Media Monitors Network (MMN)

"We should feel pity for the person we've seen on TV, but we should feel the same pity for all of the others in the same situation who are not seen, and whose names are not known."

"There is a system flaw somewhere as otherwise this should have been an immediate disqualifier for promotion to their present rank, how can anyone in this Army, which has seen the 1971 Indo-Pak War, 1973-1975 Balochistan Operations, 1983-84 Sindh Anti-dacoity operations, Siachen (ongoing since 1984) and Kargil (1999), be promoted past the rank of Major without having heard a shot being fired in anger?"

"Iraq's already huge debts and its plans to take out more loans for reconstruction are likely to subjugate the country to further stringent terms and conditions by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, which are notorious for taking control of economies of borrowing nations."

"Let’s not forget that India’s soft tone and tenor is motivated by its ambition for the UN Security Council membership. It cannot obviously seek support of any-one as an aggressor and arrogant nation."

"With Jerusalem already ringed by Jewish settlements and settlers steadily creeping into the eastern sector, it is no surprise that Palestinian residents of Jerusalem are squaring their shoulders for a new demographic battle. Many are optimistic that in spite of the odds stacked against them, they have “steadfastness” on their side."

"At the centre, the Prime Minister is busy trying to please the communists that keep growling about the process of reforms. These communists oppose the same reforms that their mentors in China are implementing rapidly. These same communists are democratically elected and the ‘people’ have given them the right to rule with their outdated ideas."

"The First Victim was a 47 year old disabled man. One Day after the 4 Year mark, there has been 3,342 Palestinians killed since September 28, 2000."

"...if the right of return and the right of choice is accepted, it will open many possibilities for the refugees to choose from. The movement of refugees depends on many factors related to the social, economic, cultural and identity spheres. The return of refugees does not mean that the whole refugee community will move."

"In a hyper-charged election environment that requires a show of progress in correcting the intelligence failures of 9/11, the Bush administration is supporting the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission to create the new post of national intelligence director. But the White House is adopting the chaff of the commission’s recommendations and discarding the wheat."

"...for moderate Palestinians an acceptable final status peace agreement would involve a relatively symbolic return of, say, tens of thousands of refugees, coupled with agreed language regarding UNGAR 194 that could be understood by the Palestinian national movement as Israeli acknowledgement of guilt, or blame, or shame, for having created the refugee problem in the first place. Many Israelis understand this as a demand that Palestinians be awarded psychological compensation in the form of an Israeli admission that Israel was "born in sin"--that Palestinians were "right" and Israel "wrong" in 1948. That is not what UNGAR 194 is all about. That is not what Israel is all about."

"...things are constantly demanded from the Muslim community by the anti-Islamic brigade of Richard LittleJohn, Kilroy-Silk, Polly Toynbee, David Aaronovitch and the likes. They have now conveniently become mute or silenced by their fear of being labelled as an anti-Semite. The final result is: ‘victims are portrayed as aggressors and the real aggressors are portrayed as victims’."

"The Al Aqsa Intifada is a disaster for Israelis and Palestinians as it hits its fourth year with no significant advances, no real agreement in sight or an end to the violence."

"The escalating crisis in Chechnya, and the deteriorating situation in Iraq, suggest that both the U.S. and the Russians are still considering such an agreement. For Bush, the advantage of Russian help is obvious. Even though the polls seem to show increasing support for the President, these do not translate into stability in Iraq before the elections here or there."

"The Israeli government’s initiative for unilateral disengagement is already heading for derailment. Its failing points are built into the plan itself – unilateralism."

"...the motive for such revisionism might also be to create myths about the origins of certain groups that substantiate their claims to special entitlements, exceptional needs, and superior status above other human beings."

"...Bush will not retreat from Iraq and Afghanistan. Why? Because he is not occupying these countries. By ‘liberating' them, he has ‘fulfilled God’s mission under the “Manifest Destiny.”

"The UK has the second highest teenager pregnancy rate in the Western world. Over a million young Americans have already taken the Silver Ring Pledge. The British Humanist regards it the latest cranky Christian concept from America and has the full support of George W Bush with one million dollars as part of his campaign to replace sex education."

"The catastrophic success of the neo-cons in escalating America’s unprofitable conflicts in the Middle East to a war of civilizations should create serious questions in serious minds about the national origin of their neo-conservative ideology."

"...Hizballah has also acted independently of Syrian and Iranian interests, not always responding to Syrian demands. As peace negotiations between Syria and Israel opened in early 1996, Syrian wishes to calm down the Israeli-Lebanese border were initially heeded by Hizballah, and the Syrian government even started to speak openly about dismantling Hizballah. Not long after, however, Hizballah reinitiated incursions across the blue line."

"The image on Western televisions of Palestinians as terrorists and victims was seen differently in Arab homes. The growth of the Arab satellite landscape ensured that the day-to-day life of the Palestinians filled the screens. But Arab television coverage produced another stereotype of Palestinians."