Tuesday, May 17, 2005
title TK
Today is our broker's open house. What the hell is that, smacky? Will there be chips or cake? Can I come? Slow down with the questions! Here:
So, no chips, no cake, and sorry, unless you're a realtor in the northern Virginia area, you can't come. We have an open house scheduled for Sunday though! You can come to that, okay? Feel better?
I may be cynical and mistrusting, but I don't believe Newsweek's story was false. Is it difficult to believe interrogators at Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Quran? We have freaking PHOTOS of Iraqis making a naked human pyramid, chained to beds with panties on their faces, and with wires attached to their genitals. You think people who would do all that (and take pictures of themselves smiling while they do it) would suddenly say "Hey man. Put the Quran down. That's their holy book. We don't do that here. Attach this to that man's balls and run it to this car battery instead."
I know, I know. One group of soldiers is in Iraq, and the other is in Cuba. Not the same place, not the same people. I'm grouping soldiers together, which is wrong. It may very well be "a few bad apples" (with cameras). What likely happened is that this small Newsweek story caused violent protests (and deaths) across the Muslim world, and the US government delivered an ultimatum. Retract this story. Can't blame them. Why make the enemies we have even more determined in their cause, and why create new enemies while we're at it? I don't want any more troops killed because of a story that really shouldn't have been published in the first place. (First Amendment, Freedom of the Press? I know. If people didn't do these things, people wouldn't report on them, right?)
My wife's friend might have two extra tickets for the Thursday noon showiing of Revenge of the Sith. Wonder if I can take a long lunch that day?
The purpose of the broker's open house is to introduce a new listing to local agents. The chance that a home will sell as a result of a broker's open house is relatively high. Serious buyers usually work closely with agents in order to find a home. By exposing a listing to more agents, you increase the number of showings to bone fide buyers.
So, no chips, no cake, and sorry, unless you're a realtor in the northern Virginia area, you can't come. We have an open house scheduled for Sunday though! You can come to that, okay? Feel better?
I may be cynical and mistrusting, but I don't believe Newsweek's story was false. Is it difficult to believe interrogators at Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Quran? We have freaking PHOTOS of Iraqis making a naked human pyramid, chained to beds with panties on their faces, and with wires attached to their genitals. You think people who would do all that (and take pictures of themselves smiling while they do it) would suddenly say "Hey man. Put the Quran down. That's their holy book. We don't do that here. Attach this to that man's balls and run it to this car battery instead."
I know, I know. One group of soldiers is in Iraq, and the other is in Cuba. Not the same place, not the same people. I'm grouping soldiers together, which is wrong. It may very well be "a few bad apples" (with cameras). What likely happened is that this small Newsweek story caused violent protests (and deaths) across the Muslim world, and the US government delivered an ultimatum. Retract this story. Can't blame them. Why make the enemies we have even more determined in their cause, and why create new enemies while we're at it? I don't want any more troops killed because of a story that really shouldn't have been published in the first place. (First Amendment, Freedom of the Press? I know. If people didn't do these things, people wouldn't report on them, right?)
My wife's friend might have two extra tickets for the Thursday noon showiing of Revenge of the Sith. Wonder if I can take a long lunch that day?
# posted by smacky @ 9:00 AM 
Comments:
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I think you're spot on about the Newsweek thing. My first thought when I heard about the retraction: They got an ultimatum, and they're frickin' folding.
It's one of those situations I've never been in, so it's all conjecture ... but I like to think that between FOIA and damn good investigative reporting, I'd turn the tables on any super-secret government censorship.
That said, I must put the onus probandi back on Newsweek. If they didn't have their ducks in a row and ran with the story just to scoop everyone else, heads should roll. Period.
The First Amendment is a powerful tool for the U.S. press ... but with great power comes great responsibility, no?
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It's one of those situations I've never been in, so it's all conjecture ... but I like to think that between FOIA and damn good investigative reporting, I'd turn the tables on any super-secret government censorship.
That said, I must put the onus probandi back on Newsweek. If they didn't have their ducks in a row and ran with the story just to scoop everyone else, heads should roll. Period.
The First Amendment is a powerful tool for the U.S. press ... but with great power comes great responsibility, no?
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