Jessica Lynch, was wounded and captured in Iraq and immediately there was a rush to create America's newest heroine. It helped that she was pretty and blonde, a perfect 'poster girl" for a war that had gone so badly and for a president that was in need for some "good" news. Recriutment was down, the casualties rate was soaring and all seem to be going bad and along came this opportunity and it was seized with breathless eagerness. The half-truths and outright lies came pouring out to make her what she was not...a genuine heroine. She was the courageous "Amazon" who fought off the Iraqis, even though she was badly wounded, until she was eventually captured...horrors of horrors, those evil Iraqis were going to have their "way with her". She had to be rescued and she was (as all America, led by the cheer-leading and droning CNN, held their breaths and tied yellow ribbons and collectively prayed for safety), and brought home triumphantly. She got the requiste parade and media stardom. It was all lies. Yes, she was wounded and she was taken"captive", but hold on. She was taken to a hospital, where she was protected by the Iraqis and their doctors, risked their lives to save her, but that was not so " sexy" a story. The fable was revealed later on and she faded into oblivion.
Next came the story of the famous football player, who gave up his lucrative life and his stardom in the NFL, to serve his country. Tillman was his name and he indeed could have been a genuine hero, but he got killed in Afghanistan. Another media and military tale was perpetrated. He was given the Silver Star for heroism and the story of how he sacrificed himself to save his fellow soldiers took to the air, aided and abetted by the military and the media,again led by CNN an the unctuous Wolf Blitzwr. His family, much to their credit, wanted answers, because they were not satisfied with the skimpy details served up by the military. The truth came out by "drips and drops". He was not killed by the enemy, while fighting them off. He was killed by"friendly fire". Gen, McChrystal, now in charge of the troops in Afghanistan and whose recommendation for 40,000 more troops are being considered by Pres. Obama was front and certer in the cover-up and lies. Once again, a straw hero was built up and blown away. The sad part of this, is that Tillman was a real hero...making the ultimate sacrifice for his country,. He was a true patriot, but now his image has been stained by the military and the fawning media.
Now for the dastardly action at Fort Hood, where unsuspecting soldiers and civilians were killed and injured by one their own... Major Nidal Hasan. Once again there was a rush to find a hero and a female officer fit the bill. Led by the " ubiquitous Wolf" of CNN and trumpeted by other media outlet, she was given the "mantle of hero" and the befuddled military went along with the story.. But hold on, there was another police officer, an African-American veteran of 25 years, who responded and ran to the aid of those under attack. By the time he came face-to face wit Hasan the "white" female officer was down, shot a few times. He immediately engaged Hasan and brought him down. It would take days for this information to come out, and when it did, it barely got any coverage...he had spolit their hero-making story. What a farce.
These are only three instances in the many hundreds of cases where for social, political, military and racial reasons, false heroes, through no fault of their own, were foisted upon a gullible nation starved for heroes. For instance, it is only now, 60 years after the fact, that the exploits of the" black" Tuskegee airmen's in Europe, or the heroism of the Navajo code- talkers in the Pacific, during WW11, are being revealed and this only after Hollywood had made movies of them.Where are the Sgt. Yorks and Audie Murphys, real heroes?
In the age of media saturation, of 24 hours "news", of cable "news", a lot of harm is being done. some intentionally because of media agenda, governed by ideology or for ratings or because of incompetence and laziness by so-called reporters who are merely "media personality". Bring back the "inked- stained" professionals, but I guess they are not cute or photogenic.
Next came the story of the famous football player, who gave up his lucrative life and his stardom in the NFL, to serve his country. Tillman was his name and he indeed could have been a genuine hero, but he got killed in Afghanistan. Another media and military tale was perpetrated. He was given the Silver Star for heroism and the story of how he sacrificed himself to save his fellow soldiers took to the air, aided and abetted by the military and the media,again led by CNN an the unctuous Wolf Blitzwr. His family, much to their credit, wanted answers, because they were not satisfied with the skimpy details served up by the military. The truth came out by "drips and drops". He was not killed by the enemy, while fighting them off. He was killed by"friendly fire". Gen, McChrystal, now in charge of the troops in Afghanistan and whose recommendation for 40,000 more troops are being considered by Pres. Obama was front and certer in the cover-up and lies. Once again, a straw hero was built up and blown away. The sad part of this, is that Tillman was a real hero...making the ultimate sacrifice for his country,. He was a true patriot, but now his image has been stained by the military and the fawning media.
Now for the dastardly action at Fort Hood, where unsuspecting soldiers and civilians were killed and injured by one their own... Major Nidal Hasan. Once again there was a rush to find a hero and a female officer fit the bill. Led by the " ubiquitous Wolf" of CNN and trumpeted by other media outlet, she was given the "mantle of hero" and the befuddled military went along with the story.. But hold on, there was another police officer, an African-American veteran of 25 years, who responded and ran to the aid of those under attack. By the time he came face-to face wit Hasan the "white" female officer was down, shot a few times. He immediately engaged Hasan and brought him down. It would take days for this information to come out, and when it did, it barely got any coverage...he had spolit their hero-making story. What a farce.
These are only three instances in the many hundreds of cases where for social, political, military and racial reasons, false heroes, through no fault of their own, were foisted upon a gullible nation starved for heroes. For instance, it is only now, 60 years after the fact, that the exploits of the" black" Tuskegee airmen's in Europe, or the heroism of the Navajo code- talkers in the Pacific, during WW11, are being revealed and this only after Hollywood had made movies of them.Where are the Sgt. Yorks and Audie Murphys, real heroes?
In the age of media saturation, of 24 hours "news", of cable "news", a lot of harm is being done. some intentionally because of media agenda, governed by ideology or for ratings or because of incompetence and laziness by so-called reporters who are merely "media personality". Bring back the "inked- stained" professionals, but I guess they are not cute or photogenic.
