MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell is under fire this week for using the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans to attack the United States Army as a greater threat than those crossing our Southern border. The statement is a vintage example of why many are turning away from legacy or mainstream media, including MSNBC (which has lost nearly half its audience since the election).
O’Donnell has long maintained his show as something of a safe space for the left, including declaring that no Trump supporter would be allowed to speak on his show because they are all “liars,” a label that now applies to a majority of American voters in the last election.
Yet, this statement stands out for many in its unhinged effort to spin the tragedy into a more favorable liberal talking point.
O’Donnell declared:
“The simple fact is, this country has suffered more deadly terrorism at the hands of American-born citizens who are veterans of the United States military than people who have crossed into this country at the southern border. It is very clear from the evidence that if you want to worry about terrorism in this country, the United States Army is a much bigger problem than the southern border.”
There are two curious elements to O’Donnell’s comment. The first is that Army training somehow makes veterans greater threats of terrorism. The military also tends to instill patriotism and public service in its members. Moreover, O’Donnell was referencing the fact that Shamsud-Din Jabbar served in the Army, even though he was largely trained as a human resources and information technology expert. His attack was not a McVeigh-like truck bomb, but the use of the truck itself — an unfortunately common terrorist method that hardly speaks to any Army training.
Second, O’Donnell makes reference to those crossing the Southern Border as opposed to others who have either crossed any border or have entered this country legally. Again, the suggestion is that there is something about military training worthy of special concern. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Zacarias Moussaoui, Richard Colvin Reid, James T. Hodgkinson, Thomas Matthew Crooks, Darrell Edward Brooks Jr., and others may beg to differ.
O’Donnell made specific reference to Timothy McVeigh, the domestic terrorist behind the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995:
“Timothy McVeigh parked a truck outside that building loaded with explosives in an act of homegrown American terrorism. Timothy McVeigh’s hatred of the American government was not tamed in any way by his service in the American military. So, too, with America’s latest terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve, with an American military veteran driving a pickup truck through a crowd to murder 14 people.”
Ok, McVeigh and Jabbar became extremists after they served in the military. However, all terrorists make such a turn — often in a sharp departure from their prior history and upbringing. What does that prove? It is the ultimate example of why correlation is not causation. It is a little better than the Latin corollary cum hoc ergo propter hoc (‘with this, therefore because of this’).
This is not to say that military service cannot produce PTSD and other forms of mental illness related to service. Rather, the effort to portray veterans as a greater threat than those crossing our borders illegally is specious. Indeed, the concern over the lax border controls (including but not exclusively at the Southern Border) is that we simply do not know who many of these individuals are. There are obviously many people (and countries) in the world who want to harm the United States. While they would previously attempt to get through airports and other entries, they are now far more likely to do so across an open border. Terrorists can be rational in their means even if they are irrational in their ideology and criminal acts.
Some on the left have picked up on O’Donnell’s spin, often citing a CBS News analysis of the data showing 26% of mass shooters over six decades have had military service or training. That is higher than the less than 10% of the population that has served. However, again, that is correlation not causation. Notably, that is less than a quarter of the mass shooters. What of the remaining? There are other correlations, such as religion or mental illness, that have equal or greater correlations. Any of them are capable of driving a truck into a crowd of people.
Moreover, the point seems to be that the concern over terrorists crossing the borders is overblown. There has been growing alarm over people on the terrorist watch lists who have been apprehended at the border. However, the great concern in Congress is the number of “gotaways,” which may now be in the millions.
The O’Donnell spin is ultimately more telling in terms of the media than it is the military. In the immediate wake of this horrific attack, the effort was to emphasize that the culprit was a veteran and not an undocumented person. It shows a certain mania in the media. We should be looking for patterns in these attacks. However, false causal connections drawn for political purposes will undermine not advance such efforts.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
“…this statement stands out for many in its unhinged effort to spin the tragedy…” – heavy emphasis on “unhinged”. That such as Mr. O’Donnell can remain on the air is one of the costs of doing business in a free society. Hopefully this hits MSNBC in the pocketbook… they have suffered a number of shits there lately. He is free to express himself, but nobody has to listen!
Anyone who truly cares about veterans should watch “Karl Marlantes” on the Bill Moyer’s show in the early 2000’s. Marlantes is a former combat veteran/hero that received the Bronze Star in Vietnam. Marlantes explains how combat rewires brain functions.
In the early 2000’s military experts were warning that exceeding 7 tours of combat duty was destroying the American military. In the Vietnam War, the average number of tours in combat was 2 tours.
