Victories in Iraq: what the mass media doesn't report

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sentinel28a RE:Victories in Iraq: what the mass media doesn't report 8/9/2005 6:00:05 PM

I'll pass one on from my friend who is currently over there. He and a few of his buddies got together and spent two weeks' pay on soccer balls for the children in his area, most of whom are very poor. They used their own money for that, and distributed them on patrol, despite the danger from some terrorist driving a car bomb into them while they stopped. I've yet to see any insurgents handing out candy or soccer balls, so you'll excuse me, Mr. Moore, if I think you're something less than human by comparing our troops to Nazis and the insurgents to Minutemen. And you can bite me, New York Times, by saying that there haven't been a lot of reports of heroes in this war. You've been ignoring what's right in front of your myopic eyes. I know a hero, and I'm damn proud to say that I do.

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doggtag When a hero comes along... 8/9/2005 11:41:50 PM

Sentinel, I think that's why so much of the rest of the world (as the mass media reports it, and a handful of anti-American posters here) despise the US military so much: it's just because of the fact that our fighting men and women (along with what true allies we have) go above and beyond the call far more than most other nations' militaries combined. US military personnel do so much for so many, asking so little in return (but certainly see it in the eyes of men, women, and children they have brought hope to.) I would ask all the children in Afghanistan and Iraq who now have schools, school supplies, books, medical care, toys, and candy that they've never had the priviledge of before, if they think the US military are evil and bad people. (There is a school supply manufacturer and distributor in my hometown who, despite of criticism from many saying we shouldn't even be there, donated over $1000 in school supplies to go with local National Guardians when they deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan over the past few years. Some might say, $1000 doesn't go very far. But for the children who received it, it was the beginning of a whole new world of opportunities, something of a priviledge they didn't have under their former tyrants' leadership, all because they may have belonged to what was looked at as an inferior social caste: perhaps that's yet another reason those nations fear our western democracy: we have proven that men and women of all creeds, races, religions, and castes have the opportunity to make so much more of their lives, much more than the dictators and tyrants of those foreign lands would allow of their people.) As far as America being the evil, aggressive empire, where is all the humanitarian aid flooding into those countries from nations like china and france? (unless there's a lucrative weapons contract up for grabs, most other nations stay away from such things as though good PR relations with a suffering nation were beneath them.) Where are all the schools, fresh water projects, hospitals, and food programs established by other countries? (hey UN, wake your @ss up and do your damn job, so America doesn't have to do it all for you. I hope Bolton puts a boot in some of your lazy @sses!) But one good thing about the mass media in general: just as it seldom (OK, almost never) reports all the good the US military is doing, it seldom reports anything good the other UN nations have done, neither. But of course, that could be because the majority of the rest of the UN haven't BEEN doing their fair share of humanitarianism in the world (except only in the advent of major natural disasters...gotta keep up the good puiblic image.) God forbid the day when the US withdraws its support from around the rest of the world and holes up within its own borders, solely concerned with its own internal interests. No other nation in the world has the financial or manpower resources to give a damn about helping anyone else out (no offense to our allies, at least their willing to commit something alongside us.) Does the rest of the world think china or france will look out for worldwide stability better than the US has ever done? Considering the scrapes that the US and its circle of immediate friends has bailed the rest of the world out of, the world as a whole should be a little more thankful that enough American heroes HAVE come along at the right time, be it the military folks who actually fight and die to preserve freedom's cause from tyrants and dictators, or the corporate industrialists (can't believe I'm saying this, but they've done their part also) whose financial resources bailed out nations in times of financial depression. Had it not been for America's influence on the quest for freedom across the world (and certainly we have pursued profit in the process also), I wonder how many other nations would've found the internal compulsion to generate enough heroes when parts of the world fell into times of despair.

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sentinel28a RE:When a hero comes along... 8/10/2005 1:22:32 AM

I have to agree, Doggtag. For instance, UNICEF and WHO, when managed well, have worked miracles in underdeveloped nations. When the tsunami hit, just about every nation that could stepped up and pledged money. It was nice seeing Thai and US C-130s alongside Russian and Chinese Il-76s and Y-8s. But the media only likes to throw in "feel-good" stories at the end of the broadcast, to leave on a high note. Most of the time they lead off with "MORE DEATHS IN IRAQ!" or "TSUNAMI WIPES OUT THOUSANDS!" or "WHITE GIRL STILL MISSING IN ARUBA!" (No disrespect to Natalee or her family, but the poor girl is dead. Allow her family to mourn in peace.) If it bleeds, it leads is the motto of TV media and rapidly that of print media as well. Instead of reporting the news, they pursue an agenda. We had forest fires threatening to overrun one of the mountain towns out here in Montana, with firefighters essentially recreating Khe Sanh with their defense procedures. What's the local newspaper trumpeting? "14 MARINES KILLED IN IRAQ". Local disasters can't undermine the war or Bush, so those get pushed down to the middle of the front page. Hell, even MSN left off reporting that the Discovery had made it back without exploding to inform me that yet more people were killed in Iraq. I know that's news and it's important, but just for a few hours I'd like to be happy. Heaven knows what these people would've done during WWII.

