In which we remember that Seymour Hersh is a turd
By Leverkuhn Posted in Archived | Spotlight Blogs — Comments (26) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Promoted from blogs. Ahh, Seymour.
BTW, if anyone from the Army's Judge Advocate General's Corps is reading this, could you send a car around to pick up Mr. Hersh? He apparently has video evidence of American troops violating the UCMJ; but he seems to be having the absolute devil of a time finding your office. I can't begin to imagine why. - Moe Lane
UPDATE (Dan McLaughlin) - As always, read this with Hersh's background in mind.
The following story comes courtesy of The McGill Daily[1] It describes a speech journalist Seymour Hersh gave to a Montreal audience about a week ago. During this speech he describes videotapes he claims to have seen showing American troops engaging in atrocities:
He described one video in which American soldiers massacre a group of people playing soccer.
“Three U.S. armed vehicles, eight soldiers in each, are driving through a village, passing candy out to kids,” he began. “Suddenly the first vehicle explodes, and there are soldiers screaming. Sixteen soldiers come out of the other vehicles, and they do what they’re told to do, which is look for running people.”
“Never mind that the bomb was detonated by remote control,” Hersh continued. “[The soldiers] open up fire; [the] cameras show it was a soccer game.”
“About ten minutes later, [the soldiers] begin dragging bodies together, and they drop weapons there. It was reported as 20 or 30 insurgents killed that day,” he said.
Aside from the obvious fact that Hersh did not show this videotape to back up his claims, there are certain obvious defects in this narrative. First, the mere fact that the bomb was detonated by remote control (if, in fact, that's what happened) does not mean that the insurgents weren't in the area. In fact, they have to be in the area if they're going see when to detonate the bomb. Second, by his own account there were weapons at the scene of this so-called crime. Where did they come from? If the only thing going on was a soccer game, where did the weapons come from? Does the video footage show that some insurgents were using the soccer game as a cover to attack U.S. troops? If so, that would certainly fit in with the terrorist MO. Third, where did Hersh get the video tapes of which he speaks? If they came to him from the typical anonymous sources, that raises warnings in my mind about whether or not they've been edited in some way. In any event, we can't answer any of these questions unless Hersh is willing to show the tapes, which he has not done up to this point.
Of course, none of this slipshod pseudo-journalism should surprise us. The fact of the matter is that Seymour Hersh hates the U.S. military. He's hated it since Vietnam, and probably before. He hated the military when he broke the My Lai story, using textbook yellow-journalism to convict American military personel before they were even tried.
His hatred of the U.S. military was also on full display in Montreal. Not only does he attack the American policymakers who decided to go to war (which is standard fare), he also vehemently attacks the American troops themselves:
If Americans knew the full extent of U.S. criminal conduct, they would receive returning Iraqi veterans as they did Vietnam veterans, Hersh said.
“In Vietnam, our soldiers came back and they were reviled as baby killers, in shame and humiliation,” he said. “It isn’t happening now, but I will tell you – there has never been an [American] army as violent and murderous as our army has been in Iraq.” [emphasis added]
That, ladies and gentlemen, is what the left wing media really thinks about our troops. I hardly need to tell you how much hate I feel toward a man who could say such things. But given the fact that my own brother is serving in Iraq to protect Hersh's right to spew this garbage I can only recommend that we send such people a message the only legal way we can. Vote November 7.
I remember having young people working for me in the military who required guidance and mentorship from the older generation. This has always been so. So what do they get for their sacrifice? This elder statesman of yellow liberal journalism travelling around to all the chic liberal circles and savaging the great young people of our nation. Another frustrated "journalist" who no longer holds sway over the masses. Your time is up.
The young men and women of our Armed Forces and of The longer we dwell on our misfortunes the greater is their power to harm us - Voltaire
in Hell's 9th circle - and he cannot get there fast enough to make me happy.
Perhaps he should have just stayed in Canada.
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"I don't know." -- Helen Thomas, when asked by White House spokesman Scott McClellan, "Are we at war, Helen?"
I did a separate piece on this at my little clubhouse, so instead of duplicating it here and overlapping yours, I will throw in my 2 cents worth:
"The good news here is Mr. Hersh is getting on in years and will be dead soon enough. Not that I wish this pathetic, crumbling, decaying dinosaur of a so-called journalist any harm (though I have a great disdain for him and his work over the course of my lifetime) but I am grateful he won't be around much longer and will eventually stop percolating his trash and swill out in public purview.
I recall that Hersh and others of his ilk played fairly significant roles in fostering the disdain and disrespect many showed our Soldiers upon returning from Viet Nam. I recall the way it made my 2 cousins feel when, once back from doing their duty for the Army and Marines, they found themselves wondering just what the point was of them putting on a uniform and getting shot at for 2 tours in the jungle.
I remember, still, the lives lost by so many who drugged or drank themselves to death over memories they could never quite get past nor find anyone sympathetic enough to see their pain and help them work through it. I remember still.
