(OPINION) – Word Meanings Matter In Politics & The Media
The opinions expressed in this post belong solely to the author and should not be construed to represent the views of Townsquare Media, News-Talk 1340 KROC-AM and 96.9 FM, or anyone else associated with the organizations.
________________________________
The ongoing and complex political events on the domestic and foreign policy scenes need careful study and analysis to fully comprehend. A helpful way to achieve domestic and geopolitical understanding is to study the comments of observers and participants in these events.
Breitbart reporter Kristina Wong writes how the U.S. Army “appears to be trying to bring back into service soldiers it kicked out over Biden administration policies to remove service members who rejected the coronavirus vaccine mandate.” The Army sent instructions to these thousands of regular, reserve, and national guard soldiers on “how to get their records corrected,” and them back in uniform. So far, observers have found response numbers insufficient.
On the foreign affairs front, following the Hamas attack upon Israel and the massacre of Israeli Jews in October 2023, critics of the Israel Defense Force response predict future Gazan violence and anti-Semitism. Powerline’s John Hinderaker responded: “What fosters animosity between Israel and Palestinians is the Palestinian culture that teaches children that killing Jews” is acceptable. Hinderaker concluded, “The idea that Palestinians would be peaceful if only Israel would stop defending itself is either fantasy or a deliberate attempt to undermine Israel’s security.”
On the open U.S. southern border security threat, Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) said the plan of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to allow Texas law enforcement authorities to arrest illegal migrants “inhumane.” American Thinker columnist Jack Hellner responded, “Mexico has immigration laws they enforce. Has AMLO said how inhumane it is to allow open border policies to facilitate cartel murder and sex and drug trafficking?”
President Biden has remained steadfast in his administration’s support of Israel’s war against Hamas. But there appears to be wavering because of Democrat concern about the split in the party over the Hamas-Israel War, with some Democrats advocating a war pause. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, according to Breitbart reporter Joel B. Pollak, warned “Israel could face ‘strategic defeat' if it was not more careful about how it fought Hamas because more Palestinians might support the terrorist group.” Pollak said “Austin seemed not to know that the vast majority of Palestinians already support Hamas.” Israel is determined to abolish Hamas, and not accommodate the terrorists.
On the domestic scene, under sharp questioning by New York Representative Elise Stefanik about alleged Harvard University campus support of Hamas, Harvard President Claudine Gay denied the significance of the charge that Harvard’s speech code requires regulation of those demonstrations. President Gay nuanced the assertion by saying the interpretation “depends on the context.” That excursion into “cultural relativism” was not well received by Harvard donors, many of whom have subsequently withdrawn financial support.
American Thinker columnist Monica Showalter criticized “Gay’s way of thinking for her inability to condemn genocide against the Jews.” Plagiarism charges have since emerged against the college president in her academic articles and PhD thesis. Showalter chided the biased Woke media for insisting Gay did not commit plagiarism, saying the examples cited by the right-wing media were simply “instances of insufficient citation,” and “duplicative language.”
Other alarming incidents as time and space require the closing of this column: the Gateway Pundit reported Biden’s Chm. of Jt. Chiefs Gen. Miley knew the China balloon was spying over U.S. territory, but tried to cover that up for Biden. The general never covered for President Trump. And the Israel Defense Force found in those cavernous enemy tunnels, that Hamas killed hostages and left them there. And several sources reported Special Counsel anti-Trump prosecutor Jack Smith was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court in his attempt to speed up the legal process to keep Trump from running for president,
Words matter. Ideas matter. Credibility and honesty matter. Finding those elements in contemporary politics and the media are the challenge.
Listen to Tom each Tuesday and Thursday morning after the 11 AM news as he joins Andy Brownell for Rochester Today on News-Talk 1340 KROC-AM and 96.9 FM.
More Tom Ostrom Columns
- (OPINION) Issues at the Forefront a Year Ahead of the Election
- (Opinion) A Call For Renewed Sanctions Against Iran
- (OPINION) – US Military Recruitment Woes and Other Challenges
TRIBUTE: 29 U.S. Service Members From Minnesota Killed During the War in Afghanistan
Gallery Credit: KROC News
More From KROC-AM
