THE ENEMY...AS IDENTIFIED FROM THE LEFT

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the virulent criticism expressed by the US army and by Muwaffak al-Rubai, formerly a member of the Iraq's US-appointed Governing Council, towards the two Arabic satellite TV news stations Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera, which they accused of inciting violence, lying and being "anti-coalition."

The organisation said the accusations "overstepped the limits" and "denied the right to editorial independence."

It also urged the governing council not to impose any new restriction on the ability of these two Arabic-language news media from working freely in Iraq. At the end of 2003, Al-Arabiya was banned from working and its bureaux in Baghdad were closed for two months. In January of this year, Al-Jazeera was banned from covering the activities of the governing council for a month.

Reporters Without Borders said that, despite legitimate security concerns, it was "unacceptable" that the commander of the US forces and other senior US officials in Iraq describe certain news media as "anti-coalition."

Such remarks were dangerous just three weeks after two journalists with Al-Arabiya were killed by US gunfire while on the job, the organisation said. They could be interpreted by troops, who are having a trying time in the field, as meaning that some journalists are enemies and therefore legitimate targets.

Here is a news flash, reporters. Soldiers have a job to do. The soldier's mission supercedes all other missions. It simply has to be that way. Stay out of their way and you should be OK. No soldier is going to target you. They don't target non-combatants. Occasionally bad things happen...rarely a soldier steps out of line...but it is highly unlikely that a soldier will target you as a reporter being a reporter.

Now...consider the flip side. These so-called news agencies you point out as being discriminated against...they show endless loops of Americans being burned and mutilated in the streets. Every thug and terrorist who can't be heard from across the room normally knows that they can simply drop a tape off at your door step and instantly their vitriolic hate filled message inciting the masses to rise up and kill our soldiers will be given wide and endless play from those louse-filled outlets.

No...you can't have it both ways. Afraid our actions will make your guys targets, when you don't have any compunction about your actions making our guys targets.