Sunday, March 14, 2004
"Crooks": State-run media gives Rummy a pass on his ghoulish, felonious looting of 9/11 relics [UPDATE]
Our story thus far:
We know that Rumsfeld (and other high FBI officials)
1. looted 9/11 relics (back here)
2. which is a Federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in jail (back here)
3. for which ordinary citizens have been indicted, prosecuted, convicted, and punished (back here).
And I know you'll find this hard to believe, but:
4. There's not a word about Rummy's crime in the Times or the Post. (I just checked; and see Google at 2:07AM EST.)
You'd almost think they wanted to suppress the story!
To be fair to the SCLM, the LA Times picks up the original AP story (point 1, above) but misses the fact that Rummy's act was not only illegal (point 2), and that the law under which Rummy could be prosecuted is not a dead letter (point 3). The Salt Lake City Tribune does the same. The New York Daily News cuts the AP story but names some of the FBI officials who took 9/11 relics and a flag to give to "dignitaries" (Pioneers and Rangers?). Our own Inky (Knight-Ridder ) reports on the doings of a local FBI agent.
The real story is this:
Rummy broke the law. (But that's OK, since he's a Republican, and ordinary standards don't apply.)
Rummy stealing 9/11 relics is part and parcel with the whole Bush approach to our national tragedy and anything else in the public square that isn't nailed down: These guys treat what belongs to everyone as something that belongs to them. The Bush campaign ads show that in a large and public way; Rummy's looting shows that in a mean and private way.
Rummy's a ghoul. Have they no decency? At long last, have they no decency?
When is Bush going to fire Rummy's ass?
UPDATE 1 Whaddaya know? Rumsfeld goes on Face the Nation, and Schneider—with the evidence here in the blogosphere to nail Rummy on a Federal crime—gives him a pass too! (PDF transcript via Atrios).
My goodness, you'd almost think the SCLM wanted to suppress the story!
UPDATE 2 Whaddaya know? Rummy's flak says, "IOKIYAR!"
We know that Rumsfeld (and other high FBI officials)
1. looted 9/11 relics (back here)
2. which is a Federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in jail (back here)
3. for which ordinary citizens have been indicted, prosecuted, convicted, and punished (back here).
And I know you'll find this hard to believe, but:
4. There's not a word about Rummy's crime in the Times or the Post. (I just checked; and see Google at 2:07AM EST.)
You'd almost think they wanted to suppress the story!
To be fair to the SCLM, the LA Times picks up the original AP story (point 1, above) but misses the fact that Rummy's act was not only illegal (point 2), and that the law under which Rummy could be prosecuted is not a dead letter (point 3). The Salt Lake City Tribune does the same. The New York Daily News cuts the AP story but names some of the FBI officials who took 9/11 relics and a flag to give to "dignitaries" (Pioneers and Rangers?). Our own Inky (Knight-Ridder ) reports on the doings of a local FBI agent.
The real story is this:
Rummy broke the law. (But that's OK, since he's a Republican, and ordinary standards don't apply.)
Rummy stealing 9/11 relics is part and parcel with the whole Bush approach to our national tragedy and anything else in the public square that isn't nailed down: These guys treat what belongs to everyone as something that belongs to them. The Bush campaign ads show that in a large and public way; Rummy's looting shows that in a mean and private way.
Rummy's a ghoul. Have they no decency? At long last, have they no decency?
When is Bush going to fire Rummy's ass?
UPDATE 1 Whaddaya know? Rumsfeld goes on Face the Nation, and Schneider—with the evidence here in the blogosphere to nail Rummy on a Federal crime—gives him a pass too! (PDF transcript via Atrios).
My goodness, you'd almost think the SCLM wanted to suppress the story!
UPDATE 2 Whaddaya know? Rummy's flak says, "IOKIYAR!"
