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September 14, 2001 | SW special edition

FRONT AND BACK PAGES

Don't turn tragedy into war
As people around the world were still grappling with the enormity of the human losses in the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., George W. Bush and his government were beating the drum for even more death and destruction.

Media's sickening racism sparks anti-Arab attacks
No racist scapegoating!
The media were full of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim rants in the aftermath of the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. And using the cover of sympathy for the attacks' victims, racists across the U.S. took the cue.

Thousands attend vigils to call for peace
While politicians clamor for war, thousands of people turned out for vigils across the country to mourn the victims of the attacks in New York and Washington--and to show their opposition to more violence.

INTERVIEWS AND REPORTS

NOAM CHOMSKY
"This will be exploited by the jingoist right"
With good PR, even the flimsiest arguments will carry some weight among a frightened public. In short, the crime is a gift to the hard jingoist right--those who hope to use force to control their domains.

HOWARD ZINN
"They perpetuate a cycle of terrorism"
The U.S. government is going to respond--and the media will sheepishly go along with calls for military action, increases in the military budget, which is exactly what makes terrorism inevitable.

NORMAN SOLOMON
"A media that invents history"
George Orwell's maxim is chillingly appropriate. He wrote, "Those who control the past control the future. Those who control the present control the past."

Witness to the tragedy in NYC
I work for UPS at 175 Water Street, about eight to 10 blocks from the World Trade Center. At 8:45 a.m., most us were hanging out at the air package center. My route is around 1 Liberty Plaza--across the street from the World Trade Center. But that day, the truck hadn't yet come down with our work.

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ANALYSIS AND BACKGROUND

The U.S. government:
"The greatest purveyors of violence in the world"
The U.S. government is reacting to the attacks in New York and Washington the only way that it ever has--by arming itself to ruthlessly impose its military, political and economic interests around the world. It is this history that explains why millions of people across the globe despise the U.S. government.

Truth is the first casualty of war
The U.S. government has a long history of manipulating the truth--even outright lying--in order to win public approval for its military adventures.

The real truth about Pearl Harbor
"This is Pearl Harbor for the age of terrorism," wrote one Chicago columnist about the suicide plane attacks. But the story behind Japan's December 1941 air assault reveals more than the media would like us to know.

How the U.S. backs violence against Palestine
Osama bin Laden topped the list of suspects--even though he denied any connection to the attacks. But politicians were quick to pin the blame on Palestinians as well--again, despite the fact that Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat and every Palestinian organization condemned the attack.

How the CIA trained Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden has been a favorite bogeyman for the Washington establishment for years. But if bin Laden is involved in terrorism, he was taught by the best--the U.S. government.

This special bulletin was written by Lance Selfa, Lee Sustar, Elizabeth Schulte, Eric Ruder, Paul D'Amato, Anthony Arnove, Alan Maass, Todd Chretien and Sherry Wolf.

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