Rashard Mendenhall defends Bin Laden

[Titantron]

Its a free country, but he represents the NFL and the Steelers. What he is saying is very offensive to the majority of Americans, NFL fans, and Steelers fans. Americans are also free to stand up against that kind of stupidity. People can freely choose to shun the steelers if they continue to employ this clown without getting him some mental help and telling him to keep his mouth shut. Its a free country, but he shouldnt be a millionare reaping the full rewards of this country while accusing it of mass murder of its own people. Maybe he should move to another country. Shouldnt be too hard to find another country with a large population of millionare slaves like him where he could fit right in.

[Titantron]

how exactly is he defending bin Laden? just sounds like he doesn't get why people are out in the streets partying that he died and looking like a mirror image of the middle east that was on camera celebrating when the towers fell that disgusted every U.S. citizen

he is suggesting that we are celebrating the death of an innocent human being. The comparison you are making is pretty bad. You should really think about that. A mass murderer who looks forward to his death and had 10 years of warning and a choice to live vs 3000 innocent people sitting at desks typing just like you and I are right now. The ones that did have a choice were only able to choose how they would die...but they had to die then and there. They werent given time to build a fortress to hide in and they werent able to spend thier last moments with family members like Bin Laden...

This is the first firefighter killed at the WTC. He was attempting to walk into hell on earth to save the lives of complete strangers. He was killed by someone who just 10 seconds earlier had made the ultimate choice and decided that burning to death would be worse than these last 10 seconds of absolute horror he surely felt as he fell 100 floors to his death. At that point, none of them could know that the dead firefighter was the luckiest of them all. His family has the unique luxury of knowing that he never saw it coming and never suffered the horrors that most of the others did that day.

Do you see the difference? The people dancing in the streets over there were celebrating this. I dont think the comparison is right.

[BU54CB]

he is suggesting that we are celebrating the death of an innocent human being. The comparison you are making is pretty bad. You should really think about that. A mass murderer who looks forward to his death and had 10 years of warning and a choice to live vs 3000 innocent people sitting at desks typing just like you and I are right now. The ones that did have a choice were only able to choose how they would die...but they had to die then and there.

He also said he had a hard time believing that a plane could cause the destruction it did. He then states we didn't have bin Laden's side of the story, really Rashard?

[pghin08]

When individuals express their opinion, then those opinions are subject to rebuttal and scrutiny.

While Mendenhall has freedoms like everyone else, he foolishly forgets the fact that he is an employee and representative of a team and league. I'm quite certain that the league and players do not want Mendenhall's comments seen as representative of either group.

I work for a Japanese company, if I made similar public comments comments about Japan and it's citizens, I'd expect the same reaction except I'd be out of a job.

So Mendenhall isn't allowed to have any minority opinions? I'm not saying posting them on Twitter is the smartest thing in the world, but still.

The problem with what you said is that the scrutiny he's facing is ill-advised. Just saying Mendenhall is "dumb" or "crazy" (which I'm not accusing you of doing) isn't very productive scrutiny. If people disagree with Mendenhall's assessment of 9/11 and bin Laden--which I personally do, then provide evidence to the contrary. That's a problem I have with our country as a whole. We're a nation created by dissenters, and yet when someone expresses a contrarian opinion, we just judge them rather than examining what the say and challenging each others' beliefs. It just turns into name-calling.

I should apologize, as I'm truly not directing my little diatribe here towards you. I've just been disappointed by yet another example of our lack of true civil discourse.

[jaybird_1981]

So Mendenhall isn't allowed to have any minority opinions? I'm not saying posting them on Twitter is the smartest thing in the world, but still.

.

He can post what he wants but now he gets to deal with the fallout. They were stupid comments to make.

[BU54CB]

So Mendenhall isn't allowed to have any minority opinions? I'm not saying posting them on Twitter is the smartest thing in the world, but still.

The problem with what you said is that the scrutiny he's facing is ill-advised. Just saying Mendenhall is "dumb" or "crazy" (which I'm not accusing you of doing) isn't very productive scrutiny. If people disagree with Mendenhall's assessment of 9/11 and bin Laden--which I personally do, then provide evidence to the contrary. That's a problem I have with our country as a whole. We're a nation created by dissenters, and yet when someone expresses a contrarian opinion, we just judge them rather than examining what the say and challenging each others' beliefs. It just turns into name-calling.

I should apologize, as I'm truly not directing my little diatribe here towards you. I've just been disappointed by yet another example of our lack of true civil discourse.

I didn't say he couldn't or shouldn't have an opinion. What I said was that when he or anyone else express that opinion, one should expect to be challenged.

Why should I provide evidence to contradict Mendenhall's opinion, he provided none to support it. I've called nobody names and haven't said he or anyone else shouldn't express their opinion. Besides, if we share the same opinion, I don't have the time to present all the evidence to the contrary.

