Candy Chan is disturbed by America's unilateral action, without regard for the rights of others
By Philadelphia Daily News
The story began in September 2001. The villain, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, masterminded a devastating attack on America's World Trade Centre. The hero, that is, the US government, then began its mission to seek out, capture and kill the villain. A decade later, bin Laden was killed by US military operatives and the hero could finally declare, "justice has been done". But the story does not end with the death of the villain; and it never will.
In the aftermath, the question has arisen as to whether images of bin Laden's body should be released to the public. Despite the US restraint, the public and the media have become fascinated with the topic. False pictures showing bin Laden's "gory death" were displayed widely over the internet and Reuters published photos of the raid, showing several men lying in pools of blood.
The widely circulated picture of US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton - in the White House Situation Room with other US officials as they watched the raid unfold - showed her with her hand over her mouth. This further aroused readers' interest as to what they saw.
If published, the photos of bin Laden's death would not be merely evidence but also a tool for macabre pleasure. People have become morbid voyeurs; by consuming such gruesome pictures, they encourage the spread of violence.
Bin Laden's final moments were vividly portrayed by a US official, who said he had been shot above his eye and the bullet blew away part of his skull. Are such details necessary? Is the disclosure meant to reinforce the politically correct portrayal of villainy?
The mission also makes us question whether the US media has gone too far in defending its government's actions; as a Vatican spokesman put it, a "Christian never rejoices in the death of a man".
In general, the US media has failed to address a number of controversial issues. Is it justifiable for Barack Obama to condemn the Pakistani government for hiding bin Laden's whereabouts, without explaining if his actions infringed Pakistan's sovereignty? Did the US commander-in-chief ask bin Laden's family for permission before burying him at sea? Did the US deal with the family of bin Laden in a reasonable manner, especially his daughter, who witnessed her father shot dead by US forces?
Eradicating terrorism requires an international effort, involving Europe and the Middle East especially. Bin Laden's death was certainly a milestone for Americans, but through this "one-man band" operation, the US is walking further away from the global anti-terrorism policy.
但這個概念跟我們的祖國的治國方針背道而馳。在一個打造「和諧」的社會,facebook是一個會引起「亂子」的壞東西。早在facebook開通時,它很早就被中國防火長城(Great Fire Wall)屏蔽了,加上近期的茉莉花事件,這個時候讓facebook進入中國是政治不正確。如果它能成功打入中國市場,絕不可能和世界各地的 facebook互通,只能以一個新的社交網站出現。伺服器肯定放在中國,方便相關部門的審核。但早前谷歌撤退中國的決定證明,那些條件不易被接受。 facebook這樣為「錢」途捨棄「自由」原則,對其公司形象必會受影響。
來到美國波士頓, 哈佛,麻省理工,Tufts, Boston College, 世界頂尖學府雲集,認識不同有「志/智」之士, 終究明白美國的「全人」教育制度。外語(西班牙文/法文)到中學才被納入必修課﹐而不會是香港人「未學好母語,便要BB學外語」。小學的課程比香港簡單得多,但大部分時間培養他們的Common Sense 及生存技考,好像怎樣看地圖及指南針,明白風雨雷電的形成,學好踏單車,游水,而不是只有課本上的學林數,劍橋英語。