------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Jan. 16, 2003 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
EDITORIAL: DON'T BELIEVE IT Whoops. That's how casually the FBI ended its manhunt for five Middle Eastern immigrants whose photographs it had posted on its Web site under the "war on terrorism." Turns out it was fabricated. Just a hoax. Bureau officials blame it all on a suspect they had in custody--a suspect--who they say concocted the tip. How can anyone confirm if that's a lie, as well? If the person does exist and did give them a false lead, were agents terrorizing him? Was he being tortured for information he didn't possess? This is no innocent blunder. Photos of the five men of color were published in newspapers and broadcast around the world on television screens. They weren't computer simulations--they are real people put in harm's way by the FBI. The incident ratcheted up racist profiling by the government, aimed at creating fear and suspicion of Arab people. Much hoopla was made in the media about doubling the police presence in Times Square on New Year's Eve based on the "lead" about these five men--who had done nothing. Why should anyone believe anything emanating from White House, FBI front office or Justice Department media conferences? All progressive-minded, clear-thinking people need to be on a different kind of alert: Propaganda alerts. If it sounds like war hype, don't swallow it! When Bush and his generals are finally ready to launch a full-scale attack on Iraq, a "Gulf of Tonkin" pretext may appear everywhere in the media, reported as news. Dissenting voices will be drowned out in the blitzkrieg of lies to justify a war by the imperial power with the most weapons of mass destruction of any country in the world. Don't believe anything they say. Instead, visit www.workers.org for the truth, or the www.internationalANSWER.org website to find the anti-war protest nearest you. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe wwnews- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
