Overnight, a message came to skyreporter.com from a young reporter in Kabul, through another means. Yes, I will relay your appeal to people in Canada, the UK and the US. Our governments might be slow to stand up for freedom of speech and free media, but our people are not. Don't despair. You're serving your viewers well. Keep the faith.

Stabilizing Afghanistan and securing a better future for Afghanis is a noble mission, but you're right that there are huge systematic forces in place that make this next to impossible. American Marines shooting in all directions for several minutes at any sign of life after they are hit by a roadside bomb is not helping anyone, and the U.S. approach is largely discredited in that country. Much of the people lies with the fact that Americans often see themselves as "giving freedom" or "giving democracy" to Afghanistan, when international forces realize (a bit more) that they are there just to help Afghanis, to make their lives more bearable and help reconstruct their society.

But until we don't have the accurate information in the news here in the West, any debate (even among the best-intentioned) will be meaningless and will do nothing to stop the continued entrenchment of the Taliban through billions of dollars in heroin money while we simply give the corrupt Afghani government an automatic pass without looking closely at the details. I think there is truth to the idea that an image says a thousand words, and it's amazing how a simple video filmed by anyone can convey this truth so well.

Hello there,
I found the website very interresting. The story are real and documented. I found the website accedintelly and I caught of it. I couldn't just leave until I saw all the videoes here. As one of many many afghans who suffered in all regimes, I am saying that your are doing a very good job. Pakistan along with other policy maker who play double role will be remain the worse enemy of humanity until the world does't pay attention at the real problem. You have been jounalist and you said that Ahmed Shah Massoud is a good man. But in my point of view, will I never back one who fight with a gun. The gun is for killers, not for peace makers. Ahmed Shah is also one of those man who careed gun. He should had disarmed his group after taking kabul in 1992. He should faught Gul Budin not with gun, but with word. Afghanistan is distroyed both by forigners who interfere in Afghanistan, but also there nine groups who didn't respect the unity. I will call the hero the one who faught without gun, the one who tried to servive without tursty for power and maney in this diffecult situation.

I am sorry for my english grammer and wrong spill

//AB//DK

Arthur,

In my search for the truth, I have come to rely on several different sources. Yours is a voice that I trust to help me see what is really happening in Afghanistan and Iraq. Thank you for creating this web site for us.

Thanks Arthur for the noble job you have been doing all along.

Your contribution is immensly valuable to the people of Afghanistan and especially to those down-troddent sections of the Afghan society whose leaders are always dumped by the Western powers in favor of a group that only believes in violence, repression, and genocides. Thats the Taliban and Hekmatyaar group.

You raise the voice of the millions of innocent Afghans who sacrificed their lives to rid their society and the world of the Taliban threat only to find themsellves now again ruled by the same suppressive elements: Jabar Sabet, Gulbudin Hekmatyar and Afghan Mellat: the ethno-fascist party.

The above poster wanted the legendary, humanist Afghan leader, Commander Massoud to treat the armed Hekmatyaar with words. Isnt that halirious? To treat a wardlord, a terrorist, someone who is still on teh terrorist list of the States, with WORDS?

But guess what happened. Massoud did treat him with words. He warned Gulbuddin not to enter the city of Kabul with his armed men. It only fell to deaf ears. The full audio record of their conversation is available everwhere. Who was the hero and stil is a hero to millions of kabulis who heard the coversation between them. Who came to identify with Massoud with their hearts and souls.

Thanks again for posting your opinions here. But please refrain from dropping hypocritical and antagonistic lines against the true leaders of the Afghan society.

I just sent this message to my MP.

It is with great disappointment that I read about Canada's complicity in the recent media crackdown in Afghanistan. Steven Harper has completely ignored the issue of the recent raids on Kabul’s Tolo TV, and the Karzai government's assault on the free press. The freedoms that Canada is working so hard to build, and costing lives to defend, is being eroded by the very government we support. The fact that Afghan Attorney General Abdul Jabar Sabet, who ordered these raids, holds Canadian residency also sends a shocking message to the people of Afghanistan about our values. In an e-mail I sent you last year, I expressed how our Canadian values must be at the heart of any effort to help the Afghan people, and I am outraged that our government's silence all but encourages the opposite to flourish. My own experience running a news website has taught me valuable lessons about the importance of a free press, as it is the basis of democracy and encourages accountability. Let us not spend the lives of our troops while encouraging a slide to despotism.

and my MP just responded:

Thanks Dan. I'm disturbed by this report from Kabul. I agree Canada should represent democracy & the rule of law. I will certainly pass along your concerns to our Foreign Affairs Minister.

