Posted on 05/29/2012 11:27:20 AM PDT by evilrooster
Chris Hayes’ recent discomfort with the word hero reminded me of an anonymous quote from the civil war:
If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag.
How dare he use fallen soldiers as a prop to highlight his anti-war sentiments! If Chris has trouble supporting those who insure his freedom, maybe he should…[fill in the blank].
I’m well aware that he recanted his statement (text below). But, but in light of what we’ve seen lately from our media, I find his apology disingenuous at best.
On Sunday, in discussing the uses of the word "hero" to describe those members of the armed forces who have given their lives, I don't think I lived up to the standards of rigor, respect and empathy for those affected by the issues we discuss that I've set for myself. I am deeply sorry for that.
As many have rightly pointed out, it's very easy for me, a TV host, to opine about the people who fight our wars, having never dodged a bullet or guarded a post or walked a mile in their boots. Of course, that is true of the overwhelming majority of our nation's citizens as a whole. One of the points made during Sunday's show was just how removed most Americans are from the wars we fight, how small a percentage of our population is asked to shoulder the entire burden and how easy it becomes to never read the names of those who are wounded and fight and die, to not ask questions about the direction of our strategy in Afghanistan, and to assuage our own collective guilt about this disconnect with a pro-forma ritual that we observe briefly before returning to our barbecues.
But in seeking to discuss the civilian-military divide and the social distance between those who fight and those who don't, I ended up reinforcing it, conforming to a stereotype of aremoved pundit whose views are not anchored in the very real and very wrenching experience of this long decade of war. And for that I am truly sorry.
As I mentioned in our last post, there are some things you just don’t do. MSNBC realized that and circled the wagons, but I find it hard to believe Hayes’ initial revelation represented nothing less than his true feelings.
It may come as a surprise to Chris that there are many within the ranks that feel the same as he does about the war or wars in this case. But, they signed on to do a job, and that job entails serving at the pleasure of their civilian leadership. While many of our military men and women may disagree with the policies of their government, the job requires that they serve anyway. That’s what sets America apart from others in this world. And, quite frankly, it doesn’t work otherwise.
So take your criticism Chris, and direct it where it belongs, the elected men and women who direct policy of the United States. While many may question your use of the media to express your feelings, they cannot take away right to do so.
But, leave the Military out of it. Their actions represent nothing more than what is required of them by their civilian leadership.
A hero is nothing more than a person performing his duties regardless of fear. And by that standard, all of our service men and women are heroes, not only the fallen
To think any differently is unpatriotic, and brings us back to the quote at the beginning of this piece.
Watching the Hatfields and McCoys on the history channel last night and that’s one of the MANY issues that led to the feud.
One of the McCoys had fought on the side of the north and was wearing his union coat in a bar. He was back home after being wounded and wasn’t willing to hide the fact that he fought for the north and ended up arguing with one of the Hatfield elders and accused him of screwing his dog. Interestingly enough, Anse Hatfield had himself deserted the confederate army which led to more tension.
The argument over the pig was only a spark that caused the whole thing to explode.
This little bedwetter is getting so many high fives at NBC it’s not even funny!
That’s OK, his maker won’t be giving him a high 5.
The reality of this tv host’s statement is that he has exposed the truth about liberals. Despite all their affirmations about supporting the troops and opposing the war, the truth is that they oppose the troops as well.
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