Sample story 1 (Associated Press, April 21):
Missile Fire Downs Iraq Chopper; 11 DeadThe Liberal interpretation:
A commercial helicopter was shot down by missile fire north of the Iraqi capital Thursday, killing 11 people, including six American contractors, officials said.
Bulgaria's Defense Ministry said the Russian-made helicopter was downed by missile fire and the victims included a three-member Bulgarian crew.
The fact that Americans are still being killed by militants in Iraq shows that Bush's so-called "War on Terror" is a dismal failure.
Sample story 2 (BBC, April 21):
Twelve Afghan 'militants' killedThe Liberal interpretation:
At least 12 suspected militants have been killed in a clash with US-led coalition troops in south-eastern Afghanistan, the US military says.
The incident happened when militants launched a rocket attack on an American base in Khost province, close to the Pakistani border, the military said.
The fact that Americans are still killing militants in Afghanistan shows that Bush's so-called "War on Terror" is a dismal failure.
(Bonus points: Note the BBC's use of skepticism-quotes around the word "militants". This practice underscores the fact that someone who launches a rocket attack on a military base is not necessarily a militant.)
9 comments:
Are you suggesting that these news stories themselves are liberally slated or are you simply providing the impressions you perceive these storys having on liberals? If its the former, I don't see it. If its the later, I think that's presumptuous.
Posted by Bojack
It's the latter. Call me presumptuous if you like; I think overall criticisms of the WoT over the past several years from liberal pundits and protesters bear me out.
Posted by GaijinBiker
I've changed "What it means" to "The Liberal interpretation" to clarify my meaning.
Posted by GaijinBiker
I see where you are coming from so I’ve taken the liberty of providing my perceived conservative interpretation of some recent news:
Senate OKs $81B for Iraq, Afghanistan
Associated Press, April 21, 2005
The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved $81 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in a spending bill that would push the total cost of combat and reconstruction past $300 billion.
* * *
Congress has passed four similar emergency spending measures for the wars since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. This one would put the overall cost of combat and reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan - as well as Pentagon operations against terrorists worldwide - past $300 billion.
The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, says lawmakers previously approved $228 billion. The latest money is to last through Sept. 30, the end of the current budget year. Pentagon officials have said they will have to ask for more money for 2006.
The conservative interpretation:
Money well spent, but we need more tax cuts.
Retreat of Antarctic ice gathers pace
Financial Times, April 21 2005
Glaciers in the Antarctic are retreating at an increasing rate, in what scientists said on Thursday was a clear sign of climate change.
Most of the glaciers on the Antarctic peninsula, near the southernmost tip of South America, have retreated over the past 50 years as temperatures have warmed, according to a study from the British Antarctic Survey and US Geological Survey. Inland glaciers appear to be accelerating their descent to the ocean, threatening to raise the sea level.
The conservative interpretation
Science is a tool of the liberals. Isaac Newton was a homosexual.
DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH FOR BLADE IV
CHUD.Com, April 21, 2005
A lot of people didn't like Blade: Trinity. One of them is Wesley Snipes. Passenger 57 disliked the movie so much, in fact, that he has sued New Line.
The suit claims that his contract was violated when the script, director and cast were forced upon him. Snipes says that he didn't know that David Goyer - who had written the other two installments - would be helming this time until 6 weeks before photography. He goes on to say that Goyer was a "disastrous choice" and that he didn't have time to object to the "juvenile humor" in the screenplay before shooting started. Snipes also whines that the real purpose of the film was to create spinoff characters for New Line.
The conservative interpretation
Blade 3 was yet another attempt to undermine our rich cultural heritage perpetrated by the liberal Jews that run Hollywood.
Posted by Bojack
You're not even trying. It would have been funnier to say conservatives think Blade III was bad-mouthed by liberals afraid of its pro-gun message.
And is Isaac Newton's sexuality really a common theme of conservative responses to claims of global warming?
Posted by GaijinBiker
How about, Blade 3 was a thinly veiled attack on the Bush administration in that it cast a cabal of determined and single-minded warriors determined to spread their way of life throughout the world by force in an unflattering light?
Posted by Bojack
I like this part of your global warming story:
David Vaughan, one of the authors of the study, said: "The widespread retreat of the glaciers on the Antarctic peninsula over the past 50 years was largely caused by climate change. Are humans responsible? We can't say for sure but we are one step closer to answering this important question."
Hey, every step counts.
Posted by GaijinBiker
Now you're not even trying.
Of course we can't say for sure. But we can use the scientific method to propose scientific assertions based upon observation, hypothesis, and deduction.
Can we say for sure that all living creatures descended from a common ancestor? Nope.
Can we say for sure that electromagnetic waves move at a constant speed, independent of the motion of the observer? Nope.
Maybe you should consider whether the Antarctic glaciers are melting due to some divine retrobution for the gay penguins .
Posted by Bojack
Bojack, my stance on the gay German penguins is well-known.
And I have no problem with the scientific process. I'm not even religious.
But it seems to me that much of the activism surrounding global warming springs from a preconceived environmentalist agenda, not a disinterested quest for knowledge.
Posted by GaijinBiker
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