Remember the days when we used to look skeptically at anything in the Russian / Soviet media, knowing the pressure they faced to issue propaganda? Well, how's this for a turning of the tables. Now it's the U.S. media that is a state-run propaganda machine, and Pravda's doing their job:

American capitalism gone with a whimper

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blind the foolish.

More here - and well worth the read.

Labels: media coverage, socialism

NOTE: You can see the cartoon Mr. Stokely refers to here - it's #5 in the slideshow. (I won't put it on this site).


To the Editorial Board of the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Today, as I read the Sunday (December 30, 2007) edition of the AJC, and as I tried to turn past the two page spread you gave Mike Luckovich, my eye caught his distasteful use (again) of a Flag Draped Casket (year end recap / replay of July 17 cartoon). Worse yet, Mike Luckovich used these descriptive words "..THIS LOUSY COFFIN..." as he refers to the most visible, respectable, and grief evoking symbol of a fallen soldier. You may think me overly sensitive, but then you wouldn't think I was if you had met your fallen son's body as I did at an air cargo hanger at Hartsfield Airport on August 24, 2005. Perhaps you might understand better if you could have been there when the news broke at my home, as I walked in circles in my driveway trying to figure out how to tell my family, including my son's 13 year old sister who adored him. Try figuring out how to cope as a family day to day with the most incredible loss imaginable - the loss of a son and brother, or as some have, a daughter and sister. Try being a 20 year old bride to your high school sweetheart ten days before he went to war, only to be handed the flag off his casket three months later. Sit down and review my son's autopsy report and see for yourself why he was "non-viewable body". Then, perhaps, you and Mike Luckovich might have a glimpse why it is so insensitive and in such poor taste to use a Flag Draped Casket in the manner that Mike Luckovich has now done on two occasions.

The Flag Draped Casket is the last visible and demonstrative image so many of us have of our fallen loved ones. God spare you the pain those of us who have welcomed home a Flag Draped Casket have endured, for it is a pain which radiates from a special privilege of sacrifice which costs a life time of love. May you never have to open a paper and see something so dear to your broken heart being trifled with as Mike Luckovich does with the Flag Draped Casket.

There are many who profit off war, and in war, one man's loss is another's black ink bottom line. But, would your bottom line run red if you just left the Flag Draped Casket alone?

Robert Stokely
proudly remembering my son, SGT Mike Stokely
KIA 16 AUG 05 near Yusufiyah Iraq
USA E 108 CAV 48th BCT GAARNG
DUTY HONOR COUNTRY


p.s. - Note to file - Mike Luckovich used the word coffin but there is a significant difference between a coffin, which is contoured, being wider at the upper body and narrower at the legs versus a casket which has a uniform dimension.

Labels: editorial cartoons, Fallen Heroes, Gold Star families, media coverage, Mike Luckovich, Robert Stokely, SGT Mike Stokely, Supporting the troops

It's rare that anything that includes the word 'torture' is funny, which makes this story all the more enjoyable. The latest accusations of 'torture' at Gitmo are downright hilarious.

What are they?

Waterboarding? Nope

Canings? Way off

Sleep deprivation? Electro-shock? Dogs? Nope, Nyet, Non.

So what is it that, thanks to Majid Khan, will be added to the list of reported instances of brutality?


Well, if you can believe it, the list includes the following:

- being forced to use unscented deodorant and shampoo

- having to play sports with a ball that did not bounce

- had his baby pictures taken away

- was not given a DVD player

- the people who cleaned his cell left marks on the walls.


Of course, that's not quite the image you get if you see the headline, A DETAINEE'S STATEMENT: Transcript alleges torture (AP)





Funniest news item of the day, though has to be the revelation that the French are officially the whiniest people on the planet:

The French have come top of a list of the world's most whining workers, beating British and Swedish employees when it comes to complaining, according to an international study on work attitudes.

The study places American workers fourth behind France, Britain, and Sweden.

Labels: Gitmo, humor, media coverage, terrorists

OK, let's see how well you know the thinking of some military commanders.

