Both of my favorite guests, Victor Davis Hanson and Mark Steyn, were on Hugh Hewitt's radio show yesterday. Both interviews are packed with payday quotes.
Hugh asked VDH, "What is the disease in the media? Where did it come from?"
The answer, in part:
"I think it came to be frank between the journalism schools...this affluent, elite culture...that comes out of the unversities on the left and right coasts...they don't open hardware stores. They don't service cars. They've never worked physically with their hands. They have an idea in this international culture of the West that somehow, all of their affluence, all of their travel, all of their freedom came out of a head of Zeus, and it's not dependent on the U.S. military, the United States role in the world. They have no appreciation for the very system that birthed and maintained them. And they've had this sort of sick cynicism, nihilism, skepticism, and the height of their affluence and leisure, that they don't have any gratitude at all, which is really one of the most important human attributes. Humility to say you know, I'm very lucky to be a Westerner, and have certain freedoms. And that's why he cannot appreciate what we're trying to do in Iraq, because he has no appreciation of the very idea that he can jet out of Baghdad anytime he wants on a Western jet that's going to get him safely to a Western country, where he's going to be protected, that the people in Iraq want that same thing that he doesn't seem to appreciate."
~ Victor Davis Hanson, as heard on Hugh Hewitt's show, March 23, 2006
In response to Hugh's question regarding pessimism about success against the MSM fever of negativity, Steyn responded by referencing the promise of the blogosphere:
"You know, Glenn Reynolds has a marvelous new book out called An Army of Davids. And he promotes this idea he's had on his website, a pack, not a herd. The media are the herd. And the way to beat the herd is with a fast-thinking pack that draws in all kinds of resources, and uses them to the full."
~ Mark Steyn, as heard on Hugh Hewitt's show, March 23, 2006
I recommend reading the full transcripts of both interviews at Radioblogger. Right now, we need to learn from every smart person we can find on how to recognize and combat MSM disease. Our fighting men and women deserve at least that much from us.
