Please tell me he DIDN'T say that...

[Dreamer]

I was watching CNN Sunday night, and Don Lemon was the anchor, interviewing several people about the Gaza situation, and Israel's ground incursion, and he had a fellow on named Brigadier General David Grange to discuss this at about 6:24pm. Here is how the interview started:

LEMON: And the Israelis say one soldier has died in the ground attack. CNN military analyst former Brigadier General David Grange is with us now, he is the president and CEO of McCormick foundation, one of the country's largest public charities.

And General Grange, it's just a day or two in Israel's ground assault into Gaza. What does it look like where you sit? Is this a situation that can be won, do you think militarily, or is this something that's going to have to be negotiated by possibly NATO?

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET): Well, the military is only one aspect of the final solution. Let me comment on the military aspects, not the political.

Please, someone, tell me he DIDN'T say that...

Grange was a Brig.Gen. in the US Army, a Green Beret, and an Army Ranger. This is a man who has spent his entire life choosing his words VERY carefully, and speaking in the most precise, straightforward, and clear-cut manner possible--that is what Brig.Gen.'s do, because they are "boots on the ground" type field officers--when he issues an order, or posts a command, it needs to be understood by EVERYONE the FIRST TIME. This is a man that does NOT use ambiguous language, or throw words around that don't mean anything, or use the WRONG words to mean something.

So when this guy says, in describing the Israeli attitudes toward the Palestinians, that this current military operation into Gaza is "only one aspect of the final solution", you gotta stop and think, what exactly did he mean. Did he mean what he said, IN CONTEXT, or does that phrase, "final solution" mean something completely different here--unlike ANY OTHER TIME that phrase has been used in the media in the last 60 years?

I was actually so taken aback by the use of that phrase in the context of discussing Israel, that I literally dove across the couch for the remote and (I LOVE my DVR and digital cable) hit rewind, and then record. And sure enough, there it was.

Brig.Gen. David Grange, saying on CNN in living color for all the world to see, that this Israeli military incursion into Gaza was "only one aspect of the final solution." What the hell was he thinking?

You can't make this shit up folks. Go to CNN's official transcript page and read it for yourself. This interview is about halfway down the page.

Please, someone, tell me he DIDN'T say that...

 

[twich54]

You know .....I was born 55 years ago....the Jews and the Arabs(Muslims) didn't like each other then, so whether I live 55 more days or 55 more years it will still be the same thing, they aren't having each other over for dinner !

peacfull co-existence would be a beautifull thing !!

 

[C.A.P]

You know .....I was born 55 years ago....the Jews and the Arabs(Muslims) didn't like each other then, so whether I live 55 more days or 55 more years it will still be the same thing, they aren't having each other over for dinner !

peacfull co-existence would be a beautifull thing !!

Really what has changed there ?

 

[Dreamer]

Although I agree with you both, I think you're missing the point of my post. I'm not taking sides--both sides in this conflict are guilty of extremism. I have no doubt that this conflict will continue to follow the patters it has for the last 60 years. I'm not offering solutions, or even expecting someone else to come up with one.

Truth be told, there is no solution, other than both sides coming to the realization that the folks on the other side are HUMAN BEINGS, and they should treat them as such. Until that day, the bombs will continue to fly in both directions.

The point of my post was to bring to your attention the choice of words used by General Grange in describing Israel's military and diplomatic strategy in this situation. He used the phrase "the final solution". He did not say "a solution" or "the solution". He said "the final solution". And although the transcript doesn't really show the pace of his words, when I saw the video on CNN live, the way Grange spoke that phrase was even more chilling than the words he chose. He spoke each word in that three-word phrase with deliberate, distinct weight, and put a tiny pause in between each word, like he was "capitalizing" each word in speech. The written transcript on CNN's website doesn't show this--you have to see the video to understand what I mean. But there is no doubt that this was not a flippant choice of words, or a "throwaway" comment. He chose and spoke those three words with the deliberation and gravity that only a career Brig.Gen. can. This is a guy that says what he means and means what he says, and THAT is what creeped me out the most about the comment. That phrase is historically charged enough as it is, but to hear it uttered in that manner, and in that context, by that sort of person was just a little too much to bear.

I can't believe the media isn't all over this. And what's even more astounding is that Don Lemon didn't even blink an eye--he just kept on going with the interview. It's like that phrase didn't even register...

Am I the only person on the planet that saw this news clip? Or I am I just the only one who was historically and politically awake enough to hear it?

 

[Bernard]

He said "the final solution".

I see your point. That was a particularly bad choice of words as Hitler also used that phrase.

 

[Tuko]

I saw the clip you are talking about....Its unreal he would choose those words.
I think he needs to upgrade the cable running from his brain to his lips!!!!

 

[slowGEEZR]

What do you think he should have said, "end result"? I see no problem with his choice of words, as one would hope that someday there will be a final solution to the Israel-Palestine problem. Don't hold those words captive, as they accurately convey his meaning. Though, I agree with Dave, I don't think it will happen in my lifetime.

Now, if he had been walking on the 7th floor of the Arial Rios building in Washington, D.C. with a Jewish friend of mine and stopped at a row of furnaces and said, "Ah, zee final solution", then that would have been a poor choice of words. My Jewish friend went ballistic and the guy who said it was the recipient of a few choice words himself.

 

[Pcar928fan]

I don't have a problem with final solution... it does not indicate eradication of anyone or turning over Isreal to the PLO or anything else to me... Maybe I am just missing something. Wouldn't be the first time that has happened! LOL!

That whole situation over there is just depressing. I keep saying, why can't we all just get along?! Come one guys...you are neighbors, learn to live in PEACE (at least...if not harmony) with each other!

 

[Statman]

I think you're blowing it way out of proportion? It's not proper to ever say "final solution" because one crazed leader that was psychotic to begin with said it? What other words are we going to censor for you? I'm am so amazed that after this period of time the two factions are still fighting over a tiny strip of land! I guess nothing has changed at all or ever will.

 

[Tuko]

I think,given the fact hes a Brig.Gen. and hes speaking on Nation wide T.V,he sould have known the History of that statement and saved it for the bar room with his Buddies.Its not about not being able to say"The Final Solution" ,its a matter of respect.

 

[twich54]

How 'bout this.........."da solution is final, no if's, and's, or butt's" !!

geez louise we 've got inocent children getting killed over there who gives a rat's arse what he said !!!!!!

 

[slowGEEZR]

I think,given the fact hes a Brig.Gen. and hes speaking on Nation wide T.V,he sould have known the History of that statement and saved it for the bar room with his Buddies.Its not about not being able to say"The Final Solution" ,its a matter of respect.

I understand what you're saying, but I don't believe that one should hold words hostage. Yes, 60 years ago there was a "final solution" enacted by Hitler, but for crying out loud, not using those two words to describe something that they acurately describe as they were used by the General should not be offensive. There are bigger problems in the world (Israel/Palestine conflict for one) than worrying about a possible sensitivity offense.