You're an American commander in Iraq. In a sea of negative media coverage of the current war, one independent journalist covers the troops' efforts with consistent respect for them and their efforts. Sure, he is occasionally critical of things that stymie the troops ability to operate, and covers things that aren't pleasant, like wounded and fallen Heroes, but he does it all with a keen eye, respect for OPSEC concerns, and compassion for families who may not have heard the news yet. He's a darned good journalist, and has repeatedly won the respect of the troops he's embedded with, and of folks on both sides of the issue. So when he's on his second trip to Iraq, when media coverage and the shrill choruses of the politicians are getting more and more negative, when the public could really stand to hear about what is actually going on in Iraq, what are Heroes are doing over there, do you....

A) Assist him in doing his job - after all, if you've finally got a journalist who really wants to tell the truth, why not help him? Make sure that he has the resources to get the word out, so the American people know why what their troops are doing is so important, and why they are worthy of respect and support.

B) Instruct your Public Affairs folks to assist him - this fits right in with their efforts to counteract all of the smear going on in the press. Sure, you'll need to work out some details and make sure rules and expectations are clarified, but this is a great way to get the word out.

C) Threaten to kick him out. Who needs honest journalism anyway?



To see how you did, visit Michael Yon's newest post - RUBS

Labels: media coverage, Michael Yon

Day-by-Day cartoonist extraordinaire Chris Muir is back from Iraq - he gives his impressions over at Bill Roggio's The Fourth Rail. Some of my favorite bits are Chris' assessments of the media:

Pictured above is where Saddam fired his rifle from, a concrete- and - broken glass shell now. I take crappy photos, but no photographers (except Eric Bowers) would leave the media building to tour Iraq. They were all typing stories from their terminals inside. 'Stories', indeed.

I tried making chicken sounds to them, but it didn't take.

OK, I made that one up, but you get the picture, even if they wouldn't. Baghdad, like any large city, is largely quiet except where terrorist (gang) activity takes place. If you toured Watts in LA, only, well yes, there's violence. But 99.8% of the city is just fine. Then again, there aren't large amounts of US heavily armed soldiers touring through it, so...


Chris' very healthy sense of humor is on display throughout, and it's a great look at Iraq from an outsider's perspective.

Make sure you go and read the whole post.

Welcome Back, Chris!

H/T to the Brat via Blackfive

Labels: Chris Muir, Day-by-Day, Iraq, media coverage

by Janet Levy

Contrary to media reports and the perception of a majority of Americans, the United States was winning the war in Vietnam following the successful watershed battle known as the Tet Offensive. Sadly, the Vietnam War was not lost on the battlefield. The carnage and repressive regimes that followed the U.S. exit may have been avoided had the truth been known by the American public. The United States was defeated by a carefully conceived, multi-pronged propaganda campaign that set the stage for America’s eventual failure in the region.

The ingredients for the U.S. defeat consisted of the funding and encouragement of the anti-war movement by Hanoi and Communist splinter groups, enlistment of “useful idiots” in Hollywood to publicize and popularize the movement, media complicity with negative portrayals of the war, anti-American proselytizing by professors and students on American university campuses, denigration and demonizing of the military and, ultimately, withdrawal of support and appropriations by the U.S. Congress. All these factors led to the perceptual reframing of the Vietnam War as an ignoble imperialistic atrocity, a far cry from its launch as a fight to extinguish communism in Southeast Asia...

Read the Rest

Labels: media coverage, Moonbats, opinion, politics

Received this request via email. As I'm not familiar with military regulations in this area, I'd certainly say that any servicemember interested in doing this should familiarize themselves with appropriate guidelines beforehand. I do have to say that it's nice to see a media outlet that's interested in what the boots on the ground have to say:

Channel Five News in the UK is planning to do a series of stories about Iraq . We would really like to get anyone serving in Iraq to make a short video for us for our ‘Your News’ section of our news programme and website...

...Your News is a part of our programme and website where real people in the community air their videos about their experiences, local issues, campaigns etc and is an important part of our news output.

The videos would only need to be a couple of minutes long and could easily be filmed by mobile phone, digital camera etc.

The film could be about who they are, where they are, what they are doing, how they’re feeling – anything they want it to be about and could be a film of them talking as well as footage of what’s going on around them if possible. The films could be made by anyone out there serving in any capacity – they would all be very interesting.

We’ll also give those that do go on the television £100.00 too. (about $197 USD)

The video can be uploaded via our website www.five.tv/news, sent by MMS to +44 (0) 7729 555 555 or emailed to me directly laura.wilshaw-AT-bskyb.com. They can also contact me directly on +44 (0) 20 7800 2749.

