Sunday, April 25, 2004
Caution: Morons at Work
I heard a caller to C-SPAN yesterday morning wondering if the media would pay as much attention to the death of NFL star-turned Army-Ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan as it did to the capture of Jessica Lynch. The guy doubted that it would. He said, "People on the left just can't understand why somebody would give up millions of dollars to fight for their country." This, of course, would make more sense as commentary if some other high-profile person had given up millions of dollars to fight for his or her country. If anything, Tillman's death proves precisely the opposite point of the one the C-SPAN caller intended. Tillman is the exception that proves the rule--that America's wars are fought by people who don't have other options.
Tales of GOP nonsense: Republicans in the Senate are launching yet another defense of marriage this week. Any Republican anywhere in the country who has ever been divorced is presumably going to remain a discreet silence on the subject.
But the dumbass quote of the weekend, if not the entire year 2004 to date, comes from former Bush advisor Karen Hughes. If you are not pro-life, you are with the terrorists: "I think that after September 11, the American people are valuing life more and we need policies to value the dignity and worth of every life," she said. "President Bush has worked to say, let's be reasonable, let's work to value life, let's reduce the number of abortions, let's increase adoptions. And I think those are the kinds of policies the American people can support, particularly at a time when we're facing an enemy and, really, the fundamental issue between us and the terror network we fight is that we value every life." Tell that to the civilians we've killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Or the people in our own country on Death Row.
Speaking of boneheads, here's an idea that's dumb enough to be Republican, but it's from the mind of a Democrat. I am already on record as wanting to give Georgia back to the Cherokees. Do you think the French would take back Louisiana?
Note: This feature is going on hiatus yet again. Posts will be light to nonexistent from now until Wednesday or Thursday.
I heard a caller to C-SPAN yesterday morning wondering if the media would pay as much attention to the death of NFL star-turned Army-Ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan as it did to the capture of Jessica Lynch. The guy doubted that it would. He said, "People on the left just can't understand why somebody would give up millions of dollars to fight for their country." This, of course, would make more sense as commentary if some other high-profile person had given up millions of dollars to fight for his or her country. If anything, Tillman's death proves precisely the opposite point of the one the C-SPAN caller intended. Tillman is the exception that proves the rule--that America's wars are fought by people who don't have other options.
Tales of GOP nonsense: Republicans in the Senate are launching yet another defense of marriage this week. Any Republican anywhere in the country who has ever been divorced is presumably going to remain a discreet silence on the subject.
But the dumbass quote of the weekend, if not the entire year 2004 to date, comes from former Bush advisor Karen Hughes. If you are not pro-life, you are with the terrorists: "I think that after September 11, the American people are valuing life more and we need policies to value the dignity and worth of every life," she said. "President Bush has worked to say, let's be reasonable, let's work to value life, let's reduce the number of abortions, let's increase adoptions. And I think those are the kinds of policies the American people can support, particularly at a time when we're facing an enemy and, really, the fundamental issue between us and the terror network we fight is that we value every life." Tell that to the civilians we've killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Or the people in our own country on Death Row.
Speaking of boneheads, here's an idea that's dumb enough to be Republican, but it's from the mind of a Democrat. I am already on record as wanting to give Georgia back to the Cherokees. Do you think the French would take back Louisiana?
Note: This feature is going on hiatus yet again. Posts will be light to nonexistent from now until Wednesday or Thursday.
