"Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons." Bertrand Russell

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Who's agenda?

Dear Ms Kennedy,

Friday's opinion piece outlines Hamas' options, choose either hate or reconciliation. Unfortunately the writer's interest in documenting the historical record is exposed in the last sentence, "[t]he real worry is that there may be no point in asking Hamas to change because the Palestinian people voted for an agenda of hate - not negotiation."[1]

Hamas have been and may well continue to be a organisation which utilizes aggression to cause political reaction, however, consecutive Israeli governments have been equally if not more committed to policies of aggression. It is therefore clear "Israelis have voted for an agenda of hate, not negotiation." Would any journalist supposedly committed to accurate reporting, that aims to avoid pitfalls such as shock tactics, make this statement?

Yours sincerely,


"Since 1989, readers can make contact with their representative in the Editor's Office to act on their behalf - seeking corrections or clarifications or explaining why none is warranted, as appropriate."[2]

1. http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/opinion/
2. http://www.ireland.com/about/p_intro.htm

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