On a long drive home from a Indianapolis this weekend, I had the dubious pleasure of listening to a CBS news break at the top of the hour on a talk station and in one of their reports on Saturday's anti-War protests the verbiage used to report the gatherings was so slanted that it was startling and was so obviously intended to make it seem much greater than it really was that it wasn't even funny.
Reporter Jim Taylor started his report saying "A nation says no to war ..." as an introduction to the story of the goings on in Washington.
A "nation" says no? A few protests equates the the whole nation, CBS?
Taylor intoned this phrase as if the entire of the United States had risen up to say no to the actions in Iraq. But, one protest in Washington and a few in scattered other cities does NOT a "nation" make. As Newsbuster Dan Riehl reminds us, even compared to previous Iraq war protests this one was smaller. And, compared to the protests the nation saw during the Vietnam war, the Iraq war has not produced anything near the numbers that supporters such as CBS wish to make it seem.
So "tens of thousands" appeared in Washington to protest the war.
By contrast, More than 1 million revelers were in Times Square for the recent New Years celebration.
Let's get a bit more prospective. There are over 300 million people who live in America. About 3 million people live in the areas surrounding Washington D.C. There are about 550,000 people who live right in Washington D.C. itself.
Yet, all they could muster was "tens of thousands"?
The numbers are practically underwhelming. But, CBS News and other supporters of the anti-war "movement" (led by such newcomers as Jane Fonda) are desperately trying to make this thing seem much greater than it really is.
(on a side note, remarks given to the adoring crowd by one of the nuts that the CBS report featured was funny for its complete stupidity. A protester yelled "Bush can't fire us, but WE can fire him". Um, no Mr. protester. You can't "fire him". You had that chance in 2004 and the people voted him right back into office, a job from which he will retire without being "fired". Another leftie who doesn't know how anything works.)
**NOTICE: I smudged out the phone number in the original photo so as not to be accused of trying to get people to call and harass their organization.
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I've always found it remarkab
January 28, 2007 - 09:57 ET by Al CzervikI've always found it remarkable that you can never find a sceptical news agency when it comes to a lefty protest. Where is the undercover story about the unions that usually bus in a large number of supporters, or the communist/socialist organizers that seem to get the same nutjobs to show up at every event.
I'd love to see some "man on the street" reporting asking these people simple questions about the structure and function of our government agencies. As usual, they could probably give a long speech about the bumper sticker slogan politics, but nothing with any depth or logic.
If only they had drawn the numbers seen at the pro-life march, then the MSM really could have made a big deal of this.
Exactly! Man on the street
January 28, 2007 - 11:14 ET by nicksmith112Exactly!
Man on the street interview would be genius.
Are you listening NB?
Surprisingly (not) the MSM n
January 28, 2007 - 11:31 ET by HypocriteHaterSurprisingly (not) the MSM never reports any Pro-Life rallies as "Nation says no to abortion". Couldn't have anything to do with any sort of liberal agenda, could it? Nah!!
Exactly what I was thinking.
January 29, 2007 - 11:46 ET by mattmExactly what I was thinking. The photos they publish are done in such a way as to minimize the size of pro-life rallies and to exaggerate the size of any Left-leaning protest... it's quite obvious...
I agree with tdm and nicksmit
January 28, 2007 - 11:42 ET by GalvanicI agree with tdm and nicksmith. Let some of these protestors reveal their knowledge of details.
I'm sure you wouldn't even ha
January 28, 2007 - 13:09 ET by nicksmith112I'm sure you wouldn't even have to ask a question just let them ramble. You will find their extreme views on EVERYTHING are nowhere near the pulse of the nation!
Yeah, Warner, I know just how you felt.
January 28, 2007 - 10:07 ET by acaiguanaYeah, Warner, I know just how you felt.
Who backed this Demonstration. Was it ANSWER? Where is the coverage of what ANSWER is and who supports it?
ACA
...
Acaiguana says: "I love blind Monkeys and any inference that I am making fun of blind Monkeys would be wrong.
Warner,In the interest of acc
January 28, 2007 - 10:25 ET by saw the lightWarner,
In the interest of accuracy, the population of the U.S. just surpassed 300 million. Otherwise, I totally agree with your post. The CBS Radio reports (I hear them often here) are usually filled with drivel such as what you reported.
