Hillbilly Rage

[GUNWOUNDS]

I received an interesting email that was forwarded to me.

[ordos45]

Wow for a second while I read through the latter, ranting, half of that I thought I was listening to Rush Limbaugh.  But he doesn't come on for another hour and eight minutes.  ;)

[Wolf]

Too bad he's right. (Points for anyone who gets the pun.)

[nemafakei]

Ah, indignance, the sign of a closed mind.

[GUNWOUNDS]

This is the same "news'

media which portrayed

[danielsh]

I'm glad we've established Saddam Hussein as the standard for good/bad policy.

[nemafakei]

"i dunno .. this seems pretty observant and open-minded to me"

Anyone can pick up two newspapers contradicting each other, and often one contradicting itself. To what, exactly, is he openminded? If anything, the implication is that the soldiers are vindicated by media support of the former incident and the media is wrong - and he is taking any relevant fact and trying to use it to support his case, rather than judging it for all its options, which would have been openmindedness.

[GUNWOUNDS]

"i dunno .. this seems pretty observant and open-minded to me"

Anyone can pick up two newspapers contradicting each other, and often one contradicting itself. To what, exactly, is he openminded? If anything, the implication is that the soldiers are vindicated by media support of the former incident and the media is wrong - and he is taking any relevant fact and trying to use it to support his case, rather than judging it for all its options, which would have been openmindedness.

Well he is able to see past what the media feeds to him rather than take it at face value.

[danielsh]

. . .no favoritism can be detected.

I am sorry for a few things, however. Teddy Kennedy, Robert Byrd, the 9/11

Commission, losing Vietnam, Hollywood [. . .] come to mind.

(Clearly unbiased and nonpartisan.)

The sensationalizing

of this issue by the American press has done more

[Wolf]

I think my opinions run parallel to Dan's on this one. Definately, the US news media is biased -- but, again, more towards profit and sensationalism with no for the ramifications and consequences, for either side.

[bryorama]

I had a great week. My bride and I spent our 31st wedding anniversary at

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Thanks to those of you that sent your condolences

to my wife. We were unplugged for a week. No computers,

[Edric O]

So let me see if I get this straight. This guy's arguments are as follows:

1. It's okay for American soldiers to humiliate, torture, mutilate and kill innocent people, because the terrorists do the same. We are allowed to do anything the terrorists do. But at the same time we are better than the terrorists and always hold the moral high ground.

2. The media should shut the hell up and stop reporting things that make the US government look bad. Because we all know that the role of the media is to be patriotic and make the US government look good, not to report the truth or anything.

3. When one Arab kills an innocent American, all Arabs must apologise. When one American kills an innocent Arab, it was only the action of a deranged lunatic who isn't even a Patriotic American anyway.

4. American soldiers have rights. Arab prisoners don't have rights.

5. All this bad press is making it difficult for us to keep "extracting useful information" (cough cough) from prisoners.

6. The Iraqis should thank us because we're not torturing them as bad as their previous leadership did.

Oh yes, very solid arguments indeed... ::)

[SurlyPIG]

1. It's okay for American soldiers to humiliate, torture, mutilate and kill innocent people, because the terrorists do the same. We are allowed to do anything the terrorists do. But at the same time we are better than the terrorists and always hold the moral high ground.

I don't know what you read, but...

"Do not misunderstand me. I do not support what happened to these

prisoners. I do think we need to look at it as part of the picture not the

whole"

2. The media should shut the hell up and stop reporting things that make the US government look bad. Because we all know that the role of the media is to be patriotic and make the US government look good, not to report the truth or anything.

"..."news" media that has staunchly refused to report on any

of  the successes our soldiers and none of the good things they've

accomplished,  but go to great lengths to portray a few meatheads as the

majority."

Obviously he's not saying that they shouldn't report on the bad things, he's saying that they don't portray a balanced image of what it's really like in Iraq.

3. When one Arab kills an innocent American, all Arabs must apologise. When one American kills an innocent Arab, it was only the action of a deranged lunatic who isn't even a Patriotic American anyway.

"Until I hear these apologies, I don't expect that I'll get my shorts

in a bunch because a few miscreants stacked up some naked Arabs."

I think he's saying that the US and its leaders shouldn't be held accountable by the media for every action of every subordinate when the other side isn't held to the same standard.

4. American soldiers have rights. Arab prisoners don't have rights.

Now this is just a ridiculous accusation.  I don't agree with the guy either, but you're just putting words in his mouth.

5. All this bad press is making it difficult for us to keep "extracting useful information" (cough cough) from prisoners.

This is one we agree on.

6. The Iraqis should thank us because we're not torturing them as bad as their previous leadership did.

No, again he's just asking for some perspective, especially in the media.  You never heard about anything that happened in Iraq in news media until the US went there, implying that anything that happens to Iraqis since the arrival of the coalition is less okay.

That was a pretty sad sight, Edric.  Like I said, I don't agree with this guy either but strongarmed partisan tactics don't accomplish anything and that's not something I'm accustomed to see coming from you.

[ordos45]

*coughs at Wolfwiz's Right Wing Pun*

Obviously he's not saying that they shouldn't report on the bad things, he's saying that they don't portray a balanced image of what it's really like in Iraq.

Yeah, I've been reading a female soldier's journal in Iraq for that online.  She has a lot more positive things to say than the media, but she can also get bitterly negative.  Like the other day's entry was about how someone she knew had been killed.

[Dante]

Too bad he's right. (Points for anyone who gets the pun.)

Yay! Points for me!

I think this author did indeed view both sides of the coin and cannot be categorized as purely closeminded on the issue.

I demand that the leaders of all Islamic countries and Islamic religious

leaders make a public apology to America for the atrocity committed in the

name of their religion on September 11, 2001. 3 years and I'm still

waiting.

Among other things... The entire article is full of close-mindedness. I doubt he even recognises the other side of the coin, let alone views it.

[ordos45]

I demand that the leaders of all Islamic countries and Islamic religious

leaders make a public apology to America for the atrocity committed in the

name of their religion on September 11, 2001. 3 years and I'm still

waiting.

Sure no problem, it'll come right after the Pope issues an apology for everything the Roman Catholic Church has done over the years.  And the Protestant apology for their actions also.  It'll also come after Mugabe's (I believe he's Atheist, unsure) apologies to the white people he imprisoned for being white.

[Anathema]

Sure no problem, it'll come right after the Pope issues an apology for everything the Roman Catholic Church has done over the years.

[Edric O]

That was a pretty sad sight, Edric.  Like I said, I don't agree with this guy either but strongarmed partisan tactics don't accomplish anything and that's not something I'm accustomed to see coming from you.

Ace, in case you didn't notice, my post was meant to be humorous. Of course I exaggerated things; that was the point. I was trying to bring out some of the thinly-veiled hypocrisy in this guy's letter.

[ordos45]

The Inquisition?

[Anathema]

Point taken.

[Wolf]

Edric, I don't think there's much humor in your saying that. There are people who actually believe your exaggerated version of one side, and this fellow's exaggerated version of the other. As long as those two sides keep on thinking those two things, then we will never have peace.

[Edric O]

Sheesh, can't a man even ridicule his political opponents any more...?

[Wolf]

Sure you can, I tried it and got away with it in this very topic. The problem is that I realized that, yes, while you were joking, a lot of people might say exactly the same thing and not be. I hate to say it, because I know you're a good person, and so is pretty much everyone else here, but that realization about other people sure takes the funny out of the joke.