It is precisely this type of statement which is undermining the human rights of the people of Burma.

The statement dwells on the few negative aspects of the liberation of the Iraqi people to determine their own fates democratically, rather than the many positive aspects of the liberation of Iraq.
It is a strange world we live in where the World’s Democratic politicians stand in the way of Democracy, and liberals proclaim a liberation as being an occupation.

Saddam Hussein was a tyrant who was a threat to his people and his neighbors, and a destabilizing force in the region who sought to bring all Arabs and Moslems into a Holy War against Israel, yet he is now wistfully spoken of as if he were Bishop Desmond Tutu or Ghandi.

If the liberation of Iraq had been properly backed by the Democratic nations in favor of establishing Democracy in Iraq, that would have sent a clear message to the SPDC that they are not immune from World scrutiny of the overthrow and incarceration of Aung San Suu Kyi and her NLD Party.

The point of this article should be
“What has kept the Internet media from reporting on what has been going on in Burma for over half a century”?
or
How have so many people died in Burma decade after decade without the media even noticing it?
or
Why have the media kept so quiet about the slavery, ethnic persecution, rape as a weapon, destruction of food as a weapon, torture, and forced relocation in Burma for half a century?
or
Why have we not seen in depth reports on Burma which is the second largest heroin producing country behind Afghanistan, largest producer of methamphetamines in Asia, a major Asian human trafficking hub, and the rampant spread of AIDS/HIV and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis with no plans for treatment?

With all of this hoo-hah about the Internet being a source of the world finding the truth, over the past few weeks the major media outlets of CNN, FOX NEWS, and MSNBC have allowed the plight 2.4 million cyclone victims to literally fall off the radar screens. You will have to really dig deep to find any updates on Burma from these world leaders in truthful reporting.

The media rams the death toll in Iraq down our throats every 15 minutes, and ignores 2.4 million Burmese who are starving and dying of disease in order to bring us more negative updates on Iraq and Afghanistan again and again.

The cyclone survivors may not be able to bury their dead, but the world media is doing its best to bury them.
They will tell us again about the four soldiers killed in Afghanistan, but not bother reporting the four hundred, or four thousand that may be dying in cyclone ravaged areas of Burma today.
And the media will continue to ignore the other 540,000 starving internally displaced ethnic minority refugees hiding from the Burma army in the disease infested jungle hide sites of Eastern Burma.

And we need that quarter hour update on the civilian death toll in Iraq which is pushing 100,000 since Iraq was liberated in 2003.
The media spin is that they were all killed because of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq, not by foreign Islamic extremists bent on derailing Democracy who bomb one area and blame it on one ethnic group, and the next day bomb that ethnic group and call it a retaliation for the first attack, as well as sending suicide bombers into marketplaces and mosques.

But the media wont bother even mentioning the ever-increasing death tolls in Burma, or quoting the January 2008 report from Dr Osamu Kunii, a nutrition expert in Burma with the United Nations Children’s Fund, who said that between 100,000 to 150,000 children under five years of age die every year in Burma. That’s every year folks, and that is only the children under five.

The media, the liberal politicians, the Hollywood personalities, and the rock stars have simplified all of the suffering and dying of Burmese citizens, and the slavery, persecution, murder and exploitation of millions of ethnic minority citizens which has gone on in Burma unabated since before WW2 down to one person to glom onto and rain praise and awards, and honorary doctorates and citizenships…Aung San Suu Kyi.

While famous for her non-violent struggle towards Democracy, she has spent most of the 18 years since her election locked in her house. She can’t even speak in public about any of the issues in Burma, and rather than consistantly report those unpleasant issues for her, the media ignores them and gives her another award.

Meanwhile, based on the above statistics, the media has failed to report that in the 17 years since Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize between 1.7 million and 2.5 million children have died under the age of five years. And again, that is just the children.
How’s that for non-violent struggle?
The better question is, how do all of those people heaping praise on her expect non-violent struggle to be effective if they act like the biggest problem in Burma is that the Prime Minister elect is under house arrest?

On behalf of Aung San Suu Kyi, and the other 53,000,000 burmese citizens who are not free to tell the stories of death, disease, slavery and exploitation I have a message for the media and all people who want to help Burma:

NON-VIOLENT STRUGGLE WILL ONLY WORK SOMEDAY IF YOU REPORT THE TRUTH!

SILENCE=DEATH!

No news is good news does not apply in Burma.
No news from Burma, means that the SPDC and the Burma army are getting away with murder, and the media is not reporting it.

Talking about Wi-Fi helping Burma is not realistic, very few people have laptops, and hanging out at a Wi-Fi hotspot would accomplish nothing more than to mark them for the security police. Only the truth will ever help the people of Burma.

Garrett