# "Pat Tillman is not a hero: he got what was coming to him."

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-tillman-is-not-a-hero-he-got-what-was-coming-to-him/242745>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [April 29, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-tillman-is-not-a-hero-he-got-what-was-coming-to-him/242745 "2004-04-29T21:00:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-tillman-is-not-a-hero-he-got-what-was-coming-to-him/242745/101 "2004-05-02T05:01:51Z")

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Damn, screwed that post up, here’s the fixed version:

> [@James Carrol](#):
>
> While I don’t think this is a “watershed” moment, I do believe that this is one in a long series of abuses that will eventually lead to a constitutional distinction between “media” and “press”.
> 
> While we cherish our freedom of press, at what point does it become obvious that that freedom is being abused to point where its obvious the press is driven by dollars and not Truth.

I think I’m with **skutir** on this one.

**James Carrol’s** seeming desire to separate “the media” from “the press” is one of the most dangerous ideas regarding the first ammendment I’ve ever come across. Where exactly would you draw that line?

We allready have laws regarding libel, slander, and charcater defamation in regards to the press. If we were to go the extra mile and restrict the first ammendment to news based on “truth”, as **Mr. Carrol** seems to be proposing, the ramifications would be huge. Editorials aren’t “news”. Satire isn’t “news”. ART isn’t “news”. Possibly more important, who decides what’s “truth” in matters related to opinion?

To call it a “bad idea” is an understatement.

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**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-tillman-is-not-a-hero-he-got-what-was-coming-to-him/242745/102 "2004-05-02T07:30:42Z")

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> [@skutir](#):
>
> This is anti-first-amendment bullshit. \*\*Freedom of the press means \*\* **you can say whatever the fuck you want** , even if (gasp) you are tipping sacred cows, like disrespecting the men and women in uniform. The first amendment exists precisely so such cows can be tipped. There is not “responsibility” to say only shit that is acceptable to you and the status quo.

Yup, write a letter to the editor saying you’re going to kill Bush or Kerry. See how far that 1st Amendment gets you. Before you’re arrested, stroll down to your local cineplex and yell fire in a theater.

For fun, you can lay odds on which agency can nail you first.

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**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-tillman-is-not-a-hero-he-got-what-was-coming-to-him/242745/103 "2004-05-02T10:08:15Z")

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Once again, **duffer** has missed the point. In other news, preliminary feed from CNN is reporting that the celebrity known as Smokey the Bear has been observed defecating in a national forest. Later this hour, Ms. Rivers discusses papal headwear.

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