Transcript of Andy Rooneys commentary tonight. Must Read!

[loathesomeshrub]

This guy was great tonight. Here are him words, verbatum

If you were inclined to make a list of the great times in American history, you’d start with the day in 1492 when Columbus got here. The Revolution when we won our independence. Beating Hitler, putting Americans on the moon. We’ve had a lot of great days. Our darkest days, up until now, have been things like presidential assassinations, the stock market crash of 1929, Pearl Harbor and 9-11 of course. The day the world learned that American soldiers had tortured Iraqi prisoners, belongs high on the list of the worst things that have ever happened to our country. It’s a black mark that will be in the history books, in a 100 languages, for as long as there are history books. I hate to think of it. The image of one bad young woman with a naked man on a leash did more to damage America’s reputation than all the good things we’ve done over the years ever helped our reputation. What were the secrets they were trying to get from captured Iraqis. What important information did that poor devil on the leash have that he wouldn’t have given to anyone in exchange for a crust of bread or a sip of water? Where were your officers? If someone told you to do it, tell us who told you. If your officers were told, we should know who told them. One general said our guards were untrained. Untrained in what? Being a human being ? Did the man who chopped off Nicholas Berg’s head do it because he was untrained? The guards who tortured prisoners are faced with a year in prison. Well great. A year for destroying our reputation as decent people. I don’t want them in prison anyway. We shouldn’t have to feed them. Take away their right to call themselves Americans. That’s what I’d do. You aren’t one of us. Get out. We don’t want you. Find yourselves another country or a desert island. If the order came from someone higher up, take him with you.

In the history of the world, several great civilizations that seemed immortal have deteriorated and died. I don’t want to seem dramatic tonight, but I’ve lived a long life and for the first time in my life I have this faint far away fear, that it could happen to us here in America as it happened to the Greek and Roman civilizations

Too many Americans don’t understand what we have here or how to keep it. I worry for my grandchildren, my great grandchildren. I want them to have what I had, and I sense it slipping away. Have a nice day.

[IrishBloodEngHeart]

1. why does Andy Rooney hate America?

Why is he giving aid and comfort to terrorists?

Just thought I would post that before the whole RNC does.

Its funny how they become moral relativists when it comes to our own wrongdoing.

[Avalon Sparks]

2. Awesome!

THANKS FOR POSTING!

Dang it, I almost always watch 60 minutes and I feel asleep tonight and missed it. Andy is my fav part. WISH I'D SEEN THIS!

AWESOME!

[candy]

3. He compares what happened in the prisons to 9-11 and Pearl Harbor?

Well the prisoners are alive and about 5500 people died in the previous 2 incidents.

No comparison!

[AntiCoup2K4]

5. Sure there is a comparison

All three events can be traced directly to the Bush Criminal Empire.

[Cooley Hurd]

7. It's not that the prisoners weren't killed...

...it's that (what was left of) our moral authority was.:(

[loathesomeshrub]

9. I think you miss his point. He was saying that in the past, our darkest

times came from disasters, and righteous wars, and crimes against us by others. This was caused by Americans and destroyed our reputation, and put into question our integrity, therefore it is one of the darkest times. Also there are several prisoners who are NOT alive any more, thanks to American MI, soldiers, or contractors. Not just in Abu Ghraib, but in Afghanistan and other places. Their deaths are under investigation.

[candy]

13. Andy Rooney was around in WWII---

and he celebrated right along with the rest of us when the war was ended by the killing of hundreds of thousands of Japanese with the atomic bombs.

What did he say about that?

This prisoner thing is a disgrace,but way overblown compared to other things done in the past 100 years.

[tabasco]

20. Rooney was in the Army in WWII

He flew on the first American bombing mission over Germany.

[DrWeird]

10. How many people died in the prisons?

26 that we know of. And how many are going to die before it's all through?

More innocent Iraqis died since the invasion started than 9--11, Pearl Harbor, and D-day combined.

So it looks like the war in Iraq is quite a bit worse than 9-11, if all you want to look at is the body count.

