After listening to NPR this morning and its tepid defence of Newsweek, I decided I needed to write them a letter in support.
Following in the Extended Entry is the text of the letter. I think we need to muster every bit of moral support we can to counter the Mighty Wurlitzer that's hitting them right now.
Subject: Stand up to the White House!
Hello,
First of all, I am a subscriber, and have no intention of canceling.
This whole brouhaha about the desecration of the Koran at Guantanamo Bay is simply ridiculous. The White House asserting you have "Blood on your hands" reminds me about the Biblical quote where Jesus says "Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not see the log in your own eye?" (or some similar quote depending on the translation) considering the Downing Street Memo (vastly underreported in the U.S.) where the Bush and Blair Administration decided to go to war regardless of evidence, costing tens of thousands of lives.
And it's not as if this information wasn't out there. Published reports have been circulating for months from former detainees about the ongoing abuse. Of course, in the eyes of the John Q. Public, these former detainees have zero credibility, so it was the addition of your (sadly backtracking) inside source that made it a big deal.
Now, how to continue. Someone in the main-stream media has to stand up to this bullying White House, like the Washington Post did to Nixon. Time Magazine won't do it. The Washington Post won't do it. CNN won't do it. Fox News will join in the bullying. So, what better opportunity is there to show the hypocracy endemic to this administration than what has been handed to your magazine.
I suggest a detailed timeline, starting from the first published reports on down. Certainly mention that your magazine showed the article to the Pentagon, and no response was made. Make it painfully obvious that this is nothing more than yet another ham-handed attempt (a la the Dan Rather memo incident) to intimidate the media into never criticizing the Bush Administration.
Thank you,
James Hulsey
Florissant, MO
I've never been an activist, but this administration is turning me into one. Please, all of us need to write and support Newsweek in this fight. The address is WebEditors@newsweek.com.
