Jan 13 2007
The Pathetic News Media Ignores Our Military’s Heroism
If the news media really cared about America and her heroes, if they really cared about the soldiers who must enforce the policies of this administration, they would honor them regularly with stories of their acts of bravery – and how they SURVIVED. Sydney Freeberg Jr, writing in the National Journal today (H/T RCP), notes that fact the media cannot muster the minimal effort to honor our men in women in harms way and have the occasional story of bravery and success – instead of their pathetic, morbid obsession with body bags (as opposed to addressing the gift of the sacrifice). The first story offered by Freeberg undescores the criminal negligence of our news media regarding our fellow citizens and their personal acts of bravery and honor which reflect well on all of us:
On February 21, 2005, before all of his unit had arrived in Iraq, Army Staff Sgt. Thomas Stone and his advance party of California National Guard soldiers stopped to help another group of soldiers after a Humvee accident in downtown Baghdad. Stone shepherded the other unit’s dazed troops into a proper security perimeter and called in a helicopter for the injured. But as the chopper landed, an insurgent detonated a hidden roadside bomb that shredded nine men. Stone ran back and forth, braving sniper fire, to grab first-aid supplies. Then, as a second medevac helicopter arrived and the survivors braced for another blast — a common tactic of Iraqi insurgents — Stone curled himself around a badly wounded friend, covering the soldier with his own body. “If it goes off, you’re going to be OK,” Stone told him. “Hug your wife and kids, and don’t ever forget me.”
There was no second explosion – but the sacrifice that was offered is one for the history books. This story relfects well on all mankind in how one selffless act is offered in the heat of the moment, with one simple request in return: live a good life yourself. Why is it the news media cannot spend even a fraction of the time they spend whining about this or that do something the should be a minimal part of their job – tell the story of Americans doing it right, doing it for others.
Just for the record
“Did you know Grant’s great battles (he never really lost in all the years he was fighting during the Civil War, anything.) ”
Check out the battle of Shiloh, Grant lost it, then General Buell arrived a day or two later and won it back for him. You can’t very well say didn’t lose his part of it, I think the credit would go to Buell.
Shiloh ended up being a victory for the north, no thanks to Grant.
Careful enforcement, you are trying to have a normal rational conversation with Carol and down that road lies madness.
Do you read fiction? Did you ever read Virginia Woolf? Suicidal writer known for [among other things] her stream of consciousness narrative. I am afraid Carol belongs to the Virginia Woolf school of blog posting.
And AJ does get a little cavalier with the English language from to time, but I love him anyway.
Terrye, I know. I don’t usually comment on anyone’s grammar or spelling on blogs because I know, as I do, that we are often writing hurriedly and the message is what’s important not the grammar and spelling, but when someone makes a point of perfection as SonofDevo did above, and makes his own mistake in doing so, I just have to shoot at them. I don’t agree with all anyone has to write, but I agree that Strata does a very good job and I certainly read it and I appreciate him putting up with a bunch of crap from some people just so we all get to see what kind of people we are dealing with.
As for CarolHerman, I thought it funny that the M15(British Intelligence) considers him a traitor.
I think th estrange thing is that we don’t see our errors, we know what we are saying and so we just do not see that typo. I have missed them even when I did preview.
Yes, the world would be a boring place if we agreed on everything.
See what I mean:
th =the
The word in the title should be “Our” instead of “Are”
kinda like saying there when it should be their. The word was only misspelled not ‘wrong’
Enforcement I agree. If you look at line 10 of AJ’s post our is used correctly (twice even) which leads me to believe that the use of ARE in his title was simply a typo. Who amongst us is not guilty of typos?
Enforcement is the Jayson Blair of this blog!
First off, most here never heard of Sir Basil Liddell-Hart. Who fought during ww1. And, was an old, old man during WW2. Hardly like to have had any D-Day plans in his pocket.
But canards and misrepresentations are the norm for idiots; and those that salivate at their feet.
Others? New information is interesting to learn.
Grant’s Civil War strategy always excelled. But he was marginalized by Hallack. And, the New York presstitutes.
One thing Grant did, early (1961), in one of the first battles he won, WAS FREE THE SLAVES where he held victory. Pissed off Lincoln. Since at that time Lincoln wasn’t ready.
Turns out these lessons could be repeating themselves, now, in Iraq. Since the state and pentagon were not ready! They wanted the line up that was carried in George Tenet’s pocket. The sunnis, (under Chalabi), using terror; would “win” Iraq. And, with the departure of Saddam, this would have been a real estate gain for the HOUSE OF SAUD.
Didn’t come to pass.
The interesting things about tanks, in battle, is that they attack FROM THE REAR! The infantry fights in front.
And, the compression, between the rear getting clobbered, and the front open to assault, puts armies on the run.
I think Bush has been honest when he says he handicapped Iraq’s progress. You can’t excuse what Paul Bremer did. But you can notice, a lot of bad guys got FIRED!
By the way, most people who read blogs don’t comment.
And, when a guy hits his stride, as AJ does; then what you see coming on board are termites. A real lousy brew; worse even that journalists who only pee into their own backyards.
On the other hand? Information is free. And, being exposed to information is like roaming in a library. There really is very good stuff out there!
I’m glad M. Simon recommended Liddell-Hart. It’s great reading.
