Rant on Journalistic UN-Integrity

The front page of the Edmonton Journal featured the picture of a dog that had been stabbed twice by his depressed owner. The front page, the page in the paper that is supposed to house the big stories.

It is not just the Edmonton Journal either. It is most mainstream newspapers, radio, newscasts...actually most media. Don't get me wrong. I am not picking on the dog, but I gotta tell you it is truly frustrating and disappointed to see how day in and day out the really important stories seem to be left out, or if reported on, tend to end up in the side column on page 36.

I was "surfin'" the net yesterday and came across pictures and stories of depleted uranium and its effects. Then I came across pictures of babies born to both civilians of the areas in which it was used, and from American GI's from the Gulf War (see image). Now why was I barely aware of this? I have got to tell you, if more people were aware of how these weapons affected people...children..then there would be more of an outcry against armed conflict, especially those fought under false pretenses, or for money and control, and not out of necessity. These pictures were horrific and depressing, but most importantly, they are reality, the reality of today.

Earlier I had asked my readers to give me their point of view as to why the United States never did enter into the Ottawa Convention to Ban Landmines. They have the biggest stockpile of them in the world. Now the only way that they could justify having this stockpile is if they plan to use them some day.

They also use cluster bombs despite the outcry from the international community about their dangers and inhumane nature. There are more people killed and injured in Afganistan from remnants from cluster bombs than from landmines. Why is it the United States, the most influential country in the world, isn't the one taking the lead on this. And why is it that there is only a limited outcry from its own citizens. The biggest "problem" is that we do not have to deal with the repercussions of our actions at home. Not in a concrete manner as they do in the countries that these criminal assaults take place.

The numbers of Iraqis that have been killed since the beginning of the war has now reached the hundred thousands. The outcry against the war, although growing, is not growing for the most part because of the innocent that are being slaughtered, or the innocent that are being held and tortured without charge, but because the growing rate of American soldiers killed.

The one thing that did seem to get the attention of people in the United States was the events of 9/11. The incredible response that was in large part used to justify the invasion and occuption of Iraq. Remember the weapons of mass destruction link to terrorism and so forth.

Considering the amount of violence and hardship that the United States have inflicted on a great portion of the world, it is almost surprising how little violence that the United States has had to deal with itself within its own country.

Certain people speculate that anger in the Islamic world is gaining momentum due to seemingly small and insignificant events such as that of caricatures, and the release of the film "Valley of the Wolves",they are being completely mislead. These events are made significant due to the history of abuse and violence that has been inflicted on them either directly or indirectly by the United States.

I would like to find just one person who could prove me wrong on this assumption. I am sure that there are those that would outright deny these claims with no proof, or try and justify these events with reasons of spreading freedom and so on, but that doesn't negate reality.

Soon reality is going to bite us in the ass, and deservedly so. I don't want this kind of destruction and horror in my backyard, I have a family who I love more than life itself, yet I too believe in a global existence. I don't feel that I deserve more than any other person on this earth. I do believe in equality and human rights.

We, in the western countries over consume to the demise of faceless people all over the world. We take for granted our position in the world and abuse it to the extent that we have grown into a heartless society of greed and consumption. We DO NOT deserve life more than all others, let alone to the demise of all others.

Something needs to be done, and I believe a significant step to be made would be for the mainstream media, as influential as it is, to take the right way, and report the truth of war. Dumbing down the issues, and mis-informing the public only does an injustice to society as it leaves us complacent and without compassion for our fellow human beings.