Stupidity at home
Couple of prime examples of complete lunacy regarding Iraq this week. First up, we have a college student from UMass who wrote a completely insensitive editorial regarding the death of Pat Tillman.
The column in question was submitted by graduate student Rene Gonzalez and published Wednesday in the Daily Collegian. It was titled "Pat Tillman is not a hero: he got what was coming to him."
Gonzalez writes that Tillman was a "Rambo" who probably acted out of "nationalist patriotic fantasies." In his own neighborhood in Puerto Rico, according to Gonzalez, Tillman would not have been considered a hero, but a "pendejo," or idiot.
Ok, setting aside whichever side of the Iraq issue you happen to lie on, there is no place for this kind of idiocy in any paper. If Gonzalez was against the war, he could have found many more reasoned and articulate ways to voice his opinion without taking shots at Tillman. This wasn't some weekend warrior, militia yahoo who signed up for the war to go shoot some people. Everything written about Tillman has spoken of his humble, unassuming nature. He joined up because he legitimately wanted to serve his country, and the man's effort should not be given short shrift like this. And I'm about as anti-war as you're going to find.
Gonzalez came back yesterday with an apology.
Gonzalez did not respond to telephone and e-mail messages left Thursday by The Associated Press, but in an e-mail to Boston's WBZ-TV, he apologized to the Tillman family "for all the pain that my article has brought them."
Gonzalez said he was trying to convey that Tillman's celebrity came into play when the former Arizona Cardinals player was labeled a hero.
Again, I disagree with his point, but at least this is a considerably less objectional point to make. There would be some fair minded arguments to be had on either side I think. Gonzalez also was quoted as saying that he made his point "in such an insensitive way, that the article was not worth publishing."
I'm happy that he came to realize that the column he put forth was more than ham handed, but I really wish this chooch had given this piece a lot more thought before putting pen to paper. God knows, the warhawks are going to seize on this and say that this is indicative of how the left doesn't care about America, and all that bullcrap.
Anyone who takes a stance against an aspect of the war needs to give the position full thought and voice their opinion in the most intelligent way possible. There's no reason to make it easier for the right to take shots at us.
posted by Hankblog @ 4/30/2004 04:54:00 PM
|
<< Home