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- inactive, on 01/31/2008, -70/+325Racial slur is nothing. This senile buffoon is biggest warmonger & thinks bombing few more countries could help this economy
- inactive, on 01/31/2008, -33/+173Chinks aren't gooks - learn your slurs
- barfooz, on 01/31/2008, -28/+156Although McCain's comments are offensive, they're being taken out of context. From TFA:
``I was referring to my prison guards,'' McCain said, ``and I will continue to refer to them in language that might offend some people because of the beating and torture of my friends.''
McCain made it clear that his anger extends only toward his captors. As a senator, he was one of the leaders of the postwar effort to normalize U.S. relations with Vietnam.
I do not presume to judge the words of a man who was tortured. It's not like he's walking down Chinatown in SF and saying he hates the gooks. He's basically being asked, "What do you feel about your captors?" and replying with the anger that only a man who's been tortured within an inch of his life can respond with. This is not to say that it is right, but his words are being wholly misrepresented and I think the episode is forgivable. - inactive, on 01/31/2008, -68/+194He also thinks that all Muslims are burka buying terrorists and he wants to stay in Iraq for 100 years. The man is insane. Someone ought to "ol yeller" his crazy rabid ass.
- PongGod, on 01/31/2008, -24/+116Whether China is a rising power or not is irrelevant to these outrageous comments.
- inactive, on 01/31/2008, -24/+104Comment notwithstanding, what does China and "gook" have to do with each other?
- theuniversal, on 01/31/2008, -27/+87I think his warmongering and his racial slurs both stem from the same ***** up thinking. We don't need people like that in the Senate or the White House.
- undersky, on 01/31/2008, -29/+791. He was beaten and tortured and locked up by N. Vietnam for FIVE and HALF years.
2. When he was released, he couldn't raise his arms above his head or bend his knees.
3. His father was a FOUR STARS ADMIRAL and COMMANDER OF PACIFIC THEATRE, yet he refused to tell the enemy that info.
4. Later when N. Vietnam found out who his father was, they immediately offered his release. Guess what? John McCain refused to be released, saying he must stay with his men.
I don't know about you, but he is a hero in my book, so I am going to defend for him here. And trust me, if you can even withstand 10% of what he went through, you would have cusses racial slur at those people who tortured you as well.
...Now having lost 50 pounds, in a chest cast, and with his hair turned white,[34] McCain was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Hanoi in December 1967, into a cell with two other Americans who did not expect him to live a week (one was Bud Day, a future Medal of Honor recipient); they nursed McCain and kept him alive.[39] In March 1968, McCain was put into solitary confinement, where he would be for two years.[38] In July 1968, McCain's father was named Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command (CINCPAC), stationed in Honolulu and commander of all U.S. forces in the Vietnam theater.[3] McCain was immediately offered a chance to return home early:[34] the North Vietnamese wanted a mercy-showing propaganda coup for the outside world, and a message that only privilege mattered that they could use against the other POWs.[38] McCain turned down the offer of repatriation due to the Code of Conduct of "first in, first out": he would only accept the offer if every man taken in before him was released as well.
Read his story, his life is crazier and more dramatic than a movie. (Escaped death three times!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain - ncairns, on 01/31/2008, -20/+67And to me, there is *never* a valid reason for the vehement hatred of a race of people.
- ncairns, on 01/31/2008, -14/+57You absolutely can argue that. He has a valid reason to hate the people who imprisoned and tortured him. NOT to hate the race of the people who imprisoned and tortured him. That he does doesn't mean he has a valid reason for it - only that he is a fundamentally weak human being.
- bsegovia, on 01/31/2008, -14/+54I think the biggest point is the hypocrisy of McCain. He feels that it's ok and natural to hold hate and resentment for those that tortured him but somehow doesnt understand how our continued bombing and presence in Iraq increases our chances of hatred-fed retaliation. A.K.A. blowback.