"People everywhere confuse what they read in newspapers with news." - A.J. Liebling
Ooops, you are right. A slip
January 28, 2007 - 10:37 ET by Warner Todd HustonOoops, you are right. A slip of the keyboard there.I fixed it! thanks
Protest
January 28, 2007 - 10:33 ET by Sugar LandSo troubling to see poor Sean Penn being censored again. Man, will the poor guy ever get a chance to speak his mind... or whatever passes for a mind in between that dolt's ears? What a freedom crushing country. Pfffffft
Glad to see a post on network radio
January 28, 2007 - 10:34 ET by nkviking75I'm glad to see a post on a network radio newscast here. Maybe I'm a little sensitive because I'm a radio guy, but lots of people get at least some of their news on the radio every day, or at least every weekday. MSM radio nets are no less biased than their TV counterparts.
I work for a CBS Radio affiliate. This type of thing is typical.
I'll tell you why it is rarel
January 28, 2007 - 10:41 ET by Warner Todd HustonI'll tell you why it is rarely seen here. No links can be gotten from them!
When we post about something, usually we have a link to serve as some sort of proof or at least a re-direction to the original piece we are commenting on so that readers can make up their own mind.
On the other hand, radio is all temporal sound and rarely do you see a follow up piece in printed form anywhere.
This makes it a bit harder to report on.
Radio
January 28, 2007 - 10:47 ET by nkviking75All of that is true, of course. I would like to see the MRC devote some resources to monitoring radio networks, including taping newscasts in order to post their audio. If not the MRC, than perhaps some enterprising bloggers could concentrate on radio news.
I grew up on CBS Radio News (
January 28, 2007 - 11:06 ET by Del DolemonteI grew up on CBS Radio News (to date myself, I was a listener to their flagship station, WCBS, when they were still running "Music Til Dawn" from midnight to 6 AM!). At one time they *were* fairly objective-I can even remember a CBS Radio newscast from 1983 when Reagan invaded Grenada, and the reporter actually used these words to describe what the Marines were doing there-"objective: victory".
Sadly, since then they have totally gone down the tubes. The majority of their newsreaders are no longer objective. Even the late Christopher Glenn, who was a holdover from the "glory days" of the late 50s/early 60s, was sadly biased in the final years before he retired. To be fair, one of their newscasters, Harley Carnes, plays it pretty straight. He's also a local anchor on WCBS as I recall.
Seems to me that it would be possible to record some of the offending newscasts and convert them into mp3 files to post someplace (here?).
It's funny, even comical, to
January 28, 2007 - 10:45 ET by rimskyIt's funny, even comical, to see these aging stars out there in front of the microphone, acting so high and mighty, looking out over all the idiot plebs in the crowd who adore them so much. They are all so clueless. They have NO alternatives in mind, they just want to spew hatred for Bush and Cheney. DAMN THEM and their stupidity. The logistical nightmare that is this WOT and the brilliant way the our military is waging it totally overwhelms these small minded image seekers. DAMN THEM!
Serious people versus ignorant people.
January 28, 2007 - 10:52 ET by acaiguanaSerious people versus ignorant people.
I'm sure there is some literary reference, but I've been struck by how the Left views really serious issues, like waging a war.
They don't seem to understand that when a pilot straps himself into a jet fighter plane on an aircraft carrier, the amount of serious people required to be around him as well as himself when the signal is released to send that craft aloft to 'fight'.
Or on the ground, when an Infantry squad goes out on patrol. It's not cornflakes and Kool Aid for breakfast. These are serious minded people.
And the Commanders, from the ground up are serious minded people.
Cut to Jane Fonda.
'nough said.
ACA
...
Acaiguana says: "I love blind Monkeys and any inference that I am making fun of blind Monkeys would be wrong.
Yawn, wake me when they get serious
January 28, 2007 - 10:55 ET by blackrain4xmasThat's nothing compared to the pre OEF anti-war in Afghanistan protests. You know, the war the left "always supported."
And let's just stop pretending that these protests are spontaneous as opposed to orgnanized by anti-American socialist groups. Could we do that please?
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/oct2001/nyc-o12.shtml
"A Nation says no"
January 28, 2007 - 11:14 ET by HumanEvents"A Nation says no" - what horse crap indeed! And from the bottom of the MSM heap - CBS.
The libs and Dems and MSM love to act as if their agenda is the nation's agenda. They constantly (and boy do I ever mean constantly) say "The American people" when talking about their liberalism they want to promote. "The American people know this is the right course of action..." "I think the American people realize..." "The American people reject Bush's..."
Yeah right. Dream on libs. How convenient to just set the table as if it's Dems/libs and the American people vs. Republicans/conservatives. It is 2 against 1, though. But it's Dems/libs and the MSM vs. Republicans/conservatives.
