[Reader-list] Top ten current oxymorons.

[Boud Roukema]

On Mon, 29 Oct 2001, rehan ansari wrote:

> > From: "zehra rizvi" <fatimazehrarizvi at hotmail.com>
> >From The Friday Times, Lahore

> > 3. American diplomacy

An alleged USAmerican criminal against humanity (for what happened in
Indonesia and East Timor), Richard Holbrooke, has very publicly
admitted (in the Washington Post) that what he calls "public
diplomacy" or "public affairs" is really just... propaganda!

So he wishes to brainwash "1 billion Muslims" in order to try to
have them support the illegal war against Afghanistan. Tough task.

Here's a radical suggestion that might convince 1 billion Muslims:
- publish the claimed evidence against bin Laden Jr, 
- accept the Talibans' offer to extradite bin Laden Jr to a neutral country for
trial, 
- stop bombing Afghanistan, 
- pay compensation for all the damage done there over the past 23 years, 
- and allow the UN to help pro-human rights groups like RAWA to help
set up a pro-human rights, democratic government

Much easier than propaganda. Much more ethical too. 

Here's one of the Talibans' offers, in case anyone missed them:
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011014/wl/attack_afghan_court_dc_3.html

14 Oct 2001
> JALALABAD, Afghanistan (news - web sites) (Reuters) - Afghanistan's
> ruling Taliban said Sunday militant fugitive Osama bin Laden (news -
> web sites) could be handed to a neutral country for trial if the
> United States provided sufficient evidence.
...
> Washington lost little time in rejecting the offer, which appeared to
> edge slightly away from earlier demands that any trial be held in an
> Islamic country.

Bad for propaganda purposes. Naive Muslims might think that "Washington"
does not want bin Laden Jr to go to trial in a neutral country. Only
solution: brainwashing of 1 billion people! 

I think you have to admire the sheer megalomania of it, the willingness
to insult the intelligence and personal experiences of a billion people
in order to justify bloodthirsty injustice. Goebbels must be green
with envy.

Here's Holbrooke's confession:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59981-2001Oct26.html

> Get the Message Out
> 
> By Richard Holbrooke
> Sunday, October 28, 2001; Page B07
> 
>     Call it public diplomacy, or public affairs, or psychological
> warfare, or -- if you really want to be blunt -- propaganda. But
> whatever it is called, defining what this war is really about in
> the minds of the 1 billion Muslims in the world will be of
> decisive and historic importance.
...