CNN, MSNBC, FOXNEWS

“Dammit Buddha, check your glasses that see into the future. Mine don't seem to be working. This Alaska person has perfect hindsight, though. By the way, the bottom line is not what was done or wasn't done in the past, it's what's going on now. Tell you what Alaska, go to your precious history books and show me a country that did everything right, all the time, and has no mistakes at all to be dragged out and pointed at. When you find this country, move there.”

“Also, to add to the above, when I studied prior wars while attaining a BS in History, I learned why listening to people like you ultimately cost the world countless lives.”

“So why now a war twenty years after the fact?”

“I wonder how many of those other leaders have balls or just jumped on the American gravey train.”

“twenty years after the fact of what? Dude, there's plenty of reason for us to go to war with them right now, this isn't about twenty years ago. When you hear the country is at war, do you
a: follow current events to find out why
or
b: open up a history book and look for reasons why”

“Saddam was killing his own people twenty years ago, and he was at war with Iran. Reagan was happy to support him then as long as the oil flowed. The only difference now is the oil sitation has changed.”

“The other difference is, it's twenty years later, and Reagan isn't president anymore. Oh, and then there's the whole 9/11 thing that happened, that makes things a little different. This administration, like any other, is not perfect- But it's not responsible for stuff that happened twenty years ago.”

“Corp, you take care of business today, Saddam is a madman. Alaska because mistakes were made twenty years ago doesn't mean we should continue with those same mistakes. You know what they say, if you don't learn from the past you're doomed to repeat it. B.B. you can't have it both ways. Bush41 made the decision to stop no one else. His administration said this would not be another Vietnam and that things would be done right, well what happened. Harry Truman had a sign on his desk while president that said "The buck stops here". It seems that every president since should have a sign that says "The buck will never stop here". His decision I believe will go down in history as one of the great mistakes of the 20th century. Yes that is pure hindsight, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore it.”

“Very true, Must Hike. You can't sit there and ask any given administration to make up for all the mistakes in the past, you can only ask them to do the best job they can today. Just because someone is in power does not give them the ability to make the right decisions all the time, they're only human like everyone else.”

“I agree Must Hike & Mr. Nasty.

We have learned from past mistakes, and today, we completely shall take care of the problem. And yeah, Alaska, oil does have something to do with it. It only happens to be the major source of fuel in the world.”

“Corp politicians are elected and we hope they have wisdom, but you’re right they are only human and very fallible. The big problem is the brain dead and short sighted party line touting. No one is willing to admit some one was wrong or made a mistake if that person is from their party. Who made the mistake and what party they are from is irrelevant, if we don’t learn from those mistakes than we are nothing but fools.”

“B.B. only years into the future will we know if we learned from our mistakes, lets hope so.”

“I must hike with you someday.

lol

This would make for interesting conversation around the campfire.”

“I've hiked with must hike already, although didn't have much chance to BS (especially since I had a tooth removed a couple of days before and wasn't feeling too social)
The campfire would be an interesting place to meet this Alaska person too, although I don't think I'd share a drink with the guy.”

“Personally, I'd drink with any of you. I understand yur viewpoints and I respect them. I disagree vehemently with many, but that would not stop me from enjoying your company.”

“Yea, I’d rather be having this discussion around with you guys around the camp fire. We’ll make that happen. Yea I hiked with the Corporal once and would like to again. He packed in a 6 pack of Guinness. He da man.”

“Nasty, what does Saddam or Iraq have to do with 9/11?”

“Phaedrus, I totally agree, and if the chance ever comes up, I'd love to hike and/or share a drink or two with you. This Alaska person, who I've rarely seen post before this, seems to be a war troll of some sort to me- I could be wrong, but it seems as though he/she posts something just to try to aggravate- If you're for the war, cool, if you're against it, cool- But if you're going to post about it, be prepared to hear the other side and respond with intelligence, not by asking Buddha Bear why he's not in the service if he supports the war.”

“Saddam/Iraq has been shown to have supported the terrorists financially. Who knows, perhaps if he had been allowed to continue with the chemical weapons, he might have supplied some of those as well as the finances.”

