Apology issued to Tillman family; Senate resolution honors war victim

[JohnLocke]

Apology issued to Tillman family; Senate resolution honors war victim
Friday, April 30, 2004
The Patriot Ledger
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A student columnist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst has apologized privately for calling Pat Tillman, a former pro football player killed in Afghanistan, an ‘‘idiot'' and saying he ‘‘got what he deserved.''
Rene Gonzalez, a doctoral student, provoked a barrage of criticism across the country with his comments about Tillman, who walked away from a multi-million contract to join the Army after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
‘‘I offer my apologies to the Tillman family,'' Gonzalez wrote yesterday in an E-mail to WBZ-TV. ‘‘Despite my disagreements with them over the meaning of their son's death and the wars that we are fighting, I shouldn't have been so insensitive.
‘‘It has provoked a backlash, but I don't think a reasoned debate. I'd rather not inflame the issue anymore,'' he told WBZ.
(...)
The president of the University of Massachusetts said Gonzalez' comments were ‘‘disgusting, arrogant and intellectually immature.''
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Read the rest here.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. Which Senate? Massachussetts, U.S.???

[JohnLocke]

2. Massachussetts (nt).

[RobertSeattle]

3. Good

The comments about Tillman were just plain stupid.

Every RW'ers in the US got this blast faxed to them yesterday morning and got to use it as "another example of the looney left".

[chelsea0011]

4. I'm scratching my head.

This was a grad student writing in a college newspaper. What he said was insensitive and wrongheaded. But why did this story become a huge deal. The local Boston sports radio station read the column on the air. The Boston papers carried the story. And a storm was created over a student newspaper article. So the writer rightfully apologizes. But Jay Severen calls for the killing of all Muslims on his radio show, then says he didn't say it, gets caught lying, and issues a tepid apology by saying it's not what was said but I'm sorry if you didn't get what I mean. So where is the media outrage? I read one op-ed story.Severen reaches far more people in a national show then any school paper will.

[bobbyboucher]

5. It's the right-wing echo chamber,

and people here eat it up with a spoon and scold us every time how "that kind of thing" is hurting "us".

FYI to all you whiners who constantly remind us that "this is why they call us the loony left" or some such shit, the great thing about being progressive is that we are independent thinkers and believe in free speech, so next time you want to tell us to act like good little republican nanobots I got a message for ya....FUCK OFF!

[Fixated]

11. uh....

Believe it or not, some of us actually believe that the student's message was incorrect, not just that it hurts us.

[JohnLocke]

12. Showing displeasure at the comment doesn't make me a 'republican nanobot.'

[Forkboy]

6. Why no resolution for these people

A soldier from Mass. is killed in Iraq
By Associated Press, 4/13/2004

An Army specialist from Dartmouth died when the patrol vehicle he was riding in was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, the Department of Defense announced yesterday.

Specialist Peter G. Enos, 24, died Friday in Bayji, Iraq, which is about 120 miles north of Baghdad.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/04/13/a_soldier_from_mass_is_killed_in_iraq/

or this guy?

CWO Stephen Wells 29
of Massachusetts
February 25, 2004, Iraq

or this guy?

Sgt Nicholes Golding 24
of Addison, MA
February 13, 2004, Afghanistan

or this guy?

Spc Gabriel Palacios 22
of Lynn, MA
January 21, 2004, Iraq

or this guy?

SSg Theodore Perreault 33
of Webster, MA
December 23, 2003, Cuba

or this guy?

SSg Glenn Allison 24
of Pittsfield, MA
December 18, 2003, Iraq

or this guy?

CW3 Kyran Kennedy 43
of Boston, MA
November 7, 2003, Iraq

or this guy?

Pfc John Hart 20
of Bedford, MA
October 18, 2003, Iraq

or this guy?

SSgt Joseph Bellavia 28
of Wakefield, MA.
October 16, 2003, Iraq

or this guy?

Pfc Evan O'Neill 19
of Haverhill, MA
September 29, 2003, Afghanistan

or this guy?

SSgt Joseph Camara 40
of New Bedford, MA
September 1, 2003, Iraq

or this guy?

SSgt Justin Garvey 23
Townsend, MA
July 20, 2003, Iraq

or this guy?

Capt Benjamin Sammis 29
of Rehobeth, MA
April 4, 2003, Iraq

or this guy?

Sp Mathew Boule 22
of Dracut, MA
April 3, 2003, Iraq

[Forkboy]

7. self indulgent kick

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. Why? Because those others aren't celebrities

They are just "common people". Respect is only given to sports figures, actors and a few others who are multi millionaires, by our media and power structure.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JohnLocke]

10. Kick (nt).