We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.

Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

A message to the international mass media

Here, reproduced as it was sent to us, is an open letter to the international mass media by a very worthy website in Spain regarding the horrific and vile attrocity carried out by Marxist terrorists in Madrid yesterday that has resulted in the murder of at least 190 civilian commuters and the injury 1,200 more. The only comment of mine that I will add to what follows is that I share the author’s outrage completely

To the international mass media, ETA is not a Marxist-Leninist terrorist group but a “Basque separatist group”. The magnitude of the 3-11 attack has not changed their narrow sighted style. This is particularly poignant in the case of the US media. After Spain’s support of the American war in Iraq, the coverage by American media is still worthy of a band of ignorants who keep scorning this Spanish bleeding tragedy.

Thus, to try to stop such indecency, I have sent the following brief email to Fox News and CNN. Let’s fill their inboxes with our anti-collaborationist clamour!

I want to express you my most strongest complaint for your horrible coverage of the massacre in Madrid. You name ETA “Basque separatists group”. That’s awfull and infamous. ETA is a terrorist group, as it is recognized as such by all international institutions and developed nations, among them, the USA.

Do you think we should call Al-Qaeda “the resistance”? Has Spain been with the USA and UK in its struggle against international terrorism to deserve that kind of insult?

I am very disappointed by this dishonest style. It is just miserable.

Juan Ramón Rallo
From Spain

Mass media where to send the mail

CNN
Foxnews
BBC
WallStreetJournal
New York Times
Reuters
Associated Press
Washington Post

12 comments to A message to the international mass media

  • FoxNews is reporting that the Spanish fuzz found an arabic tape in a van. No details yet.

  • They also report that detonators were found in the van.

  • ellie

    MSNBC & CNN arenow reporting the arabic tapes, etc.

  • James

    “Has Spain been with the USA and UK in its struggle against international terrorism to deserve that kind of insult?”

    That statement makes no sense to me. It’s as if he thinks what the US media says about a group or country is the official position os the US government.

    Does Spain hava a mostly state run media? that could explain his error.

  • annoyed

    jesus christ. james, he is clearly lambasting the media pricks who will not call a terrorist a terrorist and he thinks that the spanist states actions warrent a bit more consideration for the spanish victims of sometjing really terrible. fact is that there actually is a government in spain who was on the side of the good guys against al qaeda, the taliban and saddam, so just as many people (on this blog, for example) have pissed on the media for not calling arafat or osama bin liner a terrorist (‘activist/rebel/dissident/fighter’ or whatever), this guys is saying the same for when a bunch of marxist motherfuckers murder a bunch of common people in spain. is that so fucking hard to understand?

  • Julian Morrison

    ETA have no excuse. They’re living in an ethical and wealthy democracy, they are in no way persecuted (prior to committing terrorism and murder anyhow). Their actions merely harm their supposed cause.

    Conclusion: they aren’t after freedom, they’re in it for the power. It’s just another sordid coup attempt.

  • Eric

    Those who commit such atrocities thereby deny their own humanity and become merely things: dysfunctional, unnecessary and dreadful things. As such they deserve only to be used; having denied their own humanity they lose all human rights. They have lungs, kidneys, hearts [in the purely anatomical sense] etc. The transplant programme is short of material. Take the components, throw the rest away. Use anaesthetic only if it will improve the quality of the product.

  • I wouldn’t be so quick to assume that ETA had no involvement in this. All this Al-Qaeda related “evidence” may just be red herrings intentionally planted by ETA to lead investigators off the trail. Even if it isn’t, it could well be that ETA carried this out hand-in-hand with Islamic terrorist organizations.

    The timing of this outrage is just too close to the March 14th elections, and there simply have been too many foiled terror attempts by ETA in the last month alone, for me to buy into the notion that ETA had no involvement in this massacre whatsoever.

  • Julian Morrison

    Eric, don’t be stupid. You’re talking like a five-year-old in a grudge tantrum. Learn this: use evil, and you’ll become evil.

  • Whoever did this, and whatever the merits of their cause, this is an unspeakable and evil act and the perpetrators deserve to die slowly and painfully. In cases like this, whether or not you have a real grievance is not really the point. Many people have real grievances without responding by killing hundreds of innocent civilians. (Of course, some people who do things like this are apocalyptic fruitcakes, too. But I don’t think this makes much difference as to the evil of the act).

    My sympathy goes out to the people of Spain. This is indeed terrible.

  • Jeremy

    No grievance real or imagined ever justifies the deliberate targetting of civilians.

    Sometimes, in war, it’s unavoidable. But to deliberately do it is flat out wrong, period.