Feherty under fire for joke...

[Leftygolfer]

I think it is hilarious and it is well known that most millitary personel are republicans. Any joke that doesn't offend someone is no joke at all. Do you remember what people said about Bush?? But the left can't handle a little humor?

Nonsense.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I think it is hilarious

Were did you get that idea? lol

[Shindig]

Were did you get that idea? lol

I think in elections, a large portion of active-duty military vote Republican.

As for the topic itself, I like Feherty, but I tune out politics whenever I can, even if someone I otherwise enjoy is talking about it*. When Bush first came into office, we had a bunch of "Bush is going to destroy the country" jokes going around - something that, I believe, made the opposition feel better about themselves. Now we have a bunch of "Obama et al are going to destroy the country" jokes going around. I believe these, too, make the opposition feel better about themselves. * Off topic, but it just hit my mind: who is the announcer on the Golf Channel with a voice that sounds like Dennis Miller?

[Big_M]

I personally think that the soilder in the elevator would have shot Bin Laden, because choking that b!tch Pelosi to death with bare hands would be much more rewarding.

in all seriousness... the media will always come to the aid of it's friends while people can say anything they want about conservatives. Look at all the stupid sh!t Obama misquotes, but we don't have the same reaction as when Bush did it... just the liberal slant of our great nation's media who are completely out of touch with most Americans.

[PEZGolf]

I am almost speechless about David Feherty's written comments in "D Magazine" concerning Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Osama bin Laden. I think that even someone like Rush Limbaugh would have more sense than to say, much less write, a commentary like David's. Here are my opinions:

1. His comments are insensitive and violate proper respect for our service men and women and our elected leaders. Whether we agree with a political leader or not, they do not deserve comments that they should be shot dead.
We have lived throught the deaths of JFK, Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy, and the attempts on Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George Wallace. Assassinations are not funny.

2. I thought David Feherty was a "golf journalist". Why is he commenting on national security issues in such a magazine? Should national security specialists go out of their "element" and make tasteless remarks in print about golfers?

3. Feherty has often said or made written comments that were on the "edge". These comments mean he "went over the edge" of the cliff. He has been trying to be outrageous, and now simply overdid it.

4. What should his punishment be? Suspension without pay (like Kelly Tilghman) or termination (like Don Imus, Ben Wright, Jimmy the Greek Snyder)?
If I was in charge at CBS, it would be a very easy decision---"You're fired."
What do you think?

[ERC7.5]

I am almost speechless about David Feherty's written comments in "D Magazine" concerning Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Osama bin Laden. I think that even someone like Rush Limbaugh would have more sense than to say, much less write, a commentary like David's. Here are my opinions:

Wasn't George W. Bush the butt of a good many insensitive jokes/comments which surely violated proper respect for service men and women and our elected leaders? Also, just as recent as the other night at the White House Corresponants Dinner, Wanda Sykes made a comment that she wishes that Rush Limbaugh would have kidney failure (in effect wishing that he would die). And Barack Obama laughed. Did he laugh because he wishes the same thing? Probably not....he laughed because it was a joke. Words are simply words....big deal....get over it. They have zero power until someone raises a stink over it...such as you are doing.

2. I thought David Feherty was a "golf journalist". Why is he commenting on national security issues in such a magazine? Should national security specialists go out of their "element" and make tasteless remarks in print about golfers?

Sure! Why not? It'd definitely be more appropriate than the comment in question. But why shouldn't Feherty or anyone else be able to make such a comment? It was not a direct threat. It was a statement that was intended to be a joke. You don't find it funny....oh well. Move on....

Anyway....it seems as though it was some sort of open column for any Dallas resident...

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=4154864&type;=story Feherty was among five Dallas residents who wrote for "D Magazine" on former President George W. Bush moving to Dallas

3. Feherty has often said or made written comments that were on the "edge". These comments mean he "went over the edge" of the cliff. He has been trying to be outrageous, and now simply overdid it.

In your opinion.

4. What should his punishment be? Suspension without pay (like Kelly Tilghman) or termination (like Don Imus, Ben Wright, Jimmy the Greek Snyder)?

