Brian Williams scandal

[Henry Hawk]

I could have guessed this response too!

It is the same bullshit with you.  Attack, try to be a smart ass, (I said try)


Here is Williams on Letterman

"two of our four helicopters were hit by ground fire, including the one I was in -- RPG and AK-47."

Are you still not convinced he meant to lie?

[Henry Hawk]

And here is another proof of his lie

"helicopter we're traveling in was forced down after being hit by an RPG."

[Exterminator]

As I said, both of your examples are from interviews more than 10 years after the fact.

So what do you think he should do...put a bullet in his head?

Ironic that the fundamental belief in the bullshit story that is your religion is that you get to get into heaven by admitting your sins to your voodoo-sky-daddy and asking for forgiveness but when someone admits his mistake and apologizes for it, you aren't even gracious enough to accept it and move on.

[Henry Hawk]

As I said, both of your examples are from interviews more than 10 years after the fact.

So what do you think he should do...put a bullet in his head?

Ironic that the fundamental belief in the bullshit story that is your religion is that you get to get into heaven by admitting your sins to your voodoo-sky-daddy and asking for forgiveness but when someone admits his mistake and apologizes for it, you aren't even gracious enough to accept it and move on.

WOW! I am really getting under your skin today...

He lied, Ex!  He was trying to make him self look better than he really is.  He is supposed to be a journalist.  Integrity should mean something.  Lying in not part of integrity.

So, since you cannot just admit, that this guy screwed up, and probably should step down, you feel the need to attack my Christian beliefs? 

Wow!   

I would believe his apology to be real, IF, he stepped down from his position of HEAD EDITOR of the NBC NIGHTLY NEWS!

I think he is just trying save his ass right now.  To hell with any integrity of the NBC NIGHTLY NEWS. 

Hey, I never claimed I was any great person, just because I believe there is a God.  I don't like blatant liars.  He has apparently LIED.  He is in a position of trust, and he has violated that.  I think that makes him a POS.     If he steps down, I could change my attitude towards him then.  Until then, or until somebody proves that this was just a mistake....This is my take on it.

[Bo D]

If Rush Limbaugh and the entire cast of Faux News admit their lies and step down, then I would agree that Brian Williams would have to step down also.

[Henry Hawk]

blah, blah, blah.......this isn't about Rush Limbaugh.  Limbaugh is an entertainer.  Williams is an American journalist who is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News.

The bottom line is, I really don't give a flip.  I don't watch the  NBC Nightly News.  It won't effect me in the least.

I just wanted to see how hypocritical all of the resident intellectually honest folks here would be. 

It is just as I KNEW it would be.   

[Henry Hawk]

WOW! get this!

This is from wikipedia..

Williams claims that he was in a five star hotel in the French Quarter and saw a dead body float by his window. He claims the hotel was overrun by a street gang. He also claims that he drank flood water and got dysentery. New Orleans health officials state that the French Quarter did not get flood water and they are not aware of anyone getting dysentery during the storm.



There ya go, even more...this just keeps getting better...

[Bo D]

Henry's Hero! ....

http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-Harry-Reid-Rush-Limbaugh-Smear-Letter_W0QQitemZ260170172469QQcategoryZ4105QQcmdZViewItem

thanks to America's Truth Detector; the Doctor of Democracy; the Most Dangerous Man in America; the All-Knowing, All-Sensing, All-Everything Maha Rushie; defender of motherhood, protector of fatherhood and an all-around good guy....

http://theunknownzone.dailynuisanceproductions.com/index.php?topic=6308.msg204826;topicseen#msg204826

you know, the people that don't like Rush Limbaugh, I have found....NEVER listened to him before...........

funny there are 20 Million people out there that actual listen to him........there is a reason for that....he is very entertaining AND informative....and that REALLY pisses of the liberal crowd.......cause that cannot find NOBODY to even come close to his stature...or his effectivness on the air waves......

http://theunknownzone.dailynuisanceproductions.com/index.php?topic=5760.msg258846;topicseen#msg258846

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20070201/pl_usnw/landmark_legal_foundation_nominates_rush_limbaugh_for2007_nobel_peace_prize

Rush Limbaugh for 2007 Nobel Peace Prize

http://theunknownzone.dailynuisanceproductions.com/index.php?topic=2192.msg59617;topicseen#msg59617

[Palehorse]

NBC News anchor Brian Williams has been caught in a flagrant lie.  Stemming from his 2003 trip to Iraq, when was on-board a Chinook helicopter that he CLAIMED was hit by two rockets and small arms fire.