They can see our website at www.five.tv/news where we have a different Your News video every day...

Kind regards,

Laura Wilshaw

Labels: media coverage

The MSM and the anti-Bush crowd are fairly purring over the casualty counts lately. Many of them note that May was the “deadliest month in Iraq so far,” and they're quick to note that we’ve now reached 1,700 fallen heroes in Iraq. But what they aren’t saying is the usual –

* Troops in Iraq have removed a murderous dictator from that country, and free elections have been successfully held there for the first time in 60 years.

* The Iraqi people are beginning to emerge from so many years without self-determination. Iraqi citizens are still signing up to join that country’s rebirthing military. Villagers are starting to fight off terrorism. Even the discussions and arguments in the new Iraqi government are a good sign. Our Continental Congress didn’t agree on a whole lot to start with either. And has anyone taken a look at Congress lately??

* Our fighting men and women continue to display exceptional courage, fortitude, and heart; just as they always have. Yes, there have been a few incidents. But just as with most things, the MSM has taken a few incidents and hyped them sufficiently to make it appear as if our military is engaging in inappropriate conduct as the rule, not the exception. And that just ain’t true.

The media and, sadly, some of our own governing officials want us to fail in Iraq. They need us to fail in Iraq. And if that isn’t going to happen on its own, well then, they’re going to continue to hype the stories so that the people believe it’s happening, even if it isn’t. Let’s face it; no one likes to be associated with the losing team. And the reality is that the larger populace is only going to be as good as the news they’re getting. What would the recent polls say if all we heard was good news? If what we heard were stories about our heroes improving the infrastructure of Iraq, bringing clean water, electricity, sanitation, to areas that didn’t have it? Providing medical care to friend and foe? Defeating the terrorists any time they face them?

The MSM, and the politicians who just flat-out want to see us fail because it advances their agenda, are seizing on a few particulars its worth addressing:

The Casualty Count:
1,703 dead since hostilities began in March of 2003. Deeply sad, yes. Each hero lost is a wound to this country. Each hero lost should be mourned, honored, and remembered in perpetuity.

But for a sense of perspective, how often have you heard that casualty count referenced against these numbers?

Gettysburg, Civil War:
17,000 dead in the first day (8,000 Confederate, 9,000 Union)

Pearl Harbor:
2,403 dead, including 68 civilians

D-Day:
Nearly 4,500 Allied troops killed on June 6, 1944

Vietnam:
Total American KIA: 58,169. An additional 10,000+ were lost to non-hostile causes. In 1968 alone, the US lost almost 15,000.

Desert Shield / Desert Storm:
150 between the start of Desert Shield in August, 1990, and the cease-fire on February 28, 1991 (100 hours after the commencement of ground hostilities).

So clearly, this isn’t the bloodbath the MSM slathers over. I wish we didn’t have to lose a single Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine, but that just isn’t reality. And looked at a little more objectively, this casualty count should prompt some re-evaluations of tactics, equipment, and weaponry, but it doesn’t mean we’re losing. And let’s not forget one more important statistic:

September 11, 2001 – 2,948 confirmed dead. 24 reported dead, 24 missing

Treatment of Detainees:
The MSM and our rabid politicians are still screaming and yelling over “stress positions” and pouring water over someone’s head. And, of course, a few tasteless photos. This is torture? What about Nick Berg, shrieking as he was decapitated? Where is the outcry about that? The detainees at Gitmo are there because they are terrorists, or folks who like to help terrorists kill Americans. They’re not innocent, help-an-old-lady-across the street types. They are murderers, and let’s face it, given half a chance, it’s likely that any one of them would kill any one of us. Stop and think for one minute about how these murderers would (heaven forbid) treat one of our heroes if captured, and tell me how much sympathy you really have. Or, not to put too fine a point on it, what if that captured hero were your husband or wife? Son or daughter? Mother or father? Exactly how would you view our getting them a little wet in order to prevent future attacks, future deaths? Would you see it as torture? I sure as heck don’t. It’s nice that we give them Korans, food, and doctors. It shows, once again, how different we are than them. But these are not, repeat, NOT, troops covered by the Geneva Convention. They are terrorists. Pure and simple. We are attempting to be decent by providing them with Korans and meals compliant with their religious views. Good for us. But somehow I think that if we do a little more than ask for information nicely, that’s ok. This isn’t a game. It’s a case of us trying to stop what they want to accomplish. They wouldn’t make sure people they kidnapped had Bibles or other religious literature, good food, doctors. They wouldn’t worry about the Geneva Convention – obviously. They want to kill us. Any of us. All of us. Any way they can. Look at it that way, and you wonder exactly whose side the people are on who want to vilify those who stop them.

