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Brian Williams Refuses to Apologize for Comparing Army Rangers and Seals to Terrorists
Free Republic | August 13, 2006 | Westpole

Posted on 08/13/2006 11:34:57 AM PDT by Westpole

Brian Williams said in response to a question about muslims willing to die to kill us that we have "guys on our side like that too. They are called army rangers and navy seals." He claims he only meant that we have people willing to die too. And he says he hopes that clears it up. Not quite! Mr. Williams.

First no one has ever doubted Americans are willing to make any sacrifice for our country. Has he heard of D-Day or Iwo Jima or the Revolutionary War or just read today's papers for that matter. And its not just uniformed people how about the citizens on Flt 93 that gave up their lives trying to stop that plane from its intended target? Mr. Williams we are well aware our side has heros.

When you say we have guys like that "too", willing to "take" their lives you have compared us to them in the most direct way. As much as you praise our guys you equally praise theirs by saying "too". Your praise merely serves to sugarcoat the horrendous comparison. Some say you just misspoke. And parsing through your interview lets just say kindly that just about everything you said less than lucid. However you have in the past compared our founding fathers to terrorists and again last week you say "we have guys like that too".

Its pretty simple Mr. Williams either condemn their tactics or leave standing your sugarcoated praise of their bravery.


TOPICS: Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: nbcnews; terrorists
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To: Westpole
And that, Chris, that last aspect, the willingness to take one‘s own life

Note he fixated on one aspect of the question, the willingness to give up one's own life for the cause. He didnt address the other part of the question about why they hate us, at least not in the soundbyte. I still think this is making a mountain out of a molehill. Arent there bigger things you can be offended by?

41 posted on 08/13/2006 1:08:11 PM PDT by Dave S
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To: Dave S

Willingness to "take" one's own life?
Dave our guys are willing to risk their life (to save lives)...not take it..
Their guys are the ones willing to "take" their life. And do so to murder innocents.

Glad you focused on the word "take" it tells the tale.


42 posted on 08/13/2006 1:13:21 PM PDT by Westpole
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To: Mr. Mojo

MSM have been tryibg to protray him as a red state home guy who goes to NASCAR,low key,enjoys hunting, small town folksy kinda guy all B.S to peddle him to red state viewers and siphon off FOX viewers. I could smell him a mile away he is a LIBERAL,ABORTION SUPPORTER in the most vile way ,west side N.Y. metrosexual wussie and has never missed a opportunity to bash DUBYA, present slanted broadcasts and negative stories about conseratives,christians and American loving inds.


43 posted on 08/13/2006 1:32:48 PM PDT by dubyawhoiluv
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To: Enterprise

Wash his mouth out with soap. That's what you do with children.


44 posted on 08/13/2006 1:38:30 PM PDT by bytesmith
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To: Dave S
Are you just dense? If the question was whether we had people as willing to die for their beliefs and/or country as the terrorists, who else would come to mind quicker? This is a mountain over a mole hill. Some people just dont have anything else to bitch about today. Have fun.

The crock would be making a fool of yourself without actually having heard the audio of the statement yourself.

I heard that audio several times, and what he said was crystal clean to anyone with a 4th grade command of English.

His only defense (short of an apology), would be that that was not what he meant to say.

45 posted on 08/13/2006 1:52:10 PM PDT by Publius6961 (MSM: Israelis are killed by rockets; Lebanese are killed by Israelis.)
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To: Dave S
Somehow I think you must have heard that incorrectly.

Well, then, I am among the millions of others who also heard it incorrectly. It was aired nation-wide Friday afternoon on the Hugh Hewitt show. Several times.

46 posted on 08/13/2006 1:55:35 PM PDT by Publius6961 (MSM: Israelis are killed by rockets; Lebanese are killed by Israelis.)
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To: pollyannaish

Whatever you do, don't listen for yourself. Your clear posturing and sophistry will embarrass you!


47 posted on 08/13/2006 1:57:44 PM PDT by Publius6961 (MSM: Israelis are killed by rockets; Lebanese are killed by Israelis.)
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To: Publius6961
Well. Thanks so much. ROFL. You are so kind when you're mean.

So, you really think from his tone he meant that there is moral equivalence? I only read the transcript, so I am certainly guilty of what you allege.

Secondly, and I suppose this is the bottom line, what do you think that making an issue of this gets our side in terms of making our position clearer and proving our points?

I am perfectly comfortable with being wrong because I have lots of practice at it (Ha!), but from the transcript I really didn't think it was a big deal and very easily misinterpreted out of context. But I will concede (again from experience posting on this site alone) that written things can be interpreted completely differently than they would be if spoken.

48 posted on 08/13/2006 2:14:15 PM PDT by pollyannaish
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To: Westpole

When a terrorist is willing to die for his/her cause, that means blowing him/herself up along with INNOCENT civilians. When our military members willingly die, it's usually while trying to SAVE someone else's life. You CAN NOT compare the two. Williams is a blithering idiot.


49 posted on 08/13/2006 2:25:18 PM PDT by bkwells (Liberals=Hypocrites)
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To: Bratch

50 posted on 08/13/2006 2:28:33 PM PDT by bkwells (Liberals=Hypocrites)
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To: Westpole

Hey Williams you bubble head Shut up and Read the News.


51 posted on 08/13/2006 2:29:40 PM PDT by NormanTuttle
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To: bkwells
When a terrorist is willing to die for his/her cause, that means blowing him/herself up along with INNOCENT civilians. When our military members willingly die, it's usually while trying to SAVE someone else's life. You CAN NOT compare the two. Williams is a blithering idiot.

