BLACK AND WHITE AND FULL OF CRAP :Lies Run Big, Facts Small in U.S. Media

[southernleftylady]

NEW YORK--One year ago the American media was pushing the Pat Tillman story with the heavy rotation normally reserved for living celebs like Michael Jackson. Tillman, the former NFL player who turned down a multi-million dollar football contract to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, became a centerpiece of the right's Hamas-style death cult when he lost his life in the mountains of southeastern Afghanistan. To supporters of the wars and to many football fans, Tillman embodied ideals of self-sacrifice and post-9/11 butt-kicking in a hard-bodied shell of chisel-chinned masculinity on steroids.

Tillman's quintessential nobility, we were told, was borne out by the story of his death--a tale that earned him a posthumous Silver Star. Whether you were for or against Bush's wars, Americans were told, Tillman's valor showed why you should support the troops. Young men were encouraged to emulate his praiseworthy example.

Several thousand mourners gathered at Tillman's May 3, 2004 memorial service to hear marquee names including Arizona Senator John McCain called upon all Americans to "be worthy of the sacrifices made on our behalf." "Tillman died trying to save fellow members of the 75th Ranger Regiment caught in a crush of enemy fire," the Arizona Republic quoted a fellow soldier addressing the crowd. Tillman, said his friend and comrade-at-arms, had told his fellow soldiers "to seize the tactical high ground from the enemy" to draw enemy fire away from another U.S. platoon trapped in an ambush. "He directly saved their lives with those moves. Pat sacrificed his life so that others could live." It was, as the Washington Post wrote, a "storybook personal narrative"--one recounted on hundreds of front pages and network newscasts.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucru/20050511/cm_ucru/blackandwhiteandfullofcrap;_ylt=AolRS9zBCLc1aJwtO5p.pz39wxIF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[magellan]

1. Great op/ed! DU it, please!! (nt)

[acmejack]

2. Right on!

This is telling it like it is! That title would make a great Tee! I don't have a car so I am forced to use T-shirts as my answer to bumper stickers.

[Just Me]

3. True. Lies are marketed and sold by the CM everyday.

But, watch out, 'cause if the media publishes a squib about the abuse of the Qaran or about Bush's AWOL (neither of which have been contested), you will be stoned.

It's nuts. NO accountability for manufacturing and distributing lies; total destruction for publishing unpopular truths.

We need to demand reinstatement of The Fairness Doctrine and to eradicate government influence/control of the media.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. Remember when this toon was pulled?

[southernleftylady]

5. kick