After a recent apology, his omission isn't sitting well with some veterans who were there with him at the time....

"Brian knew what he was saying. He didn't forget what chopper he was on. It took the soldiers that were there to make him finally admit he lied about the incident," SSG of the U.S. Army Anthony Anderson, "Although it doesn't meet the definition [of] 'Stolen Valor,' it's still along the same lines, as he claimed to be in an incident involving combat that he wasn't in.

I believe he only apologized because the soldiers protested. Had they not spoken up, would he have ever apologized for it?"



Not a good thing, for the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News....

Funny how it would seem there are so many, so willing to tear down those who maintain a modicum of respect. The fact is, I had this to say about Williams just over 2 months prior to this story breaking: (Within this very forum)

I try to catch the evening NBC network news with Brian Williams every night. Over his tenure as the regular talking head for each evening's broadcast, I've built up a measure of respect for the man; at least as much respect as is possible to muster up given the current trend of sensationalism in the media. I like the fact that he and his team end each newscast with a positive / inspirational story, and tonight was no exception.

It isn't much, but this evening he gained some additional respect in my view by not showing up for work, and having Lester Holt stand in for him. Why?

His daughter Allison, is performing in a play this evening. Now that in itself probably doesn't do much for the average reader here, nor should it for me now that I think of it, because Allison is 26 years old. One would think daddy would have had his fill of plays that his little girl was in, but this is a bit different.

Allison is starring in the role of Peter Pan; live on television. That too probably is no big deal for most of you, but the thing is since she was a child she has always wanted to be Peter Pan, and for that brief period in life wherein magic truly exists in real life, she was Peter Pan. And she never let that dream go even into adult-hood.

Of course daddy knew, and he, mom, and the grandparents fed that dream when she was a little girl; which served to make it even more real for her as a child. And tonight she will truly be Peter Pan, flying and all, on NBC at 8:00pm eastern time. And though she is a 26 year old adult, she is still daddy's little girl and daddy could not / would not miss this for the world.

I get that. And I applaud Brian Williams for continuing to support the dreams of his children, and yes even the dreams of his parents. (Which is another story altogether).

I believe I will watch this just because I want to see his daughter do well, realize her dream, and hopefully see daddy burst through the doors to congratulate his daughter once the credits start to roll.

Break a leg Allison Williams ! (And BE Peter Pan for the millions who will watch tonight. May you inspire hundreds with your performance, and spark a few more Peter Pans in the viewing audience, to take up the role once you outgrow it). . . 

And respect him I did. . . So imagine my surprise at watching his newscast one evening earlier this week, and hearing him apologizing for his memory lapse surrounding an event that had transpired some 10-12 years prior to his statement in question here. He apologized, publicly, admitted his error, and expressed his deep and profound respect for those who have, and do serve(d) this nation.

That got my attention that evening. WTF? So I did some investigation and began discovering some of the information contained herein, as well as some not contained here. Some of it accredited, and most of it opinion based upon hearsay; and in many cases, based upon the own faulty and inconsistent memories of a situation they themselves (former service members that were there) could not agree upon. Their memories were just as rift with inaccuracies as those attributed to Williams himself.

Given the situation and the fact that even those members of the military that are documented to have been within the aircraft involved within the very incident in question here, cannot agree which of them were flying the aircraft within which Williams was sitting at the time of the incident, (at least 3 of them each claim to have been flying the aircraft he was in), nor whether or not their aircraft came under fire, it would seem to me that holding one individual to a high standard of adjudication and not all is in itself hypocritical in nature.

The bottom line is, this situation validates something the laws of this land understood a very long time ago; human witnesses are at best, a leaky vessel within which to place ones absolute trust; especially when it comes to recalling the details of an incident that imposes high levels of stress upon those enduring it.

As this case exemplifies, you can place 9 people into the exact same environment, and have them endure the exact same situations, see and hear the same things, and when they are debriefed, even immediately following the elimination of the threat/stress, you will get 9 different recollections of what transpired and who did what. And the longer span of time you allow to pass before debriefing, the worse their recollections are and the more they will differ. Proven fact and this story is a primary example of it.

