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Noam Chomsky on Civil Rights Political Activist

9-11 won't lead to any long-term restrictions of rights

A: I do not think it will lead to a long-term restriction of rights internally in any serious way. The cultural and institutional barriers to that are too firmly rooted, I believe. If the US chooses to respond by escalating the cycle of violence, which is most likely what bin Laden and his associates hope for, then the consequences could be awesome. There are, of course, other ways, lawful and constructive ones. And there are ample precedents for them. An aroused public within the more free and democratic societies can direct policies towards a much more humane and honorable course.

US censors Afghanistan coverage, except Al-Jazeera

A: Impediments to free flow of information in countries like the US are rarely traceable to government, rather, to self-censorship of the familiar kind. The current situation is not exceptional--considerably better than the norm, in my opinion. There are, however, some startling examples of US government efforts to restrict free flow of information abroad. Al-Jazeera is "the only international news organization to maintain reporters in the Taliban-controlled part of Afghanistan." Al-Jazeera is, naturally, despised and feared by the dictatorship of the region, particularly because of its frank exposures of their human rights records. The US has joined their ranks. The emir of Qatar confirmed that "Washington has asked Qatar to rein in the influential and editorially independent Arabic Al-Jazeera television station."