Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Who's Stuck on Stupid? Lt. Gen. Russel Honore's Phony Candor
By Nicholas StixMen’s News Daily
Tonight I saw U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore on Fox News telling reporters – and one reporter in particular – that they were "stuck on stupid" and fighting "the last hurricane," for asking him why he would want to use the New Orleans Convention Center as a gathering point for people escaping Hurricane Rita, after all of the problems that had arisen there following Hurricane Katrina.
Now, a lot of conservatives surely got their jollies seeing a military man tell off reporters; I didn't. It's no accident that Gen. Honore is black; if a white general spoke that way to reporters, he'd have to publicly apologize for it, or put in his retirement papers. And Gen. Honore has a lot to answer for, regarding the hell that broke loose in the Convention Center and the "Terrordome."
The National Guard troops that were at those sites, but who refused to restore order, were under Gen. Honore's command. Lt. Gen. Russel Honore's hands are covered in blood, and all the bluster and insults in the world won't wash that blood away.
The same September 3 CNN article that reported that Gen. Honore had "[made] it clear that it was a humanitarian relief operation," as opposed to an operation restoring order, quoted New Orleans' black Democrat Mayor Ray Nagin calling the general a "John Wayne dude." Unfortunately, John Wayne was an actor, not a general. Gen. Honore has also been compared to Gen. George Patton Jr., America's greatest field commander in World War II's European Theater of Operations. Patton, whose Third Army steamrolled the Wehrmacht in France in the summer of 1944. About the only thing that Honore has in common with Patton is his distaste for reporters, and that merely puts him in the company of every other modern American general. Patton really was a general, he didn't just play one. Can you imagine Patton showing up somewhere in battle fatigues, announcing "This is a humanitarian relief operation"?
As CNN reported on September 3,
Hundreds of National Guard and active duty troops are carrying weapons in the city. But the way they carried those guns was a concern to the general.
He ordered all he encountered to point their weapons down, said CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr, who was with the general. Honore repeatedly went up to military vehicles, National Guardsmen standing sentry and even to New Orleans police officers, telling them to please point their weapons down and reminding them that they were not in Iraq.
That restraint and show of "respect" really impressed New Orleans' looters and shooters and rapists and carjackers and murderers.
At the time, Gen. Honore did a photo op, helping out an exhausted mom who had been carrying two baby twins through the streets of New Orleans. He didn't call the reporters who indulged him with that propaganda op "stuck on stupid." He enjoyed being presented as a hero, without having done anything heroic. And now he's mad, because reporters are no longer sticking to the "John Wayne dude" script. Live by propaganda, die by propaganda.
The good general needs to do his job, which includes imposing order, rather than trying to intimidate reporters for noting his failure to get the job done last time.
posted by Nicholas at 9/21/2005 04:42:00 PM
25 Comments:
Tanstaafl said...Sorry, you're wrong. It's about time someone called the media on this. They've forgotten they're news REPORTERS and not news MAKERS. They should pay more attention to reporting the facts, instead of trying to spin situations to fit their world view.
9/22/2005 12:42:00 AM
Jimbobb2 said...You skip around a lot of facts and your reporting is as biased as the worst of CNN's. The hysteria of the "looters and shooters and rapists and carjackers and murderers" was made for TV news. Sure, there was crime, but no more than on an average day in NOLA, probably less. The Guard at the two "shelters of last resort" were hugely outnumbered and had no way of keeping order. You on the left can't bring yourself to face that what happened in NOLA was a shining example of a failed welfare state. The citizens left in those shelters and in their dilapidated public housing had no clue how to do anything to care for themselves or prepare for a disaster. They're trained by you for generations to sit and wait for a democrat to stop by and care for them, feed them, house them and provide their medical care. When no help was there to tell them what to do, panic set in...not one of those "citizens" made an attempt to help themselves. History will provide the true accounting...the tragedy of NOLA was rooted at the local and state level, a massive failure of pre-planning and logistics that was set up by generations of a welfare mindset and notoriously crooked and incompetent politicians, liberals all.
