Maybe TMZ should stick to Britney crotch shots
posted at 12:45 pm on March 21, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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The celebrity site TMZ has decided to opine on something other than the latest episode of American Idol — and has its military readers hopping mad. A recent contestant on the show The Bachelor has just returned from a mission on Palau to search for the remains of missing American servicemen from World War II. TMZ calls this effort “BS” and “a ridiculous waste”:
Former “Bachelor” bachelor Andy Baldwin just got back from the island of Palau in the South Pacific — not on vacation, on a mission with the Navy. Now let’s talk about why we the taxpayers are footing the bill on such BS.
Baldwin was among 20 military types who were on a search mission in the middle of the ocean. What, you ask, were they looking for? A B-24J bomber that went down during the war. Not Iraq. Not Vietnam. No, not Korea. We’re talking WWII, as in more than 60 years ago.
Turns out, the military spends $52 million each year to find the remains of missing soldiers — it’s part of the POW/MIA program. That’s all well and good depending on the circumstances. But a crash that is ancient history, at a time when the economy sucks and the Federal government is sucking the life out of everyone with taxes??
A waste of time and money? Sure — if one doesn’t value the sacrifice of these men and their families for the nation. When we send our men and women abroad to fight, we make it clear that anyone captured or killed will get brought back for the proper recognition of their sacrifice for our nation. If that takes days, months, or years, or even decades, we will search until we account for the last missing member of our forces, dead or alive.
That doesn’t just count for the families of the dead in World War II. The men and women who go on these missions, like Andy Baldwin, see the commitment this nation has for their comrades. They understand that America doesn’t consider them a waste product to be forgotten when inconvenient or financially burdensome. Those who serve in our forces deserve that kind of commitment, since they give us their ultimate commitment in return, and don’t ask whether it’s inconvenient or financially burdensome to do so.
TMZ has a poll up at the site asking whether its readers consider searching for the remains of Americans who gave their lives to fight the Japanese is “ridiculous”. I’m certain Hot Air readers will want to cast a vote for that, as well as leave a few comments. Perhaps the staff at TMZ should concern itself with its usual oeuvre of celebrity crotch shots and the latest rumors of who slept with whom in Hollywood. (via Cyber Sherpa)
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Every service member knows that the United States will never forget them. That’s what this program does. It’s hard enough to leave our families – Imagine how much harder it would be if we thought that our nation didn’t care enough to bring us home after we fall.
Thanks Professor
Hogman on March 21, 2008 at 11:50 PM
TMZ are just like the Hollywood dorks they follow around like puppy dogs. How much tax money for police do we pay for them to hump the leg of some “star” in a huge mob? Screw them!!
“Until they all come home”
Dollayo on March 21, 2008 at 11:52 PM
I’m not sure TMZ showed Britney’s explicit crotch on their website, maybe on TV, I’m not sure.
But I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.
At least I can eat something for desert.
Indy Conservative on March 22, 2008 at 12:08 AM
Ed, you are a joke. You have taken this site to a place it should have never gone. Michelle Malkin has let you take over and make it as lame as your last site. At least AP is still around to post things that people are concerned about. You can keep telling people how to vote on a celebrity gossip site. Whatever makes you feel relevent.
Rusty Allen on March 22, 2008 at 2:31 AM
Boy, that chaps my hide!
To paraphrase a famous blogger: TMZ Hits Bottom — Digs
TMZ doesn’t display my comment, maybe HA will.
———-
Lesse . . . searching for remains of guys who DIED to (among other things) protect the rights of you TMZ dweebs to be souless, clueless pontificators — yeah, I think it’s somewhat important.
Maybe not as important as finding out who’s boinking whom, but that’s just me.
———-
and that’s s’pozed to say lessee. P would be MF if TMZ offered P
least1 on March 22, 2008 at 2:48 AM
Oh Rusty —
Just read your 2:31 AM post. Not sure what problems/disagreement you’ve had w/Ed, but . . . you’re wrong.
This is a very relevAnt story.
least1 on March 22, 2008 at 2:55 AM
As an Army veteran and member of the local VFW, it is important to note that this sort of a search is part of a larger social contract that exists between service members, their government and society at large. Whenever and wherever men and women serve their countries, they often risk their lives with the implied belief that their countries will go to great lengths to secure their release when captured or return their remains whenever possible.
It is just and noble to honor those service members and their sacrifices with remain repatriation searches.
For others to suggest that $52 million is too much to spend, I reply by saying it is far too little. To put this number into perspective, the estimated GDP of the US is somewhere around $13.8 trillion.
Those who we’ve lost and their families, have paid the ultimate cost. Is it really asking too much to honor their lives and service by not forgetting? Is it asking too much of our society that we not dismiss their sacrifice as ancient history and therefore unworthy of our vigilance or honoring that pledge that we have made to one another?
We owe it to our service members and to our society to bear such a modest burden and to honor those brave men and women and our pledge by not forgetting and remaining vigilant.
TMZ represents the antithesis of self sacrifice, honor and humility. It should be obvious to most reasonable people that they are way out of their depth in this area and need to return to the shallow end of the pool.