Ah yes, that cross section of
January 28, 2007 - 11:15 ET by Al CzervikAh yes, that cross section of America known as United for Peace & Justice is supposedly the main coalition organizing the event. From their web site:
Many national organizations are members of the UFPJ coalition, including: American Friends Service Committee, Black Radical Congress, Center for Constitutional Rights, CODEPINK, Friends of the Earth, Global Exchange, Gold Star Families for Peace, Green Party of the United States, Greenpeace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, National Organization for Women, National Youth and Student Peace Coalition, Not in Our Name, PAX Christi USA, RainbowPUSH Coalition, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, TrueMajority, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, US Labor Against the War, Veterans for Peace, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and War Resisters League. For a complete list, please click here.
Not exactly what I would call "a nation" saying no to war. Sadly enough, the list above is the cleaned up version. If you follow the link you will find the laundry list of communist and socialist groups that have a whole different agenda.
MY FAVORITES:
January 28, 2007 - 11:28 ET by blackrain4xmas-Socialist & Communist United Morons
-Trotskyite Workers Imagining
Transcontinental Socialism
-Free-thinking Radicals for Awareness,
Understanding, Diversity, and Sensitivity
-Socialist Operatives Rallying
for Redistribution Of the Wealth
-Academic Iconoclasts Representing
Hedonism, Environmental Activism, Disarmament, and
Sandal-wearing
-Empower Marginalized Peoples, Intern Rich
Exploiters
-Vegan Environmentalists Rejecting Masculinity, Imperialism,
and Narrow-mindedness
-League of Animal Rights' Defenders
-Greens
Advocating Recycling, Gardening Organically, Yoga, and Loving the
Earth
-West-coast Altruists, Naderites, & Kleptocrats for Enforcing
Redistribution and Self-sacrifice
-World Institute of Nihilists
Deconstructing Bourgeois Assumptions and Glorifying
Subjectivism
-Pacifists Opposed To Escalation and the Military's Killing
of Innocent Non-combatants
-Fraternity of Rioters Advancing the Neurotic
Consumption of Escargot
-Students Wildly Indignant about Nearly
Everything
-----
Seriously now,
1) Where does this leave the DNC and 08 candidates who cannot oppose the war because then they'll inherit a chaotic Iraq requiring them to call for a third invasion (ie, political suicide)
2) Where does this leave the Dem Congress than has chosen not to act, but to act in non-binding ways that only make both the left and the right mad rather than satisfy anyone
3) Why even bother? I mean, W's not running. No one's gonna win on a get out of Iraq ticket then as President order an invasion into chaos (note, every dem plan proposed: Murtha, Kerry-Feingold, Levin-Reed, Biden-Gelb, all call for "Quick Reaction Forces"....um, hello. If you leave Iraq, it collapses, then what's to be done with those "Quick Reaction Forces" which have been formed to re-invade if there's chaos? C'mon people! What are you 1-move chess players?
4) Protesting W is useless (unless they want Cheney as President or if they're ready for Cheney/Bush to pick their replacements ;) )
5) If the DC protests over Iraq were smaller than the NYC protests against invading Afghanistan, then shouldn't the headline be "Fewer Protesting Iraq War Than War In Afghanistan!"
Cheney / Bush in ‘08!!
January 28, 2007 - 11:43 ET by JimboCheney / Bush in ‘08!!
Holy crap – I LOVE IT! Doesn’t stand a chance, but I love it! I love it so much that I would donate SERIOUS money to fund the effort just to get the reaction from the MSM, Sean Penn and the rest of the liberals!!
Where do I send my check?!?
Jimbo says - "There is a fine line between freedom of speech and treason"
I was watching Fox yesterday
January 28, 2007 - 11:30 ET by Jack BauerI was watching Fox yesterday and they had a news chopper feed from their L.A. associate station. The shot was tight in on the first 50 yards of the "protesters" at the front.
Even that look pretty sparse. But the cameraman/director just point blank refused to pull back the shot, so the viewer could see, say half a mile back.
Now had the route been shoulder to shoulder with people to the horizon, there's no way they wouldn't have shown that.
But when the cameras won't show anything but tight shots, it's guaranteed that's so as not to destroy the illusion of vast crowds they want to create.
It's an old MSM trick.
Vietnam
January 28, 2007 - 12:48 ET by iveseenitallAs a child of the Vietnam era, this is both sad and funny at the same time. Sad, because it brings back horrible memories concerning this sewer waste pretending to be humans ( and patriots) as they work to destroy America. Funny, because they are so pathetic, actually believing the crap they are spewing.
