Give Me A Break Already.
Howard Finemen, usually of Newsweek, wrote an interesting column today for MSNBC. I say interesting for two reasons. First, Newsweek stated that none of their reporters or columnists will use "anonymous sources". Second, the language of the column reflects that of the very beginning, which is quoted below.
I’m sitting here with a gloomy letter from Iraq, written by a high-ranking officer I cannot name in a branch of service I cannot name in a part of the country I cannot name. But trust me, because I trust him. Iraqis, he says, have no feel for or belief in the democracy we want to create, and our occupation is making them less, not more, capable of self-government.
"Our eventual departure," he worries, "will leave nothing but cosmetic structure here." "Every mission," he writes, "requires a conscious escape from the resignation that there is nothing here to win and every occasion to fail."
Small miracles do happen—a child is saved, a generator is installed. There remain "possibilities." But sullen eyes along the roadsides give this officer "the feeling that we have stayed too long but can not leave."
So, Fineman starts his piece with an anonymous source, and the language presented by this "soldier" reflects that of Fineman himself. I know this because when my brother went into the military, his vocabulary adapted as he progressed through boot camp and the Ranger school. It was not "dumbed-down"; it was basic, to the point, no misunderstanding possible. He did not mince words, nor was he unpleasently blunt. He was still polite, but he wasted no time with "small talk".
But this is another example of the MSM’s push to tear down what we’re doing in Iraq. We’re not trying to dominate the nation. We’re like a proud father trying to teach his son to walk. He will not walk like papa. He will not take the same road that dad did. But he will walk. And he will walk, proud, standing tall, and all on his own. That’s what this stage is about. The only reason why we did not hear this sort of talk—much—out of the MSM when the Afghanistan phase of the GWOT was finished was because we were already going into Iraq. The media swung it’s rifle around, and drew a lock on our operations there.
This is not an endorsement for another invasion of another country; just to take the media off of Iraq. On the contrary, let them speak. Let them shout. Let them spout the lies. Their continued deceit of the American populace is refuted day after day, time after time, by intelligent people willing to stick their neck out, and challenge the mighty media.
Howard Fineman really has a problem, much like the one that Pat Buchanan had a week or so ago that Thomas fisked quite easily. Is the phase of Iraq worth the price being paid. I use the term "phase" because that is what it is. It is simply a phase or stage in the overall war. But is it worth it? I believe it is. I know my brother does. He did not join the military after 9/11 because he wanted to visit far away deserts, be grungy and dirty, and sweat his butt off all day. He did so because this nation was attacked, and like anyone else that considers themselves a patriot, he joined. Others joined the fray in their own ways. I am. I am a blogger, and I am going to school. Yes, I considered the military, but I respect my brother’s "opinion" that the military is not for me. Chalk it up to an overly-protective older brother.
But I support our efforts. I do not do it blindly. I do so with my eyes wide open, and under a constant state of research. When our troops do something wrong, I stand beside the JAG office in prosecuting them. If it is a media driven scandal, such as Abu Ghraib, and Lt. Pantano, then I politely and civilly request that the charges be dropped, or administrative punishment be meted out for their offense; slim, at best.
Whatever the people think of our troops, it should be stated again. This motto cannot be said enough to remind us of what our troops do—everyday—to protect this nation.
"Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
The Bunny ;)
Howard Finemen, usually of Newsweek, wrote an interesting column today for MSNBC. I say interesting for two reasons. First, Newsweek stated that none of their reporters or columnists will use "anonymous sources". Second, the language of the column reflects that of the very beginning, which is quoted below.
I’m sitting here with a gloomy letter from Iraq, written by a high-ranking officer I cannot name in a branch of service I cannot name in a part of the country I cannot name. But trust me, because I trust him. Iraqis, he says, have no feel for or belief in the democracy we want to create, and our occupation is making them less, not more, capable of self-government.
"Our eventual departure," he worries, "will leave nothing but cosmetic structure here." "Every mission," he writes, "requires a conscious escape from the resignation that there is nothing here to win and every occasion to fail."
Small miracles do happen—a child is saved, a generator is installed. There remain "possibilities." But sullen eyes along the roadsides give this officer "the feeling that we have stayed too long but can not leave."
So, Fineman starts his piece with an anonymous source, and the language presented by this "soldier" reflects that of Fineman himself. I know this because when my brother went into the military, his vocabulary adapted as he progressed through boot camp and the Ranger school. It was not "dumbed-down"; it was basic, to the point, no misunderstanding possible. He did not mince words, nor was he unpleasently blunt. He was still polite, but he wasted no time with "small talk".
But this is another example of the MSM’s push to tear down what we’re doing in Iraq. We’re not trying to dominate the nation. We’re like a proud father trying to teach his son to walk. He will not walk like papa. He will not take the same road that dad did. But he will walk. And he will walk, proud, standing tall, and all on his own. That’s what this stage is about. The only reason why we did not hear this sort of talk—much—out of the MSM when the Afghanistan phase of the GWOT was finished was because we were already going into Iraq. The media swung it’s rifle around, and drew a lock on our operations there.
This is not an endorsement for another invasion of another country; just to take the media off of Iraq. On the contrary, let them speak. Let them shout. Let them spout the lies. Their continued deceit of the American populace is refuted day after day, time after time, by intelligent people willing to stick their neck out, and challenge the mighty media.
Howard Fineman really has a problem, much like the one that Pat Buchanan had a week or so ago that Thomas fisked quite easily. Is the phase of Iraq worth the price being paid. I use the term "phase" because that is what it is. It is simply a phase or stage in the overall war. But is it worth it? I believe it is. I know my brother does. He did not join the military after 9/11 because he wanted to visit far away deserts, be grungy and dirty, and sweat his butt off all day. He did so because this nation was attacked, and like anyone else that considers themselves a patriot, he joined. Others joined the fray in their own ways. I am. I am a blogger, and I am going to school. Yes, I considered the military, but I respect my brother’s "opinion" that the military is not for me. Chalk it up to an overly-protective older brother.
But I support our efforts. I do not do it blindly. I do so with my eyes wide open, and under a constant state of research. When our troops do something wrong, I stand beside the JAG office in prosecuting them. If it is a media driven scandal, such as Abu Ghraib, and Lt. Pantano, then I politely and civilly request that the charges be dropped, or administrative punishment be meted out for their offense; slim, at best.
Whatever the people think of our troops, it should be stated again. This motto cannot be said enough to remind us of what our troops do—everyday—to protect this nation.
"Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
The Bunny ;)
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 3:33 PM
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