What is your point? That smith is brave. yes he is. What debate discussion are you trying to provoke? Let me guess, it's tired and hackneyed and self pitying and consists of "the media hates __"
He's brave. His family deserves the medal. This medal is more poignant than most because under any other administration, he would not have had the opportunity to display his bravery and earn the award in Iraq. Or die there.
I'm not sure what your point is, but I assume it's along the lines of media bias and overwhelming negative coverage. Next time there is a Hamas terrorist attack, do you think the media should also do stories about Hamas building a new school or providing medical services? In the run up to the Iraqi war, along with show the brutal dictator side of Hussein, do you think the media should have focused on his positive women's rights record and the cultural progress in Iraq? The media covers primarily the negative - its what they do, for both the good guys and bad guys; it's unbiased. I suspect you don't want the coverage above, so it seems that you're asking the media to cover good stories for the good guys and bad stories for the bad guys, which means you're asking for bias in the media?
Cheer up, Basso. I googled and there are thousands of hits about how Jessica Lynch was only captured after, receiving multiple gun shot and knife wounds, she ran out of bullets, the stock on her M 16 broke after, ala Davie Crockett, debraining a couple of dozen Iraqis, and the blade on her Bowie knife broke on the spine of the 6th Iraqi she gutted. Also i saw lots of stories about how Pat Tillman was killed in a great firefight with Iraqis. Yet, ccording to Basso, if things aren't going too well in Iraq , it is because the liberal media has failed to print enough stories about Mr. Smith,who did appear to do his duty and be heroic.
excuse me, but did you just equate the US with Hamas and Saddam? you sound like patty murray saying "well, al queda does build a lot of schools...". if you really feel this way, i'm appalled. not surprised, but appalled. Saddam's record on women's rights and cultural progress? in saddamite iraq sodomizers were killed. of what progress do you speak?
If you could read, you'd see I didn't. But hey, suit yourself - you claim to be interested in unbiased news coverage, yet you only want stories you like reported. Hamas didn't build a huge following and political victory through its terrorist organization - it built by providing an immense number of social services to its constituents that no one else provided. That is similar to how madrassahs (sp?) have become so widespread and successful, unfortunately. I asked you a simple question - if you think good things should be a larger focus of the news, do you think that should be the case for just us, or our enemies as well? No matter how good or evil a group is, they do both bad and good things - whether its the US or anyone else. The media consistently covers the bad from all parties. You seem to want more coverage of US good things, but not other good things. We can group news into 4 categories: US does bad (covered) Enemies do bad (covered) US does good (you want it covered) Enemies do good (doesn't sound like you want it covered) Why is that, if you're truly interested in unbiased news coverage? Iraqi women had more rights than anyone else in that region. They were allowed to go to school and college, protected from abuse by husbands, etc - things that no other Islamic country in the region offered. Like men, they had no political rights, but they were given opportunities far and away beyond other countries in that area. Up until gulf war I, Iraq's education system, art, museums, etc were by far the class of the Middle East. This was a result of the secularism of Hussein compared to the more Islamic dominance of Iran, Saudi, etc. It doesn't make the tyranny of Saddam OK, but why is that less worthy of news coverage than the US building a school in Iraq, which also doesn't excuse the things we did (that you seem to complain about coverage of)?
Here's a little on Saddam era women's rights: http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2005/08/18/iraqs_secondclass_citizens.php <I> Yet, for all its brutality, Saddam Hussein’s government guaranteed women’s rights to education, employment, freedom of movement, equal pay for equal work and universal day care, as well as the rights to inherit and own property, choose their own husbands, vote and hold public office. Ironically, these fundamental rights stand to be abolished in an Iraq “liberated” by the United States in the name of (among other things) promoting democracy. </I>
Good point glynch. In 2003 other heroes were brought before us, such as Jessica Lynch and her Rambo-esque expoloits, as well as the dramatic footage of the daring midnight raid to rescue her with of a heavily fortified enemy territory, which happened to be not fortified or have any enemy in it.
Amazing...in a thread about a Medal of Honor winner we get: -Bush bashing -Fox News bashing -a "Vietiraq" reference
as well as.... --Liberal bashing --Bashing of news sources that reported the Abu Ghraib debacle --A rehash of a White House press release classified as "news" Something for everyone in this thread, eh?
Do you honestly think this thread was intended to celebrate his exploits alone in somber memory? I doubt it.
please highlight for me where i said, or implied, that i only want good news about the US covered. All i've ever asked for is balance, something that's sorely absent from MSM reporting on iraq. As to good news about our enemies, why the **** would i want to hear good news about people who have sworn to kill us? we're at war with them, did you miss that part? or perhaps you don't view al queda and the baathists who killed paul smith as enemies?
i never really thought of you this way before, but in this thread, you've truly shown yourself to be an idiot.
I can't speak for major, but I seem them as cute, loyal puppydog friends. I want to have slumber parties with all of them and their big fuzzy beards.
freedom. as duke said, and i'm quoting from memory so it may not be exact, "The word freedom is used for many purposes. It is sometimes even used in the interest of freedom."
