Posted on 07/26/2005 6:17:59 AM PDT by aculeus
On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette broke the story about Pennsylvania Lt. Governor Catherine Baker Knoll's uninvited attendance at the July 19 funeral of Marine Staff Sgt. Joseph Goodrich, who was killed in Iraq on July 10. According to the paper, Knoll passed out business cards during communion, and told a grieving relative, "I want you to know our government is against this war."
Reading the story carefully, what stands out to me is this: the Light Governor really thought she was saying something comforting.
That's more shockingly revealing, in a way, about how the liberals just don't get it than supposing she was being a mean-spirited bitch of the Michael Moore genre. Moore, who as columnist Jack Kelly reminds us in a column on Knoll's gaffe, disgracefully used footage from the funeral of an Air Force officer in Fahrenheit 9-11, doesn't give a rat's necktie who he offends and makes a (damned good) living off being a political shock jock.
Knoll, on the other hand, is just a wimpy liberal sap. She may have outstanding academic credentials and must have come from something like a normal background, having been the wife of a postmaster (since deceased), but she's been so sucked in by left-wing propaganda that she imagines any family which has lost a loved one in the Iraqi War would be comforted to know that "our government is against this war."
Meaning the Pennsylvania state government, headed by her boss, Gov. Ed Rendell, who promptly apologized to the Marine's family once the story had broken. Rendell, no left-wing loony, but rather a hard-nosed, back-room Philadelphia politician, can sniff the acrid odor of electoral dynamite from the other side of the mountain. As of mid-afternoon Monday, Ms. Knoll is AWOL. She hasn't been seen since the story broke. (But since that wasn't until Saturday, and the funeral was Tuesday, she spent a blissful three days not knowing she had already committed political suicide. One wonders if she even suspected the magnitude of what she had done.) An anonymous member of Knoll's staff issued a "hearts go out" statement in her name, but admits (or claims) the statement was not approved by the boss. Rendell, too, maintains he has not talked to her.
Perhaps not, but you can be sure someone in the Governor's office has. What you can't be sure of is whether Knoll will ever resurface from the rock quarry somewhere south of Scranton to which she has been banished in order to keep her from stepping on her tonsils again.
What's going on there is that a Rendell-sent gang of toughs from the Italian Market neighborhood is reeducating her, perhaps with truncheons, in a crash course she probably won't list alongside the proud references to Duquesne, Harvard and Wharton on her resume, but from which she may, nonetheless, learn something.
Meanwhile, back in Harrisburg, Rendell and the rest of his staff are trying to answer the question of whether to: a) accept Knoll's resignation immediately; b) quietly drop her from his reelection ticket next year; or c) tough it out and hope the quarry crew has beaten some sense into her head, and that she won't do anything else stupid for the next sixteen months.
Conservatives are demanding option a, but option b seems most likely to me. It'd be the least newsworthy course, and that's the one a seasoned pol wants in a case like this. It's a tough call what to do with her for the remainder of the term, but I'd say for one thing that if Ms. Knoll wants to witness any more funerals, she'll best do it by watching Six Feet Under.
The Gazette and other newsies will be monitoring her actions like buzzards, and if she so much as drives off wearing a black dress, cameras will descend, upsetting the solemnity of the moment you may be sure.
In his statement, Rendell says, "It's not the business of state government to support the war, but our state supports the men and women who are fighting this war." That's technically right, of course, and probably the only thing the Governor can say. The Constitution gives the conduct of foreign policy to the Feds, and states, per se, have no business taking sides.
But someone needs to tell these Democrats that you can't be against the war and supportive of the troops at the same time. Because if you do, you are saying something like, "Have a good fight – even though you're not fighting for anything worthwhile."
That's not an acceptable position, and particularly not in the presence of a grieving family that desperately needs reassurance their loved one's life was given in a noble cause, as Sgt. Goodrich's most certainly was.
Writer and veteran GOP media consultant Jay Bryant is a moderator for the Capitol Hill Workshop. His commentaries may also be heard on NPR's 'All Things Considered.'
©2005 Jay Bryant
The article doesn't mention the fact that Knoll was a long time Republican who switched to the Democrat party when it was advantageous to her personally. In other words, she is a career political hack whose apology, if and when it comes, will be for the purpose of mitigating harm to her personal aspirations, not because she truly regrets the arrogant disrespect she showed toward the family and the deceased.
Rendeell also stated that the disgusting pigs comments "were taken out of context"!!!
Their notions about the military, as well as life in general, come from the movies they have seen, not from real experience (which is quite different.)
Harvard,Wharton,Duquesne?Very impressive.This is a prime example illustrating the fact that intelligence and a college education are not mutually inclusive.
Why isn't she under the coffin now?
I have a lot of good friends who a South Philly natives. I am going to learn how to use a boccie ball in a sock. There are a few left-wingers who need an education.
I may be wrong about her age. An article on her from last year says she was 74 in 2004. The photos make her look like she's 40. So who knows what age she is?
But I do know that it's way past time for her to get off the horse and hang up the saddle. She can't ride anymore.
That's not an acceptable position. FULL STOP
, and particularly not in the presence of a grieving family that desperately needs reassurance their loved one's life was given in a noble cause, it is the very definition of "gauche."
The national Democratic Party is headed by people who, like Clinton, "loathed the military." Now the best they can manage toward the military is a patronizing attitude. If you cannot sincerely pay respect, at least have the common courtesy to stay away.Only a Democrat is likely to welcome someone who wants to conduct a partisan pep rally at the funeral of their family member.
It looks like Rendell's been looking for a reason to dump the bimbo anyway.
Has anybody suggested trying to "salvage" the old witch?
Only for the purpose of dragging down Rendell in '06, of course...
McKees Rocks is proud of this?
If she had any class she wouldn't have done it in the first place.
Based on what I've read of this incident, I had the misfortune of meeting a woman this year with many of this hag's characteristics: Overeducated, Aged, Single.
In short, she's an obtuse Emotion Junkie/Sob Sister.
She gets off on going to the funerals of people she barely knows/never knew in order to immerse herself in the Emotion of the Moment. Anything to just feel *something*.
While on her high, she says unbelievably stupid sh*t.
PING
Reading that, I can smell the garlic and visualize the hanging salami in one of those Philly area Italian shops.
It looks like Rendell's been looking for a reason to dump the bimbo anyway.
Has anybody suggested trying to "salvage" the old witch?
Only for the purpose of dragging down Rendell in '06, of course...
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Rendell is just like her...another blowhard old-time politician. Only difference is that he would have enough sense not to make idiotic remarks to the family. But if given the chance, he'd show up at a funeral too....if only to pass around his business card and maybe get in on some post-funeral eats.
Occasionally, having a thug like Rendell for a governor comes in handy.
Reminds me of the scene in "The Best Years of Our Lives", where some wise guy tells the sailor who lost his hands, "We were fighting the wrong people, you know.", whereupon the sailor's buddy coldcocks the wisenheimer.
PA ping
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