And, in 1954, he updated his commentary to include the USA’s dropping of the two atomic bombs. Because by the time a decade had passed, Liddell-Hart noticed the “laziness” that had crept into the strategic planning.
We’re only now beginning to tackle this stuff.
And, the UN hasn’t changed.
The democrats? They’re always behind the 8-Ball when major stuff shows up. They were behind the 8-Ball when the south went nuts! (Even Lincoln was surprised. Since it was typical blackmail for the south to threaten “going out to lunch” in order to stop the business of congress. But Lincoln thought they’d be back after 3 days.)
Instead? The south actually chose to sit on their haunches for 100 yeras. Not only did blacks not go anywhere; there was very little to no electricity in the southern states. Changed only by FDR. When to ease the depression and put men to work, he conceived of the Tennessee Valley Authority. The Hoover Dam, too, I think. And, major changes were able to occur because electricity, roads, and modernization, pushes progress along.
When this happens in Iraq, the Middle East will start to vibrate, the way China did. When China’s engine got kick-started. (Circa 1980.) Cell phones helped. Because China has no copper wiring going cross-country. It took satellites to establish “contact.” But that’s what progess needs.
And, sometimes you get to see this. When the media publishes a picture of a village. It couled be in Afghanistan. Or Iraq. There’s no paved streets. Nothing that passes for indoor-plumbing. But you can see the DISHES! Those receivers of signals from the sky. And, it has the propensity to encourage development.
I’ll guess that in 50 years people will look back and say this President was a visionary.
While today, people looking back scratch their heads at Woodwrow Wilson. Because whatever he was thinking then, didn’t work out to much. Just a “globalist” who bit the dust.
Carol, are you and your family from the South?
“The word in the title should be “Our†instead of ‘Are'”
Yeah, “Are” is a “typo” and really should be “Our,” its understandable – call me elitist, please, that is just @%@#(%*@#^%(@ stupid. There, I’ve held my opinion and said my opinion. Is it me or doesn’t AJ have the ability to change something like the title on this thread, or any of his comments?
Jerry: Typo wasn’t the correct word. I should have said mistyped. Like when one misspeaks.
I MISTYPED by using the word TYPO! See how easy it is to do?
Carol, not to be picky about the South, but did you know this:
The first electric streetcar in the world ran down Dexter Avenue in Montgomery, Alabama.
Dr. L.L. Hill did the first successful heart operation in Montgomery, Alabama.
The first submarine boat in the world – The Hunley – was built in Mobile, Alabama.
Carol H, I wouldn’t even read the NYT much less work for them.
You check your facts?
“One thing Grant did, early (1961)”
I don’t think Grant was still alive in 1961. So much for fact checking.
All that BS you wrote didn’t change the fact that your hero was a traitor. So I’m really excited, as you seem to be about his nebulous achievements.
The Hoover Dam, too, I think., Nope, before FDR. You’re not much of a fat checker are you? Check out liddle hart, I spell with little letters because he was insignificant, a traitor.
Oh me “It took satellites to establish “contact.” Satellites don’t have anything to do with cell phones. And China didn’t put up any satellites until Bill Clinton gave them the technology.
You really ought to at least google some of your “little ditties”
Rural areas in the North were no more electrified than in the South, the REA was created for Rural America, check out Washington state for example and Montana. Last time I looked, they weren’t in the Rural south.
(Even Lincoln was surprised. Since it was typical blackmail for the south to threaten “going out to lunch†in order to stop the business of congress. But Lincoln thought they’d be back after 3 days.)
Really, the southern states were only in the Union for a very, very short time while Lincoln was pres and he was dead before they came back.
Carol, if you’re gonna be an expert, you ought to at least use google. I’m not going to keep correcting all your errors.
I have family both from the North and South. In fact I had an ancestor who died fighting for the Alabama Volunteers. My Yankee ancestor survived the war.
Thomas Jefferson was a southerner.
So was George Washington and a lot of the early leaders, mostly Virginia and the Carolinas
Carol, the first commercially air conditioned building in the US was in Beaumont, Texas.
Jerry, exuse your ignorance, it wasn’t so much a typo as a sounds like.
you can sound out are and our and it sounds very similar.
I’ve seen no evidence of AJ being on the site all day, so if he’s not reading, he’s not correcting.
Besides, Jerry, if you don’t like what you read on the site, you’re free to go elsewhere, like hell, for instance.
Lefty, careful you might explode (!), what will Ken think?!
You agree that a typo is absurd, miraculously, but you absurdly suggest “sounds like” is a reasonable explanation. But “our” and “are” aren’t even closely comparable words – “our” is a noun, (right?!) and “are” is a verb (is there even an argument here?) . So it’s (not its) not simply a typo it’s (not its) also like confusing “its crap ” with “it’s crap” Why defend the indefensible, it’s a silly mistake.
Jerry, check out our (adjective) in the dictionary. You might be amazed to find that the pronunciation is AR with two dots over the
a. Amazing, huh?
Dummy, I didn’t say they were either nouns or verbs, I just said they sound similar. If you don’t believe it, let a southerner say our and are
and guess which is which. And it is my suggestion that if you weren’t reading what you like to read, you would be reading somewhere else.
As for what Ken(you) thinks, tell us.
I don’t not agree with you on anything except that you are an idiot, you do concede that don’t you?
another typo, I do not agree with you on anything, etc.