Williams is clearly comparing the willingness to die if necessary. He is not equating the goals nor the murdering of innocent civilians with our troops fighting terrorists, you are. Give the guy a break. Perhaps if you were on air as many hours a week as he is you would be better able to nuance every word you uttered. Some how I doubt it. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.

52 posted on 08/13/2006 3:50:57 PM PDT by Dave S
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To: Publius6961
The crock would be making a fool of yourself without actually having heard the audio of the statement yourself. I heard that audio several times, and what he said was crystal clean to anyone with a 4th grade command of English.

Yeah, well I read the transcript and I dont see any moral equivalence. If you do, its because you are putting it there. Give the guy a break. If you uttered as many words a week in public as he does, I doubt you would be crystal clear in every uttering you make either. The guy asking the question asked multiple questions. Williams answered the last question and you folks go bonkers. Geez what would you do if someone really did say something sick.

53 posted on 08/13/2006 3:54:46 PM PDT by Dave S
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To: Westpole
I'm sorry but I'm siding with Wilson on this one. I heard Medved condemn him on Friday but the argument I have to offer is that while one may be a professional TV speaker, its hard to say the perfect words to convey your meaning 100% of the time especially when the microphone is in front of you. And no matter what you say, there are those who are going to make their own interpretations regardless of what your intent was.

I don't for one instant believe that his intent was to truly equate the actions of terrorists to the actions of our own special forces thereby intentionally maligning them.......

54 posted on 08/13/2006 4:00:21 PM PDT by Hot Tabasco (Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors - and miss.)
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To: Dave S; Westpole; Publius6961
Williams is clearly comparing the willingness to die if necessary. He is not equating the goals nor the murdering of innocent civilians with our troops fighting terrorists, you are. Give the guy a break. Perhaps if you were on air as many hours a week as he is you would be better able to nuance every word you uttered. Some how I doubt it. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.

Here's the transcript:

MATTHEWS: You know, in our first edition of HARDBALL tonight, we had a senator on, former Senator John Edwards on, who said that once these people in the east and the Islamic world get to know us personally, understand our good character, as he said, they wouldn‘t hate us so much, they wouldn‘t want to commit suicide to hurt us. But here we have maybe 25, 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, you know, 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. But to the center of your question, it goes to etiology. Can you reverse the clock here. We now know this is the conflict of our generation. Who would have thought it would take this shape? Who would have thought it would be against an enemy we can‘t always see, and who would have thought the new target would be a stainless steel tube flying, as you put it, at 39,000 feet, full of innocent people.

To me, Matthews is clearly talking about terrorists who give up their own life in order to kill and hurt others. Williams' response was "there are guys on our team like that too." I complete disagree with his analogy.

Give the guy a break.

ABSOLUTLEY NOT! These guys go on air all the time and hold people accountable for their words and actions. Just look at how they treat our Pres. How many times have the press been all over him for his speakings? They (the press) need to understand now that we will not tolerate a double standard. They need to be held to the same accountability to which they hold others.

Perhaps if you were on air as many hours a week as he is you would be better able to nuance every word you uttered. Some how I doubt it. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone. You don't know anything about me.... Judge not, lest ye be judged.

55 posted on 08/13/2006 10:21:40 PM PDT by bkwells (Liberals=Hypocrites)
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To: mkjessup
I received the following reply to the email I sent to Mr. Williams:

Brian Williams has read your e-mail and asked that I send along the following clarification:

Comments I made during a live interview with Chris Matthews last night have been aggressively misunderstood in the hours since. Here was my point: people always say that our country will be at a disadvantage as long as the "other side" is willing to take their own life for the cause. I was making the point that if that's some kind of litmus test for bravery... or belief in the cause, we have those guys, too. People who fight for us, people who protect us -- know full well that the American cause is worth dying for -- as are our freedoms. People are dying for the U.S. side every day. Laying their lives on the line. And I give thanks for them every day. I was not at all equating the "other" cause with what Americans stand for. I was criticizing the view, expressed by some, that as long as we are fighting the "suicide bomber mentality" we can never get the upper hand, because, as this belief goes, "we aren't willing to give our lives the way they are." Of course we are. The difference is: the folks willing to die for OUR country do so in the act of protecting and defending it -- NOT killing civilians by detonating an explosive and killing innocent people. I hope that clears it up.

Brian Williams

56 posted on 08/14/2006 1:38:37 PM PDT by redgirlinabluestate
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To: Dave S

Stop making sense Dave, rationality isn't the order of the day.


57 posted on 08/14/2006 1:49:09 PM PDT by notigar
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To: Westpole

All these guys are the same.....flashes of Dan Rather...


58 posted on 08/14/2006 1:52:10 PM PDT by shield (A wise man's heart is at his RIGHT hand; but a fool's heart at his LEFT. Ecc 10:2)
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To: Mike Darancette
I'm not sure he directly made the comparison but stated his point rather unartful. News Readers should not deviate from prepared completely vetted scripts.

It may not be a popular position, but I agree with you. I don't think he intended to say that our Navy Seals are the moral equivalent to these terrorists.

I think he was clumsily saying that we have guys willing to sacrifice their lives for our cause.

Although, to paraphrase Patton, the purpose of war is to get the other son-of-a-bitch to die for his country.

59 posted on 08/14/2006 1:58:02 PM PDT by Dr._Joseph_Warren
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