Andy Rooney on the POW Abuse
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Joined: Mar 2002
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From: NH
RockPick:
First I would like to say that was a great post…
I did not take it the wrong way because I have a great deal of respect for you as well as all the others, rather they agree with me or not.
I think this was absolutely excellent and I couldn’t have said it better myself:
First let me make this crystal clear for everybody where I stand on this prisoner abuse issue. I absolutely do NOT in any way approve of what happen and I feel strongly that all involved should be punished to the maximum penalties possible that are on the books.
Now as per Andy Rooney and my opinion on him. You and others may have one take on him and I have another, opinions are opinions and that is what thought is all about.
I stand by my prior statements about Andy Rooney and having political motives for many of the things he does, not all but many of them including his speech or write up about the prisoner abuse in Iraq. Andy Rooney is a media person and generally they have political agendas in many things they say. Sometimes it’s a business agenda but in any regards I feel his piece was a left slanted political dialog.
First reason I feel this is Andy Rooney is a very popular TV person with thousands of people who watch him and/or read his articles. The prisoner abuse has been played over and over and over on TV by about every network and TV anchor out there.
So why did Andy Rooney choose to do a piece on something that has been beat to death? Secondly why, being such a talented TV personality, did Andy Rooney have to put a left slant to it and not put it into proper perspective? To the ordinary person they would “most likely” walk away from Andy Rooney’s piece with the feelings that America made a big mistake going to Iraq and second that America has a military out of control and basically untrained.
Let me take a few of his passages and put my take on it.
I absolutely disagree that someone with prudent information is simply going to give up that information for a sip of water or a crust of bread. Why, well first they have to be feed so many calories a day to begin with because we simply can not starve them to death. So he has already mislead his listeners to thinking ”Oh great we are starving the poor prisoners”
Second he is trying to make the prisoner out to be something they are not like an innocent bystander that just happens to have real bad luck and get thrown into prison to begin with. Now some of the prisoners may indeed be completely innocent but since neither I nor you nor Andy Rooney knows this to be a fact I feel Andy is playing into peoples hearts to make them think we are more evil then we really are and that the prisoners, or terrorist in general are not as bad as they really are, Either way that is a left slant on the reality of what happen.
Next:
This completely blows me away, first the man tries to make it look like the prisoners are some innocent harmless little happy person but then tries to make the American military guards look as evil as possible more so then any terrorist.
He thinks they should get more then a year in prison? That we shouldn’t feed them and we should kick them out of the country?
Andy is right that this issue has dealt America a very serious blow, specifically as far as our public relations go but not so serious we can not come back from this. This is not something that will, on its own, remain in history books for hundreds of years at least it shouldn’t unless it is the proper context. With that I mean, at this time, it is only a few people and OUR system of laws is working. These people will be face justice and THAT is what America is about.
America is NOT about being perfect and having all the correct answers. America is about a system of laws based on our unique set of values and standards that far surpass ANY other country on earth. America is also about being FAIR and JUST and not brutal like many nations and that is something Andy blew right past in his left leaning rant.
Someone makes a serious mistake for what ever reason and Andy wants them to have more then a year in prison, not feed them and to kick them out of the country, that is NOT America and that does NOT reflect America’s values in any way
Lastly:
Andy is right and many Americans like Andy don’t understand what we have and HOW to maintain it. To maintain freedom and our way of life will indeed involve military actions like we are doing in Iraq. Andy’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren will NOT have what he had if we follow what Andy would like which is to act as nothing happened on 911, to try and understand the poor terrorist, and then hope for the best.
We have for approx. the last 20 years practiced appeasing the terrorist and/or ignoring the terrorist and it ultimately lead to 911, the only thing left to do when a free nation is faced with losing its freedom is to stand up and fight for it or to stay at home and ”watch it slip away”
First I would like to say that was a great post…
I did not take it the wrong way because I have a great deal of respect for you as well as all the others, rather they agree with me or not.
I think this was absolutely excellent and I couldn’t have said it better myself:
Originally posted by RockPick
As for being held to a higher standard; I think that's an understatement. We ***ARE THE STANDARD***. There is not another country on this Earth that is held to a higher standard. We set the standard. We raise and lower the bar based on what we do as a country. We raise and lower that bar based on everything that our military does (especially in a time of war). We raise and lower that bar based on every breathe that we, as Americans, take no matter where our feet touch the ground. We are the standard. We must live up to that responsibility or else we should expect to fail, not only as a military force second to no one in the world, but as a country.
