Posted on 06/13/2006 3:02:44 PM PDT by Mike Bates
In the controversy over Ann Coulter's comments about the group of 9/11 widows, there is one critical question, from the point of view of ensuring standards of accuracy in the media. How does Coulter know it to be true that, "I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much." There is no evidence whatsoever that those women enjoyed their husbands' deaths, and Coulter offers none. The only "evidence" for this preposterous and hurtful claim is that the women became activists and sought the media spotlight and took a political position at odds with that of Coulter. But what does that prove?
I think Coulter probably would have been correct to say that the women appeared to enjoy the media attention. You don't go on these shows unless you enjoy them to some degree. But enjoying a death? And the death of a loved one when fatherless children were left behind? Coulter's comments are not only false but cruel. She has also made other disparaging personal comments about the women.
In journalism, facts and truth are supposed to matter. Opinions are allowed, and Coulter, a columnist for Human Events and many other newspapers, is entitled to her own opinions.
SNIP
If the matter only involved personal opinions about people or things, Coulter's comments wouldn't really be newsworthy or significant. But she is claiming to have inside knowledge of the personal psychology of this group of women who lost their husbands on 9/11. That is why the comments have generated so much outrageexcept from a few conservatives unwilling to criticize her.
(Excerpt) Read more at aim.org ...
But she did observe that they seem to be reveling in the media attention and their celebrity status (that they unlike most of the other widows and survivors did seek out) all of which is the result only of their status as 9/11 widows. That was the context of her statement "I've never seen anyone enjoy their husband's death so much". Was the statement over the top? Yes. But in the context of the whole paragraph, it was the heavy exclamation point of her critique of the notion that these women are some kind of authority on national security just because their husbands were among the 3000+ people that died along with one of Coulter's best friends. The uproar over that one line kind of reinforces her point.
It's not what she said....
..Dems... liberals and others are going ape crazy because she said it. Period.
She's exposing their little game...
...they are putting Murtha, the Jersey Girls and Sheehan in the vanguard with the DemLibs 'talking points'....
...THEY get away with calling President Bush every vile name in the book or calling our military even more vile stuff (Murtha) BECAUSE they are....military veteran, 9/11 widows, and grieving mom.
Ann's point ....and she does have one...is no one is to refute/doubt/disagree with these shrill shields.
But the minute Ann opens her mouth, outrageous though her adjectives are, she is told to 'kill herself'...or boycott her book, or 'make her shut up'
There is, as we already know, a double standard, and she is trying to expose it!
Yeah, that is so. If these women were appearing to support the war effort, we'd be lavishing them with praise, and we'd be slamming the DUmmies who attacked them for "standing on their husband's corpses" for political action.
Ann doesn't know what these people feel. Neither do you or I. Just because they have political positions we find abhorrent doesn't mean we've suddenly become mind readers.
You're just mad she called you a Darwiniac! ;)
Coulter watches the media and forms the opinion that these were not exactly grieving widows. What's the big deal?
One just cannot be considered conservative unless one thinks Ann is the best thing to happen to conservatives since sliced bread.
Nevermind the fact that children are hearing their mothers were going to divorce their dead dads. Thankfully the conservatives I know in real life aren't that mean-hearted. Or that unChristian.
"And what is it when she implies their husbands were going to divorce them?"
I would like to see the exact quote in full context, before I can give you my analysis.
He/she is upset that Coulter has exposed and destroyed his church and faith(darwinism)
Anyway can judge for themselves by reviewing your posts:
User Posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=7094
I recommend that they first set their preferences to the highest per page, or they will be paging back for hours.
There are hundreds in just the last week.
It's pretty much the definition of online stalking. And, as everyone knows, it's gone on for years.
What did she ever do to you? Make conservatives look bad?
You're not a conservative and never have been.
You are just obsessed with her. (Especially her "looks.")
It's very creepy, to put it mildly.
But others don't have to take my word for it. They can click on your history and see for themselves.
The only reason they have that coverage is because their husbands died on 9/11. So it's fair to say that they are enjoying those benefits as a direct result of their husbands' deaths.
And they are free to enjoy those benefits. However, as they played that card, typical conservative whining about Ann's central point, that the media and Democrats were using these women as a paper shield for criticism of their ideas, but the method they used was not able to penetrate it.
Funny how whining alone never seems to do conservatives much good.
It took this hundred-pound woman to do what all the representatives in Congress, all the big-name talk show hosts couldn't do--which is bring attention to this heinous practice and call Democrats out for their stupidity and spinelessness.
Now conservatives feel safe jumping on the "give me attention too" bandwagon, but not for the point (which they've always agreed with) but for the manner in which it was presented--without which it there would be no bandwagon to board.
yea enjoying their deaths was pretty inaccurate.
Enjoying the fruit that their deaths have provided is probally more accurate.
It's been posted all over FR; it shouldn't be hard for you to find. When you do find it, let me know what you think.
I also believe The Jersey Girls and Cindy Sheehan are enjoying their so called untouchable status as a result of their bereavement.
>>What slander? She makes a judgement that 9/11 widows are enjoying their husbands deaths, I make a judgement that her judgement is a projection based on experience.
You guys sure get pissy when Coulter's own methods are used against her.<<
Sinkspur, see post 60.
What we seem to have here is a lack of understanding of the meaning of the word "enjoy".
Make no mistake, I agree with Ann's ultimate point--that the left is using these women as bulletproof war critics. But no, I don't think they "enjoyed" their husbands' deaths, and no, I don't think Ann knows what they're feeling. The uproar over that comment is very revealing of the left; notice how they keep saying "9-11 widows" as opposed to these very specific 9-11 widows. (Kinda like the use of "immigrants" instead of "illegal immigrants".) But that doesn't change one bit that Ann has no idea if these women "enjoyed" their husband's deaths. I agree with the substantive point she makes; that doesn't mean she's correct on that point.
Spoken like someone who has never read one of her books. Coulter is fanatic in how she uses foot-notes and references to back up her claims. You can have a problem with her style, but that is a personal matter. If you and others think she has a problem with the facts, why not list some of those facts? Just like the left, she is attacked personally, because no one can attack what she actually says. She is sarcastic, no doubt, but how better to make a strong point and get attention. She is not a shrinking violet, which is more than I can say for most Conservatives when confronted with the PC Police.
Nah. Ann just knows that political whoredom is really attractive to the bereaved mummies.
She knows what is, in this case, self-evident.
Ann is a clever and witty writer and she does use a lot of footnotes. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be one when she suggests the husbands were going to divorce their wives.
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