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doggtag RE:When a hero comes along... 8/10/2005 5:05:07 AM

...kind of like that old Anne Murray song, "we sure could use a little good news today."

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shek RE:When a hero comes along... 8/10/2005 7:42:46 AM

If you want to read a good commentary on the MSM, specifically the NYT, check out www.iraqnow.blogspot.com There is a great article that rips the NYT for an editorial that states that Bush 43 hasn't pumped up hero stories. The blogger takes them to task. I'd cut and paste, but there are a half dozen links that he uses as evidence of the ignorance of the NYT.

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shek RE:Victories in Iraq: what the mass media doesn't report 8/11/2005 12:09:01 AM

Here's some more bloggings from www.iraqnow.blogspot.com This blogger is a FL ARNG CPT who commands an infantry company and spent time in Ramadi while in Iraq. He routinely destroys MSM articles in detail. Enjoy the following: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morale Funds and PX's Via the Emperfect, here's more on the 1-184th and LTC Patrick Frey: California Army National Guard troops charged unauthorized, off-the-books "rent" to Iraqi-owned businesses inside Baghdad's Green Zone in Iraq to raise money for a "soldier's fund," military officials and sources within the troops' battalion said Friday. The disclosure is the latest to emerge from a wide-ranging investigation into the conduct of the 1st Battalion of the 184th Infantry Regiment of the Guard, which is headquartered in Modesto, Calif. Military officials had confirmed previously that the battalion's commander, Lt. Col. Patrick Frey, had been suspended and that one of the battalion's companies, based in Fullerton, Calif., had been removed from patrol duties and restricted to an Army base south of Baghdad, the capital. According to military officials and members of the battalion, soldiers from the battalion's Bravo Company, which is based in Dublin, an East Bay suburb of San Francisco, approached several businesses earlier this year that were owned and operated by Iraqi nationals. The businesses -- a dry cleaner, a convenience store and the like -- catered to U.S. soldiers and were located on the fringe of the U.S. military's operating base inside the Green Zone, the fortified hub of the Iraqi government, U.S. occupation officials, embassies and contractor headquarters. The businesses were asked to pay the soldiers "rent." Lt. Col. Cliff Kent, spokesman for the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq, confirmed Friday that two vendors agreed to pay. The money was used to create a "soldier's fund," said one member of the battalion, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Such funds are used by troops for a wide variety of purposes, such as small loans to repay bills back home or buying commemorative so-called "challenge coins" -- often specially minted to foster morale inside a unit. Kent said the fund created from the rent money also was used to buy T-shirts, patches and a safe. So far, no one is alleging that the funds were misallocated. It sounds a lot like the deal we make with the Army/Air Force Exchange program: A portion of proceeds goes to the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation fund on every post. My own company ran a mini PX in Iraq which was very popular, and a portion of those proceeds went to MWR programs in Iraq, and it was entirely legit and above board. And vendors at PXs pay rent everywhere you go, in order to do business with soldiers. Let's get some perspective here. Just don't rely on the Los Angeles Times for it. Splash, out Jason [LINK] posted by Jason : 23:50 EST, Wednesday, August 10, 2005 How the L.A. Times sources its Iraq stories A few separate readers have referred me to this educational piece by Los Angeles Times staff writers Rone Tempest and Scott Gold - a profile on a California National Guard battalion commander now stationed in Iraq. The piece attempts to capture the flavor of an unorthodox and colorful commander and his command climate - a study in military leadership, which is always a subject of interest to me. Unfortunately, the piece is educational not because it tells me anything about this commander and his methods, but because it tells me a lot about what passes for reporting at the Los Angeles Times. * The article was written entirely from the United States. No Times reporter apparently ever visited the unit in the field. * Media math: 11 soldiers out of 800 charged with detainee abuse = < 1.4% of his command being charged (not convicted) = "widespread abuse." * The Times ran the profile without even talking to the subject of the story. Not because he refused to comment, but because cell phone calls weren't returned. (You think a battalion commander in combat might be a little busy? You should have called his adjutant, losers.) * The Times got a quote on how "everybody" was shocked at the colonel's unorthodox methods -- from a guy who didn't even deploy with the unit. * Here's what passes for a color quote: "When we heard him say that, we heard a lot of people go "Oh." Yeah, that's hitting the pitch out of the park, scoop. You're a regular Ernie Pyle! * He relies on one Staff Sergeant Dominguez, who is one of LTC Frey's critics, and says his eccentricities were beyond anything he had ever seen. (Good thing Dominguez never served under Stonewall Jackson or George Patton!). But Dominguez isn't even in Iraq with his unit. He's in CONUS, "awaiting honorable discharge." What does that mean? Why isn't this guy forward with his unit? Think there might be a backstory here, scoop? What are you not telling us? Think Dominguez might not have been brought forward for a REASON? Think Dominguez might have been sacked? Are you really that gullible? * What's up with the scare quotes in the expression "soldiers would "clear" their weapons," dude? * The reporter, apparently, thinks it's weird for a commander to counsel his troops not to around on pass. I thee not...the fact that he advised his soldiers not to be sexually promiscuous while on pass is evidence of his unfitness for command in the LA Times. Must be a Californial thing. . All told, a sorry effort. But this is the quality of news that's making our nation's papers, and this is where the public is getting its impression of the war from. Splash, out Jason [LINK] posted by Jason : 23:19 EST The Ouvre of a reporter Damien Cave, the guy who wrote this piece of tripe blaming the New York Times' failure to cover our nation's war heros on the Bush Administration, actually has a number of pieces on the military beat to his credit. Of the last 100 pieces he's written for the times, he's written 18 articles on the military. 14 of them were on recruiting difficulties. 1 was on a town grieving its dead and wounded. 1 was on the death of two New York National Guardsmen. and 2 were on a soldier charged with fragging. Nice work from Blue State Conservative, who has much more. You can write the Times Public Editor at public@nytimes.com. Splash, out Jason