All of this being the case, do I believe Mr. Williams intentionally set out to commit "Stolen Valor"? Do I believe he lied with intent?

The answer to that is no.

Does what has taken place make him a lying POS that needs to be fired, or resign his position(s) within the corporate media giant he is under contract with? No.

Does it make him human?

Yes.

Does it reduce my level of respect for him and the level of trust I place in his reporting?

Yes.

But then, I maintain a very low level of trust surrounding any media talking head and source. When I said in December that he had raised his level of respect with me, that wasn't saying a whole lot; for the bulk of media talking heads and sources hold a level of trust and respect with me that approaches just above nothing. Williams, at the time of the quoted post had risen to some point above that, I will admit. Which by comparison to the bulk of his colleagues meant a lot at that time.

He now joins his colleagues in the just shy of nothing level surrounding trust and respect. He didn't have far to fall though, so that isn't saying much. Then again, I don't see his perceived transgressions as deserving of ruination of his life and career either.

It's not like he said he could see Russia from his back yard while running for public office!

EDIT: So after posting this and rereading some of the exchanges herein, another thought occurred to me surrounding integrity.

Some of you posted commentary stating that this incident was such an egregious violation of trust that it (implied) loss of integrity.

Integrity amongst the media talking heads today? Seriously?

Who, among the scores of talking heads within all of the media sources in this day and age, carries ANY level of integrity in the eyes of those of you posting here?

Out of that mass of jabbering humanity, who amongst them could hold a candle to the level of integrity once held by the likes of Walter Cronkite?

In my view, NONE of them do, have, or could. NONE of them hold more than a nanogram of integrity in my view. None.

So why all the vitriol toward Williams, when we have media empires established upon a basic premise that stretching the truth and embellishing the facts with "factoids", specifically inserted to evoke emotional response, is perfectly acceptable and passes as journalism today? (FOX)

Seriously? 

[The Troll]

  Who cares if he made a mistake in what he thought or said about it.  I still like him.   

[Purplelady1040]

I agree PH. He at least admitted he made a mistake and I sure to hell don't see many in the media and our politians doing that!

[Henry Hawk]

It amazes me how my left wing friends on here is OK with Bran Williams, but I know for a fact if this had been O'Reily, Hannity, Limbaugh or ANYONE on the right, you would NOT be as forgiving.  You are always accusing me of being hypocritical and biased.

I would like to retract one thing I said about Williams.  I don't think he is a POS. I really believed he just got caught up and spoke before he thought about the repercussions. I actually feel sorry for him, but I think if he is truly sorry, he would step down from his current position with NBC.

I got caught up with ex protecting him just because he is being jumped on by those on the right.  It never ever ends!

I'm sick of it!  Everybody pretends THEY are being "intellectually honest"..... It all comes down to being liberal or conservative.

At least on here it is.

To sum it all up, for me, Williams screwed up and told a lie!  If there is even a remote chance of journalism making an attempt in trying to restore a lick of faith back into that industry, he needs to go.  If he would step down, it would restore a tremendous amount of respect to him from me.  If this gets swept under the rug, it will only deepen the extremely tarnished image of our news media.

[Anne]

Everyone on here knows that Mrs. Palin never said she could see Russia from her back yard, right?

[Palehorse]

Everyone on here knows that Mrs. Palin never said she could see Russia from her back yard, right?

[me]

It amazes me how my left wing friends on here is OK with Bran Williams, but I know for a fact if this had been O'Reily, Hannity, Limbaugh or ANYONE on the right, you would NOT be as forgiving.  You are always accusing me of being hypocritical and biased.

I would like to retract one thing I said about Williams.  I don't think he is a POS. I really believed he just got caught up and spoke before he thought about the repercussions. I actually feel sorry for him, but I think if he is truly sorry, he would step down from his current position with NBC.

I got caught up with ex protecting him just because he is being jumped on by those on the right.  It never ever ends!

I'm sick of it!  Everybody pretends THEY are being "intellectually honest"..... It all comes down to being liberal or conservative.

At least on here it is.

To sum it all up, for me, Williams screwed up and told a lie!  If there is even a remote chance of journalism making an attempt in trying to restore a lick of faith back into that industry, he needs to go.  If he would step down, it would restore a tremendous amount of respect to him from me.  If this gets swept under the rug, it will only deepen the extremely tarnished image of our news media.

That in itself wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for him also lying about the hardship he had to endure after Katrina.