Jimmy Carter and company are clamoring for us to shut down Gitmo. Slight problem there - Some judge decided that we can’t send these people back to their own countries unless we guarantee – guarantee, mind you – that they won’t be tortured. So where, exactly, are we going to put them? Maybe they can stay with Mr. Carter….

The War on Terror:
It isn’t the luncheon on terror, the panel discussion on terror. It’s a war. And it should be fought like one. Like one we intend to win. That means killing the bad guys. It means taking down the enemy. We damn well better act like we have the stomach for it, because they do.

Our World Reputation:
Good grief. Exactly who, pray tell, has a better record? Russia? Not according to Human Rights Watch – the Russians are even more popular there than we are. And they've got quite a track record, too. France? No – take a look at what they did in the Ivory Coast, and you’ll find that they’re not quite as squeaky clean as they like to pretend – not to mention banning Muslim schoolchildren from wearing head coverings in observance of their religion. Germany? No. Although they’re pretty popular lately with the anti-American crowd, look more closely at them, and you’ll find a fairly significant anti-immigrant and anti-non-German problem there. Not to mention a few dark spots in the past, as well.... And we don’t even need to look at Africa, Asia…. No one has an equal record of consistently standing up for freedom, liberty, and people who can’t defend themselves. Exactly who should we be so humbled by? How many times has the U.S. gotten into military action by trying to solve a problem the UN or Europe created, ignored, or failed miserably trying to deal with? (WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Mogadishu, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq). And who is it, exactly, who manages to secure victory, and whom all “civilized” Europeans then get to denounce as violent warmongers? Convenient, isn’t it? I’d be a little more embarrassed to be a country that kowtows to anyone to avoid a conflict, who sacrifices self-determination to be able to smile and pat themselves on the back for being civilized.

We’re botching the job:
If anyone else has the spine and the resources and the know-how to do it better, they aren’t volunteering. Instead of griping, why don’t THEY solve the problem?? I bet we’d be happy to pull out if there were anyone else who could manage this. Spain’s method of dealing with the terrorists was to let them sway an election. Oddly enough, it hasn’t worked; bombings are still going on. Why? Because the terrorists exploit the weak. Spain has shown itself to be weak on terrorism. They caved once. Taken out to the extreme, today it’s an election, tomorrow it’s what color – or what clothing – everyone is wearing. Terrorists speak a very violent language. And political correctness isn’t up to the task. Europe is weak, too. And we’re not botching the job in Iraq; we’re W-I-N-N-I-N-G. We’ve won, actually – it’s just that the clean-up has been a lot more involved than would have been appreciated.

What happened to the country that rationed, that grew victory gardens? What happened to the country that supported the war effort, that rejoiced in victory? What happened to the America that was universally proud when one of her sons or daughters went into the military? Why is it that so many want to be ashamed of our military prowess, our strength, our character? One of the things I’m most proud of is that our military can never be counted out – never. Because our fighting forces are Americans, and that stubborn pride, that spark in the eye, that uncommon bravery so common in our troops is everywhere one of our uniforms is found. Sea, land, air – there is not a finer fighting force anywhere in the world. Why is it that some want to be constantly apologizing for that? From the days when a bunch of slap-dash farmers defeated the forces of the world’s most powerful empire, we have proven what we are: junkyard-dog-mean when provoked, and stubborn as mules when committed to a cause. And I’m just ducky with that. I’m damn proud to be an American, and I’m damn proud of the job our military does. Yes, my country occasionally does things that make me shake my head. But I will never hang my head in shame of my country. Not, that is, unless she becomes what these people want her to become. Weak. Defeated. Timid. On that day, I will hang my head indeed, to mourn the loss of the America I believe in, and that so many of our bravest sons and daughters have fought, bled, and died for.

