LIVING WITH WAR AND STUPID QUESTIONS
impeach the
correspondent.
The jingoes at Fox News aren't the only ones confounded by the prospects and possibilities of
Neil Young's new CD. On Tuesday's edition of
Showbiz
Tonight, two of CNN's (ahem) finest were also
struck dumb (or dumber) by the story. First up was host AJ Hammer, whose brain and/or copy writer, like
many other pundits and a whole host of conservative bloggers, seemed incapable of understanding how
a thoughtful, critical mind could possibly produce conflicting opinions five
years apart: But first, tonight a stunning
about-face by Neil Young. As Showbiz
Tonight first told you yesterday, it
seemed the country rock icon supported the president in the past, but now Neil
Young is bashing Bush on a new album and calling for his impeachment.
Note to AJ: There is nothing even remotely stunning about supporting President Bush in September 2001 but criticizing him in April 2006. At least not if you have had your eyes and mind wide open for the fifty-five months in between. Believing you should support your President in the wake of a terrorist attack on your country is not the same as believing you should support your President in a morass of a war against a country that did not and could not attack you. Believing you should rally behind your President as he prepares to strike Al Qaeda is not the same as believing you should rally behind your President as he continues to strike in Iraq. A hell of a lot more people than Neil Young can see that difference, and so should you.
Note to the folks at FOX: See how the CNNers, even when they're not being fair, at least take the time and effort to be accurate? Did you notice how they correctly reported that Neil Young is bashing Bush and calling for his impeachment, not attacking America? You and most of your viewers may not see a distinction, but most of the rest of the world -- which is to say, everyone with open eyes and an open mind -- does. You would do well to understand that. And then to act on it.
Now. Back to the show.
After his intro, AJ kicked it out to CNN Correspondent/PrettyFace/EmptyVessel Sibila Vargas, who was standing by live in Burbank for an exclusive interview with Neil Young. Sibila had the remote feed and the rock and roll icon ready; too bad she didn't have a thought or a clue. After stalling and rambling her way through four unfortunate sentences, Ms. Vargas unleashed what may be the single worst and stupidest question in the history of television interviews:
VARGAS: Well, I have the man with me here right now. He just came out of Reprise Records. This is your record company, your label. This music, right, is already causing a stir, actually. You've got one song that's called "Let's Impeach the President." What is this song about?
That's right, kids. A correspondent for a major cable news network, someone allegedly at the peak of her considerable journalistic powers, lead off an interview with a hard-hitting question designed to uncover the message of a song called "Let's Impeach the President." (If you think I'm making this up -- and I don't blame you if you do -- click here to see the sad, absurd spectacle for yourself.) If only Sibila had been around in the '60s, she might have been able to uncover what The Who's "Pinball Wizard" was about. It also would have been nice to know what The Beatles were trying to say with "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." But I digress.
Showing much more restraint than I would have, Young somehow refrained from laughing in her face -- though he did stifle a snicker -- and gave a simple, straightforward answer. Then, after a short pause, he followed up with a droll, hilarious addendum:
YOUNG: Well, it's a song that pretty well follows the title, just with a bunch of reasons... It's a long song.
Though Ms. Vargas' questions improved after the first -- really, how could they not? -- they were not exactly deep or thoughtful or particularly probing. That did not, however, prevent Young from providing some thoughtful and eloquent answers, several of which seemed to anticipate, and perhaps already to answer, the inevitable shock and awe from conservative pundits and critics and talk-radio rabble-rousers....
YOUNG, on people who will question his patriotism: We don't all have to believe in what our president believes to be patriotic. And we also -- you know, this talk about a 9/11 mentality. No one, George Bush or anyone else, owns the 9/11 mentality. It belongs to the United States of America; it belongs to every one who was sitting there with their family watching TV, watching those buildings get hit by those jets; it belongs to George Bush and his family; it belongs to John Kerry and his family; it belongs to me and my family, my American family. So I have a post-9/11 mentality. It's just not the same as George Bush's.
YOUNG, on people will dismiss or belittle his opinion because he's originally from Canada: I'm proud to be a Canadian. I'm proud to be living in the United States. I'm proud to be paying taxes here for 40 years. I'm proud of my three American children, my lovely American wife, my American family, and all of the people who have supported me here for 40 years. It just so happens that I came down here because I'm an artist, and I came down here because, in Los Angeles, I could get things happening and so I could make it so people could hear me. That's why I came down here. This is a great country, and I believe in this. But I think there's a conscience in the country, and I don`t think it's being spoken. Only part of it is being spoken. It's a full thing. Everybody needs to get into it; everybody needs a chance to say what they think.
YOUNG, on possible backlash: I'm not in the least bit concerned. I expect it. I respect other people's opinions. That's part of what makes the United States and Canada and all free countries great, is the fact that you can differ with your friend and you can still sit down at the same table and break bread with your friend.
