Safe and Sorry

October 23, 2002 Issue

By Erica Sagrans

Article Tools

E-mail

Comments

RSS

A nthony Gancarski, writing in CounterPunch, connects highway searches that cause traffic jams, the Bush administration's justification for bombing Iraq, and how the D.C. sniper is being used as propaganda to support the war against terrorism.

Gancarski has little sympathy for the hyped-up news stories of 'Sniper on the Loose.' Instead, he wonders if these newscasters "had never spent time in Southeast D.C., or had never seen two winos beating the hell out of each other...as neither of them looked to have anything left worth protecting."
The media and the government have instilled a palpable fear in us, Gancarski writes, and he questions what good the news is doing in making people so scared they won't go to the gas station for fear of getting shot on the way to the pump. Though the sniper incident could be interpreted as a flaw in our nation's security, it's instead spun as a justification for why so much protection is needed, just as other recent high-profile crimes have been used to explain why ever-increasing public surveillance is necessary.
--Erica Sagrans
Go there>>

Comments

Add Your Comment

You can use this comment form to enter your personal experiences or additional information and resources that you'd like to share with Utne Reader readers. Your helpful advice will be posted on this page. E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments. First time registrants: You will receive an email confirming your email address. Once you confirm, your comment will be posted. Questions about our comments policy? Click here.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Utne Reader?
Sign up to share comments.

Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.

Name*

Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*

This will be your login ID.

City	State	Zip Code

Password*

Confirm Password*

Have you signed up before?
Please log in before you enter your comment.

E-mail Address

Password

Forgot your password?

Comments

(Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)

Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.

READ

E-MAILED

DISCUSSED

First Name: *	Last Name: *
Address: *	City: *
State/Province: *	Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:	Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds. Canadian Subscribers - Click Here Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Safe and Sorry

RELATED ARTICLES

U.S. Citizens Join Call for International Nuclear Holiday

Tips for Teen Angels

How to Write a Personal Essay

The Dark Side of Soy

Comments

Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.

Your name appears next to your comment.

This will be your login ID.

Forgot your password?

(Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)

Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.

Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds. Canadian Subscribers - Click Here Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here