I have seen our country and her citizens grow by leaps and bounds since the days of the disgrace we showed our brave Men and Women on their return from Viet Nam. I have seen proud and public displays of support for our troops today. I have seen MANY people take a moment to thank a man or woman in uniform for their service and their sacrifice. These acts of kindness and respect have renewed my faith in the goodness of MOST of my fellow citizens.
There are still a few, like Mr. Hersh, who find in the waning days of their lives some need to re-assert themselves into a debate they lost the privilege of participating in so long ago.
That he won a Pulitzer for his "unbiased, just telling it like it is" journalism only further encouraged him and only more deeply established his resolve to find the bad or criminal or suspect of Soldiers and Politicians because it got him awards and got him paid.
In memory of those who died needlessly after they came home at the pen of Hersh and others, I say his estate is built upon blood money...blood and tears of so many that did nothing to deserve what happened to them but for a service to their country and a belief in those that led them to war.
In his passing, I will not mourn. I only can be hopeful that until then, we won't see the sheep among us follow his coyote lies like they did not so long ago."
What we do in life echoes in eternity.
-Maximus Decimus Meridius
I joined the Navy 3 years after the fall of Saigon and I remember the very first Chief I worked for (a former Swifty by the way) recounting stories of flying home through San Francisco and being pelted with garbage. He was tough, courageous, hard but fair. A regular Joe from Louisiana. A patriotic American. He deserved a parade. He got the cowardly refuse of the left. It has been 28 years since I met him and I haven't forgotten him. It was the Hersh's of the world who perpetrated this outrage.
The longer we dwell on our misfortunes the greater is their power to harm us - Voltaire
Here is the explanation for atrocities which have been committed by Americans in EVERY war ever fought, yes even in "The Good War" fought by the "Greatest Generation".
It's simple, any large enough sample of human beings will contain some who are criminals. At least we punish ours.
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
wouldn't it be more amusing to see him charged with Obstructing Justice for failure to turn over the tapes to the JAG so they can process a proper court martial?
Not least because if he refuses - and if it turns out that there actually is something going on that requires a court martial - then you have him stone cold on a conspiracy charge.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.
and I suppose we can yell "neener, neener, neener" in his face. Of course, the very next day he'll be back to peddling disinformation to the "Reality Based Community" so there's probably no point.
A precedent embalms a principle.
- Disraeli
send the car today. After he tells them there is no tape in private and says it again in public, then can we hit him with the Obstruction of Justice charge? The problem I see is that until we force him to say under oath that there is no tape, we can't throw him in the slammer.
Maybe it was his time of the month lol
and degrading death, starting tomorrow. I will rejoice at the news of his death. Then he will burn in hell for eternity.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
Not to witness, but I'm in precisely the same boat as him and every other human being; sorely in need of Grace for salvation. And if I'm asking of it for myself I can't very well complain if somebody else gets it, too.
That being said, if Hersh ends up harvesting the results of his kharma I'm not going to lose sleep over it.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.
he isn't asking for salvation, he's asking for fame.
John
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Democratic civilization is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it.
... Jean-François Revel
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If "pro" is the opposite of "con", what is the opposite of "progress"?
just retire from lawyering before you die. Timing is everthing.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
It's the slow, painful and degrading death that I'm hoping for.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
but some people are simply asking for it and I've always believed that people evenually get what they have coming. I'd certainly not wish H*ll on a pious man but Kerry is man who has made a life of betrayal and perfidy. For him it may be too good.
John
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Democratic civilization is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it.
... Jean-François Revel
Freudian slip perhaps :-)
Works for both Hersh and Kerry actually.
John
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Democratic civilization is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it.
... Jean-François Revel
during said eternity, but we can't go about wishing death on people. It doesn't sound good, and remember that others might repeat what you way in ways that you don't want. As a rule, I say nothing online that might be interpreted as a threat. I'm sure you didn't mean it that way, but try to avoid that language anyway.
A precedent embalms a principle.
- Disraeli
Hoping that someone dies a bad death is a long way from advocating that someone be murdered. Besides, if you're talking about a piece of scum not worth shooting, first you would have to advocate and organize a 24 hour telephon to raise enough money to buy one bullet.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
of how oil, big oil companies, affect world prices and markets. When I would tell him that the company I worked for [Amoco] and the other U.S. "Majors" did not control the world price of oil, but were basically at the mercy of the biggest international suppliers [Opec and the USSR], he didn't want to hear it.
Nor did he appreciate the logic of opening up the ANWR in Alaska to lessen US dependence on foreign oil suppliers.
You see, Sy always knew better.
that his scenario sounds like a poorly directed Oliver Stone movie.
1) Book the engagement for this guy... at a local American Legion Hall.
2) Bring cameras
3) Watch the 'fireworks'
4) Cancel the credit card
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