Dan Kauffman said...9/22/2005 04:38:00 AM
said...BEFORE POSTING YOU SHOULD CHECK YOUR FACTS! This entire article is full of Errors in Fact!!! First of all, the racist comments about Gen. Honore are ridiculous. He is the commander of 1st Army out of Ft. Gillem, GA, and was named JTF-KATRINA COMMANDER, which puts him in charge of all ACTIVE-DUTY TITLE 10 MILITARY MEMBERS. **NOT NATIONAL GUARD!!** The Adjudant General of EACH STATE is the commander for that state's National Guard. IF YOU FOLLOWED THE NEWS AND RESEARCHED BEFORE YOU POST AN ARTICLE ON THE INTERNET, YOU WOULDNT SHOW YOUR IGNORANCE on the topics you write about. Regarding the "hell that broke loose in the convention center and the 'terrordome'" -- if you know about laws (such as the posse comitatus and insurrection act -- which state that military does not act in a law enforcement role in the US unless the state and federal levels request and approve such acts)
When Gen. Honore was seen helping out the mother with two babies, the only reason it made the news is because he had an embed (which means the media follows him everywhere during daily operations) and he has these embeds practically EVERY DAY. If you really knew what goes on, you would know that he personally helps out numerous people -- even when the cameras aren't on. He was presented as a hero b/c he is the first person to come into New Orleans and not pay mind to the political red tape and focused on saving and sustaing lives and relieving suffering. Gen. Honore has expressed specific ground rules that he no longer wants "heroic profiles" done about him in the media. He has asked specifically to have the media focus on the mission in New Orleans, and Mississippi coast areas affected.
If you pay attention to what the reporters say to and about Gen. Honore, you would see that they say on a regular basis that he is the only one who has "done his job " as you say -- from the beginning.
Oh, and by the way, in America, it is not the military's job to "impose order" it is the military's job to defend the people of America. In humanitarian relief efforts, such as this, the responsiblity for protection and aid starts from the lowest levels of government (i.e. mayor, governor, etc..) -- the military can't respond until requested.
So, now that you have the correct facts, I suggest you write a retraction on your article and GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT THE NEXT TIME YOU WANT TO REPORT ON A SUBJECT YOU HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT.
For information regarding the Joint Task Force-Katrina mission and General Honore, I suggest you research the correct agencies to provide you with the facts. (just to start you out, U.S. Northern Command Headquarters can point you in the right direction) that is, unless you enjoy your ignorance.
said...This rant is almost beyond comment. It is like the banana: when you pull the skin off and throw the bone away, you have nothing left. No facts, no logic, just all premise. Ugh!
Nicholas said..."Anonymous said... "BEFORE POSTING YOU SHOULD CHECK YOUR FACTS! This entire article is full of Errors in Fact!!! First of all, the racist comments about Gen. Honore are ridiculous."
What racist comments? Quote one.
"He is the commander of 1st Army out of Ft. Gillem, GA, and was named JTF-KATRINA COMMANDER, which puts him in charge of all ACTIVE-DUTY TITLE 10 MILITARY MEMBERS. **NOT NATIONAL GUARD!!**"
Wrong. He was put in charge of everyone in a military uniform. In fact, if you read the article, you'd know that he was even bossing around NOPD officers, which goes to show that he has no respect for limits on his purview, such as the difference between civilian and military forces. I can just imagine what those cops he was bossing around said about him.
"The Adjudant General of EACH STATE is the commander for that state's National Guard. IF YOU FOLLOWED THE NEWS AND RESEARCHED BEFORE YOU POST AN ARTICLE ON THE INTERNET, YOU WOULDNT SHOW YOUR IGNORANCE on the topics you write about. Regarding the "hell that broke loose in the convention center and the 'terrordome'" -- if you know about laws (such as the posse comitatus and insurrection act -- which state that military does not act in a law enforcement role in the US unless the state and federal levels request and approve such acts)"
If the soldiers under Gen. Honore's command in those venues had been regular Army, you would have a point. But they weren't. They were National Guard. If what you were saying applied to them, it would be illegal for them to be walking around those venues in uniform carrying rifles, dunce!
"When Gen. Honore was seen helping out the mother with two babies, the only reason it made the news is because he had an embed (which means the media follows him everywhere during daily operations) and he has these embeds practically EVERY DAY."
What the hell is your point? Of course he had embeds, and he knew it, which is why he put on his little show.
"If you really knew what goes on, you would know that he personally helps out numerous people -- even when the cameras aren't on. He was presented as a hero b/c he is the first person to come into New Orleans and not pay mind to the political red tape and focused on saving and sustaing lives and relieving suffering. Gen. Honore has expressed specific ground rules that he no longer wants 'heroic profiles' done about him in the media. He has asked specifically to have the media focus on the mission in New Orleans, and Mississippi coast areas affected."