[TacticalPeek]

17. Disturbing arithmetic. Wish I had an eraser for your chalk board.

But that's not chalk on the wall.

:(

[PretzelWarrior]

11. Hi, Mr or Mrs Obtuse. Nice to meet you.

no one died in stock market crash except the speculators who went broke overnight and offed themselves.

the point was---(slowly for you) this........is.......a.....black...time......in........U.S........History
....and this .......one is ...........on......us.

Get it? We saw Americans act like the evil we are so-called fighting.

BTW. Torture of prisoners is a special kind of evil. Based on independent reports we seem to be doing a good job of matching that 5500 number of DEAD due to the war in Iraq. US sure is killing lots of Iraqis. I guess they're "free" now and should feel grateful.

Pathetic. You're hopeless.

[candy]

16. I never referred to the stock market---

and as far as the way we have acted in the past,see my post #13.

The prisoner abuse is nothing compared to other atrocities,which Rooney chose to ignore at the time.

When someone disagrees with your point of view they are pathetic and hopless? How juvenile!

[PretzelWarrior]

19. why do you minimize it? are you = in level with terrorists?

with Japanese empire? Don't you hold the military to higher standard? Well, don't you?

If we want to quantify death and misery at the hands of the U.S. over the years by means of Kuwaiti highway bombed out in 91 with hundreds of innocents killed along with supposed "bad guys". Dresden fire bombing. Tokyo fire bombing. Bombing raids over Vietnam. US supply and training of paramilitary groups in central and south America. I'm sure you could reasonably pin MILLIONS of deaths on the way the US government conducted itself. And I'm sure you can rationalize every last life that was snuffed by US actions.

Here's what I know: I demand more from my government and military than you do, apparently.

Is it more obvious because we are shamed to our faces with video/photos? Undoubtedly. But precisely because we DO have such clear and viscerally damning evidence...our revulsion and expectation for accountability should be instant and overwhelming.

If you don't feel bad about these photos, I feel bad for you as a person. If you can't understand what Rooney was trying to posit...there really is no hope.

If you're just p!ssing on us...that's really sad.

[yardwork]

12. I agree that there is no comparison between the three events.

The attacks on 9/11 and Pearl Harbor were committed by non-Americans. The attacks in the prisons were committed by Americans.

Those injured by the attacks in the prisons? In addition to the Iraqi victims, include as victims every American alive today and everyone who will be born American in the future.

Who was killed by the attacks in the prisons? In addition to those Iraqis known to have been murdered during custody (at least 25 open investigations so far), include any right America ever had to claim moral superiority over terrorists.

[Oddman]

22. Of course it is a fair comparison . . .

Those torture photos will cause the deaths of thousands of Americans. It was the best al Qaeda recruiting symbol that anyone could ever have dreamed up.

We used to be the beacon to the world for integrity and morality and leadership. Well, those ships sailed of the edge of the earth when our policy of torture became public.

The whole world hates America now.

And it never had to happen . . .

[Merlin]

4. It's starting to feel a lot like the Nam years again.

People are beginning to speak out in droves, hoping to make some impression on the dullards who still can't seem to grasp reality.

[yardwork]

6. I think he's talking about the Shrub here:

Get out. We don’t want you. Find yourselves another country or a desert island. If the order came from someone higher up, take him with you.

I agree! Take Shrubby, Rummy, and everyone in the chain of command right down to Lynddie England. And take those lawyers who said torture was ok with you.

[Wonk]

8. mp3 & vp3 here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1652916&mesg_id=1653150&page=

[Lindsey]

14. Andy Roony is an American Hero...

He's discussing the fact that our soldiers have sunk to levels that we never could have imagined. He's incredible and I'll never forget the fact that he has more guts than any journalist in the mainstream media without question.

[Oilwellian]

15. Thanks Wonk. This is a keeper

I'm writing Andy tomorrow to thank him for a much needed commentary.

[TacticalPeek]

18. Andy Rooney makes me proud to be an American.

Thanks for the clips.

:kick:

[NJCher]

21. thank you for posting

I heard this tonight and thought it very touching. I want to send it to everyone I know.


Cher