Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Let's Have a Majority View, Please


Have you ever noticed how the MSM likes to quote the soldiers who whine a lot? Remember that big scandal in the beginning of the war when reporters trolled around looking for "juicy" sound bites, and they came up with some gems like "Rumsfeld should resign" and "what the heck are we doing here?" I'll readily admit that there are soldiers out there who resent the fact that they're being forced to do their jobs in order to earn a paycheck. You'll find such people in any occupation/organization in the world. In almost every case, such people are a small minority among the workforce. In the military, my personal experience tells me that such people are so rare- I've only met about 15 or so. That's pretty amazing, since I've worked with thousands during my 9 years of Active Duty. But whiners do exist- Michael Moore published a whole book full of them. Moore and his friends in the MSM want to trick the world into believing that these overhyped "dissenters" are the majority among us- as opposed to the tiny minority that they truly represent. People like me, Froggy, Chester, and just about all the other Milbloggers out there are dismissed as "abberations"- foolish voices crying out in the dark. We don't know what we're talking about- just ask Mr. Moore (who has never worn a military uniform).

Here's the good news- some of us are famous. Not many- but some. The MSM can't ignore famous people- that would go against the laws of news-for-profit. You see, it's hard to say that most soldiers don't believe in what they're doing, when all the famous ones keep proving otherwise. Pat Tillman walked away from a million dollar football contract to join the Rangers and fight in Afghanistan. It's hard to ignore something like that. Command Sergeant Major James Jordan (Michael Jordan's brother) recently gained approval to stay in the Army past his mandatory retirement age in order to lead 2000+ soldiers in Iraq. Can't really ignore that one either. And what about Pat Daly? He's Chicago Mayor (Democrat) Richard Daly's son. He's 29 years old, holds an MBA, and now he's going to enlist in the Army and start out as a Private. I met Pat during his brief stint at West Point, and I can say with all confidence that he'll make an outstanding soldier. The MSM can't ignore these people. Believe me- if they could, they would.

Well, here's the rest of the story- while these people are heroes for choosing service and sacrifice over "easy street"- they are far from being unique with respect to their commitment to the cause. In fact, they represent the overwhelming majority of the soldiers who serve. You will not find any of this in Michael Moore's book. You will be hard pressed to find any "non-famous" soldiers like them being quoted or written about in the MSM. I know, I know- my word may not mean much- but I found some supporting evidence in the NY Post Editorial about CSM Jordan:


Of course, one need not look to the sibling of a sports star to witness the commitment of America's military.

Just look at the re-enlistment rates: Of the Army's 10 active-duty divisions, nine are exceeding re-enlistment goals by 5 percent or more.

That's the real story.


Here in the Forum- nothing is safe from the truth. Sorry, Mr. Moore...

Speaking of Biased Media

This is one of the best stories I've ever read on the subject. It's right on the money- read it!


If you trust most media accounts fed to American viewers and readers, Iraq is an unmitigated disaster. There is no security throughout the country, and armed insurgents are springing up, sown like dragon's teeth by the offensive of the U.S. military forces. The scheduled elections are highly uncertain. Indeed, 100,000 Iraqis have been killed by U.S. forces. Iraqis have never had it so bad. It is a drumbeat with echoes of the way the American media reported the Vietnam War.

Those who have the opportunity to hear the accounts of Americans serving in Iraq often come away with a completely different impression. Many readers of this newspaper who have relatives and friends serving in Iraq know that they hear differently from them. This point was recently brought up by Ambassador Edward Rowney in a Council on Foreign Relations discussion with former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brezinski, who is an ardent critic of the war. Mr. Brezinski's response was to dismiss first-hand accounts as mere anecdotal evidence.

A weekly update of reconstruction projects in Iraq can be located on the Web site of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Much of this good work you will never find reported, precisely because no news is good news for much of the U.S. media. And the foreign media is even worse.


Read all of it!

Desert Sky Update

I hope you all got to watch Eric on FOX News' Dayside with Linda Vester. He did an outstanding job on the set, and he's already heard from a few distributers since the show. Well done, Eric! Stay tooned for continuous movie updates...

Last Roll Call

As an Army Aviator, I truly hate to hear about accidents like the one that happened two days ago near Fort Hood. It sounds like the weather closed in quickly on them, and they ended up hitting some tower-support wires.

Maj. Gen. James Thurman, commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division, said "we lost seven great soldiers and seven great Americans."

"We lost some of the most talented and experienced and dedicated soldiers in the United States Army," the general said. "We cannot fully appreciate the ultimate sacrifice these men made to their country."

Brig. Gen. Charles B. Allen, 49, assistant division commander of the 4th Infantry Division.

Col. James M. Moore, 47

Capt. Todd T. Christmas, 26

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Douglas V. Clapp, 48

Chief Warrant Officer 2 David H. Gardner Jr., 32

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Mark W. Evans Jr., 27

Spc. Richard L. Brown, 29

Please keep them and their families in your thoughts.

1 comment:

Ian Barker said...

Yourr the best