Thursday, April 3, 2003

The Real Media War... This has now been the most intense media war in history. As such we have seen live footage of fighting. We have witnessed moments that prior wars have never displayed. We have analyzed, and picked apart the war as if it were a football game with quarters, half-time, and only the band missing. The (color) commentators have had a field day looking from moment to moment at the progress of the battle plan, and questioning the details. No other war has faced so much focused scrutiny. No other military has had so many of it's actions questioned in almost real-time. The problem is time and perspective. So often we have none of either in the coverage of the war. What we have instead are vignettes, and questionable judgment. This war is a grand motion of forces, and as Moltke said "no plan survives meeting the enemy." This plan changes by the moment, but the focus remains the same. We have moved swiftly, and cut off large numbers of Iraqi troops. Those troops can then be handled piecemeal. The hope being that once the regime collapses, the followers will lay down their arms. These people have been abused and tormented for more then 30 years. To expect them to leap up and cheer us on is the height of naiveté. These are people who saw us abandon the Shia rebellion in the 91, and have reason for caution. They have spent too many years hearing the lies. I have always felt that this battle would end well, it's the aftermath that bothers me. At this point we see the end getting closer. The media coverage will be dissected and studied for years to come. The compression of time, and unrealistic perceptions will need to be addressed, if possible. The tough part is that this is a game that has death, and carnage in it's wake. I for one will be happy when the TV coverage calms down...mj 9:56:33 PM

Chicken... There was a stink in Seattle yesterday when the Seattle P-I ran a story that was originally titled "As brave as those who fight". Read the story of Stephan Funk who deserted and then turned himself in claiming conscientious objector status. He should no get to spend some lengthy time in a military stockade for being stupid. If he had not deserted he'd have a case. The other problem is that all recruits have to sign a statement that they understand that joining means they may be activated, or posted to a combat environment. Funk went AWOL for 47 days before he turned himself in. I don't think the word brave needs to be anywhere near this young man. When you join the military you take a job where you may be ordered to die. You also have a good chance to be given orders to kill. It's part of the job. Anyone not aware of that is an idiot, or hopes he/she will be lucky. Beruit, Grenada, Panama, Gulf War 1, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Gulf War 2 (what did I miss?), all since the middle 80's. You would have to be asleep to not notice that we have killed and been killed in many lands. My favorite line in the article: "The notion that as a Marine he would be expected to kill people somehow escaped...Stephen Funk when he...enlisted in the Reserves." I just wonder where he was when the brains got handed out. For the P-I to describe him as brave is an insult to all the men and women in combat right now. He's just nothing more then a scared young man, who failed to understand the commitment and responsibility of what it means to be in the military...mj 2:21:16 AM

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