Wednesday April 20, 2011

I've Been Thinking:

It is very difficult to know what is really happening in Syria.
Yes there are protests. And yes, oppression tactics are in use by the police and the army against the protesters.

The difficulty is in confirming reports.

Foreign journalists have been expelled. There has been a massive crackdown on all media outlets and all forms of media. Even the "new media" has been curtailed. That leaves us with only a series of messages and no real way of confirming them.

For instance, the other day Assad promised to end his emergency policy of government. He swapped his cabinet, promised reforms and pledged to liberalize his secret police and curtail their powers.

Yet, 300 people still came out to protest in Suewada about 80 miles south of Damascus.

Reports came out of Syria saying that the police brutally beat the protesters with batons. There is simply no way to confirm the story.

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