Media Responds to Car Bomber
[Guest post by DRJ]
Mary Katharine Ham posts the “Dumbest Theories about the Times Square Bomber,” including such luminaries as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an uncredited appearance by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, CNN’s morning anchors, and MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer:
“And, finally, we have Contessa Brewer of MSNBC taking the silly crown so early in the game and with an enthusiasm which will be hard to top:
“I get frustrated…There was part of me that was hoping this was not going to be anybody with ties to any kind of Islamic country.” [Audio available here.]”
Brewer and I are both frustrated, although not for the same reason. And here’s Brewer’s Facebook response to criticism for her statement above: She’s worried “ppl will use this to justify racism & religious bigotry.”
Is she most worried about bitter, clingy people?
— DRJ
I dunno, dude looked Episcopalian to me. Those folks can be downright sneaky.
daleyrocks (1d0d98) — 5/4/2010 @ 5:04 pmAs one who is married to one of the Frozen Chosen, I *denounce* thee, daleyrocks ! (grin)
As far as Contessa Brewer is concerned, don’t folk regularly use her words (and the words of her ilk) to justify the racism of quotas and the religious bigotry against Christians ?
Alasdair (6ce78d) — 5/4/2010 @ 5:13 pmBrewer has a long history of moronic commentary. She’s the female tweedle-dee to Chris “Mr. Tingle” Matthew’s tweedle-dumb.
GeneralMalaise (33f99a) — 5/4/2010 @ 5:53 pmYes, along with Alasdair, are we not convinced that had it been a white American “ppl” would be happy to use the “white fringe anti-govt Tea Party” sterotype to condemn millions of Americans.
The continued intellectual dishonesty. Few people, and not “mainstream conservatives” really want harsh treatment of any Muslim or Arab or someone who looks like they might be or grabbing the Abuelita on the way to buy ice cream. All we are asking is for the govt. to acknowledge that there is a fringe element who use their version of Islamofascism as a call for terrorism, and that when people are being investigated by police they are expected to be able to identify themselves, not because they were walking to get ice cream, but because they stopped at the corner to get some “sprinkles” on it.
It’s the same as condemning doctors for cutting out tonsils or amputating feet just for the money.
I still bet that when they search his house they’ll find a ripped up letter asking if he wants to get season tickets for the Knicks again, with Willis Reed posters on his wall, and that he’s wearing vintage Puma basketball shoes with “Clyde Frazier” written on them that he found through Craigslist.
MD in Philly (ea3785) — 5/4/2010 @ 5:54 pmHer Facebook response to the flak reveals a bigot. Of course, though, her bigotry is fashionable: it’s been shaped and fashioned by our media and it’s been
tacitlyshamefully encouraged by our President.She might have great hair and a cool name, but she’s just another all beauty, no brains kind of girl.
Dana (1e5ad4) — 5/4/2010 @ 5:59 pmHow many times do we have to be attacked by religious bigots, before chuckleheads like Brewer stop labeling us religious bigots? I wish she would watch a couple of films (Stoning of Soraya M, Moolaade) and learn what real religious bigotry (against women) is all about. Stupid f’n airhead.
gp (14ea9b) — 5/4/2010 @ 6:01 pmHeh. She has Wiki page, albeit brief, but there is this:
Brewer has been criticized live on air by New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg for being “absurd,” “dishonest,” “fundamentally dishonest,” “irresponsible,” and for lacking “integrity” for her handling of interviews
Dana (1e5ad4) — 5/4/2010 @ 6:04 pmI remember when Gregg took her to task for the pathetically biased language and tone she’d used when she and her air-head co-host tried to interview him a few months ago.
A poignantly sad – but funny – moment.
GeneralMalaise (33f99a) — 5/4/2010 @ 6:12 pmNow remember that Intelliology tried to put in my mouth a sentiment mirror to the one that Brewer actually said in public.
SPQR (26be8b) — 5/4/2010 @ 6:23 pmI can’t think of worse religious bigots than Islamists.
