Exploiting Suffering, Flag-Burning Father is Low Even for the Media

February 21, 2012 Matt Rooney Uncategorized 174

Have you heard about this, Save Jerseyans?

A man from Michigan actually burned a New Jersey state flag to protest Governor Christie’s controversial decision to honor Newark native Whitney Houston by ordering the lowering of flags across the Garden State.

An important fact to help understand the Michigan development of this story? The flag burner’s son was killed while serving in Iraq in 2005 when his Humvee was hit by an insurgent’s IED. “Maybe it’s a little drastic but I’m sorry, this is how much it hurts,” the father explained to local reporters. “[T]his is how much a slap in the face it is to all that have served and given their life.”

A sample of the coverage:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1_K0eEqqhg

What a world we live in where this qualifies as news!

Clearly this Michigan man’s reaction was way over the top. As Brian McGovern pointed out earlier this week, Governor Christie has lowered our state’s flags for every N.J. solider lost in combat since he took office in January 2010. Personally? I happen to think it’d make sense to reserve this honor for high elected officials, combat soldiers and first responders killed in the line of duty. That said, to pretend as if Governor Christie did something extraordinarily untoward or out-of-the-ordinary is just plain wrong.

But is this Michigan father’s pain-fueled outrage something worthy of the media attention?

No! His pain is real and palpable. He lost his son, the epicenter of his world, to a terrorist’s roadside bomb. I can’t even imagine the pain he feels every day. And when we’re in pain and emotional, Save Jerseyans, we don’t always do things that make a ton of sense.

Like, for instance, burning New Jersey flags in our backyards. Or camping out like a Bedouin near a president’s vacation home (paging Cindy Sheehan).

So shame on the media for treating this story like real news! It’s not like there’s a roaming mob in the street toppling Christie statutes and burning the Governor in effigy. THAT would be newsworthy. This is one lone man who deserves our sympathy and not predatory, opportunistic scrutiny from a national press corps all-too-eager to cover anything involving the controversial Governor Christie.

 

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Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8440 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.

9 Comments

  5. Следующее качество — наблюдательность и способность улавливать мелочи, это всегда идет в паре. Женщина замечает вокруг себя буквально все. Это необходимо, когда рядом маленький ребенок. Например, женщина чем-то занята в одной комнате, а в другой, где находится ребенок, вдруг наступает тишина. Женщина бросает все и бежит в другую комнату, для нее тишина подозрительна, она чувствует: что-то не так. А мужчина в этой ситуации был бы доволен: тишина и спокойствие, значит, он может читать свою газету.

    Nikol Kidman

  6. Что менять в себе, чему учиться? Думаю, стать нужно честным, правдивым, не одевать маску, потому что потом пройдёт время, она всё равно слетит. И тогда от того, за кого ты себя выдавал, останутся лишь воспоминания у твоей второй половинки, но только тогда она (он) уже не будет с тобой. Нет ничего омерзительнее, чем враньё, да там приукрасил-приврал чуть-чуть, потом всё это накопилось и уже не чуть-чуть, а целая горка. А за этой горкой и друг друга настоящих и не видать. Отношения любящих людей должны быть правдивыми, к этому нужно заранее готовиться, учиться быть самим собой. Tretyakov Sergej

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