Is your local newspaper supporting the New York Times latest “give away” of national security information that helps only terrorists?
My local paper, McClatchy's Raleigh News & Observer, is definately supporting the NYT's national security disclosures. What's more, the N&O's exec news editor, Melanie Sill, doesn't like:
“the Bush attack Monday on The Times.”But wait a minute! Wasn’t that the President of the United States, George W. Bush, who responded Monday on behalf or our country and castigated those who put our serving military and America at greater risk of terrorists’ attacks?
Sure it was. And Sill knew it.
But like so many Bush-hating partisans, McClatchy's Sill just couldn't bring herself to grant the President the formal courtesy of using the title of the office to which the American people elected him.
And we're suposed to trust the N&O to bring us the news "fair and accurate." You bet.
Sill moves on and provides her own “Bush attack.” It's mostly a ramble about “free speech,” during which Sill never mentions her recent threats to delete readers' comments or the N&O’s suppression of Duke lacrosse news.
Disgusting, isn’t it?
We need to keep working to change how we get news.
But let’s hold that until tomorrow.
Tonight’s a time for Sgt. T. F. Boggs and the rest of our military. Most of you “met” Sgt. Boggs this morning in this post.
Biggs is serving his second tour of duty in Iraq, where he helps provide security for a military base in Mosul. He is also blogs at www.boredsoldier.blogspot.com.
And on Sunday Boggs fired off to Bill Keller, exec editor of the New York Times, a letter that said in part:
Thank you for continually contributing to the deaths of my fellow soldiers.There’s more to Boggs'letter. You can read it here.
You guys definitely provide a valuable service with your paper. Why without you how would terrorists stay one step ahead of us?
I would love to hear a response as to why you deemed revealing this program a necessity, but that will probably come as soon as the government decides to finally put you guys behind bars where you belong.
A little while ago, I sent Boggs the following email:
Dear Sgt. Boggs:Here are the email addresses of the NYT , WSJ and WaPo.
Thank you for your service to our country.
In a few minutes, I'll post and link to your letter at my blog. I'll include some email addresses so folks can write and express support for you and our military for the fantastic and courageous work you all are doing to keep the rest of us safe.
I'll be back to you soon.
Again, thank you.
John
www.johnincarolina.com
letters@nytimes.comAnd don’t forget Sgt. Boggs. You know he’d love hearing from all of you who support what he’s doing; and that’s most of you who comment here. His blog link is: www.boredsoldier.blogspot.com.
wsj.ltrs@wsj.com
letters@washpost.com
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Post URLs:
http://johninnorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2006/06/about-ny-times-soldiers-sound-off.html
http://boredsoldier.blogspot.com/2006/06/my-little-letter.html
1 comments:
The anger and pain felt by this serviceman in Iraq illustrates the tragedy of fighting this unpopular and ill-considered Iraq War. The information unleashed in the media is especially confusing when the major players in the run-up to this debacle still have a vested interest in spinning the outcome:
Let’s start with our Federal Legislators who so supinely accepted the premises of this war. Now they are publicly condemning one side or the other in each mini-controversy erupting in the media, while they continue to exhibit little leadership in working to solve the underlying problems. Some of the loudest complainers in the media are these same politicians who abrogated their oversight responsibilities, including ensuring the proper numbers of troops, as advocated by the Army Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Army, proper funding of the troops’ equipment like body armor, instead of shoveling billions towards weapons systems that will not help our troops on the ground.
I do not know with a high confidence level, that the NY Times should have published this information. Maybe they are still feeling guilty about their pre-Iraq War failure to vet Judith Miller’s stories that fed the unfounded fear of Saddam’s WMDs. Let’s consider this though: the Administration claims only that the Bali bombing was uncovered by the Bank Spy Program. Since then, the UN, in 2002 suggested to other countries that they should emulate the US tracking of overseas money transfers to catch more terrorists. Since these UN statements were public record years ago, it seems incredible that the terrorists would not know their cash was being tracked. The Times resolutely claims no evidence from the White House that the GWOT would be in any way impeded by this disclosure. Now balance that claim against the lies and misinformation from the White House about whether or how they have been tracking phone calls and other invasions of our freedoms since 9/11.
I recall my own feeling of wanting to “Fight for Freedom” during Vietnam; and how duped I and many of my classmates felt later. Back then, I did not feel duped by the Times for disclosing the Pentagon Papers; I felt duped and betrayed by our politicians and senior military leaders.
Many of the same columnists and politicians now spewing a smoke-screen over the Bank-Spy Program just lambasted the Democrats for promoting a “Cut & Run” program in Iraq. Of course we now see General Casey has a program to reduce the troop strength, just in time for the elections. Are these same people going to lambaste General Casey? I wonder how are troops in Iraq would feel about troop reductions, if they actually got the whole story?
Cheers,
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