I think I might have to take a break. I am disgusted not only with the

[saracat]

anti-Kerry comments but the anti Rather comments are really pissing me off as well. This guy was in Baghdad and Vietnam reporting through bullets, and was physically attacked ,and anthraxed. He stood up to Presidents and Dictators. He covered the Civil rights Era, broke the story of the Kennedy assassination,carried wounded soldiers off the battlefield ,covered Watergate, and Iran Contra. He asked the hard questions and people are saying he was a corporate flunky ,an overpriced schill! For whom? Bush hates him. Nixon hated him. Bush Sr. hated him. He discussed how he was tarred and feathered as a liberal, and no one has yet proved that the Guard documents were forged, and they were not proven inaccurate. The investigation conducted by the network and with the outside experts concluded nothing. They couldn't prove anything.
I am beginning to think that many people get the reporting they deserve. Why should anyone who has been such a fighter for the right things be treated so badly by our side? We complain there are no journalists, and then prove we don't know the difference. I am really angry tonight.
He has done more for this nation than the posters who revile him.His last word tonight was courage. That is something these people will never know. They don't seem to recognize hero, or have a complete lack of gratitude to those who do what they themselves could never do. For both Dan Rather and John Kerry , I am disgusted. Maybe we do have both the current media and government we deserve. I hope not.

[kerrygoddess]

1. Take a deep breath...

take a hot bath... and then worse case scenario... in the words of THK, tell them all to Shove It! ;)

[saracat]

2. Thanks. It just blows my mind that this is the reaction from "liberals".

Most of these people skitter off following a representative of exactly the group they claim to despise and diligently proceed to knock down the real representatives of their ideals who have fought for them! I just don't get it.Apparently , they not only cannot read to comprehend, but they are now blind and deaf as well.

[LittleClarkie]

3. Facts never seem to impede these people

Do they? Bastards. Couple of days ago they said the same about Kennedy, or something like it, as they called him a political hack.

Damn bastards.

[JohnKleeb]

4. WHAT!

Teddy Kennedy a hack? oh my god

[karynnj]

16. Not only Teddy, All the Kennedys

In one thread, they were knocking Kerry getting the Kennedy center award, because they felt he hadn't done anything worthy of an award. When it was commented that the center obviously thought otherwise and that he was well respected by Teddy (who spoke at the awards) and Caroline, who campaigned for him. One poster responded that the Kennedys were just hacks and they gave an award to Kerry because he was their protege

[elshiva]

20. OH Puhleeeze! I saw that stupid post, too.

The Kennedys are hacks and I'm the archbishop of Canterbury.:crazy:

[saracat]

10. Ever notice, if you have a good rebuttal , they never respond?

Hmmmm. I'll just bet they put all the people who use "fact" on ignore so as not to cloud their judgement! LOL!

[LittleClarkie]

5. Like this thread here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3248789

Hoo boy, hope it's gone by morning.

[saracat]

13. now Rather is hated because of "Operation mockingbird"!

It seems both he and Walter Cronkite were undercover tools of the CIA! God help me. I am blowing a fuse!:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[LittleClarkie]

15. I'm looking at the link provided as "proof"

but I don't see Rather's name in connection to it. And I don't like what the site link has to say about Murrow either.

Blech.

I've got your back though dear.

[karynnj]

17. But, but wouldn't that make Rather part of the BFCE

I am now soooo confused. The problem I have with these crazy theories that seem to fill the minds of many on DU, is that they diminish the credibility of the actual transgressions of the CIA. The CIAs covert actions have done enormous harm to the world and to our reputation.

The work led by Frank Church in trying to constrain the CIA's ability to undertake these activities has been undermined since 911.
Instead of attacking Rather and Cronkite, both of whom covered the Iran/contra stuff, they should be more concerned with the attempt to re-write history.

Some of the RW "News" people, including Oliver North, while talking about supporting the Contras tried to portray themselves as the American values people vs that left leaning Kerry who supported the Sandinista terrorists. (So, they were the elected government and the contras were bringing drugs into the US ) It's important that we fight so that they don't write the history.

[Withywindle]

6. Some people have no sense of history!

None. None whatsoever. If it didn't happen in the last six months and they didn't have a personal opinion about it while yelling at CNN at the time, it doesn't count. (I have seen people actually saying things like this!) They're incapable of looking at the long life and long career of a lifetime fighter and seeing that, while all people make mistakes, what makes a hero a lot of the time is what you achieve in the long term.

