Oprah Gags Iraq Protesters
 by Matthew Rothschild
 The Progressive, 9/21/00


 On September 19, Oprah interviewed George W. Bush, and she threw him a lot of softballs.

 When audience member Andrew Muller stood up and asked, "Mr. Bush, will you continue the
 Democrats' policy on sanctions and bombing that kills 5,000 children a month in Iraq?" Oprah
 immediately jumped in and told Bush he didn't need to answer that, and cut to commercial.

 Muller and another anti-sanctions activist Andrew Mandell "were removed from the audience by
 Secret Service Agents," according to Voices in the Wilderness (www.vitw.org). Muller "had just
 returned from Iraq and watched children suffer from lack of of food and medicine," the group said.

 Epilogue: On the Tonight Show September 20, Jay Leno played the tape of Muller asking his
 question, and then spoofed Bush's response by pretending that George W. had Muller
 electrocuted in his seat in the audience.

 Hats off to Muller, Mandell, and Voices in the Wilderness for continuing to press the issue of
 sanctions, no matter the forum.

 As for Oprah and Leno, the immorality of sanctions seems to be beyond them.