Another part of what makes the United States great -- no, not pretty, piddling cable news correspondents -- is the fact that you can differ with your President and you can still write a blog or a book or a song or a whole damned album and raise your voice loudly, proudly, defiantly to be heard. And supported. And complimented. And criticized. All with -- or so we hope -- an abundance of care and thought and reason and respect. And at least a little more sense than you might find on Showbiz Tonight.
Note to AJ: There is nothing even remotely stunning about supporting President Bush in September 2001 but criticizing him in April 2006. At least not if you have had your eyes and mind wide open for the fifty-five months in between. Believing you should support your President in the wake of a terrorist attack on your country is not the same as believing you should support your President in a morass of a war against a country that did not and could not attack you. Believing you should rally behind your President as he prepares to strike Al Qaeda is not the same as believing you should rally behind your President as he continues to strike in Iraq. A hell of a lot more people than Neil Young can see that difference, and so should you.
Note to the folks at FOX: See how the CNNers, even when they're not being fair, at least take the time and effort to be accurate? Did you notice how they correctly reported that Neil Young is bashing Bush and calling for his impeachment, not attacking America? You and most of your viewers may not see a distinction, but most of the rest of the world -- which is to say, everyone with open eyes and an open mind -- does. You would do well to understand that. And then to act on it.
Now. Back to the show.
After his intro, AJ kicked it out to CNN Correspondent/PrettyFace/EmptyVessel Sibila Vargas, who was standing by live in Burbank for an exclusive interview with Neil Young. Sibila had the remote feed and the rock and roll icon ready; too bad she didn't have a thought or a clue. After stalling and rambling her way through four unfortunate sentences, Ms. Vargas unleashed what may be the single worst and stupidest question in the history of television interviews:
VARGAS: Well, I have the man with me here right now. He just came out of Reprise Records. This is your record company, your label. This music, right, is already causing a stir, actually. You've got one song that's called "Let's Impeach the President." What is this song about?
That's right, kids. A correspondent for a major cable news network, someone allegedly at the peak of her considerable journalistic powers, lead off an interview with a hard-hitting question designed to uncover the message of a song called "Let's Impeach the President." (If you think I'm making this up -- and I don't blame you if you do -- click here to see the sad, absurd spectacle for yourself.) If only Sibila had been around in the '60s, she might have been able to uncover what The Who's "Pinball Wizard" was about. It also would have been nice to know what The Beatles were trying to say with "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." But I digress.
Showing much more restraint than I would have, Young somehow refrained from laughing in her face -- though he did stifle a snicker -- and gave a simple, straightforward answer. Then, after a short pause, he followed up with a droll, hilarious addendum:
YOUNG: Well, it's a song that pretty well follows the title, just with a bunch of reasons... It's a long song.
Though Ms. Vargas' questions improved after the first -- really, how could they not? -- they were not exactly deep or thoughtful or particularly probing. That did not, however, prevent Young from providing some thoughtful and eloquent answers, several of which seemed to anticipate, and perhaps already to answer, the inevitable shock and awe from conservative pundits and critics and talk-radio rabble-rousers....
YOUNG, on people who will question his patriotism: We don't all have to believe in what our president believes to be patriotic. And we also -- you know, this talk about a 9/11 mentality. No one, George Bush or anyone else, owns the 9/11 mentality. It belongs to the United States of America; it belongs to every one who was sitting there with their family watching TV, watching those buildings get hit by those jets; it belongs to George Bush and his family; it belongs to John Kerry and his family; it belongs to me and my family, my American family. So I have a post-9/11 mentality. It's just not the same as George Bush's.
YOUNG, on people will dismiss or belittle his opinion because he's originally from Canada: I'm proud to be a Canadian. I'm proud to be living in the United States. I'm proud to be paying taxes here for 40 years. I'm proud of my three American children, my lovely American wife, my American family, and all of the people who have supported me here for 40 years. It just so happens that I came down here because I'm an artist, and I came down here because, in Los Angeles, I could get things happening and so I could make it so people could hear me. That's why I came down here. This is a great country, and I believe in this. But I think there's a conscience in the country, and I don`t think it's being spoken. Only part of it is being spoken. It's a full thing. Everybody needs to get into it; everybody needs a chance to say what they think.
YOUNG, on possible backlash: I'm not in the least bit concerned. I expect it. I respect other people's opinions. That's part of what makes the United States and Canada and all free countries great, is the fact that you can differ with your friend and you can still sit down at the same table and break bread with your friend.
Another part of what makes the United States great -- no, not pretty, piddling cable news correspondents -- is the fact that you can differ with your President and you can still write a blog or a book or a song or a whole damned album and raise your voice loudly, proudly, defiantly to be heard. And supported. And complimented. And criticized. All with -- or so we hope -- an abundance of care and thought and reason and respect. And at least a little more sense than you might find on Showbiz Tonight.
Posted: Sat - April 22, 2006 at 05:57 PM
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