As commander of the 101st Airborne Division Troops defending Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, General Anthony Clement McAuliffe received an ultimatum from the German commander to surrender. He is famous for his one-word reply: “NUTS!”
That one word quote is, no doubt, the most famous single word quote of all time.
His will probably never be as famous as the general’s but Sen. John McCain received a rousing ovation for his recent one-word comment. On Memorial Day the senator was making a speech. Somewhere in between “Families in every place in America…” and “Let’s never forget those who paid the supreme price for our freedoms,” a heckler stood at his seat and shouted at the top of his lungs. As he was escorted out of the auditorium the audience chanted a very loud, rhythmic “U-S-A! U-S-A!” and, just as the interrupter reached the exit, Mr. McCain uttered the word “Jerk.” Hearing that, the audience erupted with blaring cheers and applause.
John McCain’s one-word quote will be around for a while.
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The “authorities” continue to change their thoughts. First we’re told that one substance is good. Then it’s not as good as something else. Now the health experts are telling us that Canola Oil is better for us than Olive Oil. I wish they would make up their minds. Does everybody know what Canola Oil is?
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Weekly ratings, monthly ratings, daytime, prime time…..no matter which ratings you’ve been looking at, it’s been downhill for the Cable News Network. The numbers of American viewers have declined significantly and this makes some of us pretty happy. I am one American that is grinning from ear to ear and my feelings have nothing to do with the biased pro-liberal reporting.
My CNN discontent started in 1987 when Carol and I were returning from a marvelous safari through the savannahs and jungles of Kenya. Our plans called for a change of airplanes at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. We arrived at 6 am and the connecting flight to JFK was about 8 pm, 14 hours later. To soften the situation KLM provided us with a comfortable day room at a lovely hotel near the airport. There was coffee, drinks, fruit, and plenty of nosherei to hold us until dinner. The only problem we encountered was that there were only two English language stations on the TV. One was cartoons and the other was CNN International.
I flipped on the news station and couldn’t help but notice that at least once every 10 or 15 minutes it showed clips of the “poor Palestinians” and what they claimed Israel was doing to them. Not once did they televise the rocket attacks and the wounded Israeli citizens. It did not take long to realize where the CNN bias is.
My letters to CNN were ignored and after two-and-a-half decades, my wish for the network is coming true. Yes!
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My roommate and I finally got around to seeing The Avengers. I liked the flick, but I would have enjoyed it more if I understood it. Before I go to see the sequel, and there will be an Avengers II, we intend to catch up on some serious reading. I am StanGershbein@Bellsouth.net requesting that you please not make fun of us if you see us reading comic books. It’s for research only.
Read Stanley P. Gershbein's column every Monday on BrooklynDaily.com