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shek RE:Victories in Iraq: what the mass media doesn't report 8/11/2005 12:10:52 AM

Here's the original article that I was referring to. I'd go to the website to check out the links on the site - he's good at hyperlinking previous articles that serve as primary source evidence: www.iraqnow.blogspot.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New York Times: A study in dysfunction Dear Times editorial staff, Thank you for the questions you raised in this article, in which you quite gallingly manage to blame the President for the absence of positive news stories in your newspaper. I'm glad you're finally showing an interest in the issue. As any recovering addict will tell you, the first step is to admit you have a problem. Of course, you haven't gotten to that stage in your recovery yet. But when you're dealing with with a neurotic who's so hopelessly consumed in their dysfunction, even the smallest signs of progress are great victories. Nevertheless, I'll be straight with you. The reason we see so few positive stories in your paper is, quite frankly, because you have failed. You have failed your readership, and you have failed your community. You have failed because you are so immersed in the dysfunction of reflexive urban liberalism that, like the drunken, lampshade-wearing man who embarrasses himself and everyone around him at the company Christmas party, your shortcomings have become patently obvious to everyone around you except yourself and your enablers. Let me take you back to 2004. Brian Chontosh, a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, won our nation's second highest military award, the Navy Cross, when he closed with and destroyed an enemy element at close quarters in a classic example of battlefield decisiveness and audacity. Chontosh's action was certainly a newsworthy event. His was the first Navy Cross or Distinguished Service Cross level award issued for the Iraq war, and was the highest award issued until that time. And yet a search of your website for Brian Chontosh's name turns up not a single mention prior to today's column. You, of course, blame the White House for failing to promote his story. But since when do New York Times reporters need to be spoon fed stories by the White House? Is this the kind of newsroom staff you've created? But even then, you're still wrong. Because even as the USMC was decisively engaged in Fallujah, the Marine Corps published his story on the USMC website, and issued a press release describing the action. It even came with a photograph. Somehow, the Sacramento Bee got wind of the story. As did a number of your readers. Pretty much everyone in the military knew who Brian Chontosh was as soon as he got awarded the Navy Cross - and marveled at the lack of coverage in what was once a respectable newspaper. So the local and regional press got it, the military press had it, and the soldiers and marines in the field had it, and were talking about it. And there was a press release about it. Hell, the Wall Street Journal got the story, right down the road from you. And you didn't pick it up. And like any addict, you're playing the victim, blaming everyone around you but yourself for missing the scoop. And so those of us in the military, and who have loved ones in the military, can only scratch our heads and marvel at the dysfunctional attitute you are showing about this incredibly huge blind spot in your coverage. And a glaring blind spot it is. I would love to be able to say that Chontosh was a one-off. But it wasn't. Consider: You raised the specific instance of SFC Paul Ray Smith, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for an action in which he lost his life -- and of course, blame the President for your failure to get the story. But the record shows that in February 2004, just about everyone on the planet had the story. Except the New York Times. Hell, even the Australian media picked it up. Now, granted, your staff is operating at a significant handicap: Apparently, you have entire editorial units, entire copy desks, and fact checkers who don't even know what a Congressional Medal of Honor is. This, in and of itself, is symptomatic of the yawning chasm between the class of people from which you draw your editorial staff and the class of people you serve. This is an example of the immense deficit you're running in your collective fund of information when it comes to covering military affairs. This, in and of itself, is dysfunction. Bill Keller, your paper is stumbling around like a drunken fool, and it's gotten to the point where you're ruining your reputation. Military men have already all but washed their hands of your crap coverage in exasperation. We already know you are too wrapped up in your own neurosis to cover our