No, Sparky, I don’t. You were th one to bring the matter up, and you are the one who continues to harp on it.
Regardless of what bin Laden wants, it’s clear that there is no treason here.
Thanks for playing, though.
Yes, Andros, it is very clear that facilitating the use of a terrorist’s tactic is not treason. Maybe someday it will be obvious why facilitating the use of a terrorist tactic could be considered treason.
Since, Philster, your position is that the government should control the media (I don’t think I’m being unreasonable in concluding that because of your use of the word “treason” in reference to CNN) the debate is more or less over, isn’t it? You’ve stated your opinion, pretty much everyone disagrees with you, end of story. You don’t believe in freedom of the press, and we do. That’s okay, I fully support your right to hold that opinion. But just as no one is going to convince you that you’re wrong, you’re not going to convince anyone that you’re right.
The question that isn’t settled is over what harm you think will come from the government’s not prohibiting CNN from airing a bin Laden interview under penalty of treason. Many people here have given examples of good things that might come of a bin Laden interview, and you haven’t given any examples of anything bad that might come of it.
I’ll be generous and say that perhaps you’re thinking that if we “give him a platform” then other terrorists will be encouraged to follow suit. But we’ve established pretty firmly that we’re not giving him a platform!!! He already has a platform!!! Several, in fact!!! People who commit/finance/condone atrocities are never given a platform, they take it by force, and there’s nothing we can do about that. Nothing except make our case to the Muslim world, most of whom have only heard his side of the story. You seem pretty sure we can’t win a hearts and minds battle. Why?
We’ve done precious little to prosecute the “propaganda game” so far. You want to surrender it without firing a shot, because he’s better at it (says you!). What about the fact that he’s wrong and we’re right? Doesn’t that count for anything?
:shrug:
Whatever.
SuaSponte, you do not have the right to quote me out of context.
Free Speech and all that, I’m sure.
Since, Philster, your position is that the government should control the media (I don’t think I’m being unreasonable in concluding that because of your use of the word “treason” in reference to CNN) the debate is more or less over, isn’t it? You’ve stated your opinion, pretty much everyone disagrees with you, end of story. You don’t believe in freedom of the press, and we do. That’s okay, I fully support your right to hold that opinion. But just as no one is going to convince you that you’re wrong, you’re not going to convince anyone that you’re right.
The question that isn’t settled is over what harm you think will come from the government’s not prohibiting CNN from airing a bin Laden interview under penalty of treason. Many people here have given examples of good things that might come of a bin Laden interview, and you haven’t given any examples of anything bad that might come of it.
I’ll be generous and say that perhaps you’re thinking that if we “give him a platform” then other terrorists will be encouraged to follow suit. But we’ve established pretty firmly that we’re not giving him a platform!!! He already has a platform!!! Several, in fact!!! People who commit/finance/condone atrocities are never given a platform, they take it by force, and there’s nothing we can do about that. Nothing except make our case to the Muslim world, most of whom have only heard his side of the story. You seem pretty sure we can’t win a hearts and minds battle. Why?
We’ve done precious little to prosecute the “propaganda game” so far. You want to surrender it without firing a shot, because he’s better at it (says you!). What about the fact that he’s wrong and we’re right? Doesn’t that count for anything?
Philster - I’m a US citizen, and I’m not yet convinced that Bin Laden is responsible for the WTC attacks. This is not like the OJ trial where there was ample evidence. We are simply being told by the current administration that he’s behind the attacks. There’s no evidence except that 19 Arab men were responsible. And leaders from other countries (like Britain and Pakistan) have their own motives for “agreeing” with us. Now, I’m NOT saying that Bin Laden isn’t responsble for other atrocious acts or that he’s not an evil man. But I just don’t know if he had a part in the tragedy. I don’t trust the current administration to tell us the truth about what they know (not that I blame them in this case). But it’s certainly no secret that Republican administrations have a tendency to flat-out lie about very important issues.
This is why freedom of speech is so important. I want to hear Bin Laden talk so that at least his point of view can be expressed. In fact, I really beieve that we should have given him a chance to speak before we started bombing.
It’s funny how we can be so afraid of an Arab terrorist spreading propaganga to brainwash others into becoming terrorists, when there’s a very strong possibility that we’re being brainwashed ourselves.
Sorry for posting that twice, but I really really mean it!!! :o
'Course I do, you damned fool (trust me, that’s in context). In the real world (you know, the one where all this is happening) the government hasn’t taken my right away yet.
A great weakness of mine - I keep trying to reason with people.
Did you read the article? Bin Laden gets his platform in the Muslim world in this instance, based on the fact that he is talking to al-Jazeera. The CNN questions are being piggybacked onto a videotape that will be shot, and will be aired by al-Jazeera in Middle East, regardless of whether or not CNN asks its questions.
To bad you’re a conservative, Philster. I think it would help you immensely to smoke a bowl right about now.
Sua
Why be afraid of an Arab terrorist? I’ll spare the eyeroll.
Philster, you seem to have a propensity for missing the point. You accuse Sua of quoting you out of context, and then immediately post this:
… completely ignoring the context of Jackknifed Juggernaut’s post. His point was that we are afraid of being brainwashed by one party but not by another.
