As a newspaper guy you should be more careful because, grammatically, you are saying that the Washington Post story had a demeaning headline. That is why people got confused and attacked your assertion. By the way, Tillman would be insulted by everything going on surrounding his death because he didn't want the attention. Now he is a national hero and people are talking about inducting him into the hall of fame...because he died.
Reposting. As far as my original post goes. My title was inflamatory, designed to draw attention. I don't deny that. I think the title is essentially if not totally true. The issue deserves to draw attention. As some have said this stuff happens in war. That is one reason why you don't do it electively. The article was from ABC News. It was presented as a killing of four children celebrating the attack on a humvee. The ABC News team seemed to pesent the Iraqi witnessesses as reliable. Often times they don't do this. Show me where they didn't. What reason did I have to doubt this? I never assumed that the killing was done deliberately, execution style, but we do know that occasionally troops crack under the pressure of combat and go crazy like that, too. Those who got hysterical by the title, attacked it by denials from other articles, which may or not be true. Can anyone actually deny that US troops soemtimes lie about such things, too? It is undoubtedly true that US troops have killed many innocent Iraqi children. Do they do this on purpose? They bomb nighborhoods where innocent children live, knowing that unless a near miracle happens innocent children will die. This has been done for over 13 years, in many cases in which the neighborhoods weren't even firing back. Such an extremely unlikely occurrence that innocent children won't die, gives people like Cohen and other defenders of similar actions by Israelis much comfort to the point where the aerial bombers (pilots) are viewed as law abiding totally moral admirable humans and those who explode suicide bombs or roadside bombs are viewed as inhuman animals whose death is to be celebrated. I don't see it that way nor do I believe the Israeli elite airmen who protested this type of policy see it that way either.
Tell me what you really think. Don't be scared! Tell me what you really think about those who denegrate the nobleness of patriotic following regardless of how you stand politically... Fair enough. I would tell this guy the following. I agree with you to a certain extent, but I think you are misguided on Pt Tilman. Bush's war on terror, the whole effort is very poorly designed, and is by many experts accounts creating more terrorists than it is creating. To that extent we can agree that Pat Tillman's effort as an individual in Bush's flawed war on terror was not perhaps not that helpful. We can agree that President Bush has viewed the war on terror as a way to achieve his conservative agenda, resolve Oedipal conflicts, win elections, crazed desires to dominate the world, seize oil, enrich his friends, be a a crusader in the medieival sense, whatever. However, Pat Tillman deserves respect on a personal level. He was an honest patriot, his act was selfless, unlike that of Bush. It was honest and honorable unlike the chickenhawks who send other people's children to their wars and not their own. Our country does have real enemies and we need honest patriots like Pat Tillman to defend it. One good thing about having men of such sterling personal character and bravery defend it is that since they are not corruptible, we can count on them to tell us if our efforts are going astray. I think we saw this with Scott Ritter another military man of similar character. Sir, get your **** together and focus on the real problems with Bush's war on terror and foreign relations and leave pat Tilman alone.
Bush's war on terror, the whole effort is very poorly designed, and is by many experts accounts creating more terrorists than it is neutralizing.. I do need to contribute, but have been too lazy to unscrew my seldom used penpal account or send an actual check. I will do it.
I'm not trying to politicize Pat Tillman's death. I'm just shining the spotlight of truth upon the evil of the left. You've got women angrily marching and chanting on the Mall for the right to kill unborn babies. You have hatred for a great american hero because he fought in an "imperialist war." This is evil, folks.
No doubt there are the occsional tragedies, but I think your blanket statement that "they bomb neighborhoods" is a falsehood. The US will go where the enemy is and so if the enemy hides near or in a school, I hope those responssible for the children have enough sense not to send them to school. Now tell me again: who is it that really doesn't care about those children?
Bamma is that the game you want to play? I think that the right wing of this country is evil. Look at what they did to the Federal building in OK city. They killed more than 500 people many of whom, were doing their jobs working for this government. But the right is so full of hatred that they committed, what was, at the time the largest terrorist attack in our great nation's borders. The right are a bunch of terrorists, who can't even use peaceful means or self defense. They have to resort to terrorism. I wish Terry Nichols, Tim McVeigh and all the other right wing nuts would go to another country since the right clearly hates the principles that our freedom loving nation was founded on. These In addition to that they've bombed medical clinics, carried out sniper attacks on doctors, etc. There is no way any self respecting American could ever claim to be conservative, or on the right and still allow this kind of behavior. Listen to what Olsen says here about the Michigan militia, a right wing group of gun nuts. Some of the misguided souls wanted to do legitimate work, but Olsen(a fervent conservative and right winger) scorns this. http://www.detnews.com/2001/metro/0105/13/metro-223451.htm I'm not trying to be senstionalist or anything. I'm just shining a spotlight on the evil, and terroristic right wing.
NO. He was a hero. His job was an NFL player. He abandoned that to fight for his country, defeat the terrorist threat in Afghanistan, and free millions of Iraqis. He voluntarily left the glamour and riches of the NFL for the opportunity to serve America. That is a hero.
You and Osama & the Taliban speak the exact same language. Just replace "liberals" and "left" with "infidels" and "West" in one of your hate-filled missives, or vice versa in one of his. Extremists like you are all the same at heart no matter what the cause.
The point was that Bama said the left is evil because of this. Yes there are crackpots who will say things like this, and yes their professed political leaning is to the left. That in no way means that the Left as a movement stands behind this kind of thing. Just as those terrorists that blew up the Federal Building and are part of the Michigan Militia are on the right side of the political spectrem, and are conservatives. Does that mean that the conservative right wing political movement in this country are evil because of a few nuts? I would think we could all agree that a nut is a nut, regardless of their political leaning, and not drag down debate by pretending that the nut cases on each side represent the mainstream of a movement. That is exactly what Bamma is trying to do.
Tillman is an absolute hero. He gave up money and fame to fight and die for his country. That's the definition of a hero. The 700 other dead soldiers deserve just as much praise and reverence, but their deaths have been swept under the rug. It saddens me that it took a "celebrity" dying to put a human face on the American casualties.
Hear, hear. I was a bit dismayed that they did a moment of silence for Tillman at the game Friday when there haven't been any other such public moments for the other soldiers killed in this war. Tillman gave up a lot, but IMO, he did not give up anything more important than any of the other dead soldiers have given up.
Swept under the rug? You're kidding? Certainly they have not received the notoriety that Tillman did but that is a far piece from being swept under the rug. I've seen the pictures and the faces of these dead on television, on the internet, and in print.
I'm going to have to disagree with the money and fame part defining one of being a hero. I really dislike how the media is using this to define the sacrifice that he made. I agree he is a hero, but not for the money and fame that he gave up, but for the willing sacrifice of his life for his country. Idolizing him for giving up the money and fame, putting him above the rest for this reason is an insult to not only the regular soldiers, but also to any hero who has sacrificed himself and did not have access to money and fame, especially the 9/11 policemen and firemen. I'm sick of hearing that someone who was priviliged over others, is giving up a bigger sacrifice when they choose to defend their country, it doesn't make him a hero, it makes him admirable. and T_J, Tillman was serving in Afghanistan, not Iraq. The people of Afghanistan are not the same as Iraqis.
Out of curiosity, is there anyone here who knows someone killed? Is there anyone who knows a member of a family who lost a loved one? My suspicion is that Tillman is becoming a blank slate that anyone can write on because most of us are so far removed from the reality.
