Rick Mercer Fights Back!

[Ready Aye Ready]

clarification:
1.  Many criticized Ms. Golfman because she has a degree in Women's Studies or whatever instead of Military History etc... My point is exactly that: "you don't need an advanced degree to have an opinion"
2. How could she have researched her facts/informed herself better when she did not present any facts or analysis except of the Canadian Media?

 

[George Wallace]

2. How could she have researched her facts/informed herself better when she did not present any facts or analysis except of the Canadian Media?

However, at the same time you are stating the fact that she compared this conflict in Afghanistan with that in Vietnam.  That is a form of analysis, is it not?  She has compared our "Noofs" to Vietnam era US soldiers.  She has concluded that we will be meeting the same fate.  Looks to me, like an analysis was made on her part.

It is another to report on their presence in that unfamiliar place without
so much as a hint that they don't belong there, that the campaign to restore
order and keep the Taliban from returning to power might be doomed, that
blood is obviously begetting blood and that Canadians, and especially the
Newfoundlanders who comprise such a disproportionate percentage of the
overseas troops (compare with the number of African-Americans fighting in
the doomed project of Viet Nam), are destined to return in body bags.

 

[time expired]

Ms Golfman is obviously trying to get on Babara Walters Great Women of our Times list
and I think she has made it, right after Jane Fonda.
                                    Regards

 

[Ready Aye Ready]

However, at the same time you are stating the fact that she compared this conflict in Afghanistan with that in Vietnam.  That is a form of analysis, is it not?  She has compared our "Noofs" to Vietnam era US soldiers.  She has concluded that we will be meeting the same fate.  Looks to me, like an analysis was made on her part.

Perhaps we are simply arguing semantics here, but I must respectfully disagree that she is providing analysis. Now, she does state that the disproportionate amount of Newfoundlanders in the CF is comparable to that of African Americans in Vietnam. I will give her the benefit of the doubt on the numbers on this one, however, as I already stated, this comparison is erroneous as the enlistment methods are very different---but this is only a minor point. He only other statement of analytical fact in your quote is that more soldiers are "destined to return in body bags." This is unfortunately true. Other than that she does not state that "we will be meeting the same fate" as the US Army in Vietnam. Instead she says that not enough is being said in our media "that the campaign to restore order and keep the Taliban from returning to power might be doomed." MIGHT BE, as opposed to IS doomed. Can anyone tell me that stating the the mission might not succeed is unequivocally wrong? 

Her failure is not in "not getting it" as I'm not even sure what "it" means...(What does she not get? Do I also not get "it"? and if so where can I procure this "it"?) Instead, her major failure is in attributing Support for the Troops with Support for the Mission. Ironically this is exactly the lie the Neo-Cons have been trying to sell for years. The only difference this time is that this comes from the Left as opposed to the Right. By equating "military huggers" with "war mongers" she plays perfectly into the hands of those who would equate those against the mission in Afghanistan as unpatriotic.
...and yes it goes without saying that she comes off as highly insensitive & callous to the sufferings of our wounded soldiers...but it was never my point to argue that.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Funnily enough they also forget to mention that the US army was one of the driving forces to improve the average life of the African American and one of the first places where the racial ceiling for high level jobs was breached. In fact the US army is highest employer of black Americans in senior positions. Meanwhile universities and large business still do well at excluding them.

 

[North Star]

Lol...I don't see any real need to keep hitting this poor lady. After all, she's still reeling from Rick Mercer's "injurious" blow to her pride (based as it is on her mere academic credentials).

 

[armyvern]

Ladies & gents,

Keep it professional and be bigger people than she.

Feel free to rip her article apart based upon your facts, knowledge and personal experience, keep the physical remarks out of this thread and off this forum.

I'm going to point out this post once again:

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/56861/post-520905.html#msg520905

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Interesting, she certainly isn't worth the time and effort to send an annoying e-mail much less a hate e-mail. Anyways Rick's rebuttal would be a hard act to follow.

 

[IN HOC SIGNO]

Interesting, she certainly isn't worth the time and effort to send an annoying e-mail much less a hate e-mail. Anyways Rick's rebuttal would be a hard act to follow.

Agreed...as I regard her as a complete waste of time...my sending her an email would constitute a complete waste of cybespace.  ;D
(Oh dang was that un-Padre like?)

 

[MarkOttawa]

A "progressive" blogger has his brain in the right place:

"The `poor sod' has a name: It's Cpl. Paul Franklin"
http://transmontanus.blogspot.com/2007/02/poor-sod-has-name-its-cpl-paul.html

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Jarnhamar]

Interesting, she certainly isn't worth the time and effort to send an annoying e-mail much less a hate e-mail.

I see emailing someone like this  like voting.
I used to never vote because I figured I dont care who wins they will just screw stuff up anyways. And  whether I vote or not they won't care, until someone pointed something out.
NOT voting is exactly what the parties want. I may not be voting for them but I'm also not voting for their opposition.