RP
As for being held to a higher standard; I think that's an understatement. We ***ARE THE STANDARD***. There is not another country on this Earth that is held to a higher standard. We set the standard. We raise and lower the bar based on what we do as a country. We raise and lower that bar based on everything that our military does (especially in a time of war). We raise and lower that bar based on every breathe that we, as Americans, take no matter where our feet touch the ground. We are the standard. We must live up to that responsibility or else we should expect to fail, not only as a military force second to no one in the world, but as a country.
RP
Now as per Andy Rooney and my opinion on him. You and others may have one take on him and I have another, opinions are opinions and that is what thought is all about.
I stand by my prior statements about Andy Rooney and having political motives for many of the things he does, not all but many of them including his speech or write up about the prisoner abuse in Iraq. Andy Rooney is a media person and generally they have political agendas in many things they say. Sometimes it’s a business agenda but in any regards I feel his piece was a left slanted political dialog.
First reason I feel this is Andy Rooney is a very popular TV person with thousands of people who watch him and/or read his articles. The prisoner abuse has been played over and over and over on TV by about every network and TV anchor out there.
So why did Andy Rooney choose to do a piece on something that has been beat to death? Secondly why, being such a talented TV personality, did Andy Rooney have to put a left slant to it and not put it into proper perspective? To the ordinary person they would “most likely” walk away from Andy Rooney’s piece with the feelings that America made a big mistake going to Iraq and second that America has a military out of control and basically untrained.
Let me take a few of his passages and put my take on it.
What were the secrets they were trying to get from captured Iraqis? What important information did that poor devil on the leash have that he wouldn't have given to anyone in exchange for a crust of bread or a sip of water?
Second he is trying to make the prisoner out to be something they are not like an innocent bystander that just happens to have real bad luck and get thrown into prison to begin with. Now some of the prisoners may indeed be completely innocent but since neither I nor you nor Andy Rooney knows this to be a fact I feel Andy is playing into peoples hearts to make them think we are more evil then we really are and that the prisoners, or terrorist in general are not as bad as they really are, Either way that is a left slant on the reality of what happen.
Next:
The guards who tortured prisoners are faced with a year in prison. Well, great. A year for destroying our reputation as decent people.
I don't want them in prison, anyway. We shouldn't have to feed them. Take away their right to call themselves American - that's what I’d do. You aren't one of us. Get out. We don't want you. Find yourself another country or a desert island somewhere. If the order came from someone higher up, take him with you.
I don't want them in prison, anyway. We shouldn't have to feed them. Take away their right to call themselves American - that's what I’d do. You aren't one of us. Get out. We don't want you. Find yourself another country or a desert island somewhere. If the order came from someone higher up, take him with you.
He thinks they should get more then a year in prison? That we shouldn’t feed them and we should kick them out of the country?
Andy is right that this issue has dealt America a very serious blow, specifically as far as our public relations go but not so serious we can not come back from this. This is not something that will, on its own, remain in history books for hundreds of years at least it shouldn’t unless it is the proper context. With that I mean, at this time, it is only a few people and OUR system of laws is working. These people will be face justice and THAT is what America is about.
America is NOT about being perfect and having all the correct answers. America is about a system of laws based on our unique set of values and standards that far surpass ANY other country on earth. America is also about being FAIR and JUST and not brutal like many nations and that is something Andy blew right past in his left leaning rant.
Someone makes a serious mistake for what ever reason and Andy wants them to have more then a year in prison, not feed them and to kick them out of the country, that is NOT America and that does NOT reflect America’s values in any way
Lastly:
Too many Americans don't understand what we have here, or how to keep it. I worry for my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren. I want them to have what I've had, and I sense it slipping away.
We have for approx. the last 20 years practiced appeasing the terrorist and/or ignoring the terrorist and it ultimately lead to 911, the only thing left to do when a free nation is faced with losing its freedom is to stand up and fight for it or to stay at home and ”watch it slip away”