Though 'terrified' of Montel Williams' followers, Salon's 'Stop worshiping men in uniform' writer tries again

Brett T. | 11:34 PM on December 18, 2014

https://twitter.com/Montel_Williams/status/545764170679865345

That pretty well sums it up. Days before Veterans Day, Salon posted a piece by David Masciotra chiding Americans for their “particularly childish trait” of anointing all active military “heroes” rather than enlisting in the antiwar movement as a “more helpful and productive act of citizenship.” Reserving the word “hero” for social workers, hospice workers and inner-city teachers instead “would place the spotlight on tender and selfless acts of solidarity and empathy for the poor.”

Accompanied by a tweet insisting, “Stop worshiping men in uniform,” the piece generated a backlash, as well as a righteous response from Montel Williams, that prompted Masciotra to delete his Twitter account. He poked his head out of his groundhog hole on Veterans Day to urge “wingnut” critics of his piece to “keep it coming,” and then he got going … again.

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Apparently criticism of Masciotra’s offensive and intellectually dishonest piece (and the alleged death threats; ask Twitchy founder Michelle Malkin about dealing with those) marked the end of free speech in America. And yet Masciotra is back with a 4,000-word piece about 1) his “week in the right-wing lie machine” and 2) things he should have included in Take 1 of his piece.

“The language I used to express some of my points … lacked the sensitivity necessary for acknowledging the loss many families suffer when their loved ones enlist,” Masciotra writes in Take 2, along with several “I should haves,” though he stands by his thesis.

Free speech? I tried, but fans of @Montel_Williams @michellemalkin & @KennedyNation kept sending me death threats http://t.co/VLmuehRecq

— Salon (@Salon) December 18, 2014