Ellen Ratner has made some extraordinarily provocative comments on various Fox appearances. However when she said today that she hoped Bush would botch the war in Iraq so he wouldn't get reelected she crossed any line of decency or civility and possibly into traitorous territory. She is perfectly aware of the horrendous cost of lives in our military and the Iraqi people that such a misadventure would entail.
I understand the concept of "fair and balanced" but you disgrace yourself by allowing this person to appear on your programs.
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XXXXXXX, IL
Free speech and the First Amendment must be protected. But that does not mean that a simple respect for common decency no longer counts. Ellen Ratner today made a remark which can only be construed as hoping that many American servicepeople will die, so George W Bush will not be reelected. That is not partisan, or leftist, or any other term which you might want to use to excuse her crassness-that is pure evil. She is a disgrace to journalism and a liability to FoxNews. The viewers made Fox a ratings winner over the once untouchable CNN-we can take that status away from you just as easily, by turning Fox OFF so long as it is affiliated in any way with this vulgar, hatefilled, evil witch.
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Felicity and I stayed up until 1 a.m. last night so we could watch the Show and get the exact quote. Here it is:
Ratner: [After saying that Bush would be "reelected unless the market tanks" she added this:] Unless he messes up the war -- I hope.
Buttner: [Picking up on Ratner's comment:] I hope!?
Ratner: Well, I don't want him to be reelected.
This was not an off-the-cuff comment at a birthday party for an antique Senator. This was in the middle of a prepared bit on "Ellen Ratner's predictions for 2003." Presumably, she was on-air precisely to make these predictions, and had thought about them in advance.
Ratner made it crystal clear that she is "hoping" for large piles of dead Americans, so some Democrat will defeat President Bush in 2004. Her comment is at least as reprehensible as Trent Toll's comment about Strom Thurmond for President in 1948. Under the circumstances that her's was planned, it is worse.
The citizens of FreeRepublic need to go after Ratner with all guns blazing. The blogger world needs to be involved. Talk radio needs to be involved. And this needs to be spread on the Internet.
As another FReeper is wont to say, "Scouts out. Company ho."
Congressman Billybob
Click for latest column on UPI, "Ignorance in America" (Now up on UPI wire, and FR.)