Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
CNN Is Better than Reality
When an interesting event occurs, I usually try to find out what happened. Sometimes, I’ll also read The New York Times or CNN’s website, to find out what the Democratic Party wants me to think about it. The second part is usually more interesting because the events themselves tend to be predictable and repetitive. But the efforts of Democrats to conceal reality behind layers of laughable leftism can be entertaining at times. Since the actual events can be boring and horrifying simultaneously, reading leftist propaganda rather than news can be a pleasant diversion. I’m convinced that some people intentionally watch CNN to avoid facing reality. The CNN version is better — more comforting. I understand.
Take, for example, the Texas synagogue where a ‘gunman’ took hostages yesterday. Presuming that I already knew what happened and why before actually reading about it, I figured ‘what the heck‘ and went to CNN’s website. I can learn about the event later. CNN didn’t disappoint. Check out the first four paragraphs of the story (emphasis mine):
(CNN) An elite FBI hostage rescue team breached a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, Saturday night, safely recovering three remaining captives after a nearly 11-hour hostage situation, federal and local officials said.
The lone suspect is dead, authorities added.
“Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe,” Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted about 20 minutes after a large bang and gunfire were heard in the direction of the synagogue, just outside Fort Worth.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in an email to CNN on Sunday that the government was “aware of the death of a British man in Texas and are in contact with the local authorities,” but stopped short of confirming that he was the same man as the hostage-taker.
Later in the story, CNN pointed out that authorities actually do know who did this:
The suspect has been identified, FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno told reporters in a news conference after the hostage rescue, but authorities are not revealing his identity as the investigation continues.Ok, so while
the spin is planned outthe investigation continues, they are understandably not releasing the information they know, in fears that it might be misinterpreted. They want to be sure they have the facts in order before releasing any information, just like they did with George Floyd.Ha!
Sorry. I know this isn’t funny. But it gets boring, watching different versions of the same thing happen over and over again. Horrifying. But boring.
So anyway, based on the CNN story, what do we know about the hostage taker?
We know that he is British. They have not yet released his name. So for now, let’s call him ‘Nigel’.
We know that Nigel has regrettably passed away. No cause of death has been released. So for now, let’s presume COVID.
We know that he prefers the pronouns he/him. I’m not sure how CNN ascertained that – perhaps the FBI discussed that with the suspect before his untimely death. We’re not sure of his biological sex, of course, so we won’t presume. We certainly don’t want to offend anyone.
But why did Nigel take these hostages? Why did he choose a Jewish synagogue as a target?
Toward the end of the CNN story, we find these two remarkable paragraphs:
Two law enforcement officials told CNN earlier Saturday that investigators believe the hostage taker may have been motivated by a desire to release Aafia Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year sentence at a facility in Texas. She was convicted in 2010 on seven charges, including attempted murder and armed assault on US officers in Afghanistan.
“We do believe from our engaging with this subject that he was singularly focused on one issue, and it was not specifically related to the Jewish community, but we’ll continue to work to find motive,” DeSarno said.
So FBI agent in charge DeSarno is not sure exactly what the motivation was behind this attack. Although he believes that the suspect’s motives were, “singularly focused on one issue, and it was not specifically related to the Jewish community“. Right.
He would probably say the same thing if a MAGA hat wearing Texas redneck had taken hostages at a mosque, and demanded the release of the January 6 protestors. That would not be hate crime against Muslims, of course. That would be a “subject that he was singularly focused on one issue, and it was not specifically related to the Muslim community“. That’s exactly what the
Democrat partyFBI would say. Right.
Barack Obama repeatedly said that antisemitism would not be tolerated. Then a Muslim kills a bunch of Jews at a kosher deli in France, and President Obama said that the attack was carried out by, “a bunch of violent, vicious zealots who behead people or randomly shoot a bunch of folks in a deli in Paris.” They weren’t victims of an antisemitic hate crime. No, it was just a random bunch of folks who were killed by a zealot. Nothing to see here. Right.
Allow me to make three points, which are so obvious that I hesitate to waste your time with them. But it’s easy to overlook the obvious sometimes, like a fish being unaware of water. So for the sake of not missing the blindingly obvious:
1. The left will defend anyone who attacks Jews.
2. Jews have voted 70-80% Democrat for decades.
3. The Texas synagogue news story is going to disappear faster than a Clinton informant.
This is why CNN is better than reality. Reality is horrifying.