I think any punishment would be unconstitutional....but definitely up to CBS. Being that he didn't use any CBS medium (to my knowledge), I'm not sure why they'd feel the need to do anything.

[Surefire]

I thought the US had freedom of speech?

[RMD]

I thought the US had freedom of speech?

At one time we did. It seems to be disappearing as we move along. Currently, our new Miss California is close to losing her crown for voicing her opinion on gay marriage. It matters not that it is the same opinion as stated by then candidate Obama. I, for one, am pullling for Feherty.

[Chilli Dipper]

Feherty shoots from the hip trying to be funny during an interview and makes an ass of himself. A watchdog group stumbles upon the interview a month after the fact and runs with it during a slow news cycle. The three letters that come to mind in this story are BFD. There are far more compelling issues to discuss.

[Chilli Dipper]

At one time we did. It seems to be disappearing as we move along. Currently, our new Miss California is close to losing her crown for voicing her opinion on gay marriage. It matters not that it is the same opinion as stated by then candidate Obama. I, for one, am pullling for Feherty.

This is beyond the point of this discussion, but Carrie Prejean (the aforementioned Miss California) is close to losing her crown for posing for topless photos without disclosing the fact to pageant offices, using her title in affiliation with political organizations, and failing to make contractually-obligated public appearances as Miss California, which are all against pageant rules.

[wolfridge]

I personally know quite a few Iraqi War vets, or soldiers at school between deployments. While they would never (at least sober) admit to their hate for the current administration, the majority of the ones I know feel it. The things Pelosi and her comrades (not a communist joke, I just use the word a lot) say about the war, our troops, and the previous administration are terrible.

So, when a golf personality tells a joke about the current administration that involves the military, he gets CRUCIFIED. But if someone had made the same joke about the previous admin, no one would have cared.....possibly because of the admittedly liberal biased media?

I think, as I did in the Don Imus case, that freedom of speech needs to win out, and I hope DF doesn't get punished for this joke.

[Awsi Dooger]

I am almost speechless about David Feherty's written comments in "D Magazine" concerning Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Osama bin Laden. I think that even someone like Rush Limbaugh would have more sense than to say, much less write, a commentary like David's. Here are my opinions:

I agree with the majority of that. Feherty has always struck me as a fraud, trying to feign light when his writing has always hinted of moody and vindictive. This time he merely revealed more of his true self, IMO.

