AFHGAN AUTHORITIES SAY TWO GUARDS AND AT LEAST FIVE ATTACKERS WERE KILLED AFTER A TALIBAN SUICIDE BOMBER AND FIVE GUNMEN ATTACKED A GUEST HOUSE OF AN INTL AID GROUP IN CAPITAL KABUL *

ATTACKS SET OFF A SHOOTOUT THAT LASTED FOR HOURS *

THE TALIBAN QUICKLY CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY *

IT WAS THE SECOND MAJOR STRIKE IN KABUL IN JUST MORE THAN A WK *

INTL MONETARY FUND CHIEF CHRISTINE LAGARDE NAMED AS A KEY WITNESS IN AN INVESTIGATION INTO A CONTROVERSIAL PAYOFF TO A FRENCH BUSINESSMAN *

THE PAYOFF ALLEGEDLY HAPPENED WHILE SHE WAS FRANCE'S FINANCE MIN *

LAGARDE SAYS THE PARIS COURT HANDED HER THE STATUS OF "ASSISTING WITNESS" IN ITS PROBE OF A $520 MIL PAYOFF TO BUSINESS TYCOON BERNARD TAPIE *

LAGARDE COULD LATER BE CHARGED IN THE CASE *

PRES OBAMA WARNS NAVAL ACADEMY GRADUATES OF THE SERIOUSNESS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THE ARMED FORCES *

IN A COMMENCEMENT SPEECH FRI IN ANNAPOLIS, MD, MR OBAMA SAID SEXUAL ASSAULT IS A CRIME THAT HAS "NO PLACE IN THE GREATEST MILITARY ON EARTH" *

SPEECH COMES IN THE MIDST OF WIDESPREAD REPORTS OF SUCH MISCONDUCT THROUGHOUT THE MILITARY *

A RECENT PENTAGON REPORT ESTIMATES UP TO 26,000 MILITARY MEMBERS MAY HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED LAST YR AND THAT THOUSANDS MORE ARE UNWILLING TO COME FORWARD *

JURY FOREMAN IN JODI ARIAS' TRIAL SAYS THE PANEL COULDN'T DECIDE WHETHER ARIAS KILLING HER EX-BOYFRIEND WARRANTED A DEATH SENTENCE *

WILLIAM ZERVAKOS SAID THE JURORS THOUGHT IT WAS UNFAIR FOR 12 AVERAGE AMERICANS TO DECIDE ARIAS' FATE *

THE SAME JURY CONVICTED ARIAS OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER ON MAY 8, IN THE 2008 KILLING OF HER EX-BOYFRIEND TRAVIS ALEXANDER *

THE JUDGE DECLARED A MISTRIAL THURSDAY AFTER THE JURY DEADLOCKED *

A NEW JURY WILL BE CHOSEN FOR A NEW PENALTY PHASE SET FOR JULY *

FED JUDGE RULES OFFICE OF SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO IN MARICOPA COUNTY, AZ, ENGAGES IN RACIAL PROFILING *

U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE MURRAY SNOW ALSO RULED FRI THAT PEOPLE STOPPED BY ARPAIO'S DEPUTIES ARE DETAINED FOR UNREASONABLY LONG PERIODS *

RULING BACKS UP ALLEGATIONS BY CRITICS SUCH AS THE ACLU THAT ARPAIO RELIES ON RACE IN ENFORCING IMMIGRATION *

ARPAIO HAS DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS *

WA GOV JAY INSLEE (D) SAYS FED OFFICIALS ARE SEARCHING FOR A TEMPORARY REPLACEMENT FOR THE I-5 BRIDGE THAT COLLAPSED INTO THE SKAGIT RIVER THURS NIGHT *

INSLEE SAYS REBUILDING THE 160-FOOT SECTION COULD TAKE MONTHS IF A REPLACEMENT CAN'T BE FOUND *

STATE OFFICIALS SAY AN OVERSIZED TRUCK CAUSED THE COLLAPSE AFTER HITTING AN OVERHEAD SPAN *

TWO VEHICLES PLUMMETED INTO THE WATER LEAVING THREE PEOPLE INJURED *

FDA RECEIVES REPORTS OF SEVEN CASES INVOLVING POTENTIALLY CONTAMINATED STEROID MEDICATIONS MADE BY A PHARMACY IN NEWBERN, TN *

