15 September 2008

McCain's war injuries



All sentient beings are aware by now that John McCain was a POW in Vietnam and incurred injuries. His incarceration and treatment as a prisoner have been advanced as explanations or justifications for a variety of personality and character traits.

Sometimes the excuse-making goes too far. Here is Karl Rove's explanation of why McCain doesn't use a computer:
"But they then say he doesn't …send e-mail. Well, this is because his war injuries keep him from being able to use a keyboard. He can't type. You know, it's like saying he can't do jumping jacks," Rove said. "There's a reason he can't raise his arms above his head. There's a reason he doesn't have the nimbleness in his fingers."
My mother is 90 years old and doesn't use a computer because she never learned to type and doesn't want to learn now. Fine. If that's how John McCain feels, he can just say so. I'm frankly tired of this bullshit about blaming everything on 40-year old injuries.

Want to see the extent of his injuries after he returned from Vietnam? The video above has just been released by a Swedish broadcasting service - one minute footage of McCain on his return to Hanoi, limping slightly as he quickly crosses the tarmac and offers a brisk salute.

The world is replete with computer users who are severely impaired, or blind, or autistic, or quadriplegic. If Stephen Hawking can use a computer, John McCain can send emails.

4 comments:

  1. getting a bit shrill, are we, Stanley?

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  2. Yes, actually I am. And I probably should apologize to the many non-U.S. visitors to TYWKIWDBI for whom American presidential politics is only tangentially relevant.

    I'm sure my ranting doesn't actually do any good, because those who read this blog are for the most part probably sophisticated and intellectual and have probably made up their minds already, so I'm either preaching to an already-converted choir, or annoying you and Brian Kern and the other McCain supporters.

    But there is a certain therapeutic value in venting; you likely remember the "Mother of All Rants" by Peter Finch in "Network" that I posted in January (if not, please listen again) -

    http://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2008/01/mother-of-all-rants.html

    If I scream out the window it will just upset the neighbors, and unlike John McCain I still have fingers dextrous enough to express my outrage. I expect I will get even more strident as time goes by. But I'll try to intersperse lots of LOLcats or amusing videos or two-headed turtles to make the blog on-balance still interesting.

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. You and your blog are always interesting, Stan.
    I had wondered which way your support for Dr Paul might turn. Kind of like a live torpedo in the water still seeking a target... we may talk separately.

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