Mike's Blog

Pentagon Furious at Fox News Analyst for Calling For Execution of Captured Soldier

http://www.alternet.org/story/141530/pentagon_furious_at_fox_news_analyst_for_calling_for_execution_of_captured_soldier/

According to NBC's top Pentagon correspondent, the Department of Defense is furious with Fox News analyst Ralph Peters, who said on July 19 that the Taliban should murder 23-year-old Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl, captured after he strayed from his post, to save the Army "legal hassles and legal bills."

Peters, a well-known Neoconservative and frequent Fox News guest, attempted to clarify his shocking statement on Tuesday night's O'Reilly Factor, telling right-wing host Bill O'Reilly he believes that Bergdahl had "deserted" his unit and deserved no sympathy. He did not apologize. O'Reilly added that Bergdahl must be "crazy."

However, Wednesday night MSNBC's Rachel Maddow fired back, interviewing Jim Miklaszewski, NBC's top Pentagon correspondent, who said the Department of Defense is furious with Peters and Fox News, adding there is no evidence that Bergdahl is a deserter.

Peters' and O'Reilly's insidious comments drew a sharp reaction from a bipartisan group of 22 veteran members of Congress, who all signed a letter demanding Fox News CEO Roger Ailes apologize to Bergdahl's family for allowing a guest on his network to provide "aid and comfort" to America's enemies.

"Mr. Peters' indefensible comments call into question, without any supporting evidence whatsoever, PFC Bergdahl's patriotism and commitment to his country, and suggest in a non-subtle way that he deserved to be captured," they wrote. "The truth is that Mr. Peters' words give more aid and comfort to the enemy…and put PFC Bergdahl at additional risk of harm."

Congressman Eric Massa (D-NY), a former Navy commander who joined the 22 members of Congress in signing the letter, went a step further and called on Fox News to fire both O'Reilly and Peters.

"Their comments aid and abet our enemies during a time of war and the burden is on Fox News to prove that they reject this by taking the tangible action of issuing an apology and firing both of them," he wrote.

Jim Miklaszewski, NBC's Pentagon correspondent, told Maddow on Wednesday night that Bergdahl "came off patrol on June 30th, dropped off his weapon, his body armor, grabbed up a bottle of water, a compass and a knife and took off out on his own. It was sometime after that, apparently, that some local militants grabbed him and turned him over to the Taliban."

"Should he have left the post alone?" Miklaszewski asked. "Of course not. But that doesn't make him a deserter."

He continued: "Military officials I talked to are quite outraged at Peters' comments, not just the idea perhaps that he suggested that the Taliban should execute Bergdahl, but because it's totally irresponsible. Here you have a kid, 23-years-old, in custody. He's got to be terrified. And now, these Peters comments could actually be used by his captors to get even deeper inside Bergdahl's mind and further erode any confidence that he may have that he will ever come out alive."

"I suspect my fellow Americans might really bail out of the FOX viewership over this one," opined former war reporter and photographer Tim King, who edits Oregon-based Web site Salem-News.

"If this insolent wicked little man named Peters at FOX manages to turn people against this American who volunteered to serve in the military, fully aware that almost anyone in the Army can be deployed overseas, he should be arrested and tossed in prison," King continued. "When does FOX News cross the line? This is a new age, a new time, and there is no way in Hell that Peters or FOX can cry ‘free speech' now."

Bill O'Reilly handed his ass by a California "libral" - where was the "shut up" and "cut her mic"?

How to Crush Bill O'Reilly

By Ryan Tate, 10:07 PM on Fri Jun 12 2009, 97,264 views (Edit post, Set to draft, Slurp)

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Remember when it was the liberal guests who ended up looking like sputtering morons on the O'Reilly Factor? Tonight it was the host. Joan Walsh turned the tables.

Her secret?

• Remain calm.
• Finish your sentences, even if O'Reilly interrupts you.
• Do your research and form your soundbites ahead of time.
• Don't raise your voice higher than Bills, or get more emotional. This way, he looks like the crazy one, as nature intended.
• Leave no charge unanswered, even if it sounds absurd. Especially if it sounds absurd.

The Salon editor's vitruoso performance led an enraged O'Reilly to the fantastic conclusion that, in fact, Walsh was responsible for the death of abortion doctor George Tiller, because she branded him a hero. Uh, OK! Well, it looks like that's all you have time for. Enjoy your weekend, Bill, and try not to think too much about how you had your ass handed to you, by a San Francisco liberal. That'll just make you angry.

hmm, wingers at it on tape prior to the headshots taking out the pirates

They had nothing to say except whine about the Obama administration being weak, negotiating, special exceptions for pirates, whine, whine, whine...
I wonder what their lines will be now that the situation was resolved in what was their ultimate fantasy scenario.

