Saturday, February 09, 2008

Would the Raleigh N&O have published the "Fujita, grilled" letter?

Please read blogger and law professor Ann Althouse's post, Fujita, grilled?

Then be ready for a short quiz.

Althouse begins ----

The other day I disparaged the pathetic Madison, Wisconsin newspaper, The Capital Times, for its inane letter publishing policy. I must continue the theme.

On January 26, 2008, it published a long letter from area 9/11 conspiracy theorist Kevin Barrett. Excerpts, with my boldface:

I am out of a job because The Capital Times and other mainstream media outlets refuse to report the news....Along with hundreds of other scholars, engineers, architects, and former high-level military, intelligence and executive branch officials...,

I have pointed out that the official story of 9/11 is a ridiculous fairy tale....

Last week, the probable next prime minister of Japan, Yukihisa Fujita, grilled current prime minister Fukuda for half an hour about the controlled demolition of the World Trade Center and the staged events at the Pentagon and asked whether the Japanese police could arrest George W. Bush for his complicity in 9/11.

Why wasn't that front page news?....

[M]y reputation has been ruined, at least in the eyes of the fewer and fewer people naive enough to believe the mainstream media...

Today, we see this hilarious response:
Dear Editor:

I am Yukihisa Fujita, a Japanese MP who was mentioned in a Jan. 26 letter to the editor by Kevin Barrett.

I wish to correct two points in his letter:

1. I can never be the probable next prime minister because the prime minister of Japan has to be elected among Lower House MPs, while I am an Upper House MP! I do not have any position in the shadow Cabinet in the Democratic Party of Japan.

2. I never asked the Japanese police to arrest President Bush.

Yukihisa Fujita, Japan

Some things aren't in the news because — unexciting as it may be to the mind of the conspiracy buff — they didn't happen.

**********************************

Short quiz - - -

Would the liberal/leftist Capital Times have published the letter without fact-checking if it hadn't been a Bush-basher? I say no.

I don't think Kevin Barrett's reputation is "ruined." In fact, his letter very likely improved his chances of getting a responsible position in a future Clinton or Obama administration. What do you think?

The Raleigh N&O, for all its faults, would not have published Barrett's letter. Do you agree?

Message to Ann Althouse: Thanks for reminding us why sensible people wish the loony Bush-bashers really would move on instead of staying, and staying and staying.

Hat tip: AC

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

John: From my 35 years with Army and Navy intelligence and security agencies, I can tell you why all these conspiracy theories don't hold water. It is impossible for such a plot to exist without either a. someone spilling the beans, and/or b. screwing up the operation. We used to giggle a lot at the Kennedy conspitacists imagining that anyone in the FBI or the CIA could shoot straight or keep a secret. Folks, in the movies and TV these conspiracies are pulled off flawlessly. In real life, look at Carter's "rescue mission" during the Iran hostage crisis, or at Clinton and Reno's expert handling of the Waco incident. Then tell me Kennedy was assassinated by an FBI-CIA conspiracy or Dubya blew up the twin towers. Mentality of the Rosie O'Donnell degree can be convinced of these fantasies, but no rational person could possibly accept them.

Anonymous said...

Good Post 3:36 - Love the response from the Japanese PM. Keep those cards and letters coming.