THE PUBLIC MIND: READER: SOMEONE SHOULD INTERVIEW THE INTERVIEWERS

To The Editor:

Here we go again. Another test of American courage and resolve. And, if I didn't know better, I'd swear American televised news media moguls are once again determined to undermine everything we're trying to accomplish. Take a closer look at what they're doing.

They give valuable and disproportionate time to dissidents, while interviewing just about any pseudo-intellectual nerd anywhere who will submit himself to an interview. They continue to ask loaded questions implying that our leaders are lying to us, distorting facts, omitting valuable information, and otherwise just not being totally "up front" with the American people. With subtle innuendo they just can't seem to understand why military and political leaders will not allow them to go everywhere they think they should be allowed to go, tell them everything they want to know, and show them everything they want us to see. With arrogant aplomb they carry Saddam's propaganda to the world with the assurance that everyone will surely recognize this disinformation for what it is. If there is no controversy, they will work hard to conjure it up. They seem to be busier looking for faults, weaknesses, falsehoods, and other shortcomings of our national leaders, than they're highlighting the evils of our enemies. And finally, if that's not enough, some of them don't seem to be content to report the news, they want to "be" the news.

There are some of us who live by certain principals of justice and morality. The right to fight for those principles is what motivates most decent people to go to war. Those who do not share those principles would prefer that the unprincipled rule by fear, force and tyranny. And the foolish idea that holding up two fingers and yelling "peace" means anything to a barbarian comes from the same naive dupes who would urinate on, burn, and otherwise destroy the American flag. Television news media producers seem to like these kind of people.

Maybe it's time someone interviewed the interviewers. e.g., "What is your sexual preference? Do you use recreational drugs? What political party do you belong to? What religion do you practice, if any? Upon what premise or document do you base your standards of right and wrong? Do you believe in God? Have you ever told a lie? Do you have any loved ones fighting in this war?" There's just one problem ... they always seem to be holding the microphone, don't they?

R.J. Browning

Poplar Bluff