Indo stirs up a bit of fear

national | arts and media | opinion/analysis

Monday August 14, 2006 05:58

by Majik

ourmaninvan at yahoo dot com

Sunday Independent stirs up a bit of fear with sensationalist and incorrect reporting.

The Sunday Independent's 13/08 edition has a full front page spread that deals with the current 'Terror' alert and the implications for Ireland. It goes on to state that one of the suspects that is currently held in London spent time here in Dublin. The story goes onto state security and emergency inplications if the alleged attack took place, considering Irish airspace is a primary transit area for trans-atlantic flights.

In an attempt to stoke up a bit of controversy, the Indo states Irish intelligent services are under resources. It also states that bomb squads, emergency services could not cope in the event of such attack.

However the coup de grâce was a lone paragraph sandwiched between all this sensationalist journalism. It read:

" The only two aircraft destroyed by bombs in flight, Pan Am 103 in December 1988 and Air India 182 in June 1985, were both destroyed within 100 miles of Irish airspace."

This as most informed people will tell you is an utter lie. Considering the matter-of-fact way it was stated, and the emphasis placed on it, as it stood as a lone paragraph, points to an effort by the unnamed journalist to hammer home this false fact.

There have been over 15 documented and verified instances of in-flight explosions which have totally destroyed aircraft, the most recent of which included the near simultaneous destruction of two Russian airliners by Chechen suicide bombers in August 2004. Other notable instances include the destruction of Korean Air flight 858 in November 1987 by a liquid, yes liquid bomb. Liquid bombs are not a sly new threat by terrorists. The list goes on and includes Cuban, American and European airlines.

To state that the only two aircraft ever to be destroyed in flight did so in or near Irish airspace is tantamount to fear mongering. In this climate of government induced fear it would be prudent of this newspaper to verify its facts and publish a correction. To mis-inform and confuse the public is a main aim of those engaged in war, last time I checked Ireland was neutral state.

I sent a version of my above comments to the editor. I wait.

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=...14484

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Airliner_bombings

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Comments (3 of 3)

The Bogus Terror Plot.

by Terence

Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:14

The so called terror plot last week that occupied most of the media from mid week onwards to the weekend appears to be totally bogus. It harks back to the so called "ricin terror plot" in 2003 when we had 2 or 3 days of saturation news designed to hype up the fear. Of course the media forgot to tell us that all those arrested for that were never charged and no ricin was found. It was just harmless pepper.

Likewise with the latest terror plot. There has been no actual evidence produced. Apparently most of those arrested didn't even had a passport which for Muslims in the UK would certainly take months to acquire. All the reports are hersay and from "security sources".

Indeed the biggest piece of "evidence" presented was from a man arrested in Pakistani by the police and we should remember Pakistan is a dictatorship despite whatever gloss Bush and Blair like to give it. Police interrogation methods are not pretty there and you can be sure that under intense questioning and pressumably after several beatings and other torture this man like anyone else in that situation will say anything to get out of the situation he was in. Nope, this story last week was full of full faced lies and inneundo.

What we do know is that it comes at a time when the popularity of the Bush and Blair are very low. The Iraq war is going badly and the latest venture in Lebanon by Israel but most definitely given the nod by the USA as documented by Seymour Hersh shows that the practice run for Iran wasn't going to go well in the polls either. (See http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14540.htm ) It was time to get out the old 9/11 photos, hype the fear and make some very implicit gestures that opposing the war is the equivalent of supporting terrorism. This whole episode is truly frightening and is more about trying to justify ever more draconian police state measures. We should be all very worried.

For a good critique of this bogus farce, see the link below

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by DM

Mon Aug 14, 2006 11:44

that that anti-arab, right wing and pro-zionist crap can inhabit the front page shows that paper has gone another step worse.

more crap from the independent

by hopesfire

Mon Aug 14, 2006 10:34

this is another example of the right wing paper printing more crap,. One just has to read it to see it is anti socialist and anti republican. But i suppose the old farts who ruin this country still need there paper to read.

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Indo stirs up a bit of fear

Comments (3 of 3)