As the standoff with
the insurrectionists in Oregon continues, the "mainstream" media continues to have difficulty coming out and labeling these armed, traitorous yokels as just that.
Paul Farhi at the
once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle
gives an insider look at why this major news outlet is struggling with what is plain for all to see:
Scott Wilson, The Washington Post’s national editor, said the paper
is using the terms “occupiers” and “militia members” when those involved
identify themselves that way.
“We believe these terms most
precisely describe what is taking place, the tactics being used and
those involved,” he said. “Further, terrorism is a tactic meant to
instill fear in a population or group. In this case, the occupiers,
though armed, are not terrorizing, but rather occupying a government
building in protest or solidarity.” [snip]
Fox News, on its website, noted that the protest was touched off by
the sentencing of the Hammonds, which it said “touched a nerve with far
right groups who repudiate federal authority.”
The New York Times
also said that Cliven Bundy “previously galvanized conservative
critics” with his stand against federal authorities.
The Post
noted all this background but avoided using the terms “conservative” or
“right wing” to describe the occupiers. Wilson, the national editor,
said the paper will “likely try to avoid [such labels] unless we have
evidence to support one of those characterizations.”
Great Caesar's Ghost! When even
Fox "News" website is referring to these criminals as "far right groups," we think it might be time for
Scott Wilson to put on his big boy pants and act like something other than a cowering wordsmith. Until then, he's a damn fool.
Meanwhile,
Janell Ross, who writes on race, gender, immigration and inequality at the Bezos Bugle,
has this take on media outlets using delicate terms to describe the takeover and the insurrectionists:
Not one seemed to lean toward terms such as "insurrection," "revolt,"
anti-government "insurgents" or, as some on social media were calling
them, "terrorists." When a group of unknown size and unknown firepower
has taken over any federal building with plans and possibly some
equipment to aid a years-long occupation — and when its representative
tells reporters that they would prefer to avoid violence but are
prepared to die — the kind of almost-uniform delicacy and the limits
on the language used to describe the people involved becomes noteworthy
itself.
It is hard to imagine that none of the words mentioned
above — particularly "insurrection" or "revolt" — would be avoided if,
for instance, a group of armed black Americans took possession of a
federal or state courthouse to protest the police. Black Americans
outraged about the death of a 12-year-old boy at the hands of police or
concerned about the absence of a conviction in the George Zimmerman case
have been frequently and inaccurately lumped in with criminals and
looters, described as "thugs," or marauding wolf packs where drugs are,
according to CNN's Don Lemon, "obviously" in use. [snip]
Deliberate language choices are always a wise and reasonable move. That
is especially true when telling stories of conflict with government and
political protests. But the incredibly limited and relatively soft range
of words in wide use Sunday seems to extend beyond all of that. The
descriptions of events in Oregon appear to reflect the usual shape of
our collective assumptions about the relationship between race and guilt
— or religion and violent extremism — in the United States.
This is a serious and potentially deadly situation, and it does no good for the media to soft- soap what's going on. Right there, in the Bugle's front page story is the assessment of someone in authority on the front line in Oregon, Harney County Sheriff
David M. Ward. Perhaps the delicate souls in the media could use his help
to accurately describe what's going on there:
“These men came to Harney County claiming to be part of militia groups
supporting local ranchers,” Ward said in a statement Sunday. “When in
reality these men had alternative motives, to attempt to overthrow the
county and federal government in hopes to spark a movement across the
United States.”
BONUS: Here are some more useful tags for the sagebrush moocher terrorists (a lot more have been suggested since):
