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From: orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.politics
Subject: Re: RE: Reagan's joke
Message-ID: <197@whuxl.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 26-Aug-84 14:19:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: whuxl.197
Posted: Sun Aug 26 14:19:30 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 27-Aug-84 23:53:53 EDT
References: <1575@zehntel.UUCP> <801@ihuxn.UUCP>, <47@pixadv.UUCP>, <249@mhuxt.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Whippany, N.J.
Lines: 32

>I'm totally amazed at the way people have blown up one offhand comment,
>which was clearly intended as a joke.

To some extent I think this criticism is valid.  I think the media
often has an unfortunate tendency to blow up unthinking remarks to
greater importance than they deserve.  Unfortunately coupled with this
is the media's tendency to neglect actual issues and actions which
are of far more importance than mere remarks.  Reagan's tasteless
and foolish nuclear war joke has been foccused upon by those who
support arms control rather than a runaway arms race because it
illustrates succinctly the dangerous effects of Reagans arms policies
and mindset.  Reagan's joke got prominent attention --but have the
media paid any attention to the reduction of nuclear lead time from
a half hour to ten minutes with the deployment of Cruise missiles in
Europe?  Have the media paid any attention to the Reagan administration's
intentions to openly violate the SALT II agreement in 1985 by
deploying an additional Trident submarine?  Have the media ever mentioned
along with the Reagan administration's accusations of Soviet treaty
violations that the Reagan administration has never brought a single
charge of such violations to the Standing Consultative Committee?
During the Iranian hostage situation ( was it really a "crisis"??)
the media every day reported the "150th day of captivity for the
Iranian hostages".  Have they ever pointed out the far more important
"150th day in which we are ten minutes away from nuclear war"?
Given the media's attention to trivializing abbreviation of issues
those people arguing for some sensibility in the current arms race
must focus Americans attention on the nuclear issue (unfortunately)
by the means the media understands and will cover.
Tim Sevener
whuxl!orb
BEll Labs, Whippany