Honesty In Media?
I do not think so. It has not happened in the past few years and it surely is not happening now. On Sunday, the New York Slime published an op-ed piece by seven members of the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (Buddika Jayamaha, Wesley D. Smith, Jeremy Roebuck, Omar Mora, Edward Sandmeier, Yance T. Gray and Jeremy A. Murphy):
To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched. As responsible infantrymen and noncommissioned officers with the 82nd Airborne Division soon heading back home, we are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day.
All these Soldiers are Staff Sergeants and below in the infantry and EOD fields. Based off their AKO accounts, they appear to be in the same unit, perhaps even the same squad. That is not a problem. These Soldiers have earned their opinion, narrow as it may be. However, it fits the media’s agenda and was, therefore, published in a prominent newspaper and spread throughout the land and blogosphere. It does not end there.
Seven other Soldiers, David Bellavia, Pete Hegseth, Michael Baumann, Carl Hartmann, David Thul, Knox Nunnally, and Joe Worley, wrote a response to the previous seven and submitted it to the New York Slime as well.
Currently, American and Iraqi Forces are clearing sections of southern Baghdad before turning north to the 82nd Airborne’s neighborhoods. As such, the portrait these soldiers painted, while surely accurate and honest, is more representative of pre-surge Baghdad: sectarian strife, lawlessness, and indiscriminate slaughter.
The result? Attacks against civilians are at a six-month low and large al Qaeda-style truck and suicide bombings have dropped 50 percent in Baghdad. With additional troops and a sound strategy, the same results can occur in even the worst areas of Baghdad, including the 82nd Airborne’s sector.
The Soldiers went on to mention the other successes in Iraq while maintaining respect for those they disagree with. You may ask yourself when the New York Slime printed this version of “The War As We Saw It”. It wasn’t printed in the Slime. Instead, it was printed at The Daily Standard:
This Op-Ed was originally submitted to the New York Times, which declined to publish it.
Biased? Naw…….. Keep in mind that David Bellavia was recommended for the Medal of Honor. He has received the Silver Star and Bronze Star with “V” device. This is no chickenhawk Soldier!
Terri
August 24th, 2007 at 4:53 pmWhich is why, we as bloggers continue to do what we do. The media won’t share the positive strides being made and America has a right to know about them. Thanks for sharing this CJ.
yankeemom
August 24th, 2007 at 6:15 pmI’m so not surprised by any of this. Terri, you are so right ~ we bloggers need to keep fighting the bias at our keyboards and watching the backs of our troops here at home. Thanks, CJ, for posting the response and doing all you are doing to fight this too.
I’ll be linking to this, just so ya know.
Donna
August 24th, 2007 at 7:31 pmThanks CJ for the post! I’m so glad that the other seven soldiers spoke up to repudiate what the first seven said. I’m glad that the surge is making a difference!!
Xanthippas
August 24th, 2007 at 9:19 pmThe Soldiers went on to mention the other successes in Iraq while maintaining respect for those they disagree with. You may ask yourself when the New York Slime printed this version of “The War As We Saw It”. It wasn’t printed in the Slime.
Spare us. Virtually every article about the war includes a quote from a soldier who says they’re doing well, making progress, etc., etc. This op-ed was extraordinary because these soldiers dared to disagree with the upbeat statements, and attached their names and their ranks to their opinions. In other words, it was news.
And anyway the NY Times printed the O’Hanlon/Pollack op-ed saying the surge was succeeding, so I’m not sure what your beef is except that what you disagree with you blame on the liberal media, and what you agree with they get no credit for, apparently.
brat
August 24th, 2007 at 11:56 pmThanks CJ! And I ditto what Terri and Yankeemom said. This is EXACTLY why we do what we do, so that others may know the truth of what YOU all do.
And I, also, will be linking to this….
Thank YOU.
CJ
August 25th, 2007 at 2:48 pmXanthippas,
Neither of those individuals were Soldiers, no matter how good their piece is. I agree that the O’Hanlon/Pollack piece was positive, which was a shock for us all considering the source. It was an anomaly pure and simple. And for the record, we DID publicize their piece over on my other blog, so spare me your tongue lashing about failing to give credit.
I would really appreciate you sharing with us where you’re getting all this supposed good news that isn’t coming from blogs or local newspapers where military bases are predominant. I’d like to read “virtually every article about the war” that says we’re “doing well” in Iraq. Cause I have to HUNT for them.
DougS
August 29th, 2007 at 11:46 amThe surge has somewhat reduced violence in Baghdad – but violence in surrounding areas has increased. The number of displaced Iraqis has approximately doubled since last year. The only objective way of telling if you’re meeting your goals is to look at the numbers. Here’s some other metrics to judge the success of the surge by, comparing June/July 07 to the same period last year:
Violence Metrics
Change
Iraqi Military and Police Killed 349 429 Up 23%
Multiple Fatality Bombings 110 82 Down 25%
# Killed in Mult. Fatality Bombings 885 1,053 Up 19%
Iraqi Civilians Killed 6,739 5,300 Hard to say1
U.S. Troop Fatalities 104 187 Up 80%
U.S. Troops Wounded 983 1,423 Up 45%
Attacks on Oil and Gas Pipelines 8 143 Up 75%
1Methodology changed dramatically between 2006 and 2007, so numbers are highly suspect.
2Number is for March 2007.
3Numbers are for June only. No July numbers are available.
Diesel Fuel Available 26.7 Ml 20.7 Ml Down 22%
Kerosene Available 7.08 Ml 6.3 Ml Down 11%
Gasoline Available 29.4 Ml 22.2 Ml Down 24%
LPG Available 4,936 tons 4,932 tons Down 0.1%
Electricity Generated 8,800 Mwatts 8,420 Mwatts Down 4%
Hours Electricity Per Day 11.7 10.14 Down ~14%
CJ
August 31st, 2007 at 4:24 pmDoug,
The President and military was quite clear that the surge would initially result in more deaths. If you ask me, your numbers actually support what we’re doing because they prove that bombings are down and the civilian deaths are down. That’s our main priority. If the cost of keeping civilians alive is dead Soldiers and police, then that’s our job. Your metrics are WAY off on the oil and gas pipeline issue, not sure where you’re getting those numbers. Your numbers are also misleading without facts.
For example, the electricity numbers mean nothing without mentioning that there is MORE electricity being produced, however the drain on the system has been increased due to Iraqis being able to purchase and use electrical appliances and devices for the first time in their lives. I saw this firsthand when I was in Iraq in 2003. Within days of the collapse of Baghdad, satellite dishes were going up, TVs were being bought, and satellite phones were being used.
Pedro
October 9th, 2007 at 6:43 amTwo of the guys with the alternative view of the war have died in an accident in Iraq…
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/washington/13troops.html