An Anne Barnard Exclusive: Sunnis of Syrian business elite switches side

Stop the presses:  "Most Sunni businesspeople have already switched sides, with many giving money to families of people killed in the uprising, said Mr. Harling."  This is a most entertaining sentence that should be introduced in introductory classes on journalism at US collges.  So "most" Sunni business people have already switched sides.  This generalization allows for no qualification.  It is reported that it has happened, no questions asked.  And then you read further to the source: Mr. Harling.  The opinion of one White Man is enough to judge the mood and inclinations of the entire Sunni business community.  Ms. Barnard allows no qualifications in her assertion.  Of course, if that is the case, we would be seeing a different picture in Aleppo and Damascus, where the call for an open-ended strike called on by the opposition has failed.  I mean, I know that the White Man is all-knowing, and I know that the White Man is a better judge of the mood of the natives than the natives themselves, but how did Mr. Harling know that, if I may ask without in any way interrupting the festival of categorical assertions and generalizations?