Dear HonestReporting Member,
When American adolescents aren’t shooting at virtual Klingons on their computers, they might be trading baseball cards, or the whole genre of collectable cards — promoting Pokeman, Star Wars, basketball players — and now, America’s war on terrorism.
Topps, the veteran bubble gum company, and the smaller U.S. Trading Cards, have both issued patriotic card series for America’s children (and adults). Topps’ “Enduring Freedom” series gives “biographical information on the civilian and military leaders entrusted to guide us through this fight, statistical data and photos of military hardware.”
The makers of Bazooka gum explained that they focused “on America’s strengths — its elected leaders, the security of its military, its worldwide support… and the courage and unity of its people.” Eight cards portray the world’s support for America, with scenes such as:
– Flowers Outside U.S. Embassy In Beijing
– Israel’s Foreign Minister Peres Pledges Friendship
– Britain’s Tony Blair — A Staunch Ally
– NATO Stands Tall Alongside America
– Arafat Gives Blood For Americans
Topps might do better to include Arafat in the same category with Osama Bin Laden, particularly after Israel intercepted the deadly ship of missiles, mortars, explosives and real bazookas last week.
If you object to Topps’ portrayal of Arafat, send e-mail from:
http://www.etopps.com/Marketing/Contactus.asp
Topps’ U.S. Headquarters
phone: 212.376.0300
fax: 212.376.0573
The Topps Company Operations Center
401 York Ave.
Duryea, PA 18642
ATTN: Consumer Relations Dept.
—- U.S. TRADING CARDS —-
By contrast, see how U.S. Trading Cards treated Arafat in their “God Bless America” series. Arafat serves as the website “poster child” for the 42-card terrorist series.
The series comes with this description: “Information is our best weapon in the war against terrorism. Knowing our enemies’ background, the crimes they have committed and what they look like may prove to be their downfall. These
If you agree with the portrayal of Arafat, write to:
[email protected]
—- KARINE-A UPDATE —-
It’s been slow going, but the media is finally coming to realize that Israel was right about Palestinian Authority involvement in the Karine-A arms shipment. However, one biased piece came from a site called Strategic Forecasting – Stratfor.com. The article, headlined “Arms Seizure Backfires, Wounds Israel,” starts off:
“But the circumstances surrounding the shipment and details that emerged after its seizure have raised questions about the entire incident and, more importantly, about Israel’s credibility. Audiences in Europe and the United States now will be more likely to question other Israeli claims concerning Palestinians.”
To complain, write to:
[email protected]
HonestReporting.com thanks “Stephen AAG” for bringing the card wars to our attention. And we thank all members for your ongoing involvement in the battle against bubble gum bias.
HonestReporting.com