Steve G (7d4c78) — 5/4/2010 @ 6:39 pmI think the last time a Christian beheaded a Muslim (for being Muslim) was about a thousand years ago
It is striking that none of the exceptionally attractive ladies at Fox – who are constantly derided as just “bimbo’s” – have been accused of such “air head” statements.
AD - RtR/OS! (b5b5b2) — 5/4/2010 @ 6:39 pmhttp://hotair.com/archives/2010/05/04/msnbc-analyst-im-worried-that-another-jihadi-attack-will-empower-obamas-tea-party-critics/
ian cormac (865b4a) — 5/4/2010 @ 6:42 pmRight. The worst part about the fact that a particular group of people is trying to blow us up is that somebody might say something mean about them? How sad that in this country the media and the government hate the citizens more than our enemies.
VaGal (59672c) — 5/4/2010 @ 6:55 pmThe Obama administration and their lapdog media are doing everything in their power to minimize these incidents as they occur, while they demonize those citizens who do not agree with current policies and term them the moral equivalent of terrorists and a threat to the viability of the nation.
And they think that people don’t recognize that for what it is? Think again.
GeneralMalaise (33f99a) — 5/4/2010 @ 7:14 pmI would not so much mind the blanket bile and universal condemnation of the entire political right when some lone individual righty inevitably does or says something stupid—if the same people doing the demonizing were not so super duper conscientious about not hurting the feelings of all those poor innocent Muslims when one of their lone brethren beheads or blows up somebody. Somehow that just seems so—what word am I searching for here? Oh yeah. Hypocritical.
elissa (4eac63) — 5/4/2010 @ 7:48 pm_______________________________
She’s worried “ppl will use this to justify racism & religious bigotry.”
People like Brewer are the very definition of “useful idiot.” She’s sort of a variation of those painfully naive, foolish German Jews in the 1930s who, even though they could have opened a copy of Mein Kampf and discovered just how bigoted, ruthless, fanatic and demented Hitler was, nonetheless rationalized away the consequences of their homeland under a Nazi regime. They were the ones who chose to stick around until it was too late.
They were the ones who probably thought, “well, Germany got a raw deal after WWI, and so it’s no surprise that people like Adolph are irritable and headstrong! They need our patience, sympathy and understanding.”
I can’t think of worse religious bigots than Islamists.
And it truly is inherent to the theology because the religion’s founder, Mohammed, encouraged and rewarded assasinations. And condoned or carried out the murder of people not just for being a major enemy — at least in the guise of “kill or be killed” — but for merely holding an opposing POV, for merely mocking Islam’s front man. That is the epitome of both bigotry and psychotic behavior.
Mark (411533) — 5/4/2010 @ 7:59 pmOh good grief. It someone attempts to blow up innocent people, that person deserves to be demonized and condemned and if they are claiming a particular religion, then that’s just too bad. If the media wants to feel sorry for them and give them cover, then I would suggest they too should share in the condemnation. It’s outrageous the concern is far greater for the possible culprit instead of the brutal stark possibility of what could have happened. It’s almost as if that is superfluous and really doesn’t matter.
Dana (1e5ad4) — 5/4/2010 @ 8:33 pmThe media and politicians are shifting to concern over anti-muslim backlash now.
It seems like we would have seen some of that already from previous successful or failed terrorist incidents for them to keep raising such concerns, but we haven’t. If we keep having them and treating them lightly the way Obama does, though, people may get angry enough that there may be some form of backlash. Witness the legislative backlash on illegal immigration in Arizona.
daleyrocks (1d0d98) — 5/4/2010 @ 8:35 pmI blame the irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric of Olbergasm, MadCow, and the rest of the MSM.
JD (150c8d) — 5/4/2010 @ 8:43 pmIt’s amazing that yet another leftist has done something we really need to condemn and prevent as a society, and the same chattering class that fed him Bush Derangement for years is not even owning their role in creating this thing.
If they would just stop pretending the USA is a nation of radical right wing muslim lynching nuts, just to score some silly partisan points about sensitivity, the world would improve. I can’t think of a single better place on the planet to be a peaceful moderate Muslim than the USA. Can you? Most Muslim countries would probably cut your head off if you tried to walk back from some of the more radical fatwas.