Yeah, right.
"If you pay attention to what the reporters say to and about Gen. Honore, you would see that they say on a regular basis that he is the only one who has 'done his job ' as you say -- from the beginning."
First of all, I haven't heard that. Second, it's irrelevant, and your tenses are all wrong. If reporters HAD been so kind to him, how would that excuse his acting like a horse's ass towards them? You wrote in the present tense to make it sound as if the reporters were masochists who wrote nice things about the general, after he insulted them. You even lie in your grammar!
"Oh, and by the way, in America, it is not the military's job to 'impose order' it is the military's job to defend the people of America. In humanitarian relief efforts, such as this, the responsiblity for protection and aid starts from the lowest levels of government (i.e. mayor, governor, etc..) -- the military can't respond until requested."
You are repeating yourself, as if you were concerned that I might not be convinced as to your colossal ignorance. There is no legal tradition that I am aware of, whereby the military is used for "humanitarian relief efforts." There is, however, a millenium-old tradition of using the military for killing people, and a generations-old tradition of using the National Guard for restoring domestic order.
"So, now that you have the correct facts, I suggest you write a retraction on your article and GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT THE NEXT TIME YOU WANT TO REPORT ON A SUBJECT YOU HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT.
"For information regarding the Joint Task Force-Katrina mission and General Honore, I suggest you research the correct agencies to provide you with the facts. (just to start you out, U.S. Northern Command Headquarters can point you in the right direction) that is, unless you enjoy your ignorance.
"5:42 AM"
Your stupidity is truly staggering. No wonder you post anonymously. I would, too, if I were as stupid as you are.
said...Well, I won't waste anymore time on you, it is obvious that you are one of those pig-headed democrats who voted for Kerry and who bitches without checking their facts.
One final suggestion for you, google "Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore." Try to find a negative article -- you won't!
This is why you write a blog and don't work for an actual publication.
said...I'd be interested to know what you have done for Katrina relief efforts beside bitch, moan and complain. While most of the active duty military and activated National Guard members have spent the last three weeks drudging through polluted muck providing search and rescue and aid and relief to the people of La. and Miss. I'm sure you have been sitting in your nice air conditioned home, typing on your powerbook and donating $20 to the local Red Cross to make yourself feel like you have made a worthy contribution to the relief efforts. Why don't you offer something more to the victims of Hurricane Katrina than your unsubstantiated rants. You labeled one of the arguments as premise. Unless you have walked the streets of N.O.,and seen the splinters that once were homes on the Miss. coast, stood by Gen. Honore's side and seen him through his position as the JTF commander, I would say that your rant is based on premise as well. You're going off of a press conference that was only shown as it happened and has not been replayed since. It's almost as if you just turned on the TV two days ago. You're the ignorant one and the lazy one who can't seem to do anything for the situation but criticize the leader who is getting things done.
Nicholas said..."Anonymous said...
"Well, I won't waste anymore time on you, it is obvious that you are one of those pig-headed democrats who voted for Kerry and who bitches without checking their facts.
One final suggestion for you, google "Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore." Try to find a negative article -- you won't!
This is why you write a blog and don't work for an actual publication.
"3:04 PM"
One final suggestion for you: Google under "Nicholas Stix." Those entries are all for the same person. You'll find that I've worked for about fifty "actual publications." And Men's News Daily isn't a blog. And I already found another negative article on Honore today without googling. Your lies are showing, yet again, anonymous coward!
P.S. You obviously have nothing but time to "waste" on me. You're trying to huff and puff up your ego at my expense, but only expose yourself for the lazy, lying moron that you are.
Nicholas said...Jimbobb2 said...
You skip around a lot of facts and your reporting is as biased as the worst of CNN's. The hysteria of the "looters and shooters and rapists and carjackers and murderers" was made for TV news. Sure, there was crime, but no more than on an average day in NOLA, probably less.
Read your own words. In seeking to rhetorically minimize the anarchy that raged in NOLA following Katrina, you are saying that the anarchy was an improvement. Are you trying to say that this is how people behave in a state of "freedom," a la Baghdad? Just what are you trying to say?
