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02/18/2002
Thank heavens for members of the mainstream media whose global perspective is so elevated! Consider, for instance, Peter Jennings. He informed us Friday evening, 02/08/2002, "I tend to see the United States through a variety of prisms." "I'm not one of those members of Congress or the leadership of the country who is proud not to have a passport, which I believe is utterly foolish."

This is the same high-minded globalist who is concerned that slack-jawed, knuckle-dragging Americans understand the difference between "nationalism" and "patriotism". He says that "campaigning against terrorism" means that we must recognize the "root causes of dissatisfaction around the world." And most importantly, he has pointed out that "Americans are pretty insular people for the most part."

His plug for the story, which aired Monday night, 02/11/2002:

"Gigantic demonstrations against the United States today. Millions of people do not like being referred to as evil."

Note Jennings' lack of insulation between the people and the regime. Leading into the story, Mr. Global Viewpoint declared:

"In Iran today, there were large anti-American demonstrations in many parts of the country. It is the 23rd anniversary of the Islamic revolution, which brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power. The current President, Mohammad Khatami, said the large turnout was a response to what he called U.S. insults and trumped-up charges against the Islamic republic. There has been tremendous anger in Iran since President Bush included the country in what he called an 'axis of evil'."

Jim Wooten, correspondent in Tehran, Iran, concluded the story:

"The puzzle, of course, is simply the struggle between an Iran that wants to do business with America and the other Iran, habitually hostile to the U.S. and now those three words, 'axis of evil', have given those who hate America another edge."

I wonder if Mr. Jennings is available to explain to these folk the difference between patriotism and nationalism? Do the Iranians understand the root causes of our dissatisfaction with their current regime?

But back to reality - and for that we go to Michael Ledeen of National Review Online:

"The largest estimate I can find of the crowd in Tehran is about 300,000, and while that may seem like a huge number to a Western journalist, it is appallingly small by historical standards. Over the years, the regime could generally count on a million or so enthusiasts, but the last time a million people demonstrated in Tehran, it was to demand an end to the regime, just a few months ago. Yesterday's mob was an insult to the regime, a further demonstration of its weakening grip on the Iranian people.

The story is even clearer when you realize that the regime knew in advance that it would have to work hard to fill the available space, and it pulled out all the stops to get bodies in place. . . And still the best they could come up with was about a third of the usual turnout. That should have been the headline, and that is a big story."

Begging your pardon, Peter Jennings! Your global viewpoint is badly distorted! It gives added meaning to the sentiment:

Here is the contact information:

ABC
77 West 66th Street
New York, New York 10023

Phone 212-456-7777
FAX 212-456-4292

World News Tonight contact page

Read more here:

MRC CyberAlert, 02/14/2002
MRC CyberAlert, 02/12/2002
The Great Iranian Hoax
MRC CyberAlert, 12/26/2001