Mendenhall faces scrutiny because he's in the public eye. He also is a memeber of a team and league, and therefore a representative of both. The Steelers have already expressed their disagreement with his opinion, and if the league hasn't, I'm sure they will.

Mendenhall brought the scrutiny upon himself, what did he think would happen if he said that? I guess he didn't learn from his slavery comments either, which is a shame.

No apology necessary, just having a civil discussion.

[Titantron]

So Mendenhall isn't allowed to have any minority opinions? I'm not saying posting them on Twitter is the smartest thing in the world, but still.

The problem with what you said is that the scrutiny he's facing is ill-advised. Just saying Mendenhall is "dumb" or "crazy" (which I'm not accusing you of doing) isn't very productive scrutiny. If people disagree with Mendenhall's assessment of 9/11 and bin Laden--which I personally do, then provide evidence to the contrary. That's a problem I have with our country as a whole. We're a nation created by dissenters, and yet when someone expresses a contrarian opinion, we just judge them rather than examining what the say and challenging each others' beliefs. It just turns into name-calling.

I should apologize, as I'm truly not directing my little diatribe here towards you. I've just been disappointed by yet another example of our lack of true civil discourse.

You are wrong on this one. There is no way around this. The guy sees planes fly into the buildings. He sees the buildings fall. Then he says he doesnt believe that planes flying into buildings could make them fall. What evidence is anyone going to present to him to make him change his mind? What else could anyone do but dismiss these people as absolute idiots. Why should anyone pretend to respect thier opinion? It is clearly pointless to argue with 9-11 truthers. Mendenhall is my evidence that people are stupid and can be sucked into this crap. It is our responsibility to ridicule and shun these people especially public figures like Mendenhall who could be role models for our children. Its not like im out on some crusade against these people for being idiots. Its the 9-11 truthers who are out constantly recruiting people to thier cult of stupidity. They are the ones marching, screaming, and waving signs at mourning families at ground zero every sept 11th.

[pghin08]

You are wrong on this one. There is no way around this. The guy sees planes fly into the buildings. He sees the buildings fall. Then he says he doesnt believe that planes flying into buildings could make them fall. What evidence is anyone going to present to him to make him change his mind? What else could anyone do but dismiss these people as absolute idiots. Why should anyone pretend to respect thier opinion? It is clearly pointless to argue with 9-11 truthers. Mendenhall is my evidence that people are stupid and can be sucked into this crap. It is our responsibility to ridicule and shun these people especially public figures like Mendenhall who could be role models for our children. Its not like im out on some crusade against these people for being idiots. Its the 9-11 truthers who are out constantly recruiting people to thier cult of stupidity. They are the ones marching, screaming, and waving signs at mourning families at ground zero every sept 11th.

You do know that there are a significant amount of victims/victims families that believe in the 9/11 truth movement, right?

I'm not a 9/11 truther by any means. For one reason: to believe fully in the 9/11 conspiracy, you have to assume that the government is competent enough to do it. That's a pretty big leap of faith. On the other hand, some of the questions they ask are legitimate, and as a concerned citizen, I haven't heard answers to these questions that I consider to be sufficient.

[Titantron]

nope. not a significant amount. Just a significant amount of focus on those few who have become victims of "the movement". Your stance only contributes to the problem and it is what I have heard a thousand times from the left. The truthers and the left are both rabid Bush haters. Instead of calling people out on thier stupidity, they just say Bush is too stupid to pull it off. They unite in thier rabid hatred of Bush and leave it at that. I dont know what you consider legit, but I have never heard them come up with anything rational. If they did it would just be drowned out by idiots screaming about super thermite and building 7.

[pghin08]

nope. not a significant amount. Just a significant amount of focus on those few who have become victims of "the movement". Your stance only contributes to the problem and it is what I have heard a thousand times from the left. The truthers and the left are both rabid Bush haters. Instead of calling people out on thier stupidity, they just say Bush is too stupid to pull it off. They unite in thier rabid hatred of Bush and leave it at that. I dont know what you consider legit, but I have never heard them come up with anything rational. If they did it would just be drowned out by idiots screaming about super thermite and building 7.

None of this is true at all. First off, the movement isn't leftist, rather a mix of both left and right-wing. Secondly, I never said "Bush is too stupid to pull it off". I don't think that ANY administration has the capability to pull off an operation like that on their own people and keep it quiet.

And truly, I DO question building 7. Even NIST didn't really come up with an explanation. If you have one that I don't know, please tell me.

I honestly feel weird, because I'm defending a movement I don't even believe in. But I can at least see the merits of some of it. If you don't, then you don't, there are a lot of people that feel the same way you do.

Back to the original topic, and like I've said before, Mendenhall didn't make the smartest move in posting all of this on Twitter the day after bin Laden was killed, but I certainly don't think he's an idiot just because he doesn't believe in the same things that I do. It's the equivalent to Dems calling Republicans idiots for what they believe and vice versa. It contributes nothing at all to civil discourse.