Saturday, December 31, 2011
The "peaceful" opposition in Syria
What is wrong with this sentence?
In a further attempt to appeal to the monitors, dissident troops who have broken away from the Syrian army said they have halted attacks on regime forces to reinforce the activists' contention that the uprising against Assad is a peaceful movement.Um, wouldn't that announcement refute the contention that theirs is a "peaceful" movement? Rebut it? Put the lie to it? "Reinforce" it? I think not.
Also in the article, we're told that 500,000 people demonstrated against the government. How do we know it was 500,000? It's "according to an activist and eyewitness who asked to be identified only as Manhal because he feared government reprisal." Gee, don't you wish you could call AP anonymously with estimates of the demonstrations you take part in and have them print your estimates?