“Nasty, could you provide some evidence or proof for your claim.

Who knows, perhaps if Bush had allowed weapons inspetions to continue, we wouldn't have dead American soldiers right now.”

“Hard fact of life for you, Alaska- Soldiers die in war. As a former soldier myself, I knew the risks involved in being one. Everyone out there in uniform knows what the job means, it's the whole purpose of the job to go into the path of danger. When weapons inspectors are given the run around, and portable chemical producing trucks are moved around to avoid inspection, perhaps it's time for action instead of playing cat and mouse. If the inspections had been allowed to go on, perhaps we would have found them all. Or, perhaps they would have slipped some past us, and those weapons would be used against people- Iraqis, Kurds, Americans- Like you said, who knows. Again, the bottom line is, we're at war, and we're trying to make sure the chemical weapons threat is stopped. Lesson over, enjoy the board Alaska. You think the way you do, I think the way I do. Let's leave it at that.”

“Maybe if Clinton did the right thing when the inspectors were kicked out years ago, we wouldn't be in this clean up situation.”

“Do you really in your heart believe that ridding Saddam of chemical weapons is going to eliminate such weapons from being used here in the USA. It doesn't require a Saddam to make lethal chemical agents.”

“no, he's not the only person who can use them, but- Follow the logic through, Alaska. If we find some guy making the stuff in his basement, what do we do? We stop him. This particular guy happens to be the dictator of a country with an army. We still have to stop him, though.”

“Alaska - sounds like your making a threat.....”

“Now I understand your warped logic with that statement.”

“Does the latest news that Coalition forces have discovered a very large chemical factory change anyones mind.

Also, it has been reported all day that that we sent a missle attack on an Alqueda base in Northern Iraq right on the border with Iran. This was the attack where Iran claimed that several of our missles landed in Iran. After the missle attack Kurdish rebels went in and finished off the rest. How accurate this info is I have no idea. But that was what was reported. so Al Queda did operat freely in Iraq.”

“the factory is not fact yet...
operating inside iraq dosnt mean they did so with iraqs blessing.

IF! you were to use a chemical weapon against a US target you wouldnt try to import the agent, you would travel to US soil and buy the equipment needed on your charge card....

I find it interesting that all you history students out there havent learned the first lesson of history.”

“I take your point about history BB, but the thing that worries me is what precident this sets for the future. "We're attacking you becase we think you may pose a threat in the furture." That breaks from the patterns of US history.”

“That breaks from the patterns of US history."

ynamiynami
09:24:44 AM
03/24/03

Forget history, precedent, etc.
9/11 changed everything. Everything.”

“But MSNBC will be renamed "NBC Cable News" this July.

You heard it here first.”

“Ok, which one of your former co-workers spilled the beans on this one, Artex?”

“Now there's a classic, oxymoron.”

“in RUPERTVISION!

<grin>


Yeah, I wondered what the heck they thought they were doing... "Micro$quish NBC"? whuddafuh?”

“I have to admit that I've been addicted to the news shows over the last 18 days. I surf between Fox, CNN and MSNBC. With no military background and little recent study of history, I have been trying to understand the events that brought us to this war and how this war is different than previous ones. I have to say that in terms of sheer enjoyment of presentation, commentary, pictures and personalities, I enjoy Fox News the most with the intense exception of Geraldo who needs a good nose bleed. I really like the inbedded reporters and Shep Smith. CNN is next with a cautious approach to reporting breaking news and some great personalities like Paula Zahn and Bill Hemmer, but irritating reporting by Wolf Blitzer who always seems to be fighting a headache. I would like to know which channel actual military personel in the States like best, if anyone wishes to add their more knowledgeable comments to this?”

“I miss David Bloom already!!!

I really liked him.”

“David Bloom's death was so shocking because he was young to have a pulmonary embolism. I wish I knew more about how this type of thing happens. He was an energetic dynamo, from all the tributes broadcasted. Who would have thought that a health problem would bring him down.”

“It's interesting that you should mention the history of the region. I'd like to know more about the circumstances of how the British drew the boundaries 80-some years ago. Why was the Kurdish territory carved up between 3 other states?

