NYTimes/Globe Continues to Endanger U.S. Troops

The NYTimes/Globe continues to endanger U. S. troops. It printed several stories in yesterday's paper which gave the impression that our citizens are not behind our soldiers.

This encourages the mistaken belief that we will withdraw our troops if Iraq can only make its resistance strong enough. The enemy doesn't realize that the killing of our troops by those pretending to be surrendering, only makes most Americans support the war even more.

On its front page March 21st, the paper continued to print a picture of anyone it could find who had a piece of cardboard and a pen. It pictured a bunch of Cambridge college boys on the Mass. Ave Bridge having a springtime party and closing a bridge.

In the lead story in March 23rd's "Ideas" section, a professor at the University of Chicago, Robert A. Pape, wrote about the countries that have opposed our war effort. He said, "Such widespread opposition is unprecedented in our country's history." The opposition countries he mentioned were France. Germany, Russia and China.

Would someone please tell Prof. Pape that China "opposed" our effort in Korea so much that after we pushed the North Korean invaders back to the Yalu River, the Chinese Army killed thousands of American boys who had been sent there by Harry Truman, with summer uniforms, to protect South Korea. (That's the same government that is still there and now threatening the world with nuclear weapons.)

Please tell the Professor about French Indochina which changed its name to Vietnam after the French gave up there.

It's no secret that over 30 European countries are solidly behind us. And all of the four countries he mentioned are aware that we will find evidence of weapons that they sold to Iraq.

In the "Globe West" section, March 23rd, there was a large picture on the front page of three (3) demonstrators in Sherborn from the Peace Abbey, a radical group which will demonstrate anywhere for anything critical of the U.S., particu-larly if the Times/Globe requests them to do so. It would be fascinating to learn how the Globe photographer happened to discover the three protestors.

The editor of the Editorial page, Renee Loth, was asked what is influencing their editorials on "anti-war protests and the pro-war lobby?" when she was at the Kennedy School of Government on March 17:

She responded that the primary influences are "the view of the publisher, the constituents who come to see us and the expertise of people in the [news] room," adding that this is one of the most difficult issues she has ever faced.

"We are not the War Resisters' Newsletter," he said. "Our position has been disarming Saddam is an important thing - we should do it. It's good for the region, and especially good for the Iraqi people. But we should do it with a large international coalition, and that has collapsed now."

Now, if only she can get the people who tell the publisher, i.e., those at The New York Times Inc. on West 43rd Street, to understand that, we can eliminate the pictures of the college kids who are looking for a springtime excuse to party on Mass. Ave.

Almost everyone will agree that a debate should continue about the war and whether we belong there. There are many conservatives and libertarians who are also concerned about the effect of this war upon our country. But most agree that the Globe is not helping that debate. It is repeating the Vietnam syndrome and sensationalizing this for its own purposes. This is guaranteed to stop any meaningful debate.