I have not missed all the outpouring of displeasure from fine netters, not just the recent ones, but from months and years back, about how orgs. like MASS, or Assam Watch and individuals who shall remain nameless, play 'unfair' by reporting only on human rights violations caused by the police or the military against civillians, some of whom might be ULFA sympathizers or even supporters; but say nothing in support of the violators, or do not report on victims of ULFA's acts of war; intentional or otherwise.
So I thought I will attempt to sort the issues out and see how netters feel. And just as I was getting down to it, Saurav posted his fine note explaining, like he always does, in great detail and with immense credibility, the nuances of the issues involved. But let me touch on a few sidebars anyway: UNFAIR: I find the charges of unfairness on the part of MASS or Assam Watch curious. It would be UNAIR for an entity like Red Cross to be partisan in a conflict. They have committed themselves NOT to take sides, because if they did, they could not fulfill their mission. MASS is not Red Cross, nor is Assam Watch. I am sure as individuals, Red Cross members do hold opinions about right or wrong in a conflict. But as an org. they uphold a neutral stance and do not advocate a particular set of outcomes, as if they are not interested. Are Assam Netters in general, and complaining netters in particular, NOT interested in a specific outcome in the conflict between ULFA and the Indian Govt., and its extension, the Assam Govt.? Are they merely disinterested bystanders, seeking a fair and peaceful resoultion to the conflict, regardless of who wins and who loses? We know the answer to that, don't we? And since we do, the charge of unfairness is, in its essence, a childish one. It is also a typically DESI response, which we see in all the outcry from the offended at anyone who criticizes or challenges the government - 'the controlling power' as Saurav points out, and brand them with choice epithets like 'liberal','commie', 'anti-Indian', 'anti-Hindu' and the like. That is why in the subject heading I chose to qualify the angst as DESI ANGST. In the next one , MASS,ULFA and DESI ANGST-II, I will look into what the real issues might be here, if it is not the fairness of reporting issue. cm _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam
