BY OKTAY EKSI
HURRIYET - Is Al Qaeda a terrorist group? Of course!
Isn't it humanity's unavoidable duty to seize and punish the leaders, members and militants of such a bloody group and to eliminate it? Of course!
Well, is trying to link almost all terrorist attacks to al Qaeda honest? Of course not. But US President George W. Bush, who will leave office next week, to the relief of the entire world, has done so.
All the world hates Bush for his attempts to bring Afghanistan and Pakistan under his rule and crush Iraq under the pretense of defeating al Qaeda.
Bush came to this point by closing his eyes to Iraq's misery, and to human rights and the rule of law, saying, 'I have the power, so I can do whatever I want,' in a nutshell terrorizing all of humanity.
Now let's look at ourselves:
The 1996 Susurluk scandal exposed a continuing process of gangs forming within the state. To ensure public peace, strengthen the rule of law, and help democracy work better, all its links needed to be uncovered.
But did this happen? I think not! Active Susurluk members both inside and out of the state managed to block this.
And do you think that there are links between Susurluk and Ergenekon?
Yes. Evidence uncovered - or allegedly so - makes me think such links do exist.
So what kind of harm can be expected from the Ergenekon probe bringing the truth to light?
None. On the contrary, any real links between the Susurluk and Ergenekon suspects must be brought to light.
Moreover, following a fair trial, the criminals should face the severest punishment.
So why are the ruling party and the opposition attacking each other? Why are certain newspapers and journalists lashing out at each other?
They are attacking each other because the ruling party's view of the Ergenekon probe is similar to Bush's plans and his al Qaeda pretext. Anyone with any sense can see that the current process is meant to threaten certain circles and even eliminate certain people by squelching them, rather than reveal the truth and punish criminals.
And certain newspapers are at odds over their race to curry favor with the ruling party.
Otherwise, in essence, no one thinks in a different way; no one says that criminals should be saved."