About the use of white phosphorus in Fallujah, American forces had embedded reporters from many backgrounds and nationalities in Fallujah who didn't see any of what was "reported" a year later by an Italian communist TV station. Of course, the terrorists had their own members and sympathizers covering their activities. The current misreporting that the military use of white phosphorus is illegal is just one of many such instances you see in the European press.
At any rate, there seems to have been a moral equivalence drawn between the forces -- it is bad for the American forces to demolish enemy forces using the usual and customary means of warfare, whereas it is OK that the terrorists kill huge numbers of Iraqi civilians -- and Jordanians, and Egyptians, and Indonesians, and Indians -- and conduct their activities without following any of the rules of warfare. They practice torture, beheadings, assassinations and bombings of civilians in mosques, markets, and schools, with no need to answer to any court of law or of world opinion. On the other hand, the stupid actions of a few soldiers at Abu Ghraib, which did not amount to much more than a fraternity initiation (actually less, because sometimes college students die in the initiations), are treated as if all civilized society had ceased. And some unfounded allegations about Koran disrespect at Guantanemo were treated as the equivalent of The Holocaust. Hell, in Saudi Arabia the Bible is confiscated and burned if you try to bring it with you for your own private worship. A crucifix is not allowed. In Denmark Muslims want artists killed who drew their impressions of Mohammed. In Britain piggy banks have been banned in some locales, and children's books with pigs on the covers have been removed from schools and shops. And yet, we're the intolerant ones?
The idiots who mistreated the prisoners at Abu Ghraib were tried and punished. The bastards who bomb and behead have to fear being caught or killed by us, but not being punished by their own leaders.
In Britain, George Galloway is treated as a hero, because he talked tough (and lied under oath) to Congress. All the evidence showing the Oil For Food money that flowed to him, to his wife, and to his "charity" doesn't seem to make a difference to America haters in Europe. In fact, in Europe we are considered the terrorists, and the jihadists are "freedom fighters." According to Europeans, Iran doesn't really mean it when its president calls for the elimination of Israel, and as the Iraqis democratically vote for a constitution and their leaders, the first Arab country to have free elections, the US is said to be there to take over Iraq, and steal all the oil. I wonder, has anyone noticed that, after over two years in Iraq, Iraq still has the oil and we could sure use more ourselves?
I also wonder it they notice that, until the Iraqi elections, Israel was the only nation in the middle east where an Arab could be democratically elected to office? In fact, Israel had more Muslims serving in democratically elected positions than all the Arab countries combined. And Arafat had more money in Swiss bank accounts that the Palestinian Authority had to pay its "peacekeeping" forces.
A lot of Oil For Food money flowed from Saddam to officials in France, Germany, Russia, and the United Nations. Guess who wanted to not invade Iraq, and who wanted to continue the sanctions that kept the Oil For Food bribes flowing?
To see how even "respected" news organizations like 60 Minutes attack us and Israel, go here or Google "Pallywood" and click on the first link, "The Second Draft." 60 Minutes producers and presenters were either duped by the Palestinians, or were willing accomplices. Either way, it doesn't say anything good about one of the biggest stars of the main stream media. And of course, in Europe the Palestinians are the peacelovers, and Israel and America are the warmongers.
It seems the world is upside down, like Alice through the Looking Glass, and college students cheer for dictators, and jeer those who fight for freedom. They demand academic freedom for an art plagiarist like Ward Churchill, who called those killed in 9/11 "little Eichmans" who deserved their fate. At the same time, the academic community, champions of diversity, virtually excludes conservatives from academia -- one liberal professor said conservatives weren't smart enough to be college professors. In the name of freedom, colleges practice political correctness -- students now have the right not to be offended by someone disagreeing with them, if that someone is conservative. Being opposed to affirmative action is "hate" speech. Or abortion. Or homosexual marriage. If you oppose these, you are both a hatemonger and a bigot.
In conclusion, much of the world believes the worst of the United States, facts be damned. Maybe it's because we have been too successful. Certainly, when a nation with five percent of the world's population produces over a third of the world product, and is the place where more people in the world want to live than any other, it does generate a lot of envy. Many people want to see us taken down a peg, not because they think they know a better way to run an economy, or live in freedom, but because our success annoys the Hell out of them.
That's something it's hard to apologize for.
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