My Thoughts On The News
More Support for Bush:
There was an article in the LA Times that suggested that public support for Bush's policies will increase. This may seem like a dumb question, but doesn't the terrorist attack show the the Bush and Blair policy on terrorism is not working? And why would support increase because of failure to protect people? It really doesn't make any sense to me.
It's All Semantics:
So I'm listening to the Presidential radio address and I noticed a subtle but very important phrasing. One of the talking points the neo-cons have used is: we're fighting them there -so that we don't have to fight them here!" Well, look at what Bush said this past Saturday.
We are now waging a global war on terror -- from the mountains of Afghanistan to the border regions of Pakistan, to the Horn of Africa, to the islands of the Philippines, to the plains of Iraq. We will stay on the offense, fighting the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them at home.
Well ain't that something? He's switched to use the word "abroad". Now that they've attacked in Europe, the only place left is America. I'm glad Afghanistan, Iraq, the Philippines, Africa, London and the rest of Europe don't mind that we use their country as a battle field for terrorism so us folks in the good ole US of A don't have to deal with them. So how does being in Iraq stop terrorist attacks? I think this is one talking point the neo-cons should retire.
Covering the Hurricane:
Most of the news was about Hurricane Dennis. I still don't understand why reporters stand out in the wind and rain to report how bad it is. On MSNBC, they spent five minutes reporting on the gutter of a hotel that had been partially blown off by the winds. A Fox News reporter spent a great deal of time talking about the number of tree limbs that had fallen. And Anderson Cooper has to be the lamest reporter on cable news. He really tried to convince the viewers that he was placing in life in harms way to report on the storm. Then goes on to talk about street signs blowing away. It would seem to me that if you were going to risk your life for a story, it would be in the process of trying to infiltrate the mob or a terrorist cell.
I can't believe how much air-time they waste on nothing. I can't wait until football season starts.
12:02 PM Great post - that's an interesting rhetorical move on his part. Defining terrorism as something that should be fought everywhere else. As if it only happens everywhere else . . . which refuses to implicate his own actions as acts of terrow. Thanks for pointing it out.