Letters to the Editor, October 10, 2004

Opinion piece on call screening at C-SPAN

Rules of Engagement: Getting past screeners of the “Live Call In” Media By Terry Thurber (Al-Jazeerah, October 7, 2004).

I have been calling into talk shows in the U.S. and Canada for many, many years. The method for avoiding censorship is quite simple:

1. If the caller is known and "useful" to the host, the caller should be candid with the screener.

2. In all other circumstances, the caller should ask himself: What does the host really want to talk about? Give the screener a softball version of that comment such as: "I just wanted to say that I agree that ... are terrorists who don't deserve human rights." Once on the air the caller then brings up the real question with no possibility of interference. (other than an abrupt cut off of the call, which is something I have never had occur.)

Robert B Breeze

Salt Lake City, Utah (USA)

No WMD

I see that Bush, Bliar and Howard feel no need at all to apologise for the horrific bloodshed they so enthusiastically unleashed in Iraq - precisely I guess because they knew that, unlike N Korea, it had no WMD and posed no threat.

I doubt this attitude will be of any comfort to those who have suffered loss and injury through this illegal, immoral and unnecessary conflict.

Phil Hong

No Logic

"The world is a safer place now" - (after invasion of Iraq) is what the president said..... When the reason for invasion is not valid - never has (NO WMD) - and they even admitted it. So how could it have been unsafe before ???? When Sadam had no WMD in the first place. He was no threat to the world.-

It makes no sense if anyone thinks logical. (Besides: we all know since the US invasion and war - the world has been much more unsafe and unstable and Iraq is a mess ! Tens of thousands murdered and the country poisoned with depleted uranium).

What does he tell the GI`s over there now - for what reason were they sent to Iraq ??? "Sorry, you guys, I had started a war for no reason - but stick around, its a safe country over there now, forget the ones killed, they are in heaven now".....Doesn´t the majority want to know ???? (the "aware" people have known from the start !)

Angela Badelt, Germany