Richard Naputi
Jesse Castro
Mark Connelly
You are not forgotten. RIP
moxie_neanderthal on March 22, 2008 at 4:13 AM
Totally agree. As long as he did not avoid deployment, no big deal. The military is a huge organization and it probably helps morale to see or hear about some guy on a game show.
moxie_neanderthal on March 22, 2008 at 4:41 AM
I’ve never seen the Bachelor but I think you’re probably just wrong on this one and should give the guy a break.
The guy is an MD assigned to the Navy out of Pearl Harbor Hawaii. While I was not a Navy guy, it is my understanding that as a Navy doc out of Hawaii he’s probably not slotted to rotate through any of the theaters you’ve mentioned. I think these folks stick to the Pacific theater either at Pearl Harbor or perhaps cruise as part of a medical support team through their area of operation. As such, I think Baldwin probably rotates between being in port and on a boat.
Lighten up. The guy is a stud and this is like a Navy recruitment commercial. We need to have more great military guys as role models in the public sphere, not less. Stupid show, great role model.
moxie_neanderthal on March 22, 2008 at 5:29 AM
If I wasn’t IP banned on TMZ for pointing out in their comments section a story they plagiarized a while back, I would link to your comment there 500 times until they get it into their thick skulls.
Very well said.
MannyT-vA on March 22, 2008 at 9:06 AM
Ah, so now we’re making the chickenhawk argument again? Nice.
Of course they wouldn’t be opposed to it, but I’m sure they’d appreciate more help in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Really? I seriously doubt that. But it makes a great argument!
See, the thing here is that you seem to think I think that sort of mission is a complete waste – which is not what I said. I said that, at this point in time, it doesn’t seem like the best use of our resources.
How about using our resources where they’re needed, in Iraq and Afghanistan, so we can prevent more widows from being produced? How about using our resources to win the war and honor all those who gave their life to fight it?
It’s like conducting a burial ceremony right in the middle of a fight. Sure, you should honor the fallen, but exactly right at that time when you’re in the middle of a fight?
Seixon on March 22, 2008 at 10:28 AM
Honorable people can disagree honorably. But I think the military is large enough that this sort of mission is not going to have a deleterious effect on the over all force of strength.
moxie_neanderthal on March 22, 2008 at 12:04 PM
Unfortunately, Americans who read TMZ probably do.
This argument is akin to the “for the cost of one missile” fallacy. Yes, you could make an argument (that I would fervently disagree with) that more money should be spent on whatever we’re doing today, but that presupposes a) that this materially hinders funding for Iraq, b) that it has no bearing on the current military, and c) that there aren’t many other programs, much more wasteful and orders of magnitude more expensive, that we could dismantle first.
HitNRun on March 22, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Relevent to whom, TMZ readers? This story is not being talked about. Do you want this site to start challenging people for everything posted at Huffington as well?
And If you feel that TMZ is a joke, why ask thousands of readers to visit the site? This is America; we are allowed to have our own opinions.
Rusty Allen on March 22, 2008 at 3:10 PM
TMZ or MIA. I choose the latter.
labrat on March 22, 2008 at 5:10 PM
Four words:
No Man (or Woman) Left Behind.
Mommynator on March 22, 2008 at 6:33 PM
If Baldwin has something to do with the search ? I be very skeptical of any of his finding. If he said he found salt water and palm trees; I’d call him a damn liar.
oldelpasoan on March 22, 2008 at 7:13 PM
With all due respect … do you honestly not understand, or are you pretending to not understand – in order to save face?
I suspect the latter. I think you’re embarrassed, and rather than simply apologize and admit the obvious, you’d prefer to wallow in shallow sarcasm.
Which more or less proves the point.
And no, my misguided friend, it is nothing like the chickenhawk argument; but this too, you can’t understand.
You are arguing a cost-benefit analysis. Yet you cannot understand the benefit.
You should at least understand the logic.
Fortunately, those to whom the logic actually applies – understand it fully. Frankly, you don’t count or matter in this one. Not a bit.
I do.
Professor Blather on March 22, 2008 at 11:42 PM
Rusty,
You are welcome to your opinion, as Ed is to his.
It just so happens that Ed’s opinion matters more than yours; he’s the master of this particular section of the universe.
If you want to change that, feel free to go make your own blog, and talk on it about how Ed’s blog is stupid for talking about things that interest everyone but you.
I’m sure you’ll get a lot of readers.
As for TMZ, they failed the moment they decided to go outside of their area of expertise.
unclesmrgol on March 23, 2008 at 2:02 AM
While the democrat controlled congress continues to spend billions in pork, I don’t think they should be complaining about the military searching for those who have sacrificed for our country.
Truthfully, we probably should be doing more to find those who we know are missing. We owe it to them.
Dannic on March 23, 2008 at 8:46 AM
The votes have been counted …..and the March Duchebag of the month award goes to …..”TMZ!”
Harvey, come on up!
moxie_neanderthal on March 24, 2008 at 9:02 AM
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