Thursday, March 23, 2006
Because Dead People Don't Care
In a desperate attempt to explain Bush's plummeting poll numbers, the White House has dusted off one of the Republican party's old stand-bys: liberal media bias. Georgieboy hinted at it on Tuesday during the press conference and then they brought it out full-force yesterday in West Virginia.
First of all, that's not true. Just today, I couldn't avoid seeing coverage of the rescue of the three peace activists. I would think that would be considered good news, right? Of course if the media were a little gun shy when it came to covering good news, I guess it might be understood after the whole Jessica Lynch fiasco, but I digress.
The truth is, we don't see much about the reconstruction in Iraq. We don't see much about the new schools and the new hospitals. We don't see much about the "medical things" that are happening in Iraq. As the woman said, we tend to focus on the car bombs and the bloodshed. But there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of that.
There is nothing more tragic than the loss of a human life due to a senseless act of violence. Whether the death is caused by a car bomb, or an ambush, or a military operation gone bad, death is always tragic. And once you're dead, you really don't give a shit what happens. Dead kids don't go to school. Dead people don't need hospitals. Dead people don't give a rat's ass how well the reconstruction is going. Dead people don't give a flying fuck what kind of good "medical things" are happening. Dead people don't give a shit which ethnic group is in charge. They don't care about a constitution. They don't vote. They don't need clean water or electrical power. They don't care if Saddam is no longer in power. They don't need new roads, secure airports, a green zone, sanctioned militias, or freedom. The simple fact is this - until we can stop Iraqis from dying senseless deaths, it doesn't matter how many good things are happening because dead people don't care.
I for one would love to see some good news coming from Iraq. I'd like to hear that things are wrapping up and our troops are coming home. But when there are 50, 60, 70 Iraqis dying each day from violence that didn't exist before we invaded, there is very little "good stuff" that's going to make a damned bit of difference. When we've spent $200 billion on a war that was going to pay for itself, there's very little good news that's going to mean jack shit. When we've lost 2300 soldiers in a war where we were going to be greeted as liberators, there's very little positive progress that makes any fucking difference. Until we end this disaster and bring our troops home; until Iraqis are no longer subjected to the senseless violence that we have wrought, I don't give a shit what good things are happening in Iraq and I seriously doubt the dead people do either.
So if the media focuses on the latest car bomb or bloodshed it's because everything else is bullshit when you compare it to senseless death and destruction. Maybe instead of focusing on the fact that the media is showing the negatives, the Bush administration should focus on itself and fix the fucking problem. Quit your damned whining about the "liberal media" and do something about it. Because dead people don't care how fucking noble the mission is. They don't care if freedom is on the march. And they sure as shit don't care that George W. Bush has a plan for victory. Dead is dead and death is tragic.
- Q I have a comment, first of all, and then just a real quick question. I want to let you know that every service at our church you are, by name, lifted up in prayer, and you and your staff and all of our leaders. And we believe in you. We are behind you. And we cannot thank you enough for what you've done to shape our country. (Applause.)
This is my husband, who has returned from a 13-month tour in Tikrit.
BUSH: Oh, yes. Thank you. Welcome back. (Applause.)
Q His job while serving was as a broadcast journalist. And he has brought back several DVDs full of wonderful footage of reconstruction, of medical things going on. And I ask you this from the bottom of my heart, for a solution to this, because it seems that our major media networks don't want to portray the good. They just want to focus -- (applause) --
BUSH: Okay, hold on a second.
Q They just want to focus on another car bomb, or they just want to focus on some more bloodshed, or they just want to focus on how they don't agree with you and what you're doing, when they don't even probably know how you're doing what you're doing anyway. But what can we do to get that footage on CNN, on FOX, to get it on headline news, to get it on the local news? Because you can send it to the news people -- and I'm sorry, I'm rambling -- like I have --
BUSH: So was I, though, for an hour. (Laughter.)
Q -- can you use this, and it will just end up in a drawer, because it's good, it portrays the good. And if people could see that, if the American people could see it, there would never be another negative word about this conflict.
First of all, that's not true. Just today, I couldn't avoid seeing coverage of the rescue of the three peace activists. I would think that would be considered good news, right? Of course if the media were a little gun shy when it came to covering good news, I guess it might be understood after the whole Jessica Lynch fiasco, but I digress.
The truth is, we don't see much about the reconstruction in Iraq. We don't see much about the new schools and the new hospitals. We don't see much about the "medical things" that are happening in Iraq. As the woman said, we tend to focus on the car bombs and the bloodshed. But there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of that.
DEAD PEOPLE DON'T CARE!
There is nothing more tragic than the loss of a human life due to a senseless act of violence. Whether the death is caused by a car bomb, or an ambush, or a military operation gone bad, death is always tragic. And once you're dead, you really don't give a shit what happens. Dead kids don't go to school. Dead people don't need hospitals. Dead people don't give a rat's ass how well the reconstruction is going. Dead people don't give a flying fuck what kind of good "medical things" are happening. Dead people don't give a shit which ethnic group is in charge. They don't care about a constitution. They don't vote. They don't need clean water or electrical power. They don't care if Saddam is no longer in power. They don't need new roads, secure airports, a green zone, sanctioned militias, or freedom. The simple fact is this - until we can stop Iraqis from dying senseless deaths, it doesn't matter how many good things are happening because dead people don't care.
I for one would love to see some good news coming from Iraq. I'd like to hear that things are wrapping up and our troops are coming home. But when there are 50, 60, 70 Iraqis dying each day from violence that didn't exist before we invaded, there is very little "good stuff" that's going to make a damned bit of difference. When we've spent $200 billion on a war that was going to pay for itself, there's very little good news that's going to mean jack shit. When we've lost 2300 soldiers in a war where we were going to be greeted as liberators, there's very little positive progress that makes any fucking difference. Until we end this disaster and bring our troops home; until Iraqis are no longer subjected to the senseless violence that we have wrought, I don't give a shit what good things are happening in Iraq and I seriously doubt the dead people do either.
So if the media focuses on the latest car bomb or bloodshed it's because everything else is bullshit when you compare it to senseless death and destruction. Maybe instead of focusing on the fact that the media is showing the negatives, the Bush administration should focus on itself and fix the fucking problem. Quit your damned whining about the "liberal media" and do something about it. Because dead people don't care how fucking noble the mission is. They don't care if freedom is on the march. And they sure as shit don't care that George W. Bush has a plan for victory. Dead is dead and death is tragic.
