Thursday, August 16, 2007
The Assets of Grief
Over the past few years, we have seen how twisted the far right is willing to make the debate over America. Opponents of the war have been called "traitors" and "appeasers" by everyone from TV pundits to generals to Turd Blossom himself. Every time someone thinks that we should approach the geopolitical situation sensitively, the bloody flag of 9/11 is waved about, its standard held by a screeching hawk.
And a few days ago, the debate hit a new low:
On the August 10 broadcast of his Fox News Radio show, John Gibson and the program's executive producer, known on air as "Angry Rich," mocked Comedy Central host Jon Stewart for emotional remarks he made shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. While airing a clip of Stewart's remarks from the September 20, 2001, edition of The Daily Show, Gibson mimicked Stewart and sarcastically interjected, "Oh, God, Jon. Just tell me it's not true," and, "Oh! That's great. I'm -- God, I'm touched." Before playing the clip, Angry Rich asked, "Do you remember what the media was like shortly after 9-11?" Gibson answered, "Oh, Jon Stewart sobbing." After the clip concluded, Angry Rich called Stewart a "phony."
Gibson closed his word-by-word mimickry of Jon Stewart's opening by saying, "Let me bash Bush for the next six years."
This is the measure of a patriot to people like Gibson. It's not just that you don't love America if you don't support the war. It's not just that you don't stand for liberty if you approve of our President's movements to squash it.
In his mind, you cannot mourn the loss of three thousand of your fellow citizens, the destruction of your home town, and the worst attack on American soil in the history of the nation... because, in the future, you will question the measure of the response of the people in charge.
Remember, folks; the minute a "patriot" decries the mourning of a man, they have failed their nation utterly.
And a few days ago, the debate hit a new low:
On the August 10 broadcast of his Fox News Radio show, John Gibson and the program's executive producer, known on air as "Angry Rich," mocked Comedy Central host Jon Stewart for emotional remarks he made shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. While airing a clip of Stewart's remarks from the September 20, 2001, edition of The Daily Show, Gibson mimicked Stewart and sarcastically interjected, "Oh, God, Jon. Just tell me it's not true," and, "Oh! That's great. I'm -- God, I'm touched." Before playing the clip, Angry Rich asked, "Do you remember what the media was like shortly after 9-11?" Gibson answered, "Oh, Jon Stewart sobbing." After the clip concluded, Angry Rich called Stewart a "phony."
Gibson closed his word-by-word mimickry of Jon Stewart's opening by saying, "Let me bash Bush for the next six years."
This is the measure of a patriot to people like Gibson. It's not just that you don't love America if you don't support the war. It's not just that you don't stand for liberty if you approve of our President's movements to squash it.
In his mind, you cannot mourn the loss of three thousand of your fellow citizens, the destruction of your home town, and the worst attack on American soil in the history of the nation... because, in the future, you will question the measure of the response of the people in charge.
Remember, folks; the minute a "patriot" decries the mourning of a man, they have failed their nation utterly.