How did Colonialism and the Cold War contribute to the events we witness today?

I wonder why we have news anchors who don't seem to have a grasp of history... or if they do... why aren't they sharing it? Did it not "test well" with the focus groups?


<<Editorial Comment follows...>>

It seems like every time someone asks what the historical basis for some situation is, if it isn't all 'sweetness and light' for some past US policies (or an opportunity to dump on an opposition party), there's a flock of Pat Buchanon clones raising a chorus of "Blame America First! Blame America First!"

It's a trick to stifle debate. And it's a lie.

Are we so full of ourselves to think that we've never made mistakes... ever? Somewhere there's a reality where the United States is neither The Great Satan nor a model of perfection.

I'd rather LEARN from past errors than repeat them. Wouldn't you? I'd rather get some CONTEXT than some of the simple cheerleading I've seen from network news.

Showing support for the troops is proper and fitting... but is that ALL they know to do? Have entertainment programmers completely taken over the news?


<grrrrrrrrrrrrrr>

;^ )”

“CNN is taking about 2 or 3 min to come up today for me.
Heavy net traffic?”

“Uuugh how could you like Paula Zahn. She reeks of b!tch”

“Brit Hume is the most biased so-called journalist I've ever come across. The man has no ethics or standards. How can a man claim to offer a fair and balanced telling of the news when he acts as a pundit on Fox News Sunday. Perhaps the most hypocritical thing I've ever seen was his dismassal of Helen Thomas as a mad old lady who was not a journalist any more because she writes opinions pieces.... all while Brit himslef was giving his opinion of her while acting as a pundit on his own channel.”

“It's been really slow for the last few weeks, SS. I don't know why.”

“I just tried it and CNN came right up for me using cable. However, I have not looked at it for about three days.”

“There are commentators on all the news channels that I can't stand. To each his own. MaryPhyl, really, you think Paula Zahn is #&%!$y? I don't see that at all. But E.D. on Fox News is a capital B, but I like her anyway.”

“CNN reporter and meth head......figures....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080418/ap_on_en_tv/cnn_reporter_charged”

“When prime-time cable news ratings for the second quarter of 2008 are officially released next week, they will show that Fox News reclaimed the top spot among viewers in their mid-20s through mid-50s, those of greatest interest to news advertisers, according to estimates from Nielsen Media Research.

During the first three months of the year, by contrast, CNN drew so many viewers on big Democratic primary nights and for several presidential debates that it vaulted over Fox News for the first time in six years.

But the back-and-forth these last few months masks a more ominous trend for Fox News, particularly as its gears up to cover the general election campaign. The most dominant cable news channel for nearly a decade and a political force in its own right, Fox has seen its once formidable advantage over CNN erode in this presidential election year, as both CNN and MSNBC have added viewers at far more dramatic rates.

In the first five-and-a-half months of 2004, the last presidential election year, Fox’s prime-time audience among viewers aged 25 to 54 was more than double that of CNN’s — 530,000 to 248,000, according to estimates from Nielsen Media Research. This year, through mid-June, CNN erased the gap and drew nearly as many viewers in that demographic category as Fox — about 420,000 for CNN to 440,000 for Fox.

Meanwhile, CNN has added 170,000 viewers a night, on average, when compared with the last presidential year, while Fox has shed about 90,000, according to Nielsen. (MSNBC, which added 181,000 viewers in that audience, much of it courtesy of gains by “Countdown With Keith Olbermann,” still lagged in third place, with 303,000.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/28/arts/television/28rati.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin”

“This would have been perfect for the "Everybody Panic" thread, lol!”

“Advertising for your thread on other threads, now?  

It appears that the folks at CNN have made gains at the expense of their souls.   Opinion has taken the place of news on some shows.   The blind rah-rah flag-waving and the people that go for that sort of thing have been much more evident in the past couple of years.

Now they've hired Fran Townsend to do the Bush cheerleading routine.   She's also a current member of his "Intelligence Advisory Board"  (I'll leave that punchline to your imaginations).”

“This is rich ----

“CNN Contributor” Tony Snow”