Pirate brought to US, will face criminal charges

by Joe Sudbay (DC) on 4/21/2009 05:39:00 PM

So, remember how Newt and other right wingers were trashing Obama and betting against the US when the pirates were holding the Captain of the Maersk Alabama hostage? Jed got it on video:

Betting against America is, well, pretty un-American.

Now, the surviving pirate is now in the US. And, he's going to be tried for his crimes, via press release from the Department of Justice:

Muse, who is over 18 years old, was presented in U.S. Magistrate Court and ordered detained. Muse is charged with: (1) piracy under the law of nations; (2) conspiracy to seize a ship by force; (3) discharging a firearm, and aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm, during and in relation to the conspiracy to seize a ship by force; (4) conspiracy to commit hostage taking; and (5) brandishing a firearm, and aiding and abetting the brandishing of a firearm, during and in relation to the conspiracy to commit hostage taking. The first count carries a mandatory term of life imprisonment; the second count carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison; the third count carries a maximum potential penalty of life imprisonment; the fourth count carries a maximum potential penalty of life imprisonment; and the fifth count carries a maximum potential penalty of life imprisonment.

Kinda shows that Gingrich and his ilk are even bigger idiots than we thought a couple weeks ago.

Conservatives align with and support violent white supremacist overthrow of the US Government?

At least that's what one of their head pundits seems to say.

Conservatives indict themselves with shrieking over DHS report on right-wing terrorism

By David Neiwert Tuesday Apr 14, 2009 11:00am

My my my. The right, led by Michelle Malkin, is up in arms over the Department of Homeland Security's internal intelligence report on right-wing extremism and its post-Obama resurgence.

Malkin's headline wails:

"The Obama DHS Hit Job on Conservatives Is Real"

So, I have a question for Malkin: Are you saying that mainstream conservatives are now right-wing extremists?

Because, you know, the report -- which in fact is perfectly accurate in every jot and tittle -- couldn't be more clear. It carefully delineates that the subject of its report is "rightwing extremists," "domestic rightwing terrorist and extremist groups," "terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks," "white supremacists," and similar very real threats described in similar language.

Nothing about conservatives. The word never appears in the report.

Because, you know, we always thought there was a difference between right-wing extremists and mainstream conservatives too. My new book, The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right, does explain that the distance between them has in fact shrunk considerably, thanks to the help of people like Malkin.

And now she's evidently intent on shrinking it further:

By contrast, the piece of crap report issued on April 7 is a sweeping indictment of conservatives. And the intent is clear. As the two spokespeople I talked with on the phone today made clear: They both pinpointed the recent “economic downturn” and the “general state of the economy” for stoking “rightwing extremism.” One of the spokespeople said he was told that the report has been in the works for a year. My b.s. detector went off the chart, and yours will, too, if you read through the entire report — which asserts with no evidence that an unquantified “resurgence in rightwing extremist recruitment and radicalizations activity” is due to home foreclosures, job losses, and…the historical presidential election.

Well, Michelle, it's an "indictment of conservatives" if you say so. The report itself, in fact, is all about accurately identifying very real looming threats. And, while it's obvious Malkin hasn't been paying attention, there in fact is considerable data coming over the transom to indicate that there's a real problem looming with the far right.

Don't forget: Before he'd even been sworn into office, we had skinheads being arrested for plotting Obama's assassination.

Malkin complains that the report indulges in "anti-military bigotry" by warning that returning veterans who have been radicalized, or were already right-wing extremists, are a particular threat:

Continue reading »

Faux News - the "fringe of the fringe"

The Fringe Are Who We Thought They Were

April 13, 2009 11:12 am. | Conservatives and President Obama

68% of independents have confidence in the President on the economy, 97% of Democrats do and 38% of Republicans. So be aware who organizations like Fox News are talking about when they say people don’t trust Obama on this issue, or even moreso think he’s a socialist: The fringe of the fringe.

Faux News/Dick Morris - encouraging the wacko militias

I guess terrorists are ok if they're 'merkin.

Right Wing Militia Watch: Dick Morris Cheers On Killing ATF Agents

Published on March 31, 2009 in Conservatives and Right Wing Militia.

When Democrats are in control, the right moves toward the fringe of the militia right - the nationalists, Tim McVeigh, anti-government types. Today it’s Dick Morris on Fox News: “Those crazies in Montana who say, ‘we’re going to kill ATF agents because the UN’s going to take over’ - well, they’re beginning to have a case”

Fox News Lies - I know, and what's new about that

Nothing at all new or earthshaking. They lie and exaggerate all  the time but this video clip has some nice clear examples and responses by other networks saying "no", this only exists in the mind of Faux News.

Thursday, March 05, 2009
Jed exposes the "Red Lie Express" brought to you by Jindal, FOX and the rest of the Right Wing
Joe Sudbay (DC) · 3/05/2009 12:03:00 PM ET

Jed Lewison has a new video which demolishes one of the lies that started with Bobby Jindal and spread through the right wing lie machine -- with help from FOX, of course:

It all started when Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal falsely accused Democrats of inserting an earmark calling for an $8 billion rail line between Disneyland and Las Vegas. Now, the Fox News-GOP propaganda machine is claiming the nonexistent Disney-Vegas rail line goes straight from Disneyland to the door of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch brothel in Nevada.

