It is my position that we have a real communication issue here in the West. How ironic in the days of technology and the internet.
Americans, we are at a pivotal stage in our nations history. On Tuesday, May 27th, 2003 I posted into the American Intelligence Forums (CIA Section) an unclassifed excerpt from the “National Intelligence Estimate”. This is published by the CIA, and it is one of many sources ALL of our Nation’s leaders have always used to evaluate the security situation throughout the world. The NIE is updated constantly, and is presented to both the White House and all of the intelligence committees in our Congress.
This is the data the Bush Administration used to formulate it’s polices regarding not only Iraq, but it’s entire Security and Defense Policy. The general public is kept from seeing large portions of the NIE for issues of national security, but the entire document is presented to our Government as a whole, and it’s authors are brought before congressional committees to question it.
Last October, the Bush Administration presented a resolution to Congress asking for the authorization to use military force, if necessary, to compel Iraq to get rid of its biological and chemical weapons and disband its nuclear weapons program. The House approved the resolution by a strong 296-133 and the Senate vote was 77-23. The Legislative and Executive Branches of our Government based their voting decisions on the same intelligence the Bush Administration did. These are the facts of the matter.
Why is the media not questioning every single Congressmen and Senator, and how they voted, in the same manner that they are head hunting the Bush Administration? Simply because the Bush Administration created the policy? Our Goverment does not work that way. The fact is, through “social contract”, they are all responsible.
And now, we find the ourselves in a debate over alleged uranium purchases from Niger. We know that in the 80’s Iraq and Niger did cooperate in nuclear development. We also know that France has deep ties with Niger. We know that someone, somewhere, was distributing forged documentation to the Italians. We hear very little regarding these facts from the media at large.
The UK stands behind it’s assertions that it is basing it’s positions on Iraqi attempts to obtain uranium from intelligence sources other than the forged documents; and the UK has clearly stated the intelligence it shared with the USA is not based on the forged documentation, nor did the UK submit this forged documentation to the IAEA. Again, we hear very little regarding these facts from the media at large. Who is responsible for this bogus documentation? Seems to me, that would settle this whole problem. Where are the media head hunters on that?
We also have the intrigue of David Kelly, the UK micro-biologist, swept into controversey by the BBC. David Kelly has already testified before Parliament once, and he testified a second time, just last week, days before his apparent suicide.
Last Tuesday, Mr. Kelly testified before a joint committee in the UK House of Commons. Kelly stated: “I believe I am not the main source,” Kelly told the committee Tuesday(07/15/03) “From the conversation I had, I don’t see how (Gilligan- BBC Reporter) could make the authoritative statement he was making.”
By all accounts, David Kelly was a mild mannered scientist serving his country. He was forced into a media feeding frenzy by the BBC who obviously misquoted him, or at best, quoted him out of context. Why? Print and ad-space baby.
In Kelly’s mind, his reputation in UK government circles was ruined, along with his career. And by all appearances, he killed himself.
It is my position that we have a real communication issue here in the West. Ever since Watergate, the media has assumed a role of “Watchdog”. But our nations Forefathers had already settled this issue with “Checks and Balances”, within our Constitution. The Government is not above questioning, but I do not recall one thing in our Constitution giving the media the responsibility of a check.
The system is setup to clean itself. It’s not perfect, but obvioulsy, neither is the media! I will never use the BBC as a reputable source ever again.
And the recent events at the New York times with Jayson Blair are indicative of deep world media problems. How many Jayson Blair’s are there in our media?
The American people vote on who represents them in our Nation’s Government; our votes support or cleanse the system.
Who determines who becomes our nations news editors and reporters? There are no institutional checks on the media. We have to take them at their word.
The check and balances on the media are simply you and I, and the newspapers we buy, and the news programs we watch and listen too. Be wary Americans.