Just one more edit.
“Though these big time journalists like to view themselves as ‘peers’ of McChrystal and the generals, the generals often view the big time journalists with a healthy dose of contempt.” People who are easily and eagerly used are often appreciated for the value they provide, but are rarely viewed with respect.
From a transcript of a drone/helicopter attack on civilians in Afghanistan:
The Afghans unfolded what looked like blankets and kneeled.
“They’re praying. They are praying,” said the Predator’s camera operator, seated near the pilot. By now, the Predator crew was sure that the men were Taliban.
“This is definitely it, this is their force,” the cameraman said.”Praying? I mean, seriously, that’s what they do.”
“They’re gonna do something nefarious,” the crew’s intelligence coordinator chimed in.
At 6:22 a.m., the drone pilot radioed an update: “All … are finishing up praying and rallying up near all three vehicles at this time.”
The camera operator watched the men climb back into the vehicles.
“Oh, sweet target,” he said.
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None of those Afghans was an insurgent.
I also find prayer kind of strange but I don’t think we should kill people for it.
Obama has not needed to go on television and make bizarre dating analogies about warfare to justify our operations in Afghanistan to a public that didn’t want or understand it; he campaigned on expanding that aspect of our war against Muslims, and he has delivered, and we all go about our business as if we agree.
Professional Journalists are still bothered by these events because the irresponsible and non-staff-employed Rolling Stone reporter went and wrote up quotations and anecdotes that he witnessed happening, rather than negotiating with his sources to produce a polite and abridged and untrue version of things.
On the one hand, in an effort to downplay the significance of the release, we are told the documents contain no new information. On the other hand, some high ranking members of the U.S. military are trying to: 1) intimidate anyone else from doing the same thing and 2) turn public opinion against whoever leaked the current documents.
While it’s true that WikiLeaks should have been much more careful in redacting the names of Afghan sources, watching Endless War Supporters prance around with righteous concern for Afghan lives being endangered by the leak is really too absurd to bear.
A senior U.S. military source confirmed the existence of the Taliban monkey soldiers, military experts call armed monkeys ‘monkey terrorists.’