Each and every day about 20 veterans commit suicide likely from excessive tours of duty. This fatality number exceeds the number of troops actually killed in combat.
The question is why the mainstream press is not focused on it more?
Larry O’Donnell is sooo smart, and he notices correlations and stuff. I am a bit confused, however, how he missed this rather huge correlated stuff – black people and violence. I mean, surely he has heard of Chicago and Killadelphia and Killwaukee and Memphis and Jackson. Half the murders in the country are committed by blacks, who constitute the base of Democrat power. How did Larry O’Donnell miss this??? Can someone help me understand how he overlooked it???
willful ignorance
The American Founders established a nation, its law, and its population.
America, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Naturalization Act of 1790.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Naturalization Acts of 1790, 1795, 1798, and 1802 (four iterations for total clarity)
United States Congress, “An act to establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization,” March 26, 1790
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That any Alien being a free white person, who shall have resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for the term of two years, may be admitted to become a citizen thereof…
Professor, please don’t waste any more of your considerable brainpower exposing these idiots on the Left for what they are. Please resist telling us how evil Rachel Maddow is or how stupid and biased Scarbourough and Brezinski are. We know all that.
Thank you.
he can’t, he needs the pageviews. Oh, buy his book to keep him out of poverty.
It’s not enough to criticize media outlets, or to scold them for their animus toward the nation itself. It’s time to step up and demand a declarative response from their corporate masters. He has drawn a battle line between MSNBC and the majority of the American people. We will no longer accept or tolerate the insults.
So you suggest we beat them up, or …?
Lawrence O’Donnell might be onto something! With its stupid DEI crap, the military has seen an influx of trannies and queers and non-binaries and fuzzies, and whatever kind of freak that Sam Brinton is -and these sorts of mentally ill, evil perverted people go apesh!t all the time, and do violent stuff. How long before some Air Force chick (trans man) on testosterone, sets off a nuclear bomb or something???
“[I]f you want to worry about terrorism in this country, the United States Army . . .” (Lawrence O’Donnell)
Notice the repulsive moral inversion (so typical of the Left).
That [expletive deleted] smears those who *defend* America (the military). Simultaneously, he excuses the barbarism of those who *attack* America (Muslim terrorists).
BLM leftist rioters and inner city criminals CAUSE more harm!
I truly hope Trump banishes the leftist press from the whitehouse!
Dear Mr. Turley, It is no surprise that the Left is now accusing US service men and women of being in line to become terrorists. I would like to read the thought of folks who comment here to offer what they may think of Pres. Biden honoring both Hillary Clinton and George Soros the Congressional Medal of Honor. I think it is the worst slap in the face of all Americans. Thank you.
Of course it was, and that is why whomever is running the presidency (not biden) did this in the same manner of a toddler trashing a grocery store because they can’t have a cookie . The left is having a malevolent tantrum just because they can and no one can stop them until January 20th. Just watch what else they will do before they are evicted from their ill-gotten seat of power.
It’s not hard to understand. Lawrence O’Donnell, if he had his way would eliminate the military. It’s his way of defending the people who cross the border illegally. In Trumps case he says that no one is above the law but those committing an illegal act in crossing the border are just fine with him. No ID and no screening is his plan of action. I’ll say her name. Laken Riley. It’s just amazing how MSNBC finds such silly people to host its programs. The first requirement for their employment is a heart of stone.
actually I believe government employees are a greater threat…like the inside jobs of J6,etc
Solution STOP wars, cut government 50%
Some on the left have picked up on O’Donnell’s spin, often citing a CBS News analysis of the data shows 26% of mass shooters over six decades have had military service or training.
🤔 I’m no math whiz, but doesn’t that mean 74% (3/4ths) did not have military service or training? So mass shootings would decline by 75% if military service were compulsory. An additional benefit would be a growth in the % that are ideologically conservative.
MSNBC, CBS, NBC, NPR, …. The Entire ‘Mid-Town Manhattan’ Broadcast Community needs to pays it’s Rent, and Letitia James | New York State Attorney General needs to get off her butt and take Their Landlords to Trial.
It’s all a cover-up by the Networks to disguise the fact that the Networks and their Building Landlords are insolvent (Upside down and Underwater) along with the Banks that hold the Notes. And they are All waiting for the Big Heist, the Federal Bailout to save Their skin in the game.
If Letitia James is looking for Fraud, then there it is, plain in your face, Colluded Corruption from James to the Networks, to their Landlords, to the Banks.
