Apparently, you choose to ignore or are unaware of the Robert Fisk disclosures
about Pearl's journalistic and political affiliations.

[log in to unmask] wrote:

> I don't like to be sour in writing these posts, but I have to observe that,
> somehow, chomskyites engage is selective attention, which blocks out facts
> that are unwelcome. Your post seems to be the result of a case in point.
> The reality is that the statement made by a kidnapper and widely quoted was
> as follows: "He was killed because he was anti-Islamic and a Jew." There was
> no mention of a previous accusation that he was CIA. As I have explained in
> an earlier post, given Daniel Pearl's personal and professional situations,
> he would have been insane to be a CIA collaborator. What could be clearer?
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Martin W. Smith" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 2:32 AM
> Subject: Re: [CHOMSKY] Well? Where's the indignation?:-)
>
> > "D. Simmons" wrote:
> > >
> > > It's been days and not a peep out of the chomskyite faction concerning
> the
> > > treatment of an American Jew held prisoner by the Islamic 'Freedom
> Fighters'
> > > of Pakistan. No demands for the Red Cross (or even the Green Crescent)
> to be
> > > allowed a visit? Oops! That's right, they would only have a bodiless
> head to
> > > speak to! That wouldn't do.:-)
> >
> > Who are you talking about?  I haven't heard anything about an American
> > Jew being held prisoner.  Why did you tell us this person is a Jew, and
> > an American, instead of telling us the person's name?  What difference
> > does it make to you that a prisoner is Jewish or American?  After all
> > we've written here, why would you still think Americanness and
> > Jewishness would matter to us?  Can you tell us more about this person?
> > The only prisoner I have heard about in the news is Daniel Pearl.  He's
> > dead.  I assume he was American, but I don't know if he was Jewish. But
> > he had the weight of the State Department, the CIA, the WSJ, CNN, the
> > Pakistan police and who knows what other institutions working on his
> > behalf, so I don't know what more we could have done.
> >
> > >   Oh well, I guess we have to keep in mind that these 'Freedom Fighters'
> have
> > > legitimate grievances against the imperialist forces of evil descending
> upon
> > > their peaceable kingdom.
> >
> > I don't think anyone referred to these people as freedom fighters,
> > although since Ronald Reagan and George Bush used the that label to
> > refer to the terrorists in Nicaragua, I suppose we must concede your use
> > of it use here.  IT still seems obscene to refer to killing civilians as
> > freedom fighting though.  Nevertheless, Pakistan isn't a kingdom,
> > although it does have a dictator at the moment, whom the US is
> > supporting with big dollars and arms shipments.  But some of those arms
> > shipments are just the fighter jets we sold to the previous, corrupt
> > regime that the current dictator overthrew.  I suppose he's a nice guy.
> > He seems ok.  But, lest we forget...
> >
> > A dictator's a dictator
> > No matter how small
> > A dictator's a dictator
> > After all.  -- Horton T. Elephant
> >
> > Maybe he will allow the people to vote soon.  I hope your message isn't
> > meant to imply that anyone here advocates terrorism against the US.
> > That would mean we really aren't communicating.
> >
> > martin
> >
> > --
> > Martin Smith               email: [log in to unmask]
> > Vollsveien 9               tel. : +47 6783 1188
> > P.O. Box 482               mob. : +47 932 48 303
> > 1327 Lysaker, Norway