- ZenMojo, on 01/31/2008, -7/+34This is several years old. You must have apparently forgotten those months (or been too young to ever hear about them, kiddies) he spent in Vietnam on an escorted tour where he had a tearful moment and apologized for his attitude toward the people of Vietnam. It was very evocative and I still consider it a poignant shift in his identity.
That said, McCain's ***** out of his mind. - kooft, on 01/31/2008, -4/+31http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=gook
gook
1899, U.S. military slang for "Filipino" during the insurrection there, probably from a native word, or imitative of the babbling sound of their language to American ears (cf. barbarian). The term goo-goo eyes "soft, seductive eyes" was in vogue c.1900 and may have contributed to this somehow. Extended over time to "Nicaraguan," "any Pacific Islander" (World War II), "Korean" (1950s), "Vietnamese" and "any Asian" (1960s). - williamsba, on 01/31/2008, -13/+39wonder what you would say if you were beaten and tortured for over 5 years?
- carpespasm, on 01/31/2008, -12/+37Yes, he was a good soldier, loyal to the US, was tortured, and served his country. That doesn't mean he has good qualifications to be the leader of the country. Rome concidered the same things good leadership skills.
- Nougat, on 01/31/2008, -4/+29People who perform torture must dehumanize their victims in order to do the deeds they do. Keeps one sane. It only makes sense that those who are tortured would dehumanize their captors. Believing that the thing that is causing you pain is not actually human while you are may be enough to keep you alive.
- doctorfungi, on 01/31/2008, -3/+25Pussy keyboard warrior who is doing nothing with his life offers to pay for video of a real man being tortured... more at 5.
- KMye, on 01/31/2008, -10/+32"McCain made it clear that his anger extends only toward his captors. As a senator, he was one of the leaders of the postwar effort to normalize U.S. relations with Vietnam."
- Zihuatanejo, on 01/31/2008, -21/+42"So keep in mind, if you decide to drop by the Straight Talk Express, be prepared to hear the truth, and make sure you're not a Gook, or I'll strangle you."
- bunkybrewman, on 01/31/2008, -3/+22Not ONE of us on this thread can possibly imagine what McCain endured during his captivity as a POW.
For him to refer to his captors (8 years ago) with the term gook, so be it. I'm not the one whose hair turned pure white from the horrors suffered.... or endured numerous broken bones, and atrocities that you cannot imagine. BUT... it's OK for the PC crowd to condescend their views on this man. After all, you know everything, don't you. Banging on a keyboard has brought you knowledge that only you possess.
/hasn't decided on my Prez vote, but McCain has always had my respect for serving our country in ways no man should be forced - katie212, on 01/31/2008, -63/+81Yeah, McCain and Hillary are best of friends and really are running on the same platform. What is the difference in these 2? Hillary keeps funding the war and states we will get out of Iraq in the yr 2013 or however long it takes, and McINSANE wants to Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran and stay in Iraq another 100 yrs or more. These two are socialists to the very foundation of their Trotskyite core.
- undersky, on 01/31/2008, -28/+461. He was beaten and tortured and locked up by N. Vietnam for FIVE and HALF years.
2. When he was released, he couldn't raise his arms above his head or bend his knees.
3. His father was a FOUR STARS ADMIRAL and COMMANDER OF PACIFIC THEATRE, yet he refused to tell the enemy that info.
4. Later when N. Vietnam found out who his father was, they immediately offered his release. Guess what? John McCain refused to be released, saying he must stay with his men.
I don't know about you, but he is a hero in my book, so I am going to defend for him here. And trust me, if you can even withstand 10% of what he went through, you would have cusses racial slur at those people who tortured you as well.
