Posted on 09/30/2014 5:23:15 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
ESPN’s Colin Cowherd went off on a rant today about Americans who do and do not, in his view, deserve his “sympathies.”
Those who do not include those who choose to smoke, eat fast food or drink “13 cokes” every day. “That’s on you,” Cowherd said, delivering a sentiment that many Americans would probably agree with.
“My sympathy goes to the military members in this country,” Cowherd said toward the end of Tuesday’s show. “Socio-economically, no choices, paid almost nothing, lose a limb, lose a life. That, I feel sympathy for.”
Military members past and present probably aren’t looking to Colin Cowherd in a feeling of gratitude for that. Americans who enlist or enter the officer corps do so for many reasons — family history of service, a desire to give back to their country, a desire to gain experience and education, and of course the need to do something positive to escape tough circumstances all factor in.
Cowherd wasn’t finished. He also said that police and firemen don’t join out of a sense of duty.
“What fireman becomes a fireman knowing that at some point he will at some point run into a house that’s burning?” Cowherd asked rhetorically. “It’s dangerous!”
The obvious answer is “All of them. Including the thousands of volunteer fireman around the country.”
Cowherd returned to explaining his understanding of why Americans join the military.
“We know most people that go into the military in this country — they need the military often to pay bills. That is is almost a federal safety net financially, and by the way you’ll take shots. You’ll be sent two or three times to a raging inferno in the Middle East. That stuff scares me. That stuff I’m worried about. There’s loss of life there.”
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
80% of applicants do not get in. Or so the internet says.....
Me too. Enlisted in 1971, 17 years old and right out of high school. No bills, sense of duty. Draft was still on so actually took a pay cut from my part time after school job. :)
Colin has this one wrong.
channeling his inner Kerry?
Active Duty/Retiree ping.
When my unit made its way further north into Kuwait during Gulf War I and I saw what the Air Force had done to Saddam’s army in that AO, I immediately stopped calling you guys names (and it took me a few to pick my jaw up off the deck). It aint just the pilots that made those birds HIGHLY effective.
Semper Fi
So which is he - a colon or a cowherd? Either way, he’s an idiot draft dodger. Everyone I knew in 27 years in our country’s service knew exactly why we served our country. We knew that it was what we had to do.
Too bad Cowherd didn’t have the huevos to join himself but maybe he just knew his own limitations. Big difference between being a sports boy and serving in combat.
Ha ha. Same for me. I wanted to join the Navy but he was out and I had to get to my after school job. AF guy was there and the rest is history.
All you have to see is, “ESPN’s” to know that you’re about to deal with a drooling idiot.
I just thought that all guys pulled a hitch, and in my family all the men served as part of some undiscussed, private, patriotic thing that we all thought was part of being a traditional American male.
Many Fortune 1000 and other CEOs are military veterans.
I got a big laugh after my last enlistment when I had to sign-up for selective service or lose any chance of federal benefits or employment.
I wonder why he works.
Colin Cowherd? Seriously?
Well, Mr. Cowhead, I do pay my bills with my salary. And, yes, “it’s dangerous!” That’s the point. Not all of us want the Nerf life like you, d-bag.
He has a right to say what he said,, and bear the consequences.. I question the forum used.
Sad its turned a sports channel into a social network thingy instead.. But a lot of athletes have certainly helped that of late.. Not to beat a dead equine. ;-)
What a Jackwagon
I don’t know who is he because I don’t watch ESPC anymore.
Yup.
Spent my late teens bouncing around Asia.
I don’t disagree with anything you said.
My main point is that the article as awful and did not put perspective into it. By reading the article only, you have no feel for what he actually was trying to say. It was a little patronizing of the military, but this was NOT NOT NOT some liberal rant. Not at all. This was part of a bigger point he was making - a rather conservative point. And it was mostly about football.
I would only add that I’ve written on Breitbart and American Thinker about ESPN and their politics - but this was not really an example of that. He was using the military to make a point about football...
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