NEVER,NEVER trust a liberal
To quote Dr. Evil: "th
January 28, 2007 - 13:11 ET by MivvisTo quote Dr. Evil: "there's nothing more pathetic than an aging hipster"
Unless of course it is &qu
January 28, 2007 - 14:04 ET by JerryUnless of course it is "Tens of thousands" of pathetic aging hipsters.
When asked if he went to war with Iraq to derail the impeachment
vote: “I don’t think any serious person would believe that any
President would do such a thing." - President Clinton (Dec 1998).
Compare the numbers for the marches
January 28, 2007 - 13:29 ET by Eric TurnerI posted this in another thread, but let me also post it here as I'm still awaiting a response from anyone!
I still want the numbers compared. Has anyone seen a comparison of the numbers between this so-called "peace march" and the annual "March for Life" which draws larger and larger numbers every year?
AKA: armyvet
Tens of thousands of anti-ab
January 28, 2007 - 14:25 ET by Warner Todd HustonTens of thousands of anti-abortionists trudged through the cold and slush during the 34th annual March for Life rally Monday.
Found above link on that subject.
Another "tens of thousands" wording.
So are there as many anti-abortionists as there are anti-war supporters?
Good question.
But, I'd have to guess there are MORE anti-abortion supporters because they have "tens of thousands" EVERY year and have for decades!
So I guess we can now say wit
January 29, 2007 - 14:18 ET by Hero SquadSo I guess we can now say with confidence, "A nation says no to abortion..."
*****
"I thought you might say something stupid... or liberal." - Frank Barone
Sec Albright says:
January 28, 2007 - 13:46 ET by Gary HallSecretary of State Madeleine Albright - Feb. 1998 - ''A few dozen hecklers'' will not deter the United States from its mission in Iraq".
Whoa good BULLSEYE Gary! The
January 28, 2007 - 14:08 ET by HumanEventsWhoa good BULLSEYE Gary! The past quotes of the Dems often best illustrate their hypocrisy. They bank on the memory of enough people to be short lived.
And the Iraq "mission" in Feb. 1998 came about just as the Monica Lewinski affair was exploding. And the December 1998 "Operation Desert Fox" in Iraq came out just as the House was voting on impeachment (to which the Dems predictably whined that the vote should be postponed since we were in a time of war). Just adding these facets as a reminder that so often with the left there is multiple amounts of fraud, hypocrisy, and deceit within each individual situation.
I don't care how many sheep t
January 28, 2007 - 14:25 ET by aeroI don't care how many sheep they managed to gather. It could have been a million and they'd still be stupid, wrong, traitorous, and ineffective. Bush is Commander in Chief, and he's calling the shots for now. Deal with it, moonbats.
Let's say they managed to gather 5 million people--the largest march in the history of D.C.--to protest against cow flatulence because it contributes to global warming. Would their efforts make a bit of difference? No. Let's say the media claimed it was 10 million marchers. Would that make a bit of difference? No. Cow flatulence would continue unabated, no matter how many people marched in D.C. to draw attention to it. Cow flatulence and Islamic extremism are both realities that can't be avoided.
The Constitution guarantees them the right to assemble and speak, but it doesn't guarantee them the right to be listened to.
Liberal Flatulence
January 28, 2007 - 14:36 ET by JimboThe term “liberal flatulence” comes to mind….
Jimbo says - "There is a fine line between freedom of speech and treason"
Jimbo, if I may, I'd like to
January 28, 2007 - 15:34 ET by TheBigBJimbo, if I may, I'd like to amend your "liberal flatulence" term to "verbal flatulence". Verbal flatulence (for example, what Howard Dean does every time he opens his mouth) has 3 similarities to its bodily counterpart:
1.) Initially, it can be very loud
2.) A few seconds later, it can make you take a step back
3.) After a while, though, it dissipates to the point where you realize there was no content to it at all.
If some people were any more stupid we'd have to water them twice a week.
Wait a minute. "Liberal Flatu
January 28, 2007 - 19:15 ET by Warner Todd HustonWait a minute. "Liberal Flatulence" is redundant.
It's like saying wet water.
"Nation says no to war.&
January 28, 2007 - 17:20 ET by winston smith"Nation says no to war."
What nation is that? France, right?
*snicker* Good one, ws.
January 28, 2007 - 18:19 ET by aero*snicker* Good one, ws.
'A Nation Says' eh...Kind of
January 28, 2007 - 19:21 ET by bigtimer'A Nation Says'... eh...
