Pandora's Box

This weekend's Newsweek story alleging that the Holy Koran had been desecrated by interrogators at Guantanimo Bay is the latest example of News organizations institutional bias against the Bush Administration and the U.S.'s war on terror. Newsweek's haste in reporting this story has enraged Muslims worldwide and caused rioting and deaths in Afghanistan.

It turns out now that Newsweek's source cannot be proven and the magazine is now beginning to moon walk faster than Michael Jackson. Despite the fact that Newsweek is backtracking they will not print a retraction. This smacks of journalistic hubris of the highest magnitude. Newsweek and other left leaning news organizations have become so focused on bringing down a twice elected president, that they have lost sight of what they are supposed to do, help to defend the constitution by informing the people of what government is doing.

Yet because of an institutional media bias permeates the mainstream press to such a degree that I honestly believe that they do not realize their ridiculous bias against Conservatives and traditional values. They have become so blinded by their hatred of President Bush and his policies that they refuse to report stories when liberals are involved.

But what is more disturbing is that it seems that the liberal media has become so blinded by this hatred that they rush to press with any story that helps to damage the Bush Administration without first checking and confirming sources. It has been going on for years and culminated with the 60 Minutes piece about Bush's guard duty that was later discredited. And now again the liberal media is at it again with this story. While the National Guard story could have affected the election, this story has had global consequences.

But the question is whether or not a retraction will be heard by the Muslim world and be accepted as false. This story has, by the White House's own words, damaged America's image in the eyes of Muslims all over the world. Al Jezerra and other Arab news outlets reported on the original story but have not reported Newsweek's backing away from the story. Al Jezerra has basically become the propaganda arm of Al Qaida, and I doubt even if Newsweek does print a full retraction that Al Jezerra will relay that retraction to the Islamic world. But even if they did I don't think that many Muslims would believe the report.

Islamic culture has for decades fostered a general disdain and distrust of anything that comes from the West. The Islamic religion, while propped up as a religion of peace by the mainstream press, is really just the opposite. They look at Christianity not just as a sin but rather an abomination. Muslims call Christians "Infidels." Fundamentalist Muslims blamed the West for the corruption of their religion. In summary, Muslims generally hate non-believers. They consider them lesser people. So for a story to originate from the land of the infidel that purports desecration of something held so deeply sacred would understandably infuriate Muslims. A full apology and retraction (which Newsweek has yet to publish) amounts to little more than closing Pandora's Box after all sorrow had been released into the world.

Before the US just had Fundamentalist Muslims declaring Jihad, now more moderate leaders are declaring Holy War against the Infidel.

Thanks Newsweek for unraveling US foreign policy with such a well researched story.