fighting men and women with any degree of accuracy. Yes, some people like Blackfive, Greyhawk, Cori Dauber, and myself, have already tried, on numerous occasions, to stage an intervention. But your illness has already caused a lot of people to give up on you. But it's worse than that. Leigh Ann Hester, a guardsman out of Kentucky, was the first woman to win a Silver Star since World War Two, for her own actions leading a counterattack against an ambush. I had it. Greyhawk had it. The Wall Street Journal had it. It was all over the Kentucky Press, of course, and the Army Press. The Army was alive with conversation about the action, which was interesting not only for her decoration, but for the operational lessons we could derive from it. An entire After Action Report was made public on the fight, which is fairly unusual. Your paper managed a paltry 573 words on it. (The Washington Post, in contrast, managed several TIMES the coverage the New York Times was able to muster.) In what way is this the fault of the Bush Administration? Perhaps most galling is your mention of Rafael Peralta as evidence of your point: That the lack of coverage in your pages is the result of the Bush Administration not pushing the story. Indeed, a search of your archives shows not a single instance of coverage of Peralta's death, the circumstances of which earned him a recommendation for the Congressional Medal of Honor, other than a passing mention in your decontextualized "names of the dead" on September 18th, 2004. But Peralta's story was publicized by the USMC at the time, on their official site. Hell, they had someone write a feature on it. Do you just not cover the Marine Corps during time of war? Is that it? It's Bush's fault you don't pay attention? Gannett had the story. Moreover, it's also clear that when the New York Times does get a story in a timely manner, you cannot be trusted to report the story honestly. Is that the Bush Administration's fault, too? The New York Times has evinced a capacity for twisting words, for hearing only what they want to hear, that would rival that of any addict in full flower. The New York Times also manages to forget the fundamentals of journalism. When John Ashcroft gave a press conference in 2004 to announce that the US was looking for several suspected Al Qaeda operatives, and went public with pictures and names, your paper managed to run an entire article without even mentioning the names, and without running a single photo of the wanted men. So much for the Five W's. Somehow, though, your paper found space to run a photograph of a photographer photographing the the photographs of the wanted men. Just how the does that serve your readership? How the does that serve the community? How the does that serve anyone except some frustrated lit crit on your editorial staff with a misguided hard-on for metacriticism, and damned be the community he or she serves. The Times also has a knack for missing the important military developments in the field, even though they are known to other news outlets. The New York Times makes the same mistakes again and again. If you read your paper, it becomes apparent that your staff - the one recruited from the fever swamp that the New York literary and media scene seems to have become - regards the military as an alien culture-and one so far beneath them that they cannot be bothered with developing any expertise in military operations - even during time of war. The New York Times has a problem. And it's not just your problem. You are hurting all of us. Please. Get help. Splash, out Jason

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The Mouser A Good Old Friend 1/16/2008 7:58:56 PM

If the moderator of this board would be so kind as to assist me, I would like very much to get in contact with my old friend SSG Troy Haley (NYARNG) via SFC Leland Lesher. Please feel free to pass my email address along with my request if you have a way to contact him. I have been searching for SSG Haley for many years. I was glad to see that his compassionate and passionate quotes reflect the honorable man I remember so well. Thank you for your consideration.

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TJHTJH MASSER 6/26/2008 3:50:55 PM

Hello, I am now SFC Haley, ready to be 1SG Haley, thanks for posting my article. MASSER if you are out thier, can can be reached at trohal@gmail.com

Troy

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SGTObvious 6/27/2008 10:09:20 AM

Sometimes a post can be good, with all the thoughts interesting and well polished, and still be such a total pain in the butt to read that it's just not worth it.

There is a reason God gave us the paragraph break, people.

Paragraph breaks are your friends. Don't leave them out.

SGTObvious

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