Colvin Contrasted With Candidates (Sad day)
I just turned off the Republican debate to read more about Marie Colvin, one of the journalists killed in Syria today. She was a deeply committed and intrepid war reporter, working at the time of her death for The Sunday Times of London.
I do not know what the U.S. should do in or about Syria. But I am struck, tonight, by the sharp contrast between Colvin and most of the Republican candidates. (I actually kind of hate to put them all in the same sentence.)
In November 2010, at a Fleet Street church service in honor of slain journalists, Colvin described the role of the foreign correspondent: “our mission is to report these horrors of war with accuracy and without prejudice.”
Colvin was experienced in the horrors of war, to say the least. She had reported from scenes of conflict in the West Bank, Sri Lanka, Kosovo, Zimbabwe, East Timor and the recent Arab uprisings in the Middle East. She bore witness to suffering, injustice, civilian casualty–the direct and indirect consequences of violence. (She lost her eye, and temporarily her hearing, from a flare blast in Sri Lanka.)
And now, we come to the Republican candidates. With the exception of Ron Paul (who, despite the occasional castigation of the crowd, expressed an awareness of the truth that war necessarily costs life,) the candidates seem scarily eager to flex military muscle. Although they talk frequently of grand theoretical horrors (nuclear attacks), they seem cavalier about rather actual and all too commonplace horrors (plain old shells). I certainly do not mean to diminish the horror of nuclear attack–it’s just that despite the seriousness of the threats, the candidates come across as unconsidered, macho, extremely inexperienced, almost courting confrontation in order to come across as tough. Rather than viewing the horrors of war with accuracy and without prejudice, in other words, one senses bravado and fact-avoiding partisanship.
It’s extremely worrisome. And somehow makes the loss of people like Colvin feel sadder than ever.
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ManicDDaily 
February 23, 2012 at 2:35 am
Colvin was real. She lived her life according to her beliefs and was gracious enough to share them with the world. Sadly, the purported rabble of candidates lack sincerity, humility, true convictions, and worst of all, appear to be bullies of the worst kind.
February 23, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Thanks, Lynn. It’s very sad. K.
February 23, 2012 at 8:58 am
i think these are scary times and def thouhhts we should be having considering what we are faced with as far as candidates and our present situation in the world…def a sad loss yesterday
February 23, 2012 at 11:01 am
Couldn’t agree with you more. Looking at the line-up last night(I can’t watch them any more)and hearing clips of the”debate” ie, latest posturing, name-calling and blame-shifting, this morning, the idea of any of these people dealing with the level of sophisticated and nuanced thinking required to steer us through the rocks of war and foreign entanglements is ludicrous. When you worship money, the free market supply side, etc, then war is good for your friends in the military industrial complex, and there isn’t any more to it than that. I too admire and mourn a soul like Colvin, who put her money where her mouth was, and paid the highest price for her convictions and work ethic. Thanks for posting on this topic, K.
February 23, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Thanks. I feel (and know) that I don’t do enough by far. K.
February 23, 2012 at 12:09 pm
I couldn’t agree with you more.