis of the arguments from the left appears to be that American policy is the reason for Islamic hatred of the US. However, to the more balanced observer, the reasons for Islamic hatred of the US is fueled more by the unrelenting and clearly unbalanced information being fed to the Arab masses by their governments, media and mosques. To the Arab observer restricted to Arab news sources including Al Jazeera, all they see is apparent Israeli killing of largely Palestinian operatives committing, in the process of committing, planning or ordering terrorist attacks. However, the targets in these attacks are referred to as martyrs or worse, civilians by the Arab reporters. Israeli civilians killed in pizza parlours, wedding receptions and bat mitzvahs are ignored in the Arab media which instead glorifies the “heroism” of the martyrs who committed the terrorist deed. When you have populations who largely disbelieve that Arabs committed the WTC bombing and believe that Jews were advised to stay home that day, what kind of rational policies can you implement that would satisfy them. Should not the left be concentrating more on seeking reform in the Arab countries that rule with an iron fist and channel their populations anger by creating the images of a barbaric US and Israel. Furthermore, does the left not see that this incitement is the root cause for the hatred against Israel and the US. Would not Syrians be happier not living under the despotic rule of Assad or Iraqis happier not living under the tyranny of Hussein? Similarly, what is to gain by having the Saudis remain in power? Moreover, how can the left overlook the intolerance and hatred being preached in the mosques, particularly in countries where Islam is the dominant religion? To me, the problem is intolerance and hatred from the Moslem world, not US policy or Israel’s policy of self-defence.
Another exercise in the bleeding obvious that you won’t find represented too exhaustively on many op-ed pages. Keep those emails coming.
The Dish 