INJECTIONS CONTAIN THE SAME DRUG AT THE CENTER OF LAST YR'S DEADLY FUNGAL MENINGITIS OUTBREAK THAT KILLED MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE *

THE PHARMACY HAS RECALLED THE PRODUCTS PENDING AN INVESTIGATION *

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I don’t get some of you….it is almost as though some of you are looking for a fight where you don’t need to …click and see what I am talking about (and post your thoughts!)

by

Sep 26 2012 - 5:02 PM ET

comments

(What provoked this blog posting is a GretaWire comment that I have copied at the end of this post)

—

I don’t know if you have noticed or not….but for the almost 20 years I have been anchoring a cable news show, both at CNN and here at Fox, I have always shown RESPECT in referring to the guests and people about whom we report.  I know other anchors are more familiar in their references to guests – but that is their business and what they think is right.  I am more formal.

I refer to those who I do not know at all, or who have attained a title by virtue of their work or relationships as Mr., Mrs. or that title.   Even after a guest leaves a job, the proper protocol is to continue to address them formally by their earned title.

You may have noticed….I always refer to Ambassador John Bolton as Ambassador (and I now know him pretty well since he has been on our show often…I even call him Ambassador in the Green Room)….President Obama, as President….Senator McCain as Senator….Governor Palin as Governor….Herman Cain, as Mr. Cain….Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as Secretary….First Lady Michele Obama as Mrs. Obama or the First Lady …Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as Senator… Reverend Jesse Jackson as Reverend….Reverend Franklin Graham as Reverend in public and on air (and since I am close to Reverend Graham I call him Franklin in private.)

The list goes on and on and on…

….and I just realized, that I even call Reverend Wright by his title of Reverend and I sure have lots of disagreement with him.

I have  lamented that I don’t know how to refer to my friend Pam Bondi who since our friendship began has become an Attorney General.  In referring to her on air I use the respectful title of “General” but I have also been known to slip – out of habit – and call her Pam on air. For years at CNN Lynn Cheney was a colleague — she hosted weekend CrossFire and I co hosted Burden of Proof.  I called her Lynn for years!  It would have been weird to call her as a colleague anything but Lynn.   That all changed when her husband became the Vice President and then I always called her, on air and off air, Mrs. Cheney.  I still call her Mrs. Cheney when I see her.   

I was raised to show respect — and incidentally, even respect to those with whom I disagree.   I confess I can slip and use the familiar, but for the most part, I try to show respect in how I refer to people on air.  

I don’t know Mrs. Romney (other than the handful of times I have interviewed her over the years.)  She deserves my respect and I will continue to call her Mrs. Romney.  

Yes it is true that from time to time I may slip from my usual and call her Ann since I hear others call her Ann on air.   I will make mistakes in referring to her and to others — but I am at least trying to get it right in my references to them on air.

Of course there is nothing wrong with calling her Ann – it just isn’t what I am accustomed to do.    If she asks me to call her Ann, I will – but until that point, I will show her respect with the more formal reference.  She is the wife of the candidate for President of the United.

So it is with great bewilderment I read the following comment posted on GretaWire below….and wonder, are you just looking for a fight? a reason to complain?  

PS – remind me to blog some time in detail about calling Former Secretary of State George Schultz “George” on air when I was at CNN.  He specifically asked me to use George and the viewers went nuts on me for being disrespectful to him.

*** BY THE WAY — YOU DO KNOW ME ….I KNOW YOU…so call me Greta as you always have.  (Yes, I saw that at least one of you referred to me and teased me  in the comments here by calling me Ms. Van Susteren.  That sounds like a scary 3rd grade teacher!)

So here is the comment on GretaWire (below) that provoked this blog posting by me….and it is YOUR turn:

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