Once again, these people who got things wrong and even fueled the fire, are telling us to stop doing something we never do.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 5/4/2010 @ 8:49 pmdaleyrocks:
I know that’s true but it strikes me as a particularly clueless and unconvincing liberal response. People see Muslims continue to attack America. It’s hard to worry about a backlash that hasn’t materialized in 9 years.
DRJ (d43dcd) — 5/4/2010 @ 8:50 pm“It’s hard to worry about a backlash that hasn’t materialized in 9 years.”
DRJ – I agree. That was my point. They think we are stupid. At some point though, if attacks continue and people like Obama take a law enforcement approach of treating them lightly and lecturing Americans like they are stupid, I foresee consequences. The consequences may not be anti-muslim backlash, but they will be at the ballot box, in legislation and elsewhere.
daleyrocks (1d0d98) — 5/4/2010 @ 8:56 pmDRJ, I hope you don’t mind my adding another link but David Harsanyi seems to be thinking very much along the same lines many of us are this evening.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/05/05/the_global_war_on__well_something_105448.html
elissa (4eac63) — 5/4/2010 @ 9:29 pmDRJ and daley both make excellent points, as always.
I can’t say most, but a whole lot of Americans live and work with people from a variety of lives and backgrounds. Kids go to school with kids whose parents come from all over the world. Adults go to work everyday with people from all over the world.
There’s a reason for that.
However, there seems to be this odd mindset on the left that Americans have never been exposed to different cultures or different ways of thinking unless they live in the comfortable confines of East Coast education or West Coast celebrity.
They don’t seem to understand you can sit down at a cafeteria table at a PTA meeting and discuss curriculum with someone from another part of the world and come to the conclusion that everyone wants what’s best for their kids.
They don’t understand that you can question government excess and still vote for a councilman or alderman who came from a different country.
It completely escapes them that trying to stop the fallout of a drug-infused border war can impact the lives of people no matter the tinge of their skin.
No, all they can do, as they sit in tony restaurants or glass-lined offices or dorm rooms or their parents’ basements, and lament the inherent racism of people who just wish to stop the spiraling economic decline of a great nation because of wanton deficit spending.
We can all wish hard for a kumbaya moment to forget all our petty differences, but it won’t mean a thing when the economy tanks under the simple forces of markets.
Ag80 (f67beb) — 5/4/2010 @ 9:47 pmShe might have great hair and a cool name, but she’s just another all beauty, no brains kind of girl.
I swear to you all that I had no idea who she was until tonight (not being up on my MSDNC hosts and all), but jeeze, what a great-looking gal. Dumb as a box of crackers, of course, but wonderful to look at. That’s all I wanted to say.
JVW (08e86a) — 5/4/2010 @ 9:55 pmdaleyrocks:
Which reminds me of Gordon Brown’s bigot-gate and Gillian Duffy’s marvelous response.
I know we agree on these things but sometimes I like to say them anyway.
DRJ (d43dcd) — 5/4/2010 @ 10:37 pmelissa,
I’m grateful for good links, especially Harsanyi’s. (He’s really been on a roll recently.) Most of what I learn comes from readers and commenters.
DRJ (d43dcd) — 5/4/2010 @ 10:44 pmJVW – Powerline had a post on Brewer’s idiocy today entitled “Giving Bimbos A Bad Name.” Heh.
daleyrocks (1d0d98) — 5/4/2010 @ 10:55 pmAnd I was hoping the Gulf was really filling up with chocolate milk.
fit2post (874f5c) — 5/4/2010 @ 11:22 pm#26 DRJ:
Classic! Thanks.
EW1(SG) (edc268) — 5/5/2010 @ 12:00 pmAg80 – I remember a column some one wrote years ago comparing the front page stories from the local papers in Birmingham, Alabama and Birmingham, England. One guess which was more insular and provincial. (And it was not what the left would have you believe.)
Have Blue (854a6e) — 5/5/2010 @ 9:58 pm