Will Mrs Golfman give a rats ass about my email or yours? Probably not. She might answer a few but then give up. Peopel don't agree and she doesn't care. I bet she deleted it within the first two lines when I said I was a Canadian soldier serving in Afghanistan.  What makes me feel good is that I put forth the effort to speak my mind. She may not be worth the time but I can think of a few people who WERE worth my time writting it.
Anyhow to each their own, cheers.
Your right, Ricks act is hard to beat

 

[vonGarvin]

I do not hate this person.  Do I disagree with this person's statements? Certainly.  Why?  Because this person has failed to meet the criteria of neutral observance of a situation.  She has assumed that we ought to protest the position of opposing the Taliban by miltary (read: lethal) force.  So, in the interest of civility, I shall leave it at that: I disagree.  Having said that, I shall, to my last breath, defend her statement of such opinion to my dying breath...

 

[kozak]

Google really is a wonderful tool.  In about ten minutes you can figure out that Mercer probably went out on a limb professionally as well.

Noreen Golfman is not merely an obscure academic. 

She has been president of the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, the leading CBC apologist and lobbyist group, President of the Canadian Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences, on the executive of the Canadian Film Development Board, etc. etc. etc.  She also looks like she has testified numerous times before Senate and House of Commons committees on topics such as the preservation of the CBC as a "National Broadcaster" to give a voice to "all Canadians".

As a Canadian television performer Mercer could have his life made pretty miserable by a very small group of members of the media elite.  Good luck getting a project financed.

Which speaks to the larger issue of whether the media elites, of which Ms. Golfman appears to be a charter member, and their attitudes, truly reflect the views of Canadians, and how a small insular group holding these divergent views can have such an influence on what we see on our national broadcasters and their effects on the shaping of national attitudes towards the military. 

When you wonder why the coverage of the military on the CBC is often so ill informed and mean-spirited, with lines like "toys for the boys" sneering at the need to replace dangerous obsolete equipment, read Ms. Golfman's article and wonder no longer.  You are peering inside their skulls. 

 

[Roy Harding]

Hauptmann Scharlachrot:  I agree 100%

kozak:  This way leads to madness.  You cannot be looking into every little corner, attempting to expose an "agenda".  This particular lady is extremely isolated, insulated, and ill informed.  I don't believe she is part of some "left wing, bleeding heart, dope smokin', greasy, long-haired, hippy war-protesting conspiracy".  She's just stupid.

I applaud what Rick Mercer wrote.  I don't think he took THAT much of a risk in publishing it.  He's a funny (and intelligent, and insightful) man - he isn't a fool - if his letter would have trashed his career he wouldn't have published it.

As for Ms. Golfman - she is an ivory tower idiot who is listened to only by other ivory tower idiots.  In the great scheme of things, she's meaningless - and her opinions count for nothing.

I was, I'm fairly certain, the one who floated the idea of inviting her onto these forums to debate her ideas - I was wrong to suggest that course of action.

Ms. Golfman is suffering from a condition which is not all that uncommon - she is "set" in her opinions.  There is no way that you can dissuade her from them - to be fair, I suffer from the same condition - although I'm pretty sure not to the same degree - I've been known to change my outlook from time to time.

She's not worth the effort.


Roy

 

[zipperhead_cop]

Perhaps she sees the communist benefit of terrorism?
Look at how much money is being poured into the middle east and Afghanistan by the west.  Could Brother Marx have ever dreamed that the capitalist bourgeois would redistribute the wealth to the proletariat in billions of dollars like this? 
Far fetched, but in a convoluted way radical Islam is getting done what the USSR tried to do for half a century.  Unintended irony is always the best. 
(don't get me wrong.  We'll still kill them by the bushel)

 

[josh]

Noreen Goldman (Friends of Canadian Broadcasting) reminds me of that Saturday Night Live skit Delicious Dish, featuring Margaret-Jo McCullen and Teri Rialto where they parody boring National Public Radio hosts no one ever listens to.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I suspect that Rick's show is one of the most popular in the country, trying to screw him will be like cooking the goose that lays the golden egg. Plus if the CPC gets a majority government, CBC and various media bodies are going to find their own funding cut!

 

[Jarnhamar]

I wonder how long before the phantom deleter strikes again and gets around to this thread.

I'll just finish my input by saying Golfman has never been to Afghanistan.
Rick Mercer has.
One has seen Afghanstan with their own eyes and the other through the media.

I know who's opinion I would trust more.

 

[Rifleman62]

I always enjoy Roy Harding's plain speak, common sense, comments! It is no wonder that Sn NCOs and WOs are the back bone of the CF!

 

[scas]

Quote from Ms. Golfman,
"It is really hard to see how the road to open debate, let alone peace, can
be paved with military offensives"

I guess then WW2 didn't happen at all then.. Maybe the holocost was dreamed up by that nice guy Stalin.. I don't know.. History has taught us different..  I don't know.. ???