US public awareness of terrorist facts

[shamrock_uk]

I just can't refrain from doing a post on American public opinion after watching the news, its almost depressing.

The 9/11 Commission report is finally complete, concluding that Saddam (and Iraq in general) had absolutely nothing to do with the attacks (as indeed most of the world is well aware).

But Channel 4 went out onto the streets in Washington and grabbed random people to ask them (and it really was random, they just grabbed people going about their business). Here is a little selection:

Every one of them believed that Saddam Hussein was behind the September 11th attacks.

One gentlemen said that Saddam had tried to assasinate President Bush(!)

Another lady said that Iraq had to be involved because it was in the Middle-East

All expressed complete amazement when told that he had nothing to do with it.

Perhaps they're not helped by the consistent lies coming out of the White House. Despite the administration going so far as to admit that linking Saddam with Al-Qaida is a 'half-truth', yesterday Dick Cheney did it yet again!

Can anyone remember when Osama bin Laden used to be the most vilified man in the States...has he just been forgotten? The public is fickle...and obviously the White House decided that the American's needed a new enemy to fear...


EDIT:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3812351.stm

Looks like Cheney was contradicting expert CIA advice as well in his comments. Why do you let go your politicians get away with lying through their teeth like this?

[ 06-16-2004, 02:55 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[Ronn_Bman]

Saddam did try to assassinate President Bush. President George Herbert Walker Bush.

[Dedzy]

Shamrock,
Of course it is entirely your choice, but I would ask the readers here not to stereotype all U.S. citizens as gullible fools. By the way, what was the point of this post other than to ridicule the U.S. public? It's not like we need any additional help.

I for one never associated Saddam Hussein with the 9/11 terrorist attack. Bin Laden himself said a few times that, and I'm paraphrasing here: as soon as the U.S. and other western interests were out of the way, dictators like Saddam Hussein would be overthrown.

[ 06-17-2004, 01:43 AM: Message edited by: Dedzy ]

[Timber Loftis]

By the way, what was the point of this post other than to ridicule the U.S. public?

None, of course. I had not replied because anything I said would be so full of bile. And, of course, we can't trounce any OTHER country on this forum, but US-bashing is a perennial main event sport. Do you think Channel 4 bothered to include the non-idiots in their "man on the street" interview? Bonus question: If they went so far as to do that (which I highly doubt), do you think they included any with reasonable viewpoints supporting the war?

Final question: If you answered "yes" to both of the above, are you interested in purchasing a nice bridge?

[John D Harris]

[quote]Originally posted by Timber Loftis:

Final question: If you answered "yes" to both of the above, are you interested in purchasing a nice bridge?

TL if you hang a Bush is Satan sign on that bridge you'll move it faster.

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

In general, younger people (especially college students) know what's going on. I was giving a lecture and asked for a show of hands... Almost nobody in that room thought there were Iraqis on that plane, despite what the surveys all said. It gives me hope for this generation. I guess it's not as dumb as I thought it was.

[Ronn_Bman]

Originally posted by Illumina Drathiran'ar: In general, younger people (especially college students) know what's going on.

In general people of all ages in the US, who pay attention to what is going on, know what is going on.

Those who wait to be spoon fed are the ones who will believe anything. It's not just that way in here though. There are people all over the world who are spoon fed their information, but their feeders are using a different spoon.