The War on Terror, it's apparent, is as much against those inside this country who want to see her defeated as it is against those enemies who come from beyond her shores. Am I saying that those who disagree with the President are terrorists? No, but a divided America is something the terrorists hope for, so like it or not, they’re helping them. Am I saying that people who don’t agree with the Administration, or the war, should be imprisoned? No, of course not. But the media that makes up facts and distorts reality should certainly be accountable. But I am saying that we need to recognize this stuff for what it is, and not be taken in by it. We need to keep the negative voices, ashamed of our country and what she stands for, from allowing us to be derailed from what we’re up against. Some of the anti-Bush crowd obviously believes that anything that hurts Bush, even if it means losing the War on Terror, is ok. How misguided can you get? For a sane Democratic position, Joe Lieberman said in 2003 that if elected President, he would “prosecute the war against terrorism and win it even if it's unpopular because that's where our future security rests.” Even one of the Dem’s golden children knows how important this is. We can’t lose in Iraq, we can’t lose in Afghanistan, and we CAN’T lose the overall War on Terror. It simply isn’t an option. The stakes are simply too high.

Labels: Iraq, media coverage, Moonbats, My Two Cents, opinion

Michelle Malkin called it like this: NEWSWEEK LIED: PEOPLE DIED

BlackFive called it like this: THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME

And the “Today” show? Well, their cutting analysis was “Some red faces at Newsweek this morning…”

Newsweek’s response? They “regret” the violence, the deaths, the complete turkey of a story, but won’t retract it. Basically, “oops.”

Unbelievable. 15+ dead, a hundred injured, mayhem and calls for a holy war with a three-day deadline on response to the Muslim world from the White House, and it’s “oops?”

For those of you who haven’t seen Newsweek’s (non)apology for their complete and utter irresponsibility, here are some of the good bits:

“Did a report in NEWSWEEK set off a wave of deadly anti-American riots in Afghanistan? That's what numerous news accounts suggested last week as angry Afghans took to the streets to protest reports, linked to us, that U.S. interrogators had desecrated the Qur'an while interrogating Muslim terror suspects. We were as alarmed as anyone to hear of the violence, which left at least 15 Afghans dead and scores injured. But I think it's important for the public to know exactly what we reported, why, and how subsequent events unfolded.”

Translation: It is our fault? Of course not. We had every right to go to press with a story any idiot could have known would have disastrous results, without any significant effort to confirm it.

“Their information came from a knowledgeable U.S. government source, and before deciding whether to publish it we approached two separate Defense Department officials for comment.”

Translation: Although (1) one declined to comment at all because they had ABSOLUTELY no idea what the heck we were talking about and know full well via captured materials that Al Qaeda tells operatives to make up charges like this hoping the American media will vomit it out upon their pages, and (2) the other did challenge one detail, but didn’t have any requisite knowledge upon which to base conclusions on the story as a whole, AND (3) the DoD has found other such allegations to lack credibility, we decided to run it anyway.

"Although other major news organizations had aired charges of Qur'an desecration based only on the testimony of detainees, we believed our story was newsworthy because a U.S. official said government investigators turned up this evidence."

Translation: If Al-Jazeera and the Russians were running these stories, that’s good enough for us.

Newsweek has this to say today: How a Fire Broke Out

I’ve got news for you. This one didn’t “break out.” This one was set – journalistic arson. Newsweek made a choice to throw common sense and ethics out the window.

Mark Whitaker’s non-apology, and Newsweek’s refusal to retract the story, speak volumes about the fact that there isn’t a whole lot of genuine regret there. While Mr. Whitaker threw a bone to the U.S. troops who may well see a surge of terrorist activity thanks to Newsweek’s irresponsibility, saying that you “extend your sympathies” to the dead and to the U.S. troops who may have to pay the price for it doesn’t cut it in my book.

You want to apologize? You sincerely regret what you did? Well, then, how about donating any proceeds from that issue, and the one in which you had to "apologize," to charities that help the troops you’ve undoubtedly put at more risk. Donate your proceeds to the Fisher House, to Homes for Our Troops, to Keystone Soldiers, to Soldiers’ Angels, to AnySoldier, to the Freedom Alliance. Buy GI bracelets for your entire staff, and then some. Help the families of those killed in the violence you helped create. Do something.

As a kid, one of the best lessons my parents ever taught me was that there are consequences to things that you do. Don’t finish your veggies, you don’t get to go outside and play after dinner. Don’t do your chores, no allowance.

