You know, it's that type of statement that probably causes all this confusion. With the exception of Al Qaeda, no one else took up arms (which is how they got labelled extremists) until after the U.S. invasions (they didn't believe the actions of Al Qaeda justified U.S. occupation of their lands), and even Al Qaeda argues the invasion of Palestine is where this all began. It's kind of like breaking up a fight between your kids. You ask each child what happened and together, they reply: Well... he started it!
The other problem I have, what upsets me about all the 'extremist' reporting is their tendency to lump all these different groups together. When New Orleans went into a state of chaos, everyone lost control. It wasn't just the thugs ripping off plasma TVs, the cops were doing it too! But western media knew there was a big difference between thugs and cops and they made major ratings for reporting the difference... Cops getting caught stealing was big news! But they don't distinguish between fighter groups in Iraq. That's one of the problems Zarqawi was trying to address in his last video. He identified them as:
The first kind is the one trying to attach themselves with the Mujahedeen, although they never lived the Mujahedeen life...
What he was talking about were groups who called themselves Mujahedeen (borrowed the cool name), but didn't behave like the Mujahedeen. In short, local thugs and other Mujahedeen wannabes who lacked moral fortitude and discipline. Their actions were diectly responsible for tarnishing the reputation of the Mujahedeen in the same way Private Green ruined the reputation of the U.S. soldiers by commiting acts of rape and murder.
Add to this, western media continuously attaches every horrific act onto the name of the Mujahedeen, even events that turned out to be caused by American operations and other militias, and voile... dangerous reporting! The pen becomes an effective weapon in the War on Terror. But this is a manipulation. I have to ask myself why I could land my butt in hot water for printing a few simple facts to shed some light on certain subjects, or creating more desirable image files? I can honestly say I don't particularly like my government pointing their weapons at me in order to try and control what I have to say. Did you know for instance, that everyone who opposes the War in Iraq are named in a DB of potential subversives? You can get paid good money for saying something for the Iraq War but you can go to jail for saying something against it... or... how did they put it? Promoting the cause of a known terrorist organization (only because their cause happens to be against the Iraq War)?
Ninth Scribe