"The Guard at the two 'shelters of last resort' were hugely outnumbered and had no way of keeping order. You on the left can't bring yourself to face that what happened in NOLA was a shining example of a failed welfare state. The citizens left in those shelters and in their dilapidated public housing had no clue how to do anything to care for themselves or prepare for a disaster. They're trained by you for generations to sit and wait for a democrat to stop by and care for them, feed them, house them and provide their medical care. When no help was there to tell them what to do, panic set in...not one of those 'citizens' made an attempt to help themselves. History will provide the true accounting...the tragedy of NOLA was rooted at the local and state level, a massive failure of pre-planning and logistics that was set up by generations of a welfare mindset and notoriously crooked and incompetent politicians, liberals all.
"1:31 AM"
You just contradicted yourself. First, you claimed that I had exaggerated the anarchy, then you emphasized said anarchy, in order to try and score debating points. Rhetoric 101, pal. Once you embrace a talking point, you have to stick to it. Or is your attention span so short that you forget what you've said, from one paragraph to the next? Or do you think you can fast talk people, by jumping from one talking point to its diametrical opposite?
The premise of deploying the Guard in such situations, is that it is going to be vastly outnumbered, yet can and will restore order. The Guard didn't restore order because it was handcuffed by Gen. Honore, even as he talked the talk.
BTW, you're the first person to accuse me of being a lefty in at least 19 years.
said...http://www.townhall.com/columnists/davidlimbaugh/dl20050923.shtml
Stuck on stupid
David Limbaugh
September 23, 2005
Another point of view...
said..."First of all, the racist comments about Gen. Honore are ridiculous."
What racist comments? Quote one."
"It's no accident that Gen. Honore is black; if a white general spoke that way to reporters, he'd have to publicly apologize for it, or put in his retirement papers."
said...Actually, Nicholas Stix (a wannabe journalist) should go back to J-School: You know nothing about writing concise, including a nut graf, and getting to the point quickly. You apparently have no clue about what's news. Who taught you news values? Or, perhaps you never made it to J-School. No wonder you're only a free-lance journalist--you're the only one who loves to read your work.
pskurnick said...Liberals,
While they sit on the sideline and critize, nothing gets done. Welfare doesn't work. Treating the poor as less than human who "needs our help" doesn't work and sitting and moaning doesn't help. Time to Get off your High horse and help!!!
Nicholas said... Anonymous said...
"First of all, the racist comments about Gen. Honore are ridiculous."
What racist comments? Quote one."
"It's no accident that Gen. Honore is black; if a white general spoke that way to reporters, he'd have to publicly apologize for it, or put in his retirement papers."
9:12 PM
That's not racist; it's true. Pointing out other people's racial double-standards does not make one a racist. However, calling me a racist for pointing out such double-standards does make you a racist – not to mention, a yellow-bellied coward, who hides behind anonymous, drive-by comments.
Nicholas said... Anonymous said...
Actually, Nicholas Stix (a wannabe journalist) should go back to J-School: You know nothing about writing concise, including a nut graf, and getting to the point quickly. You apparently have no clue about what's news. Who taught you news values? Or, perhaps you never made it to J-School. No wonder you're only a free-lance journalist--you're the only one who loves to read your work.
12:16 PM
Another profile in courage... not! Is that the best you can do? You're not even competent at insults. Ooh, you threw around a J-School phrase. You're my hero.
Nicholas said... Anonymous said...
Actually, Nicholas Stix (a wannabe journalist) should go back to J-School: You know nothing about writing concise, including a nut graf, and getting to the point quickly. You apparently have no clue about what's news. Who taught you news values? Or, perhaps you never made it to J-School. No wonder you're only a free-lance journalist--you're the only one who loves to read your work.
12:16 PM
Although I have taught journalism, I'm proud to say that I have never spent a day in journalism school. Journalism school serves two purposes: Providing old hacks with sinecures, and ensuring that future journalists are lying, pc apparatchiks.
For the hell of it, I just looked up the jargon that the anonymous-posting coward above used, "nut graf." It was a 1970s journalism school fad regarding news stories.
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=34760
But I didn't write a news story, I wrote an opinion column, and I could care less about 1970s J-school fads. And so, the insult wasn't even appropriate from the point of view of an effete snob pedant. As I said, the guy can't even make a competent insult.
SgtLarry said...This was written on 12 Sep 05 in the Washington Post: "As of Saturday, those troops numbered 20,800, and more are coming. (National Guard troops number 50,000, but they are not under Honore's command.)"