It's really upsetting. That's what gives me a sense of futility, not the fact that Dems aren't in power now.

[saracat]

9. That is sort of my point. What kind of people are these? Can they be

either that stupid or that egocentric? They aren't grateful for anyone's liberal efforts. It makes me wonder what side they are on. It isn't a liberal side I can understand.

[Withywindle]

11. They sound like they're new to politics

and very immature. Gimme gimme! They only seem to understand the dramatic, the cinematic, and the NOW. I'm sure they all have their countercultural claims, but it still seems like a very cable-TV view of the world. They're on the side of drama. And no, it's not a liberal perspective: to me, liberalism is about empathy, listening, and rational thought. Taking a longer view of time and going for the long-term goal is a big part of that. So is giving credit where it's due!

[saracat]

12. Many aren't. I relate to the impatience , but sheesh,

it is the lack of respect that I can't take. I truly think some have drunk the cool aid, and I am as far left as many, but I also want to see constructive results. I believe in criticism , but you must also encourage where it is warranted.

[JI7]

7. i haven't seen the Dan Rather bashing

since i haven't really looked at those threads. but i agree, it's disgusting if they are bashing him.

[saracat]

8. It is all over the place. Look at post 5

There is a link. It is awful. I saw a real similarity to Kerry as I watched Rather helping carry soldiers off the battlefield in Vietnam. I saw it again as he talked about the government lying to us, as how he questioned the Vietnam War. He closed tonite wqith his concern for those being affected by the bankcruptsy bill., the people who couldn't pay their bills and the sick as well as the soldiers. This is a very good man.

[JI7]

14. yeah, i just saw a few of them

it's disgusting. it's like they aren't even really listening to what he said. i didn't watch it myself but the things you describe are good things.

[karynnj]

18. Totally agree

I had wondered if I was simply falling prey to looking at the world I grew up with through a rosy haze seeing the media as more concerned with informing viewers as honestly as they can.

It's sad that the News part of the Networks, rather than being a source of pride to the networks, is now looked at as entertainment and a potential source of revenue. It's much cheaper to produce a show with "experts" spending an large amount of time explaining all the facets of a California murder, than having real journalists covering the world. Flying a journalist in for a photo op is not the same.

Part of the blame should go to CBS though in firing all who were involved, Rather's show covered essentially accurate information. It was an error in judgment to include the documents if they were questionable, but he did acknowledge this a few weeks later. Fox, on the other hand, did not even remove from covering Kerry, a reporter who filed a blatantly false report with quotes Kerry never made that ridiculed Kerry. This report however was covered as news on other channels. No one even called on Fox to fire him over this more egregious action.

Although the Fox charges were not as serious legally, they were arguably more damaging to Kerry than the Rather charges were to Bush. Bush supporters basically know he blew off serving at the end, but they don't hold it against him. The Fox charges make Kerry look vain and foolish - at a time that many Americans were still forming an opinion of him.

[whometense]

19. I think sometimes you just

have to give yourself a vacation from the battle.

Look at our hero. He went snowboarding! If we can't give ourselves breaks, we'll just burn out. And JK and our cause need you too much to allow that to happen!

So my advice is to go read a good novel (My personal cure involves Jane Austen and a lot of hot tea) and ignore the bad stuff for at least a few days.

Just tell yourself, "It's a marathon, not a sprint." ;-)

[Blue_In_AK]

21. Saracat, I missed the special last night.

Is it on line anywhere? I'd really like to see it. And for what it's worth, Dan Rather has always been my favorite of the network anchors (after Uncle Walter, of course, who I grew up with). I think you're right that a lot of the DUers don't have a true sense of history, and are so busy trashing EVERYBODY that they can't see who their allies are. Take a deep breath and know that you're not alone in your frustration. :)

[rockymountaindem]

22. Don't take them seriously. I don't.

Remember, half the people are of below average intelligence. We shouldn't assume that we've got a bunch of geniuses here just because they are liberals (or claim to be). I think that a lot of these people paint themselves into a corner because they don't conisder the implications of their arguments, and then when someone smarter than them catches the flaw, all they have left is idiotic statements against their own side. Pathetic, really.