If there’s one thing on which we all can agree, it’s that any man or woman who gives their last full measure of devotion in service to their nation has a legitimate claim to the title “hero.” Regardless of whether one supports the policies that put the service member in that position, the man or woman volunteered to follow the orders of his Commander in Chief to defend all of us and our freedom, knowing full well what they may have to sacrifice on our behalf. Unfortunately, that’s not quite a universal point of agreement, as it turns out. Yesterday, MSNBC and its host Chris Hayes called that recognition warmongering in an incoherent, rambling statement that will haunt the channel and its host for a very long time:
Newsbusters has the transcript:
CHRIS HAYES: Thinking today and observing Memorial Day, that’ll be happening tomorrow. Just talked with Lt. Col. Steve Burke [sic, actually Beck], who was a casualty officer with the Marines and had to tell people [inaudible]. Um, I, I, ah, back sorry, um, I think it’s interesting because I think it is very difficult to talk about the war dead and the fallen without invoking valor, without invoking the words “heroes.” Um, and, ah, ah, why do I feel so comfortable [sic] about the word “hero”? I feel comfortable, ah, uncomfortable, about the word because it seems to me that it is so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war. Um, and, I don’t want to obviously desecrate or disrespect memory of anyone that’s fallen, and obviously there are individual circumstances in which there is genuine, tremendous heroism: hail of gunfire, rescuing fellow soldiers and things like that. But it seems to me that we marshal this word in a way that is problematic. But maybe I’m wrong about that.H/T Hot Air
No comments:
Post a Comment