Friday, April 28, 2006

Media-Flag Flap Fury Unfurls Further

The Toronto Sun is getting properly pilloried for its pompous, self-righteous editorial from Wednesday ("Soldiers' Deaths Concern Us All"):


Jeremiah White says, "I have served in Afghanistan and lost friends to bombers like the ones who just took the lives of four more of my comrades... What more do the media want -- a camera lens 12 inches away from their faces as tears roll down their cheeks?"



Cpl. Ryan Maher from Trenton is against the government's general media ban but adds this:

"I firmly believe that if there is even one member of one family who would have liked the repatriation ceremony in Trenton to be private, then the media should respect that request with no questions asked. It should not be a blanket rule by the government to ban media from the ceremony..."

On the flag issue, he agrees with Harper: "The sacrifice of the Labrador helicopter crew, killed when they crashed in Quebec during a search-and-rescue mission, is no less a sacrifice than that of the four soldiers killed in Afghanistan last weekend."

He also criticizes the politicians: "Shame on anyone who tries to use the sacrifice of these brave four for some cheap political gain."

* * * * *

I am going to be leaving this media vulture topic soon, but I do want to mention that we shouldn't tar and feather all the Sun writers. Lorrie Goldstein has managed to salvage his hero status in my eyes. Although he labels Harper's actions that ban the media at repatriation ceremonies as "dumb" (dumb?); he does say the following in his April 26 column, "A Matter of Respect":

"...And that's all this flag flap is. A non-essential, with the chorus of "support" for our soldiers being led by hypocritical Liberal and New Democrat MPs -- all of whom should be ashamed of their parties' records when it comes to our military. Anyone can make nice speeches about fallen soldiers in the Commons. Anyone can shed crocodile tears. Anyone can pretend that the recent Liberal "innovation" of honouring some soldiers by lowering the Canadian flag on Parliament Hill when they are killed in action, but not others, represents "respect." After all, it's so very Liberal. It's easy, it looks nice and it doesn't cost us a cent..."

Lorrie, I forgive you.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Vicki
Your last line says it all. The do nothing should be in "caps". Congrats! Once again a good observation by you.

Mary

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Vicki - Please feel free to call me up on any inconsistencies. I do appreciate that. I was in a rage the other day.

Tarkwell Robotico said...

if it were PMPM, he'd not only line up the cameras, he'd barge his way to interrupt the mourning with an ostentiatious display of his own mourning. then he'd tell us that the military is a very, very high priority. then, 20 minutes later, he'd annouce he's solved all military problems for the next generation. then, he'd issue an ad which suggest that if the military were allowed back into Canadian cities, they would crack down on dissent and rob us of our freedoms.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

lol!!! Chucker, you crack me up!!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

DBT - I agree with you. They actually use thought and logic instead of blind rhetoric and partisanship to advance an argument.

As you can see from my latest post, I have modified my views somewhat.