Price of Freedom Still Cheap
by October 1, 2001 12:00 am 70 views
It was difficult to watch the ninny nitpickers of political correctness dissect the President’s Sept. 20 speech moments after he delivered Afghanistan an ultimatum before Congress, members of the Supreme Court and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
After all, the internationally televised address was only an executive confirmation of what the rest of us have thought since the Sept. 11 attacks on our cities — America is at war.
Such a declaration seems above the petty partisanship displayed by those puffed up “experts” who prattle their opinions in fits of self promotion. But there they were.
One ABC analyst thought President Bush should have said more for American Muslims. Some guest on NBC, who was apparently not up on current events, wanted to hear more compassion in the President’s voice.
The daily parade of these special interest mongers on news and talk programs is exhausting. Then there’s the real morons — the full grown reporters who waste what is probably their only audience for days or weeks with the President by actually asking for a preview of our next military strike.
Do they really expect him to say: “Well, I’m glad you asked that. Here are the exact latitude and longitude of where we’ll be bombing with 20 planes at noon tomorrow.”
How about something a little more reasonable like, “Mr. President, how will America pay for the military buildup and airline and insurance bailouts that are in the works?” Or, “What steps will you take to help restore confidence in our markets?”
Those questions probably still can’t be answered. But they make a heap more sense than the blathering of TV panelists, who sound more like Joan Rivers critiquing celebrity ensembles than journalists pursuing insight.
It is frustrating to sit through such nonsense until one realizes the alternative.
Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban lops off the heads off those who oppose it in public. Women there are beaten or killed for reading, working or voicing their opinion. Profits earned by farmers and merchants are routinely extorted by the Afghani government, and buying modern conveniences is a crime.
At least our free market society allows us to make our own investments and criticisms, even when they border on the ridiculous.