(May 11, 2018 at 1:55 pm)Joods Wrote:

(May 11, 2018 at 10:34 am)henryp Wrote: I like John McCain.  But a bit of dark humor in private is a silly thing to fire someone over.  

This tattling to the press stuff, where unnamed sources report quotes from private meetings is dumb.  The idea that every single thing you say out loud, regardless of context or setting, can be used to fire you is a bit much.

I don't agree in this case.  It wasn't justified at all. To mock someone because they are dying from an illness, whether in public or private is ignorant and that staffer should have known better. I doubt she would have been okay with it if it had been someone else saying that about her grandfather.

The only way for anyone to know a joke was made, is if someone tattles.  I think people deserve some space to have their own thoughts and sense of humor.

For example, people on this site celebrate/wish for the the deaths of various religious folks and conservative politicians.  I think that's fine.  If someone took their post, found out who the person that wrote it is, and sent it to their real life boss, and they got fired, I think that's bullshit.

It's just so anti-free speech to think every thing we ever say or put in writing regardless of the intended audience or context can be used to ruin our lives.  You can't really call it free speech in that environment.

That's exactly why these sources exercise their free speech, though. To throw their coworkers under the bus.  I like to call it the shallow state.

(May 11, 2018 at 2:21 pm)henryp Wrote:

(May 11, 2018 at 1:55 pm)Joods Wrote: I don't agree in this case.  It wasn't justified at all. To mock someone because they are dying from an illness, whether in public or private is ignorant and that staffer should have known better. I doubt she would have been okay with it if it had been someone else saying that about her grandfather.

The only way for anyone to know a joke was made, is if someone tattles.  I think people deserve some space to have their own thoughts and sense of humor.

For example, people on this site celebrate/wish for the the deaths of various religious folks and conservative politicians.  I think that's fine.  If someone took their post, found out who the person that wrote it is, and sent it to their real life boss, and they got fired, I think that's bullshit.

It's just so anti-free speech to think every thing we ever say or put in writing regardless of the intended audience or context can be used to ruin our lives.  You can't really call it free speech in that environment.

Doing the right thing isn't tattling. It's called having integrity and standing up to someone who was ignorant and who disrespected a Vietnam POW and Veteran and a respected member of Congress. That woman is a white house employee. Because of that, she is subjected to a higher set of standards and is a representative of the Trump administration so what she says is up for scrutiny. She should have known better. Plain and simple. She's an adult. She should have acted like one and if she didn't want the backlash from the media, she should have behaved better. Kudos to the WH staffer who spoke up and did the right thing by calling her out. And kudos to McCain's wife for saying something on Twitter. 

Keep in mind that while the WH acknowledge that "something" was said, they offered no apology. Also keep in mind that the WLB has publicly stated his dislike for McCain on several occasions, so it's not unusual that the WH remained quiet about it. 

It's the people who get caught with their masks removed so everyone can see who they really are, that always want a free pass or who want others to look the other way. People need to start owning their shit and acting like the adults they are supposed to be. She doesn't get paid to disrespect other government employees. She gets paid to do her job. And she was "on the clock" (for lack of a better term) when she made the comment.

Quote:To mock someone because they are dying from an illness

That's not why she mocked him.  That was how she mocked him.

The reason for doing it was because McCain said he would not support the Torture Queen for the CIA job and Trump loves torture.... as long as it isn't him facing it.

Miserable prick.

IANMTU, no less a political creature than Nancy Reagan deemed McCain unelectable (at least in the Republican orbit) in the early 80s at the start of his election ambitions.

She felt the circumstances of his divorce and remarriage (I swear I am not making this up) were sufficiently scandalous as to preclude a successful run for anything.

In Nancy's defense, I do note McCain's first wife was an absolute saint and a class act, but Nancy Reagan really under appreciated the POW angle.