...Now having lost 50 pounds, in a chest cast, and with his hair turned white,[34] McCain was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Hanoi in December 1967, into a cell with two other Americans who did not expect him to live a week (one was Bud Day, a future Medal of Honor recipient); they nursed McCain and kept him alive.[39] In March 1968, McCain was put into solitary confinement, where he would be for two years.[38] In July 1968, McCain's father was named Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command (CINCPAC), stationed in Honolulu and commander of all U.S. forces in the Vietnam theater.[3] McCain was immediately offered a chance to return home early:[34] the North Vietnamese wanted a mercy-showing propaganda coup for the outside world, and a message that only privilege mattered that they could use against the other POWs.[38] McCain turned down the offer of repatriation due to the Code of Conduct of "first in, first out": he would only accept the offer if every man taken in before him was released as well.
Read his story, his life is crazier and more dramatic than a movie. (Escaped death three times!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain - PongGod, on 01/31/2008, -5/+22Well, maybe the Chinese won't take offense to the comment anyway since the term "gooks" is supposed to be referring to the Vietnamese. :)
- phenry, on 01/31/2008, -8/+25What does that say about our electorate?
- edebolt, on 01/31/2008, -5/+21I was going to write basically the same but you did it much better documented... Jeeze I know people who hate an employer or somebody because they did not get a promotion or raise and this guy got the full Viet Cong torture series.
- golfing22, on 01/31/2008, -12/+27Buried: Can't trust a site whose data shows up as "Friday, February 18, 0"
- trevor98, on 01/31/2008, -2/+17Get a clue.
1) Getting captured (especially for a pilot) is more about luck than skill. That is such an ignorant argument and makes me question how you can form sentences.
2) What does that have to do with the price of tea? He is crippled in service to his country, should that count against him? Does it prevent him from doing the job. Then it is irrelevant.
3) He's not dead yet, I would think that any thinking person would say he equals his family legacy by being in the country's most exclusive club and surpasses it if he becomes the commander in chief.
4) You know that? Can you read his mind and know his intentions 30 years ago? Wow you are special. - Chestnutridge, on 01/31/2008, -62/+76Considering what he went through in Vietnam, I think we can cut him a little slack on this one.
- cleverboy, on 01/31/2008, -2/+16@FyreGoddess:
You definitely have to check your logic next time, because "if" doesn't clear you. Just look at Nelson Mandela. One of the reasons why he's been a beacon of hope for so many, is because of his reaction to his imprisoners. That's strength of character right there. Forgiveness isn't about giving something to your oppressors. It's about living your life undefined by the worst that has happened to you. McCain needed to renounce statements like that. At the time at least, he clearly refused to apologize. It took him about 3 days of criticism before he came around. That's simple political and humanitarian ignorance. Even his "apology" sounds poor to me. As if he'd still planned to use it if he wanted. Yikes.
“But out of respect to a great number of people for whom I hold in very high regard, I will no longer use the term that has caused such discomfort… I apologize and renounce all language that is bigoted and offensive, which is contrary to all that I represent and believe.” - inactive, on 01/31/2008, -7/+21The Chinese are chinks not gooks
- hellotyler, on 01/31/2008, -15/+28The fact that he said it at all is pretty crazy. He didn't say I hated my captors, he said I HATE GOOKS - which implies an entire group. He is just trying to backpedal. A lot of vietnam veterans hate asian people, and I bet a lot of soldiers are going to come back here hating iraqis.
- calon9, on 01/31/2008, -5/+18It's not about his resentment to his guards (which is understandable), it is about how he is expressing it.
By McCain's (and your) logic, if a black man mugged him or severely wronged him and he begins calling him a N*****, and he claims he is only using that word in reference to that individual, should no one take issue with his use of the word?
His inability to see how the use of a blanket word, explaining it as only a targeted word, demonstrating his lack of common sense, is very telling. - mverta, on 01/31/2008, -14/+27If you're permanently disabled during hell-on-earth POW torture, you get to call your captors any goddamn thing you want to. Some such people can actually differentiate between evil NVM *****, and other yellow people with slanted eyes. Intellectual children are completely ***** perplexed by this idea.
- k3vinmartian, on 01/31/2008, -0/+13I'm guessing you slept in the back of the class
- ronpaul20008, on 01/31/2008, -5/+18everybody thought he said he hates NUKES...no wonder he's doing so well!
