Hoo-boy. Another softball for right-wing spinners. It's the kind of story that makes a talk radio producer's day like buttah. No need for tedious backgrounding, or the heavy lifting of insight or nuance. This story is point and click.
And, as usual, the outrage, scorn and ridicule is for progressives, academia, youthful idealism and anyone smearable by association--e.g. anyone left of Joe Lieberman.
Chalk up another day of denial of the realities of Iraq, the failure of the Bush attempt to hollow out Social Security; Big Government spending; the record federal deficits of the Bush Congress; the ethical problems of Tom Delay and all the rest.
It's Cindy and Craig Corrie's ill-considered suit against Caterpillar, Inc. for the death of their 23 year-old daughter Rachel in Israel two years ago. She was the activist Evergreen College student crushed by a 9-ton Israeli military bulldozer in Rafah as she protested the Israeli destruction of homes of suspected Palestinian terrorists.
John Carlson (KVI, m-f, 3-6p) Dori Monson, (KIRO m-f, 12-3p) Kirby Wilbur (KVI m-f. 3-6p) all presided over what passes for debate on these shows.
The Corries announced Wed.--the second anniversary of Rachel's death--that they were suing the deep-pocketed bulldozer manufacturer and also the State of Israel; the latter fact was left out of the headlines and the scorching cauldron of talk soup.
Cindy Corrie told Mike Webb (KIRO m-f, 9p-1a) Weds. night that their protest suit was brought because Caterpillar knowingly sold and maintained equipment being used for human rights violations. "There's a pattern of abuse by the Israeli government using Caterpillar equipment," she said.
The case will go nowhere. Holding firearms manufacturers liable for crimes committed with their guns has lost in courts. The very concept looks unjust to the average American.
What the Corries have done, is invoke sympathy for the huge corporation!
No matter the merits--they'll never really be considered. On the face of it, the Corries seem either silly, greedy or seeking a 16th minute of fame. If they wanted to draw attention to the case, they did. But public opinion, with the help of right-wing choirmasters has deemed their suit too foolish, too late.
And wasn't it? If it isn't about money, then what's served by suing Caterpillar? They could have sued only the Israelis, made their protest, and done way less harm and not had the appearance of intentions sullied by monetary considerations.
This is not really an issue except in the narrowed rhetorical confines of talk radio and Fox News. Recent developments in Israel and Palestine have eclipsed this as an issue. No one would know about the Corries' suit if it weren't for right-wing radio. As always, they drove the debate and used it to their advantage.
If the left is going to play the media game, we must learn how it's played. When will we learn that the appearance of foolishness is the same as foolishness?
When will we learn to choose our battles?
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