(link to an AMERICAblog post on Thursday via an AMERICAblog  post from today)

Where Fox News really stands - (as if you didn't know)

Watch the video and note the scrolling text at the bottom

Fox News ticker: 'Let's hope the magic negro does a good job'

RAW STORY Published: Thursday January 1, 2009

As if Americans needed any more reminders of how closely aligned with the Republican party the Fox News network is, New Year's Eve brings us this new tidbit. During it's broadcast from New York City, the network encouraged viewers to send in text messages which, if approved by moderators, would scroll across the Fox ticker at the bottom of the screen. Moderators, however, let this one slip: "HAPPY NEW YEAR AND LET’S HOPE THE MAGIC NEGRO DOES A GOOD JOB. LOVE JEN AND JOHN C." Chip Saltsman, a candidate to lead the Republican National Committee, distributed a CD to RNC members containing the parody song "Barack the Magic Negro," that has been a source of loud, public GOP infighting over the holiday season. "The Republican Party paid a steep price for race-baiting in the presidential campaign," said the New York Times on Wednesday. "We thought after all that — and, oh yes, losing the election — everyone in the Republican Party leadership would have figured out that race-baiting alienates young, minority and all reasonable voters. Clearly, not everyone has." "Barack the Magic Negro," which was first played on Limbaugh's radio show in March 2007, mocks Obama as being the perfect candidate for white liberals because he is not a "real" black man. The following video was captured by ThinkProgress on Jan. 1, 2009.

More "they eat their own"

Ann Coulter would support Hillary Clinton over McCain. Of course he is the only Rethuglican that "believes" in eviloution.

                  Ann Coulter: Hillary will be more conservative and stronger on the war on terror than McCain                   
by John Aravosis (DC)                   ·  2/01/2008 03:24:00 PM ET · Link

I don't even know how to begin to take this. Yes Coulter is laughable, to us, but she's beloved by lots of Republicans. Her excoriation of John McCain will only feed a sense among Republicans that he can't be trusted. This is a sign of a much larger problem for McCain. And it's great.

ANN COULTER: "She's more conservative than he is. I think she'd be stronger on the war on terrorism. I absolutely believe that.... I will campaign for her if it's McCain... She lies less than John McCain, she's smarter than John McCain."

ALAN COLMES: "Let me get this straight, would you vote for Hillary Clinton?"

COULTER: "Yeah."

COLMES: "You would actually go into a voting booth..."

COULTER: "If it's close and the candidate is John McCain, because John McCain is not only bad for Republicanism, which he definitely is, he is bad for the country, very very bad for the country. ... (link AMERICAblog)

Update: The video is hilarious. Ann Coulter is VERY passionate in her hatred of McCain.

Ann Coulter endorses Hillary Clinton

By: scarce @ 9:02 AM - PST 

Download | Play    Download | Play

Which is another way of saying she really, really hates John McCain, suddenly the Über Liberal in the race to be President. All of which amused Alan Colmes immensely. I’m not sure what Senator Clinton would make of the proceedings or Coulter’s endorsement.( link Crooks and Liars)

O'Reilly-Fox News - says there are no homeless vetrens

 

 

O’Reilly Slams Edwards For Standing Up For Homeless Veterans

By: billw on Sunday, January 6th, 2008 at 3:05 PM - PST 

On Friday, Billo showed off his pundit wisdom idiocy following the Iowa caucus and went after John Edwards for saying the US should be taking better care of our veterans.

Download (1482) | Play (2600)  Download (935) | Play (1590)

O’Reilly: As for John Edwards, Good grief! this guy has no clue.  (plays clip) 

Edwards: … and tonight, 200,000 men and women who wore our uniform proudly and served this country courageously as veterans will go to sleep under bridges and on grates. We are better than this. (see Edward’s speech here) 

O’Reilly: That was Edwards’ concession speech last night. I mean, come on. The only thing sleeping under a bridge is that guy’s brain. 10 million illegal alien workers are sending billions of dollars back home and Edwards is running around saying nobody has any money. Hard to believe.

Billo, who has a history of insulting veterans, just dismissed outright the plight of homeless men and women who have served in our nation’s military and implied that they don’t even exist. To mask his callous indifference he threw out illegal immigration as a red herring and insulted Edwards by saying he “has no clue.” Well, as usual, Falafel Boy is the one who desperately needs to get a clue.

In 2006, approximately 195,827 veterans were homeless on a given night—an increase of 0.8 percent from 194,254 in 2005. More veterans experience homeless over the course of the year. We estimate that 336,627 were homeless in 2006. …(link Crooks and Liars)