More Evidence FOX News Watchers Are Ignorant
Reported by Ellen - June 17, 2005
newshounds.us
Last night, a caller named Jason, from Grand Rapids, called The Alan Colmes show to complain about Dick Durbin's condemnation of the treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. Claiming to get his news from FOX, Jason proved that he got most of his facts wrong.
"Evidently Richard (I couldn't understand what Jason said next, but it sounded to me as if he was using a middle initial M, N, or F. Durbin's real middle initial is J.) Durbin does not watch FOX News or watch the polls because I believe FOX stated a poll today that - what is it - almost 60% of the people agree or don't have a problem with what's going on or the treatment of the detainees in Gitmo."
Jason was wrong again. The latest FOX poll (Question 17) says that 43% said that prison conditions at Guantanamo Bay met accepted standards, down from 67% who thought conditions there were acceptable in July, 2002.
Next, Jason complained about Durbin comparing prisoners' treatment at Gitmo to the Nazi's.
Colmes said that if Jason disagreed with Durbin's statements, he ought to condemn Senator Rick Santorum's comments likening Democrats' complaining about eliminating the filibuster to the Nazis complaining, "I'm in Paris. How dare you invade me. How dare you bomb my city? It's mine."
Jason made the "distinction" that "Durbin was trashing the troops."
Comment: Durbin never trashed the troops. He quoted from an FBI agent's report describing prisoners chained to the floor, without food or water, being subjected to extreme temperatures. As quoted in the Washington Post, Durbin said, "If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime - Pol Pot or others - that had no concern for human beings,"
Colmes discussed that with Jason. Jason, unable to argue back, used the Hannity tactic of changing the topic. "As far as you quoting Andrew Napolitano about the Geneva Convention, he couldn't even make it on the People's Court."
Colmes said Napolitano left People's Court voluntarily to become the senior legal analyst at Fox News. In fact, I could find no record of Napolitano ever having worked for People's Court. My Google search showed that Napolitano worked for a show called Power of Attorney which he did leave voluntarily in order to work at FOX News.
Jason asked, "How does (Napolitano) know the Geneva Conventions?" (Comment: Due to a tape malfunction, I missed Colmes' comments about Napolitano and the Geneva Conventions but I surmised that Napolitano said something in support of Colmes' position that they should be observed at Guantanamo Bay.)
Colmes answered, "Because he read it. When was the last time you read it?"
Jason: I have not read it. No, I will admit it but I listen to Fox News...
I rest my case. |