As some columnists have pointed out, including in USA Today on Monday, the Feherty comment stands alone because it was printed, not blurted. He obviously chooses words and themes carefully and we saw his final masterpiece. If anything, his apology was as pathetic as the original comment. It was stuffy and self-serving, obviously disgusted that he was forced to retract at all. He immediately displays the word metaphor, as if to tell us we weren't competent enough to grasp his approach. Then the modifier, "in retrospect...," to preface the apology. That's synonymous for: I've been told I should say something to save my butt. Truly apologetic wouldn't include formal words like, "in retrospect." I've read countless psychology books, my dad a professor for 40+ years. Then Feherty is determined to hoist himself in the concluding passage: "As for our troops, they know I will continue to do as much as I can for them..." That was classic arrogance, placing the final focus on himself. He asserts the troops already know how great he is and where he stands. Granted, he's made trips and done some impressive things. But overall he's as obscure as it gets in military terms. Other than in David Feherty's mind. Notice Feherty doesn't apologize at all for asserting the troops as a whole would assassinate two highest ranking American elected officials. I've seen some comments on the internet from military families who were outraged that Feherty blanketed them as aspiring murderers, and projected his own beliefs. Yet Feherty is clueless that aspect of his column requires any amendment. He thinks it was a compliment. Murder voids any attempt at humor. It's similar to using Hitler in any comparison. You automatically lose. Here, I'll unfairly project beliefs and motives onto Feherty, as he did to the soldiers. I guarantee Feherty would love for the US to be attacked similar to 9/11, or worse. That would instantly make his 43rd president look exponentially better than he does now. I've had right wing friends in Las Vegas sportsbooks mention that angle, several times, in their most emotional moments during political debate, so I'm convinced it's not as exceptional as I'd like to believe. And Feherty has already demonstrated how far he's willing to go. *** One person in this thread made a hysterical comment, all too typical on golf sites, "...liberal slant of our great nation's media who are completely out of touch with most Americans." Uh, I think you better check again. Those numbers I posted early in this thread were not invented. The percentage of white conservatives is steadily declining, to the peril of the GOP's electoral chances. The level of self-identified Republicans is at an all time modern low. There was a reason even Dick Morris said, "...it will be the last Republican president we'll ever see," on Fox News a year or two ago. He thought the GOP would carry 2008 but then be avalanched by the changing demographic realities. Obviously it's exaggeration, last we'll ever see, but given the slanting map it will require a severe candidate vs. candidate advantage, or a Democratic president with an approval rating similar to the one Bush toted for years, for the Republican to prevail. In particular, once we get to 2016 and white voters are down to roughly 71% of the total, and Hispanic populations have reached voting age in states like Nevada and New Mexico, and the ongoing blue shift has marched further south in Virginia and across Colorado, the margin for error has completely reversed from a decade or more ago. I don't think FOX News want to tell you anything like that. Look at it this way: It used to be simple to predict national elections. They mirrored the white female vote. That was the vital block. You could follow their trend and be certain of the outcome. Clinton carried white females handily. Bush defeated Gore by 1 point in 2000 among white women. Bush upped his margin by swamping Kerry among that group in 2004. But once we moved to 2006 the white female block was suddenly not as significant. The GOP won white females by 2 points in the 2006 midterm but was swamped. Likewise, McCain had a decisive edge in 2008 and was trampled. The supporting groups have grown in number to such extent, and favoring Democrats, the old rules no longer apply.

[colin007]

omg, i so dont care...

[Fat Slice]

Feherty last year: "I think it was going to Iraq and being so proud of this country," he said. "The vast majority of Americans who haven't been outside of America don't really understand how wonderful this place is. ... And it just meant more to me, I think in the last year or so, having visited our troops abroad and spent so much time with them at home, that it will be a great honor for me to be an American."

He's applying for U.S. Citizenship.

Love her or hate her, Pelosi's got the power.

Good luck with that application, Dave...

[pjsnyc]

This is beyond the point of this discussion, but Carrie Prejean (the aforementioned Miss California) is close to losing her crown for posing for topless photos without disclosing the fact to pageant offices, using her title in affiliation with political organizations, and failing to make contractually-obligated public appearances as Miss California, which are all against pageant rules.

'...If you stumble, if you hesitate you can kiss the crown goodbye. Now if I've told you once, I've told you 1000 times, poise counts!...' -Kramer

But uhh, yeah - I don't care what Feherty says regarding anything political.

[zeg]

Notice Feherty doesn't apologize at all for asserting the troops as a whole would assassinate two highest ranking American elected officials.

Notice as well that he

never asserted any such thing. He made a joke. One of these things is not like the other...

[Steel Curtain]

90% of us hear stuff like this in our everyday lives, especially jokes in the workplace and social events...

I think the media, and those affected by these comments need to stop being so sensitive...It's like every other day that some "celebrity" says something off color and the media runs away with the story and there is a demand for an apology. It's getting ridiculous, and half the time i don't even care...

I just hope Feherty stays on tv, i enjoy his coverage and humor.

[gibbous]

90% of us hear stuff like this in our everyday lives, especially jokes in the workplace and social events...

But I've never heard anybody try to speak for what "any US soldier" might do, publicly or privately. That's dumb enough, but to take it a step further and assert that they would probably let their politics drive them to kill an elected official is just stupid whether you're joking or not. I'm in the military, and while I and most service people I know really don't like Pelosi, Feherty is completely wrong to paint with such a broad brush and I think it's sad that he has to pretend everybody in the service so completely agrees with him. To me, it's self-serving and just plain old pathetic.

It's true that this is being blown out of proportion and not worth the outrage that is manifesting itself, but it's not worth the support that it's being given either. Anybody who says something like this is wrong no matter which side they are taking.