Run a non-vetted story that kills people, nearly gets the entire Muslim world calling a Jihad against all Americans because of it, and in all likelihood increases the risk to US troops, and all you have to do is say “oops”? That’s just plain wrong. Newsweek ought to have some sort of consequence for their actions.

They, in a move typical of the MSM, hopped right on the latest Anti-American bandwagon, fueling the flames of Bush-hating, troop-hating, American-hating fundamentalists, and likely more level-headed Muslims as well, by running a story about the desecration of a holy book - a crime punishable by death in the Muslim world. They did it without a whole lot of hesitation. Why wait? Do I think they wanted people to die? No. But do I think that they ran it without due diligence because it fits with their agenda, and because it clearly jibes with the whole American-soldiers-as-torturers motif? You bet. And this all comes at a time when you now actually have a UCONN poll conducted by the Roper Center coming out that say that although 72% of journalists believe the media reports accurately, only 39% of the average Americans surveyed thought the same. (Coincidentally, almost the same percentage of surveyed journalists say they voted for Kerry - 68%) Although a little more than half of the surveyed average Americans believe that stories that rely solely on anonymous sources should not be published (53%), only 14% of journalists agreed. Gee, why do we think people are losing faith in the MSM....?

Cheat-seeking Missiles, a blog I found today, calls it "manslaughter for politics." Pretty much dead-on, as far as I'm concerned.

The bloggers have long been speaking about the culpability of the MSM for what they set in motion. Collectively, we've been warning that this kind of thing can get people killed. Newsweek's latest just proves it more clearly than most.

The White House is calling for a retraction of the story. I’m calling for more than that. I think Newsweek ought to take an overt step to apologize to the people they maligned with this drivel. I think they ought to do something to actively support those they and the rest of the liberal media undercut at just about every opportunity.

Put your money where your mouth is, Whitaker.

Side Note: Interesting tidbit about bloggers in the UCONN survey - 59% of the surveyed journalists believed that blogs were not a "legitimate" source of news. Only 13% considered bloggers journalists (so only 13% decided to insult us). At least they did throw us a bone - 85% of them said we should be protected under the First Amendment. Kind of scary is the fact that 15% felt that bloggers should NOT be!

linked with Mudville Gazette's Open Post

Labels: media coverage, My Two Cents, opinion

I haven’t spouted off in a little while, largely because there have been a few events in the last couple of weeks that have, quite frankly, left me speechless (My husband may be marking this date as an important event in marital history). I’ve recovered now...

The fact that the media, and some radical, nigh-Socialist Leftists have been eager to attack the President and our troops likely isn’t going to be a surprise to anyone who hasn’t been hiding under a rock for the last few years. But lately, there have been some lengths that this venom has gone to that have been just plain frightening.

First off, the kidnapping of “Special Ops Cody”
I’ll admit, when I first heard the rumor of an American soldier held hostage, my heart skipped a beat to leap into my throat. But I’ve learned not to trust anything from the MSM, so I looked up the info myself and found the picture. Give me a break. Most disturbing about all of this was the eagerness, the bloodlust, with which the story was reported at first. It was as if they were, horribly, hoping this was true. No one stops on the highway to watch a happy picnic, folks, but put a fifteen car pile up out there, and you’ve got rubberneckers for miles. A story about an American troop held hostage is a ratings windfall. The palpable disappointment with which they reported the fact that this “appeared” to be a doll turns my stomach.

And did anyone comment in the major media outlets about the fact that if the lunatics are putting up pictures of kidnapped dolls they’re getting desperate? That this is an indication of just how bad we’ve hurt them? Of course not.

Blogs that covered Cody’s harrowing ordeal:
BlackFive
And for a little humor
The Ripper
Tech Central Station

Next, Marine Madness and Radicals on Parade
OK, maybe it’s me, but Lt. General Mattis’ comments elicited a wry smile from me, not outrage. He’s a Marine, for Pete’s Sake, not President of the Hug-a-Terrorist Society! He’s not supposed to be sorry he does his job. He’s a decorated Marine General who’s served honorably for years, and if he doesn’t mind killing terrorists, that’s just fine with me.

Contrast this with Ward Churchill, who basically says that the victims of 9/11 got what they deserved. This is a guy who, according to The Rocky Mountain News , pals around with guys like Moammar Gadhafi. While bloggers and conservative talk show hosts are ripping him, all the left can cite is freedom of speech. Newsflash – freedom of speech guarantees that you will not be imprisoned for your beliefs. It doesn’t say that you won’t get well-deserved comeuppance. It also doesn’t guarantee you the right to work for a specific location. Nor does it give you the right to fraudulently gain advantage by claiming you’re Native American when you’re not.

