--- Thiago Oppermann <thiago_oppermann at bigpond.com>
wrote:
> On 17/7/2003 1:10 PM,
> "lbo-talk-request at lbo-talk.org"
> <lbo-talk-request at lbo-talk.org> wrote:
>
> > --- Brian Siano <siano at mail.med.upenn.edu> wrote:
> >> On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 21:26:49 -0400 (EDT), Michael
> >> Pollak
> >> <mpollak at panix.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> The only people
> >> who could take this stance with anything like
> >> evidence were the actual
> >> weapons inspectors-- and even then, they had a
> whole
> >> country to search.
> >> Given what was known then, believing that WMDs
> were
> >> fantasy would have been
> >> pretty far-fetched. So, it was a bit disingenuous
> to
> >> fault the media for
> >> not suspecting that it was "all made up to begin
> >> with."
> >>
> >>
> >
> > You clearly share the bias of the media, that
> anything
> > the govt says is to be prima facie believed,
> > disbelieved only if refuted by clear and
> convincing
> > evidence. and the burden of proof si on the
> skeptic.
> > Seems to that that an honest and res[onsible
> media,a
> > nd a sane citizen, would exactly reverse the
> burden of
> > proof.
>
> Well, even Noam Chomsky also said, repeatedly, that
> WMDs were probably going
> to be found. I think it has surprised everyone that
> nothing has turned up.
> That certainly is quite amazing.
>
> As for the inspectors, they were careful to maintain
> that non-evidence was
> not equal to existence, but at the same time hid
> that under piles of
> verbiage so as to pressure the Iraqis. They were not
> foreign to political
> machination, quite apart from any influence the US
> administration might have
> sought to exert.
>
> More broadly, there is the question of whether WMDs
> would have justified war
> anyway. That's somewhat lost track of in this
> debate, and this gives certain
> people an air of insincerity. It's a bit rich to
> hope for months that there
> will be WMDs, and then feign surprise at having been
> sold the lie.
>
> Thiago Oppermann
>
> ___________________________________
>
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