The AP has found a new way to attack TV's 24. They say that because of the depiction of character Jack Bauer's, shall we say, short-cuts in interrogating prisoners his ways have now infected the US Military. Absurdly, the AP is advancing the case, in "Does Jack Bauer Influence Interrogators?", that "there are indications that real-life American interrogators in Iraq are taking cues from what they see on television."
Are they indeed? Says who?
Predictably the AP reports these claims are from the "advocacy group Human Rights First".
No surprise there, eh?
The scene from Fox's "24" is haunting, but hardly unusual. The advocacy group Human Rights First says there's been a startling increase in the number of torture scenes depicted on prime-time television in the post-2001 world.
Even more chilling, there are indications that real-life American interrogators in Iraq are taking cues from what they see on television, said Jill Savitt, the group's director of public programs.
The article, of course, offers no real proof and even more ridiculously -- get this -- it is written by David Bauder, the AP television writer!
Not a news guy... an entertainment guy is responsible for this mess!
After reading this gem of reporting, you'll see how empty of any substance it really is. But it serves the AP's purpose of advancing the message that our soldiers are mind-numbed, animals that are so stupid that a TV show will cause them to torture everyone in their charge. Yes, it serves the AP's purpose to smear the US military quite well.
In fact, about the only sensible quote in the entire piece is from one of the producers of 24.
"We're not a documentary or a manual on interrogation," he said. "We're not a primer on the war on terror. We're a television show."
Truthfully, there isn't much worth wasting breath about in this sloppy story, but it does raise some interesting questions.
How does the violence on TV infect the simple minds of our military, yet video games and movies are constantly claimed to be "just entertainment" in any other context? After all, they always say that the violence won't affect our young because it's "just movie fantasy", or video, fantasy, or what have you. Yet, the same people rush to the support the violence and anti-sociality of Rap "music" every chance they get claiming it's "just music" along with doing the same for TV and movies in similar fashion.
Yet, here is an entertainment "reporter" claiming that our soldiers are being ruined by this TV show and its fake violence?
What gives?
How can fake entertainment violence harm soldiers but not our children? How can it turn soldiers into crazed torturers but be perfectly harmless for the rest of society?
The answer to that is, of course, that the AP finds it advantageous to make an exception to their regular stance if it helps them smear the US military and the war effort.
Yep, no surprise there.
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The one thing that I've never
February 12, 2007 - 10:21 ET by Prester JohnThe one thing that I've never heard mention is the fact that if the detainees told us what they knew, there never would be a need for other "measures" to make them talk now, would there?
Unless of course everyone thinks that detainees have either a) the rights and privileges of the Geneva Convention (name, rank and serial number only) even though they were not captured wearing a uniform or b) 5th Amendment protections against incriminating themselves.
So what is it folks, do terrorists have the right to remain silent even if they know the details of a planned terrorist act and does that "right" mean our people just back off and say, "OK, we think this guy knows where the nuke is, but we can't do anything about it because we don't want to violate his rights?"
America bad?
February 12, 2007 - 10:31 ET by iveseenitallTypical liberal b.s.. They transfer their own idiotic ideas into reality in their own minds. Dopy jackasses. Next, they'll be guests on Rosie's Pig Pen (a.k.a. The View).
NEVER,NEVER trust a liberal
Let's make a deal: agree th
February 12, 2007 - 10:48 ET by balboaLet's make a deal: agree that "24" doesn't change/influence anyone anymore than The Daily Show does. :-)
Remember when George Clooney
February 12, 2007 - 11:16 ET by The Lucid OneRemember when George Clooney claimed that movies are what break through society's problems? What about the indoctrination film that is "An Inconvenient Truth"?
Typical liberal dogma.
Well, duh, Clooney was over
February 12, 2007 - 11:48 ET by balboaWell, duh, Clooney was overstating juuuust a tad there. Gore's movie is a different matter since it's a documentary. I'm talking about a fictional action/adventure show, "24," and a fake news show, "The Daily Show."
One presents itself as a news
February 12, 2007 - 12:20 ET by James2306One presents itself as a news program the other presents itself as fiction. Gore's movie is not different it is a lie presented as the truth
One presents itself as a _f
February 12, 2007 - 14:47 ET by balboaOne presents itself as a _fake_ news show. :-)
Fakumentary
February 12, 2007 - 15:41 ET by dagdaThe work of Al Gore and Micheal Moore are known as "fakumentaries."
Our real problem, then, is not our strength today; it is rather the vital necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow. Dwight Eisenhower
Let's not forget all the TV a
February 12, 2007 - 10:54 ET by ucLet's not forget all the TV and Film from the Clinton days that may have helped him sell cutting the intelligence and defence budgets with their save the world with technology that doesn't exist primary plot lines.
How much more difficult did all these such productions make life on President Bush when America did get attacked? Didn't Saddam take us to war twice, once to restore Kuwait and as Saddam likely knew incure the wrath of radicals in that region, and once later when he refused to comply with hard stand Bush administration took finally and many years probably after America should have done such. Surprised there is any sugar left in Clinton's policy cabinet with all the sugar coating in their eight years in office.
Something I have been concern
February 12, 2007 - 12:12 ET by BDSomething I have been concerned about is:
What will the popular media say about the Iraq war vets in the years following our participation there whatever the results are?
Following Vietnam, you had a plethora of Movie's, TV shows, and even broadway plays that characterized the Vietnam Vet as a heroin abusing loner squatting in the bush of the Pacific Northwest or on the north coast of Oahu who has dropped out of society and is likely to go on a killing spree at any loud noise.
I assume the media will come up with something similar, but will change the scene from Tacoma Washington to Yuma Arizona and will make the vets fast driving desert hounds who plot to rip off banks using Iraq war skills. Add to that some "Torture skills" and you have the future movie of the week plot.
Not a news guy... an entertai
February 12, 2007 - 12:31 ET by taznarAs I've said before, one of my problems with the "Hollywood types" is that they truly seem to believe their own fiction. They really don't seem to be able to distinguish fantasy from reality. That's their life as they know it.
Law & Order, Alias, Los
February 12, 2007 - 15:34 ET by JDWLaw & Order, Alias, Lost, The Shield... are all under the helpful eye of non-violence rights groups.
One such group, Human Rights First, insists torture by Americans should never be tolerated yet they fail to address torture by the enemy.
The 9/11 destruction was quickly hidden from general public view. The beheadings of our citizens were ignored. And how many terrorists died yesteday?
The dems separate fiction from fact daily yet ‘no fair calling them out’. The show ‘24’ is fiction.
WHATEVER IT TAKES
JDW
Kerry: "You know, education, if you make the most of it ... you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."
JDW, Where is your sen
February 12, 2007 - 16:30 ET by awffp1890JDW,
Where is your sense of compassion?
What the poor detainees, et. al in Iraq suffer (term used with tongue
in cheek) is much worse than having your head cut off while still
alive.
And of course, this was ignored all
together by the AP, "We're not a documentary or a manual on
interrogation," he said. "We're not a primer on the war on
terror. We're a television show."
"Not for fame or reward, not for place or rank, not lured by ambition or goaded by necessity. But in simple obedience to duty." - From the barracks at Ft. Benning