Then again, maybe it’s not me, because a lot of other people are saying the same thing:

Check out both of these on any of a host of blogs, among them:
For Marine Madness:
Backcountry Conservative
Blackfive

For Radicals on Parade:
Instapundit
My View of the World

And finally, Eason Jordan
From Easongate.com (a post by LaShawn Barber)

CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan quit Friday amidst a furor over remarks he made in Switzerland last month about journalists killed by the U.S. military in Iraq.

Jordan said he was quitting to avoid CNN being “unfairly tarnished” by the controversy.

During a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum last month, Jordan said he believed that several journalists who were killed by coalition forces in Iraq had been targeted.

He quickly backed off the remarks, explaining that he meant to distinguish between journalists killed because they were in the wrong place where a bomb fell, for example, and those killed because they were shot at by American forces who mistook them for the enemy.

“I never meant to imply U.S. forces acted with ill intent when U.S. forces accidentally killed journalists, and I apologize to anyone who thought I said or believed otherwise,” Jordan said in a memo to fellow staff members at CNN.

Check it out at:
Prince Pundit
Michelle Malkin
Easongate
Blackfive
Rebecca MacKinnon
Hugh Hewitt
The Truth Laid Bear.

That was pretty much the final straw of the last few weeks. Jordan finally resigned after his comments, but this should by no means be the end of this issue. He resigned citing that he didn’t want CNN to be “unfairly tarnished” by his remarks. That would be a neat trick. Unfairly tarnished? This is the sort of thing that can be expected from CNN and other media sources. It’s not going to tarnish them; it’s more or less just confirming their place on the map.

Eason initially stated that he believed that journalists had been targeted by our troops, then once he took heat, backed off and said that they weren’t so much targeted as they were mistaken for insurgents. Nice courage of your convictions there, Eason.

These stories merely illustrate a bitter reality; the Left owns the media, and the media at worst despises the troops. At best, they’re willing to lambaste them if the story sells. Integrity has been thrown in the can like a Styrofoam coffee cup (if we even use Styrofoam in Leftland).

Fox News and the bloggers were credited with blowing the lid off of the CBS scandal not too long ago, as well as a host of other bouts of madness in the past few years. Easongate is credited with prompting Jordan’s resignation. This is the job that mainstream media ought to be doing, but won’t. They are supposed to be objective, to report facts, stories of interest, to find the truth. That’s not what’s happening, and anyone who tells you it is, is delusional.

I don’t claim to be a journalist. I’m a blogger, and a baby blogger at that. I don’t try to be objective. I don’t have to be. I don’t post anti-war and anti-military stories, unless I’m reacting to them and hoping that other people will, too. There’s no point in my posting that stuff, anyway. That you can find on your own, in unfortunate abundance. How sad that it is much more difficult to find positive stories on our troops, with all of the wonderful things they’re doing.

There comes a time when this stuff crosses the line between nutty liberal rhetoric and becomes something far more sinister – providing aid and comfort to the enemy (John Kerry). Our troops are hearing these stories. I’ve personally read emails and letters from our troops stating that the media isn’t telling the truth, and that they’re worried about what we think of them. I tell them every time. Yes, there are negative stories in the media. But your country supports you, and you’ve got millions of adoring fans. We love you, we’re proud of you, and most of us recognize that jibberish for what it is.

But I don’t have an audience of millions of American Homes. I don’t have satellites to broadcast with. The media does. Ted Kennedy does. Ward Churchill is now smack dab in the middle of tons of press. And the old adage is, any publicity is good publicity.

But the tide is changing. The bloggers have made a huge step in that direction. CBS was forced to face the music on forged documents and a story timed to influence the election. The press was actually reporting stories to influence an election, folks – to hijack our government. That should leave you cold. Fortunately, the American people didn’t believe it.

It’s a sad day when we have more to fear from the enemy within than the enemies outside our borders.

"I hate newspapermen. They come into camp and pick up their camp rumors and print them as facts. I regard them as spies, which, in truth, they are. If I killed them all there would be news from Hell before breakfast."-- General William T. Sherman

Labels: media coverage, Moonbats, My Two Cents, opinion