This is a letter that I wrote to Lyn Brown, an anchor on Good Day New York, a morning show here in New York that is similar to the Today Show or Good Morning America.


Dear Lyn Brown:

I am writing to you because there was no e-mail address for Ernabel Demillo on the Good Day New York website. This morning during the broadcast, Ernabel referred to the people that killed the contractors in Fallujah as "the barbarians." Now, I know that the show is scripted and I don't hold anything against any anchor person for doing her job. I do feel that referring to the Iraqi people as "the barbarians" is racist and irresponsible of Good Day New York.

I would like to express how much I enjoyed watching this show in the morning. The chemistry between everyone is infectious and I start my day off with a smile. Unfortunately I feel so offended, I don't think I will be able to watch the show anymore.

To say the words, "the barbarians" invokes the same sentiment that the European colonizers believed about the Native Americans. It means that the Iraqi people are not civilized, they are less than, and they are "the other" in the way expressed by Albert Memmi and Edward Said in their numerous works. Given the unraveling events surrounding our invasion of Iraq, I think that oppressive commentary on an oppressed people should be left out of the dissemination of world news. If these Iraqi people are not as civilized and human as we are, then their lives are not as valuable as Americans. It makes it that much easier for us to take revenge and not try to understand the social and political circumstances that welcomed this atrocity. It is irresponsible of the media to promote hatred and racism, however subtle it might be. Instead of calling the Iraqi people names, why don't we discuss the truth about what is going on in that country? Where is the outrage at the deaths of Iraqi civilians? There is none because apparently to the world of Fox News these "barbarians" are just sand savages. Good Day New York should focus more on spreading tolerance and to have a little bit of cultural sensitivity. What we consider to be civilized may not be in the eyes of the rest of the world. The Native Americans practiced guerilla warfare too, and look how sympathetic history looks upon them now. I would like to state that I am in no way in support of violence or warfare of any kind. What happened to those men was a nightmare and my hear goes out to their family. I would hate for their deaths to be used as fuel for the fire of hatred, racism, and war.

As an anchorperson, maybe it would be wise to censor the writers of the show and refuse to say things that are inflammatory and offensive. I am sure that you and the rest of the talent on the show have a strong ethical foundation. You do seem like decent people and would understand my perspective.

In conclusion, I am greatly disappointed in Good Day New York. I am aware that dealing with viewer complaints is not part of your job, but I am hoping that you will forward this to the appropriate person.

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Yesterday I wrote that the U.S. was not listening to the Iraqi people to see what they wanted to do with their country. Here is a great essay that is on Commondreams.org and is printed in The Nation regarding this point. Let's Make Enemies: Paul Bremer has Unveiled a Slew of Tricks That Allow the US to Hold on to Power in Iraq After June 30.
It has a lot of interesting points that I alluded to yesterday, but most importantly it shows that the pro-US Iraqi's are disappointed in the United States and heart broken over the world we have plunged them into after they cheered in the streets upon our arrival. Remember how happy they were when we arrived last year? It's time to ask ourselves why there was such a complete turn around in their feelings towards Americans.

It also shows that the person doing the crappy job is Paul Bremer. If there is anyone who is responsible for the deaths of the 4 security contractors it is that man. He has failed to do an adequate job of securing the country and providing a viable means of restoring order to society after the fall of the Hussein-orship. In addition, he has made economic gain of foreign corporations his priority instead of the safety of the people he was assigned to protect and care for. He created a desperation in Iraq and desperation lead to a lynch mob.

[In a small side note, yesterday I wrote how Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said troops didn't respond for fear of ambushes and the possibility that insurgents would use civilians as human shields. "A pre-emptive attack into the city could have taken a bad situation and made it even worse," he said. Before we come down on the Iraqi police for not stopping the mutilation and burning of the corpses, lets remember that the US Marines were outside the city and did nothing also. They were afraid just like the Iraqi police. Also, I have one question for the public, is it really considered a "pre-emptive attack" if you are responding to an assault on civilians? Isn't that considered a defensive action?]

In this brilliant article, Naomi Klein also explains how the US occupation is going to be a never ending process due to a loophole in a UN Security Council Resolution and how "the Iraqis can deal with their decrepit hospitals all by themselves, complete with their chronic drug shortages and lack of the most basic sanitation capacity. (US Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson revealed just how low a priority this was when he commented that Iraq's hospitals would be fixed if the Iraqis "just washed their hands and cleaned the crap off the walls.")" Please check out this article, it is worth the five minutes it will take for you to read.

I resist feeling like things are becoming hopeless and we are all just bricks in a wall. I know by reading this you will discuss it with people, you will spread your outrage and that outrage will turn into action. It's a long, painful process but it can be fixed if we just wash our hands and clean the crap off the walls.

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