He had nothing to do with Guard's performance at the Superdome those first few days that were splattered all over the tv.
Unless the president federalizes the Guard or the governor places the Guard under the federal command, the federal commander does not command the Guard. That doesn't mean that Joe Soldier in the street is going to ignore a three-star general.
As a fomer soldier (active duty, Guard, and Reserve) and a former law enforcement officer, I agree with Honore's orders to point the barrels down. It's fatiguing, mentally and physically, to patrol the streets every second of the day as if you're about to walk into an ambush ... that in turn could lead to a nervous trigger finger and to an unnecessary or accidental shooting.
As for the comment to the reporter, the reporter deserved it. Honore had just said that he wasn't going talk about Katrina, the purpose of the press conference was to disseminate info about evacuation for Rita. The reporter started in again about Katriana and deserved the comment.
Honore is coming in to clean up a mess created mainly by the local and state authorities. He's doing a pretty good job.
said...JTF Katrina does NOT COMMAND THE NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS AND THE CITY IS NOT UNDER MILITARY CONTROL. THey (inlcuding those provided by other states) are under the control of TAG Louisianna
BLUF: YES THERE WAS SOME LOOTING AND CRIMINAL ACTIVITY NOTHING LIKE WAS HYPED BY REPORTS
It is obvious that General Honore never took time to stage a Media event, and the babies were not staged but simply an act of kindness in response to desperation that happened to be caught on camera.
The comment to the reporter was not random, it occurred after the "reporter" continued to push an irrelevant and disruptive line of questions. Listen to the entire interview.
Reporters need to be accountable for their questions and reporting. LTG Honore doesn't allow them to steal the message.
Brian Texiera said...http://www.geocities.com/blacklooter/
9/25/2005 07:34:00 PM
said...This article was as "stuck on stupid" as possible. Yes, while it is true Gen. Horone is of black descent a la Creole to be exact, what does this have to do with anything. In fact, he has been the primary person to demonstrate leadership and has been a voice of reason in the sea of journalism ignorance. I am happy to see someone speak bluntly about matters and not try to politically sugar-coat situations in order to gain favor from the adminstration or anyone. This article was very racist in tone and it is unfounded that a white General would have to apologize to the media if responded forthcoming to obviously stupid questions. While people want to blame the N.O. Mayor for his incompetency, Honore demonstrates common-sense intelligence and strength that very few can argue about.
9/26/2005 06:26:00 AM
said...Regarding Nicholas Stix's comment about writing an opinion piece rather than a news story, dude--you STILL need news values. You HAVE NONE! I'm glad you're being the good snooper you need to be and are looking up words, phrases, and concepts with which you're unfamiliar, such as "nut graf," but regardless of whether you're writing a column or a news story, how about choosing a GREAT lede (means the same as lead)--before you have to look that up, too. Your ledes are written with the intent to have a reader want to gag with a spoon. And you still don't know how to write with brevity. The more you practice, the better you will get. And, get a life--no wonder you're a freelancer, since you have nothing better to do with your time but read this site and peruse the comments individuals made about your stuck on stupid, clueless, and pointless stories.
BTW, this "Anonymous" poster is not the same as the first "Anonymous" poster you attempted to attack previously.
Chow
9/26/2005 9:08:00 AM
said...Why is it because he is military he has to be a republican you people are stupid. Like republicans have a lock on the army
8/31/2009 07:57:00 PM
5 comments:
# 1 I heard those comments of the inactive General as WAS surprised.
# 2 The General is a black man? Creole perhaps? always to me had the appearance of a white man.
# 3 Nicholas allows negative comments. The current trend such as Huffington Post is to disallow negative comments.
I'll be damned if I did think the man was a white but now some images very clearly show the black racial influence. The wiki entry with image shows a man with white appearance but other images of the General show otherwise. That whole aspect of Creole culture in Louisiana very complicated.
" Like republicans have a lock on the army"
Is that bad? Republicans have a "lock" on the army [vote]. Is that bad? Sorta like the Democrats have a "lock" on the negro vote?
"Honore is coming in to clean up a mess created mainly by the local and state authorities. He's doing a pretty good job."
There it is!! There it is in the nutshell!! The problem was caused by the local and state officials. GW had nothing to do with it!! Words more true were never spoken.
"No wonder you're only a free-lance journalist--you're the only one who loves to read your work."
I too read Nicholas and religiously so. That is at least two of us in the world who know what is what.
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