Mike Gallagher is Changing His Story
Tue Aug 16, 2005 at 01:23:55 PM PDT
I wasn't able to listen to Mike Gallagher's program yesterday, but from what I understand he never once mentioned that he and his minions shouted "We don't care" to Cindy Sheehan. Apparently, he alleged that they merely sang some patriotic songs, prayed and made supportive comments about Bush. From the impression I got from several people who listened to the program yesterday, I would characterize Gallagher protest as a quaint but hardly objectionable event. Again, there was no mention of chanting, "We don't care" to Cindy Sheehan who lost her son in Iraq.
This account accords with Gallagher's official account posted the day after his protest. In response to "bloggers" who claimed that Gallagher's protest was "as an attempt to harass [sic] and bully Cindy Sheehan," he describes their actions as following (more below):
"When we got to the protest area outside the president's ranch, we stood alongside the road and sang patriotic songs, waved our flags, and said supportive things about the troops and their commander-in-chief. Then we got back in our bus and went home. At no point would we have ever considered antagonizing or confronting Cindy Sheehan. She's suffered enough. All Americans mourn her loss. We just strongly disagree with her accusation that President Bush "killed (her) son." In fact, when a couple of reporters asked me if I would go over to the anti-war protest site and confront them, I asked why in the world I would do that. That wasn't our intent at all. I didn't even want to meet her, and if I had, I would have only told her how sorry I was for her loss."
http://www.mikeonline.com/pg/jsp/general/genericpage.jsp?pageID=22
I listened today to most of Gallagher's program. A supporter called up evidently concerned about the reports that he and the other protestors shouted "We don't care" to Cindy Sheehan. Gallagher initially answered by using a guilt trip. He said in effect "Is that the sort of thing you think I would do to a grieving mother?" That's a good question to ask a disciple but it would be a hellacious question to ask a detractor because I know I would have responded immediately, "Absolutely!"
Gallagher then explained to his groupie that he and the others sang patriotic songs, prayed, blah, blah, blah, but then said that at one point they chanted "I don't care" a few times but only in (his words) "response to" something he read on the air earlier that week. He is referring to this piece which is posted on his website, part of which reads as follows:
"In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care. When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college hazing incident, rest assured that I don't care. When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank that I don't care. When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts that I don't care. And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and -- you guessed it -- I don't care!"
http://www.mikeonline.com/images/linksandinfo/dontcare.html
Of course, this piece is racist and it shows a callous and sociopathic disregard for the suffering of human beings under torture. Be that as it may, Gallagher's attempt to pawn off the reason for chanting "We don't care" on this piece of writing is transparent bullshit for the following reasons:
- Who publicly chants a phrase in "response to" a piece of writing? That is preposterous. Ever hear anyone chant something as a way of responding to, say, the Magna Carta? I thought not.
- The chant would have no meaning whatsoever to those observing Gallagher's protest without knowing that it was directed to something he had posted online. It would be an absurd exercise.
- Any moron would know that chanting "We don't care" within earshot of a mother whose son was killed in a criminal war can only be understood by her as a message to her that "We don't care that your son was killed."
There is a principal in law which states that the predictable consequences of someone's actions are evidence of his intentions. The predictable consequence of chanting "We don't care" toward a grieving mother is that she would take it as directed at her.
I believe Gallagher is lying. The only question now is when will he apologize to Cindy Sheehan?
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