- mahler, on 01/31/2008, -3/+15Ok, as much as I dislike McCain.... your information is just incorrect. He was beaten so severe that he was at the point of suicide: http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/arti ...
I just think that his experiences have made him bitter in many areas, which is a bad quality for a president. - jmf866, on 01/31/2008, -9/+21Your point is correct that regardless of China's power status, his comments are unacceptible. My point was just that his attitude is especially dangerous and inflammatory in the current situation of having to soon deal with China as an economic and military leader.
- Libberkey, on 01/31/2008, -25/+37It's just another addition to McCain's "My Bucket List of Stupidities." His self-enforced stupidity in the face of his ample opportunities to learn instead place him in the I'm-Another-Bush-Idiot stable, and he has no business being president.
- GawtMilk, on 01/31/2008, -2/+14Koreans, Japanese and Chinese are easy.
Philippines and Indonesian is where it gets tough. - Spuy767, on 01/31/2008, -0/+12A war that energizes the industrial machine is a good thing for the economy. Since the size of the military has ben halved in the last decade, and there is no WWII style conflict that needs an industrial surge to provide for it, all a modern war can hope to do is cost the country billions in highly specialized manufacturing dollars to sling satellite guided missles around. You have to remember, WWII pulled the american economy out of recession because 95% of the work to make implements for that war had to be done by hand, and that meant the employment of millions who were previously jobless.
- Kratos76, on 01/31/2008, -1/+12You had me, until the socialists comment. McCain, obviously not a socialist, and if Hillary is a socialist, why do all the far left progressive democrats against her?
- jjesusfreak01, on 01/31/2008, -0/+11Which makes total sense seeing as he tried to mend relations with Vietnam after the war.
- inactive, on 01/31/2008, -75/+86Maybe he has a little resentment for the torture he endured. It is understandable. But gook is Korean trash talk....not Chinese. LIBERAL DUMBASSES
``I was referring to my prison guards,'' McCain said, ``and I will continue to refer to them in language that might offend some people because of the beating and torture of my friends.''
Sounds good to me anyway. - unorginalityftw, on 01/31/2008, -1/+12Trotsky was a communist. Communism is not Socialism. They're related, but different.
- OMGIAMTHEMAN, on 01/31/2008, -3/+14you have a life-long right to hate the person who tortured you, the government and policies, and the conflict that enabled it to happen.
You have NOT earned the right to hate your torturer's family, their neighbors, their townsmen, and least of all, the entire population of those who happen to be more genetically similar to your torturer than you.
so mccain can hate, even kill (in my book) the person who tortured him, but he can't hate all "gooks" because of it. That kind of simplistic thinking has no place among humans, least of all among the leaders of humans. - emildorbell, on 01/31/2008, -2/+13Wow. There's something I never thought I'd see. McCain? Socialist? No.
- AnarkeIncarnate, on 01/31/2008, -2/+13However, the question involved was not about Al Qaida. It was about trading with nations whom you do not necessarily share beliefs with. It was about open trade with many fewer/no alliances that involve us in entanglements.
- PeppermintPig, on 01/31/2008, -1/+11Yet some people will tell you that if you don't like what you see, then vote for change. Is it a blame game? Not that simple.
It might be nice to see a pro-liberty candidate in the office, but to rely purely on political change in a bloated government? Why are we choosing our masters? - vault, on 01/31/2008, -2/+12There are differences on social issues, taxes, and the economy. Yes, the war is a big issue but it's not the only one.
- manitoba98xp, on 01/31/2008, -8/+18While those things are certainly admirable, I think a potential world leader needs to have the wisdom to realize that using racial slurs is not appropriate in public office. This shows a distinct lact of tact and sensitivity on McCain's part. Especially when it's not clear that (as he says) his comments are directed only at his captors, not all Vietnamese.
Name-calling is a childish response for a presidential candidate. -
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