All these Gamblers are going to have to take their losses. The Citizen are not paying for this one – No Bail Outs –
“Caveat Emptor” which translates to “Let the Buyer Beware”.
James is not doing her job,the Trumps were targeted Selective Prosecution, She and Arthur Engoron need to finish what they started. They need to be held accountable for any Bailouts to come if they don’t. They are guilty of The Fleecing of America, for their part.
Vivek Ramaswamy & Elon Musk can stick it to Em, and in Musk’s case the Shorenstein Real Estate Investment Company in S.F, that own the 𝕏 Headquarters to.
They want to play Lawfair, then lets Play Ball.
Wall Street’s Lobby Firm Hired Eugene Scalia of Gibson Dunn to Sue the Fed for Jamie Dimon
The Bank Policy Institute calls itself “a nonpartisan public policy, research and advocacy group…” In fact, it’s a registered lobbyist for the megabanks on Wall Street. The Chairman of its Board of Directors is Jamie Dimon, the Chair and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States. The rest of its Board consists exclusively of the top executives of large banks, including Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.
By: Pam Martens and Russ Martens ~ December 31, 2024
https://wallstreetonparade.com/2024/12/wall-streets-lobby-firm-hired-eugene-scalia-of-gibson-dunn-to-sue-the-fed-for-jamie-dimon/
Arthur Engoron and Juan Merchan are the two most corrupt judges in American history and they need to pay.
The fate of MSNBC could be in Trump’s hands
“… Now, Trump is returning to power at a time when the hobbled media industry appears to be on the cusp of another frenzy of deals. And his administration will have ample opportunities to slow or even kill future transactions – lifeboats that some media companies may need to survive.
Case in point: Comcast revealed on Wednesday plans to spin off MSNBC, CNBC and other cable assets into a company that’s separate from the NBC broadcast network. …”
By: Matt Egan – CNN ~ November 21, 2024
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/21/business/msnbc-trump-comcast-cnbc/index.html
Jonathan, you’re a Contractor on various Media Outlets.
Time to let them know: Pay Me My Money! ‘In Cash’
O’Donnell is a . He was when he was on the McLaughlin Group years ago and has managed somehow to become even more of one. Hobnobbing with the others on MSNBC has apparently stunted any development of his cognitive abilities.
what does odonnel make a year? Couple mill? Its all about seeking atterntion to justify the money. Just like the crazies at the view, talk stupid, make millions.
True.. the right just rehashed the left. Good cop bad cop show…
you shouldnt care what msnbc says, its about proking weak minded people, like many here.
If no one but jt is watching it, then who cares?
jt is pullong your chains people. he just wants pageviews.
Just becaus he has a slew of degree doesnt make him smart or an intellectual.
The most common mistake made when discussing the prog/left is starting with the assumption that we are dealing with mature adults when we are, in fact, dealing with illogical cultists. It should come as no surprise how they attempt to rationalize their contemptable ideology. The truly frightening aspect of all of this is just how large it’s the cult.
“…because they are all “liars,” a label that now applies to a majority of American voters in the last election.”
So JT agrees trump supporters are liars? Notice the period at the end of JTs declarative sentence.
It’s O’Donnell’s label, not JT’s. But you knew that, didn’t you?
Incorrect, JT ends the statement, his words, with a period. “…a label that now applies to a majority of American voters in the last election.” Those are JTs words, not O’Donnell’s
But you already knew what liars trump supporters are don’t you?
Migrants eating the pets? Even JD admitted that was a lie, He said it was just a tory to tell a larger point.
Got your attention huh?
“the VA decided he no longer needed the dog and took it away.”
Even for someone who has as fundamental a mistrust of government as I do, that is reprehensible nearly beyond belief. Does that actually happen with any regularity? How much money could the VA possibly save by this action? It costs us about $2 – 3k per year to support our dog, and we don’t cut any corners. I’d bet the government could do the same for $1k or less (I’m assuming that the VA covers all expenses for maintenance of the dog, as well as initially training and providing it). NTM that the VA risks losing its initial investment in the dog by this action; that kind of abrupt separation is as hard (sometimes harder) on the dog as it is on its human family, and there is a strong possibility that the dog will not recover enough to be a suitable companion animal for another vet. In which case, I have no doubt that the government would callously just kill it.
Has anyone noticed that msnbc reports on one Boogie Man after another but never balanced news? In a few days it will be Trump, Trump, Trump.
yes, noticed it decades ago. Keep making bogeymen and the world will beat a path to your tv cjannel.