Predictable. Boring. Obvious. Repetitive.
But horrifying.
Published in General
This post was promoted to the Main Feed by a Ricochet Editor at the recommendation of Ricochet members. Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.
All this attention and no word on whether the hostages were masked. Chances are Malik was feeling threatened. No telling what horrors Malik endured before the police overreacted.
I believe that is Lord Nigel Tufnel, Baron.
Funny, considering obama was the king of “I.”
Accountability? In Washington? Oh, my sides!
But, seriously, abolish the FBI and let any “good” agents apply for jobs with law enforcement agencies instead.
So much for Great Britain’s new “Country of Peace” tourism slogan.
From WhiteHouse.gov:
Don’t know why he picked a synagogue or why wanted an Islamic terrorist freed? OK, I guess. But you can’t figure out why he was making antisemitic and anti-Israel comments? Could you at least give an educated guess? Imaging the lectures the White House would be giving if the hostage taker had called someone a “homo”?
Gosh, this stuff is so complex – hard to say…
From a new statement released by the FBI:
In their entire statement, I did not find the words Muslim or Islam or anti-Semitic. Not relevant to the news of the day, I guess.
And I like how the FBI doesn’t say Jews are getting killed – it’s a ‘threat to the community’. Less personal that way, I guess.
And I like how the FBI says that the threat is to “the Jewish community” and to everybody else, too (…and to other religious, racial, and ethnic groups…). So they acknowledge the threat to Jews because everybody yelled at them yesterday. But then they immediately say that the threat is the same for everybody else too, it’s not just Jews.
Anti-Semitism? No, of course not. It’s just extremists threatening a community and everyone else.
What a bunch of weasels.
The problem is, they’re very powerful weasels. These are the weasels who selected the leader of the free world. Lordy.
Take it easy on the FBI. He evaded their terrorism radar. He had only been in-country for two weeks. It’s not like he had time to attend a PTA meeting or something.
The Times of London reports he was a convicted fellon. How/why did he make it on to the plane?
Are his travels to the US documented? Did he enter officially?
Because he’s vaccinated and boosted.
All I saw was that “it was believed” that he had arrived in the last two weeks. Who believes it or why didn’t stick.
The NY Post reports today:
Why go all the way to Texas to find a synagogue? NYC itself is a much more target-rich environment, and it has a pre-demoralized police force.
How did he find this particular random suburban synagogue? Why attack that one?
Where did he get his bomb material? His brother claims he had a gun, too.
That is right. Priorities.
Fascinating. If the sister is being held in Texas, that would make sense, but . . . what a strange, out-of-the-way place to go.
No worries, I’m sure the FBI will get to the bottom of this, and we’ll have complete transparency quite soon.
Just like the Las Vegas shooter.
Did he have a bomb? Again, all I read was he claimed to have one.
Seems not. Today’s story is that somehow (less than 24 hours in the US) he figured out a way to buy a street pistol. Efficient!
Ah, so this is about promoting the gun control narrative!
Well, it’s probably better than having Eric Holder run guns over the border.
Just like the Jan 6 protestors.
Just like Waco.
Just like the FBI investigation of Trump.
There’s an article in The Hill today that Senate Democrats are pushing the Atty General to prosecute Trump for Jan. 6. Can you think of a better way to get Trump elected in 2024?
So, the President, who incited nobody, must be prosecuted, while Ray Epps, who is on camera inciting people to enter the capitol, is declared innocent.
Makes sense.
I thought the terrorist-woman was in a Forth Worth prison. Making that the “local” Synagogue for the prison. Because the local Jews are the ones who control the local prisons. Duh.
I was conversing with a Brit who couldn’t understand how, if the police in New Mexico had a warrant for Alec Baldwin’s phone, why they just hadn’t grabbed it out of his mitts already. Explaining that since he had left the jurisdiction it wasn’t that simple didn’t seem to help. Foreigners have this idea that they understand our system of government. Hell, half the time we don’t understand our system of government.
Give them both my love!
Did you see what CNN is pushing today
Price controls: Should the government control how much food and gas cost? – CNN
anyone who lived through Nixon wage and price controls or lived in a rent controlled city knows what a mistake this is