Kind of like most people say...
The leftist media never quit.
It gets old.
Btw...A heck of a lot of people were bussed in for this...it wasn't anything like spontaneity....
Geeesh!
On top of that...a bunch of protester's those peace lovin' freaks vandalized Fox's mobile news truck...wearing masks over their faces....wonder if Dan Rather was there!
The leftist media will neve
January 29, 2007 - 00:00 ET by liberal_bug_zapperThe leftist media will never quit, which is why we need to be vigilant in standing up to them.
When you hear a liberal spew this crap, confront them and say prove it without a manufactured poll. Let's ask some people around us. And then start posing questions like;
"Do you think America is bad?"
"Do you think war is obsolete?"
after which, you pose the question,
"How do you deal with those who try to destroy you?"
"What is victory?" and "Do you want the US of A to be victorious in the war against Islamic Extremism?"
Asking these questions will quickly establish where the person who answers them stands on these issues. I know that when it comes to liberals, they're cowards and the minuet they are confronted, they squirm and try and change the subject, and misdirect anyone in the conversation so they won't have their assertions challenged. Their primary strategy is to flood any argument they're loosing with ton's of logical fallacies making it hard to point out where they are wrong (in spite of it being around 95% of what comes out of their mouths).
My mother is a flaming liberal, much like Jane Fonda... but without the fame and money. I constantly confront her.... and when I do, she immediately tries to change the subject, and when I don't let her, she gets really angry and frustrated and I can see she's looking for a way to escape. They can't defend their positions, they can only spew more garbage. Once you make them defend what they're saying.... their whole argument falls apart and it scares the hell out of them to see how flimsy their arguments really are.
____________________________________________________
"These are the times that try men's souls." ~ Thomas Paine
lbz...Couldn't of said it bet
January 29, 2007 - 00:10 ET by bigtimerlbz...
Couldn't of said it better!
Btw...Why in the heck does not the Senate have a non-binding vote for Victory for this country, that state we will stop at nothing until the terrorists are stopped and controlled world-wide...
I dare them!
It is past pathetic what they are doing next week, all for their political sorry a$$e$.
Despicable, shameless.
metaphor
January 28, 2007 - 21:29 ET by CatherwoodTicks are blood feeding external parasites of mammals, birds, and reptiles throughout the world. Approximately 850 species have been described worldwide (Furman and Loomis 1984). There are two well established families of ticks, Hollywood ticks (hard ticks), and Socialist ticks (soft ticks). Both are important vectors of disease causing agents to humans and animals throughout the world. Ticks transmit the widest variety of pathogens of any blood sucking arthropod, including bacteria, rickettsiae, protozoa, and viruses. Some human diseases of current interest in the United States caused by tick-borne pathogens include Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, rocky mountain spotted fever, tularemia, and tick-borne relapsing fever.
On a Lighter Note
January 28, 2007 - 22:44 ET by JimboOn a lighter note, and having absolutely nothing to do with the thread of this blog……
As most of you know, Prince Charles is currently touring a few cities in the US.
I’m sure some will have a hard time seeing my sense of humor in this, I found it somewhat funny at his choice of cities, in particular Philadelphia. He took a tour of the city, and say all the historical landmarks.
“Here is Independence Hall, your Majesty. This is where our founding fathers agreed that we had enough with your county’s dictatorship and decided that we would remove ourselves from your country’s tyranical rule.”
Or….
“And right over here is the table where the declaration of independence was signed. As you know, John Hancock signed it in a large manner so your great, great, great gandfather wouldn’t have to put his glasses on to read it”.
Or….
“And here is the liberty bell. You will notice that it has a rather large crack in it. Legend is that it cracked because the bell was rung incessently to announce the signing of the Declaration of independence”
I don’t know if he plans to visit Boston before he heads back, but that would certainly make the experience complete!
Jimbo says - "There is a fine line between freedom of speech and treason"
Well the liberals would take
January 28, 2007 - 22:53 ET by Eric TurnerWell the liberals would take it a different way...
And here your highness is Independence Hall where a bunch of warmongering hate-filled rabble-rousers forced us into independence after they intentionally caused your highness' kingdom to retaliate when they dumped tea in the Boston harbor and after they continually wrote sedious articles about his majesty.
It's all their fault your highness. They brought it upon us. We wanted to get back in the king's good graces with the Olive Branch Petition. We sought appeasement your highness. But those radicals would have none of it. They kept agitating the king.
Yeah, I know...kinda long...not funny...but true.
AKA: armyvet