Hello Editor,

I have a serious complaint against one of your

'journalists', Julie Szego. She has written a hatchet

opinion piece against Iranian president Ahmadinejad,

which regurgitates all the lies about him that have

been fed to the media this past year. Here is the

article:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/ahmadinejad-a-good-man-an-odd-world/2007/03/18/1174152875959.html

Is this really journalism? Is she trying to inform the

public aboue a man she regards as 'West-bashing,

taboo-busting, apocalypse-threatening '?

Thats pretty extreme, dont you think? Why

'west-bashing!? Is that to draw us all into become

accomplices with Ms Szego? What makes her label him

'apocalyse-threatening'? Could this be her excuse:

'After one of Ahmadinejad's calls for Israel to be

"wiped off the map",'

Why is this damnable lie being repeated on YOUR site,

when its long been exposed as a malicious fraud! Here

is what Ahmadinejad REALLY said, as analysed by

Iranian expat Arash Norouzi:

' "Imam ghoft een rezhim-e ishghalgar-e qods bayad az

safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad."

which translates to:

' "The Imam said this regime occupying Jerusalem must

vanish from the page of time".

Word by word translation:

Imam (Khomeini) ghoft (said) een (this) rezhim-e

(regime) ishghalgar-e (occupying) qods (Jerusalem)

bayad (must) az safheh-ye ruzgar (from page of time)

mahv shavad (vanish from).

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=NOR20070120&articleId=4527

I understand that your staff writer has a column at

Australian Jewish News:

http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=316

Does this explain her brazen lies? Its well known that

Israel has been seeking to invade Iran.

Lets read a little more of her piece:

'When Ahmadinejad gleefully promotes mass murder, he

doesn't really mean it, according to this

pseudo-Orientalist spin'

Whats wrong with this sentence?

1. 'Gleefully' Thats not the tone of the talk he gave

in which the above statement is spoken. She may hate

the man, but at least she should try for a little

journalistic accuracy!

2. promotes mass murder? Where ever has Ahmadinejad

ever promoted mass murder! Beyond that bogus

misquotation, no where!

Then theres this minor bump:

'If you believe the latest results of a global poll of

28,000 people in 27 countries, conducted by the BBC

World Service in partnership with media groups,

including The Age, Israel and America belong in the

same rotten basket as Iran.

...

'Is this really where we're at: so clouded by the fog

of moral relativism we see the military endeavours of

liberal democracies (flawed as some of these

endeavours might sometimes be) in the same dangerous

light as those of reactionary fanatics opposed to

everything we stand for?'

That Iran, which has invaded no country in 300 years

is there at all, is due to the efforts of 'journalists

like your Julie Szego.

Well, what do 'we' stand for? The military endeavour

of US, has led to > 655000 deaths in Iraq, and > 3000

in Afghanistan. The military endeavour of Israel in

Lebanon killed > 1000 people, mostly civilians in the

way.

This last quote shows one of your staff members is an

apologist for mass murder.

I hope you realise that her article is pure libel, and

opens The Age up to libel charges. How did it ever get

past the editor?

Ive written on this at length, because both Israel and

US are seeking a casus belli, just as they did with

regards to Iraq...You may remember it was a journalist

Judith Miller of the liber NYT that promoted the WMDs

lies that alarmed the public the world public, before

we learned slowly the claims were fradulent, but NOT

before the led to the US invading Iraq and turning it

into a murderous quagmire. The media aided that

atrocity...are they going to run interference for the

next mass murder?

If Iran is attacked by the US or Israel, i will

certainly be holding the Age responsible for its role

in the massacre.



regards

Brian Souter

Australia

PS I will be posting this letter around the internet.

You should fire MS Szego forthwith.