Thank you Arthur for bringing us the real news, your reporting is refreshingly honest and tangible. You are making a difference.

This is in reply to humanist mentioning Afghan Mellat Party as one of the fascit party. I cannot comment on the other individuals but Afghan Mellat Party as I can remember from my meetings with one of its leaders Shamsul Huda shams who passed away last year, seemed to be quite progressive and democratic in its approach. Mr. shams recalled how his party suffered at the hands of fundamentalists including Hekmatyar during the Soviet occupation period.

I am not Afghan but I believe it would be unfair to include Late Mr. Shams's party in the same category as that of Gulbuddin. Thanks

This quote by author David Halberstam, who just died Monday, is eerily appropriate to what is going on with the Afghan journalists: "The idea that somewhere before it is a big story that there is some young person ... putting themselves on the line morally, ethically, journalistically, that is a great thing," Halberstam told the AP. "I mean, that is what a free society is about."

Cathy's message sent in April 24th resonates today. David Halberstam often lent his support to reporters and writers laboring on projects that went against the commercial mainstream.

Today in the U.S., anyone with a primary focus on the moral, ethical, and journalistic virtues of a story faces an uphill struggle to publish or broadcast. The corporate media places unprecedented revenue demands on everything they produce.

Contrast the decline of standards there to the crisis unfolding in Afghanistan, where young Afghan men and women are putting their lives, not just their careers, on the line every day to preserve freedom of the press and the air waves. They are extraordinary people. Professionals, giving the rest of us a lesson in what it really means to report.

Let the enemies of media, democracy, and journalists know that they cant stop the development of our un-armed army.

I nominated the celebration of our Herat Watandar FM station to thier bolded names Zakia Zaki and Shikiba Sanga. Let them see we are here to push forward what they were doing.

Watandar Herat goes on air a few days after these tragic events.

We will continue to promote our little democracy practice to other cities as well, we will let the public talk, we will make the enemies of this poor nation listen and get embarassed.

7 bullets are not enough to scare us.

Mirwais Social
Watandar Media Group

Mirwais, those are inspiring words. Just be safe and work well. And yes, the world is watching and listening.

The U.S., Canada, Britain and other NATO governments send a very dangerous message in a country like Afghanistan, when their leaders fail to condemn acts of violence by officials of the Karzai regime. Outrageous acts of intimidation by armed policemen, such as we saw with the April 17th raid on Tolo TV, unquestionably aggravated the anti-media sentiments of undemocratic forces, both inside the regime and beyond its control.

If Western leaders truly wish to save lives and promote reconstruction in Afghanistan, they must speak up, loudly and clearly, in favour of freedom of speech. To remain silent only ensures further violence - and more killing.

(Jun 11 07) Extraordinary Rendition has gone to trial in Rome with a slew of CIA agents in the docket, enjoying the very thing they deny to untold numbers of the world's citizens: a day in court. To introduce the opening day of the trial, see www.cbc.ca CBC's On The Map with Avi Lewis, crammed in several arguments on the topic at 5:30P.M., and, the first guest said, "This (trial) is purely domestic policy in Italy."
Avi interviewed the actual designer of the Extraordinary Rendition program in the US, who called it, the "most successful counterterrorism system the US has ever had." He deigned to admit it is supposed to "compliment" a government-wide counterterrorism program. He believes instead it is being used as the main force." What about mistakes, asks Avi, "War is tough," replied Michael Sheuer, the 'designer.'
Furthermore, especially regarding US culpability in the ER of Maher Arar, "I was never paid to be a citizen of the world and don't feel responsible for it."
At least he has a soft spot for the current religious-schism imposed on lives in Tripoli, Bagdhad, Gaza, Israel, everywhere but downtown Kandahar, and other hot spots, "The US policy on Islam was writ in the middle of the Cold War," and seriously needs an upgrade. Ratner believes the current leadership in US is missing the point of upgrading Middle Eastern policy and may lack the required knowledge to do anything. Ratner of the US Center for Contitutional Justice appeared with Avi Lewis and discussed the sit-rep on Guantanamo Bay. ERs and this prison and the missing justice in the system are becoming an embarrassment to high-minded Americans. Almost daily a new comparison arrives and today they are comparing the Bush administration to the Pinochet regime of Chile, a government famouse for 'disappearing' people.
www.canadacrimedialogue.20fr.com

Enjoy your vacation Arthur. If you've never seen a Florida thunderstorm, you might want to visit there sometime to see one. The lightening is amazingly beautiful. Plus, there's good sailing, snorkeling, and diving, if you've never tried that. Winter is the best time for a visit, but Summer is the best time for the thunderstorms. Once you've seen one, you'll never forget it.