|
An
Open Letter to the New York Times
October 1, 2001
by
Frederique Sol
Has the White House contacted you yet regarding William Safire's
article, "All is not Changed?" If not, grab a sweater
and be prepared for the cold shoulder from Ari Fleischer,
the self appointed, Media Czar.
Mr. Safire's article states loud and clear what many of us
in this country have been saying since September 11, the very
agencies that were supposed to protect us, the Justice Dept.
and the CIA failed. Mr. Safire's forgot to add the airlines
themselves, who were too lax, cheap and worried about their
stockholders' return.
I, personally, will not get on another airplane until every
plane has an Air Marshall on it. Fail me once, shame on me,
fail me four times, shame on you. George Tenet, should be
fired, regardless of how George Bush feels about him. What
happened to the Captain always going down with the ship?
Whether you knew someone or not, every person in this country
has been affected by this horrendous act. Forever, these images
have been burned in our minds. Normal people at work on a
typical morning , could have been me, could have been you.
Assuming, our government was on the ball with regards to their
safety was their biggest mistake that morning. Wasn't the
first attempt on the WTC enough warning ?
We are now in the process of having Freedom of the Press
violated by Mr. Fleischer.
Bill Maher of Politically Incorrect got a reprimand, Tom
Gutting, a columnist was fired because of a column he wrote
criticizing Bush for disappearing on September 11. Mr. Fleischer's
comments regarding Mr. Maher, "There are reminders to all
Americans that they need to watch what they do, and this is
not a time for remarks like that; there never is".
Conveniently, the WH transcript of him saying this at the
press conference doesn't include this comment. MSNBC reported
on their website that during the hearings on terrorism, as
soon as the ACLU and the People for the American Way came
up to testify, the Republicans tossed the television cameras.
Even C-Span's cameras were tossed. The next day, any mention
of the Republicans closing the hearing to the television cameras,
was removed.
Anyone need reminding that the press secretary for months
told us about the vandalism aboard Air Force One and the White
House when in fact there was none? How about the lie regarding
Air Force One being under attack? Sure, if you believed that
one, I have a bridge to sell you.
Media manipulation by the government should not and will
not be tolerated. The Press Secretary needs to take a good
long look in the mirror. If the left side has to be careful
of what they say, why doesn't the right?
|
