Re: Breaking News

Yet another semi-hoax (or at least unsubstantiated opinion) appeared on a right wing news service where they interviewed an engineer who offered his opinion that the U.S. was going to drop nuclear weapons on Afghanistan. On the one hand, I believe the U.S. government might conceivably do that some day, but this particular article offered no evidence.

 

 If people, especially anti-imperialist people, start to spread that rumor without having something more to go on that just the opinions of one guy who is totally unknown and whose expertise is night vision devices!, it could discredit the anti-imperialist forces. We should be careful about spreading silly rumors. "Devil theories" are not only silly, and not only make the advocates of those theories look silly. They also undermine the serious job of understanding what the social processes are that create these disasters. It ends up preventing people from exploring who, and what kind of political-economic system, is really to blame.

 

 

Alan Spector

 

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----- Original Message -----

From: Michael Pugliese

To: wsn@csf.colorado.edu

Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 8:12 PM

Subject: Re: Breaking News

   I agree with Sabri. In the last few days, I've seen two outrageous conspiracy theories which originated on far right lists I lurk on when I have the time, have their slimy conjerctures that this was a Mossad and/or USG plot, get spread on the Solidarity list and the Socialists Unmoderated list of the SPUSA. A few minutes was all it took to find on usenet and far right listservs on yahoogroups.com that they originated with the fascist nutters in the militias or other mileaus on the hard right. Yes, Mossad has done some nasty shit over the yrs. The repression of the Palestinians must end. But, why this instant leap to judgement based on unsourced e-mails (remember the CNN faked footage contro too).

   Going to the English webpg. of the TV station I get this. Doesn't make me feel that this report is true. And one way to check how many empl,oyees this company had is to check the tenant lists on the net of the WTC towers. Check corporate data on business websites.

Michael Pugliese

on. If it turns out to be in error, those who spread it will have their credibility damaged, making it easier for the war mongers in Washington to discredit the critics, and then carry on their attacks.