Please, for those of us who have watched this thread with avid interest, waiting for you to support your own argument, please give a possible negative result of CNN airing the OBL interview. I’d like to see more than one, but considering that this thread is almost two pages long and you’ve yet to answer that question, I’m thinking even one might be asking too much.
/Quote: Please, for those of us who have watched this thread with avid interest, waiting for you to support your own argument, please give a possible negative result of CNN airing the OBL interview. /end quote/
I have not offered the notion that televising an exchange between a terrorist leader, at his prompting, is dangerous because of the fact that it is a terroristic tactic designed to fuel the Islamic Extremist movement?
Al Quada has been kicking U.S. ass for many years now. They have been calling all the shots, via terroristic acts and terroristic propoganda, and winning this war on every single front, hands down. You are underestimating the impact that results from forwarding Bin Laden questions from what is essentially the American News (CNN). It means alot to some Muslims that he is effectively controlling the dialogue (the answerer controls it, not the silent questioner), and coming out to respond to the American’s questions.
This is a front. The issue of Bin Laden calling the shots is a front in this war because it can only serve to stir up the people who are followers and the potential followers, there-by spreading the cancer that is Islamic Extremism.
Islamic Extremism has kicked US ass in various places througout the globe, and it is the defiant, shot-calling nature of Bin Laden that serves as a major threat to US lives. Denying that point is denying how this war is fought, and denying that you are prepared to understand that this truly is a new kind of war. His weapons are a bit more abstract, but they are brutally lethal.
We are here to defeat terrorism/ Islamic Extremism, and although we might facilitate OBL’s death, in the mean time we have magnified the support of Islamic Extremism 'round the globe by allowing him to call the shots.
He knows how to build his network. We should facilitate it, I guess.
Keep underestimating him.
Err, Philster, you missed the part where you apologize for taking someone’s words out of context.
Philster, never mind. Just forget it. If we’re too ignorant to accept that what you’re saying is true then why should you be bothered to provide evidence and examples to substantiate your point? After all, you already went to the trouble of posting a whole bunch of empty rhetoric. If that’s not enough to convince everyone of the truth of your assertions, I don’t know what is. When the Bad Thing[sub]TM[/sub] happens, then we’ll see how right you are, and how wrong we’ve been all this time. That’ll teach us.
Yes, you have. What you have manifestly NOT done is explain why we should accept this statement as fact. Evidence, please, evidence.
[The Dude]
Yeah, well, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.
[/The Dude]
Part of the reason the leaders of al-Queda are holed up in caves in Afghanistan is because no other country will have them. I hardly consider this pathetic band of wannabe dictators to be “winning this war on every single front, hands down”.
You, sir, are wildly OVERestimating the influence of CNN on world opinion. For one thing, most of this target audience that you are so afraid of doesn’t even speak English.
We know that. Knowledge is power. Lighten up, for heaven’s sake. Feel free to stick your fingers in your ears and shout “LA LA LA LA” if that makes you feel more comfortable. Just don’t expect the rest of us to join in.
Instead of being traitors, perhaps the CNN reps are being patriots. Have you considered that perhaps they are collaborating with the CIA…?
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CNN videotapes their list of questions on a standard VHS and gives it to bin laden’s rep. Now, here’s the key part: They punch out those doo-dads on the tape so that the tape can’t be copied. (Surely the Taliban supporters are too stupid to put electrical tape over the holes like my dad used to; but I digress.)
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Then they should insert a teeny, tiny tracking device on the videotape, so that when the rep delivers the tape to bin laden, our super-secretive satellite tracking systems can pinpoint exactly where bin laden is hiding.
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Then we could either send one of our A-94 (or is it C-45?) planes to blow up the entire god-forsaken (literally) place!
(Insert evil laugh)
P.S. I’ve got to stop watching “Alias.”
Umm, those tabs keep the tape from being copied over, not being copied from. 
Philster, airing bin Laden’s responses to questions posed by CNN is not likely to garner any more support for his untenable position – it’s more likely to have an opposite effect.
You are quite right.
It’s about freedom of the press. I think it’s wrong for them to broadcast it, but far worse for government to step in and tell them they can’t broadcast it. It’s poor judgment, but it really doesn’t help your case to a word like ‘treason’.
I would just like to say that if it is broadcast, we are not going to any closer to ‘knowing our enemy’. He’s gonna lie like a dog and preach to the converted. There won’t be any new information presented, Again, I won’t watch.
Joking aside, any videotape we get of Bin Laden may really help us to locate him. The US has already sent tapes of his last broadcast to dozens of geologists who are trying to determine what area of Afghanistan he’s in by examining the rocks in the background.
God, I love science.
Here, found it:
What if th government censors Osama? He probably will go to Al-Jazeera and say:
In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Benevolent.
Look at this great Satan America. They have so-called freedoms, including freedom of speech. But when it comes to hearing the Muslim women cry because an American bomb killed their children, she is ignored by America. When Israel assasinate our Muslim brothers in Palestine, America cheers with them. When it comes to listening the plight of the people of Islam, they try to censor our speech. They wants us to be silent, and die quietly.
We will not die quietly. We will not be silenced. I call on all my Muslim brothers to strike at this deaf and dumb country. Strike at their communication centers, for it is obvious that they don’t need them. Kill off their voices, as they try to kill off ours. I call on all Muslims to say to America, “In the name of Allah, we will not be silent. We will not die quietly. We will prevail against you, Great Satan.”