Posted on 08/10/2006 7:11:55 PM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
August 10, 2006 - 22:01
Hat tip to poster 'nutmeg' at Free Republic.
Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News might have meant to praise the heroism and selflessness of our various service people. But he employed what was at best an incredibly awkward, at worst an inappropriate, offensive and simply wrong manner of doing it.
On this evening's 7 PM ET edition of Hardball, Chris Matthews mused about the UK-born terrorists whose plot was foiled today:
"Here we have maybe 24 people who have lived in London and England and the free world for all these years that become citizens, subjects of the Crown, and, yet, after having gotten to know us, they want to kill themselves to hurt us. Isn't that an even deeper conundrum here than the chemicals being used in these attacks?"
Williams: "And that, Chris, that last aspect, the willingness to take one's own life -- I always tell people there are guys on our team like that, too. They're called Army Rangers and Navy Seals and the Special Forces folks and the first responders on 9/11 who went into those buildings knowing, by the way, they weren't going to come out. So we have players like that on our team."
Wrong. Our people are highly trained to accomplish their mission in a manner that gives them the best possible chance of survival. Yes, they heroically assume great risks, knowingly putting their lives on the line. But it is grotesquely mistaken for Williams to suggest that their commanders are sending them on suicide missions. To compare them with terrorists - often young, confused people being exploited by cynical masters who send them to their deaths - is disgraceful.
You have to understand that this was all in the context of Matthews brining up what Edwards said, that if they would just talk to us, they'd love us and everything would be fine.
So Matthews says, basically, "Here we have maybe 24 people who have lived in London and England and the free world for all these years that become citizens, subjects of the Crown, and, yet, after having gotten to know us, they want to kill themselves to hurt us. Isn't that an even deeper conundrum here than the chemicals being used in these attacks?"
It was in reply to that that Williams gave his answer. I don't even think he realized what he had said.
And I still say if he was comparing anybody to terrorits he would have NEVER brought up the first reponders.
Where were you at 7:05 p.m. tonight..........LOL.
It's hard for me to comment because I didn't see the show
But where I have a problem with what I've heard about his comments is even putting the two in the same sentence
Because one group wants to kill innocent people .. the other want to save innocent people from being killed by these terrorists
Again .. I didn't see the show and I should just wait and watch the 2nd airing ... but can you understand how I am seeing this?
Yes, but only because you didn't actually see it.
Having read and reflected on the comments here, I've revised the original NewsBusters thread to make clear that Williams was intending to praise our people but that he did so in a mistaken way that could be offensive. I've also changed the headline. Here's a link to the revised item, if you care to see the changes:
http://newsbusters.org/node/6901
lol .. ok, you got me there :0)
I'll watch it later
Oh, excellent.
BTW, you have Freepmail.
That about covers it all.
Williams needs a slap right across his face for saying this, IMO.
Make that a punch in the mouth.
Spit.
Williams revealed himself to be an amoral idiot. Of course, proximity to Matthews may have caused that.
Sometimes the FR Community Pool develops a slight yellow tinge, and I know it's time to hit the showers.
Thanks for the clarification... I see where he was going, but he sure had an awkward way of getting to his point...
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.
Congrats!
Here is the video of it
Video: Brian Williams’ liberal math
http://hotair.com/archives/2006/08/11/video-brian-williams-liberal-math/
SHAME ON WILLIAMS! Brian, just READ the news written for you. Don't bother trying to analyze or make commentary.
Maybe not, but the quote shows that he is too dumb to make a coherent analogy.
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