THE PUBLIC MIND: NETWORK COVERAGE CRITICIZED BY READER

Dear Editor:

Well it has started in earnest now just as I said it would back in September. The news media has begun their campaign to show their power over the American people and their elected officials. They were going slow before, cleverly giving the public just as much as they would digest of their left-leaning ideology. Now they seem to think the military should be forced into giving them their battle plans, for no reason than to boost their individual ratings.

Charles Kuralt's first direct attempt to scare us with that word "censored" was on a special segment of CBS news with Leslie Stahl. He made a statement that during World War II, they made sure that they didn't report any names of the dead before their families were notified, then they were turned loose to cover the war. Does he take us all for fools? Would he have us all believe that generals MacArthur and Eisenhower would allow them to telegraph their battle plans to Germany and Japan? Of far greater importance is that the reporters seemed to be on our side during World War II.

There seems to be little difference in any of the four major news networks. CNN's Peter Arnett in Baghdad is a prime example. His interview with Saddam Hussein was nothing less than insulting to this country and worse than Dan Rather's back in September. Can we believe that anything will be broadcast out of Iraq unless Saddam wants it that way? To give our enemy access to our living rooms is a power this irresponsible news media should not have. There is no fairness with the Iraqi government, and certainly no freedom of the press. The only reporters allowed in Baghdad would appear to be those that could be used to their advantage. I believe strongly in the First amendment but this is war, not some game staged for these powerful networks to compete for higher ratings.

Another thing is the way they go out of their way to pick up the smallest demonstrations against this war. Our local station is little better. They seem to miss no opportunity to hold up before the American people cowards, cry babies and hardship cases. Most of the hardship cases, (except for the National Guard and Reserve) existed before the crisis in the gulf.

Why don't they go to those brave wives and children around our military installations and show what our military dependents are really like. As for these demonstrators against this action; there are a few true patriotic Americans out there allowing themselves to be led by a group of professionals demonstrators. These very unAmerican people are out there at every opportunity no matter the cause. It seems that their only purpose is to change the American way of life to some socialistic idea that they perceive to be better.

To those honest American patriots, I would encourage to lobby their president and congress, but for goodness sake stay off the streets. I don't believe that you want to give comfort to our enemy, or be responsible for lowering the morale of our servicemen. To the rest I'd say: do your own thing. It's plain that you don't care about this cause or any other. You want to change our way of life and we think it's pretty good. You'd like to mold us into your narrow minded little philosophy of life. Well, you're such a small minority we'll try to ignore you.

Please I'm tired of hearing, "I'm for the troops but I'm against Bush and the war." Like it or not we are in war and your public demonstrations can only hurt, not help, the troops. What you say and what you do are contradictions. You've already been thanked by Saddam himself, through Peter Arnett. That should satisfy you.

It's kind of hard for me as it is for so many across this nation. I have a son in Saudi Arabia and naturally I watch television a lot in order to learn the latest events of the war. With all the latest state-of-the-art communications we are now able to see the bombs fall live. I am thankful for the up-to-date reporting, but not for the lies, the attempted breach of security, either contrived or accidental.

All the hardships and crying can only help to convince Saddam that we do not have the resolve to see this through. You see, he remembers Vietnam too. The longer he holds out waiting for us to break, the more lives will be lost on both sides. I cry too for my son and my comrades in arms, but I'll not do it for TV cameras before millions.

If those "more powerful than America" news gurus think that flashing the word "censored" at the bottom of their picture will get us all up in arms against our military, I've got news for them, it's not working. I was elated the other morning to hear Bryant Gumble say that he couldn't understand that a survey showed that 90 percent of Americans didn't mind that they couldn't show more. Three cheers for Uncle Sam and his true patriots. We will win this time in spite of the news media. It's encouraging to know that my fellow Americans do think past these mega buck news gurus and their managed news.

Give the American people a just cause and they will take on just about anything, including Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, Ted Turner and his bunch.

Hubert D. Murphy

MSgt USAF Ret.

Jackson