Comments on the wars

[pecunium]

Digby has a piece up about the silly flap about the soldier who wrote up his experiences.

I haven't read the piece. I don't need to; as Digby says I've read it all before. I disagree with part of her premise, that reading about it can make it real, but at it's core, what she says is true, none of this is a revelation to anyone with eyes to see, and it's not an accusation of every soldier in the Army.

Go read Private Peter Pan

Rick Perlstein has a piece up on a different conflict, the Rightwingers, and the rest of us.

Time to fight back

We've all seen it. I've seen some of it right here. Projections of motive, Attacks on patriotism, accusations of willful blindness.

Here's what Perlstein says about his observations.

Shortly before she died, my grandmother—one of the people, naturally, I loved the most in the world—broke my heart. Celia Perlstein, like most of our grandparents, didn't get out much in her final years; in fact, for the last few years of her life, I'm not sure she got out of her old folks home at all. I don't think she really wanted to. She was sure that beyond its threshold lay dragons: far-far-far leftists out to steal her Social Security; turbaned terrorists just itching to fly a jet into the First Wisconsin tower a few blocks to the south; quisling Democrats itching to help them do it; grandma-gutting criminal marauders just outside her door.

I'd look out of her eighth floor picture window, down at the scene she saw every day, half expecting to find that nightmare landscape before me. Nope: same as always, the brightly colored sailboats on Lake Michigan, kids and their parents feeding the ducks (Grandma used to take me to feed the ducks), happy, strolling Milwaukee couples—paradise. Where was she getting these fantasies?

Read the piece, I'm sure his answer won't surprise you.

As for Bill O'Reilly's latest attack on the Meanies on the Left, Hunter at DailyKos put it all in perspective

Swallow your coffee before you follow that one.

Comments

I'm confused

[killslowly.livejournal.com]

Hey Terry,

I am a bit confused on your take of PFC Scott Thomas Beauchamp, AKA Baghdad Diarist, AKA Shock Troops, AKA Scott Thomas, AKA The New Winter Soldier.

The guy misrepresents his experiences and/or makes them up, calls them his own, makes our soldiers look like shit, is engaged or married to a staffer at TNR, is on his second Article 15 (one for going awol for three weeks in country), is an aspiring writer (no doubt his war atrocity experiences will add character to his writing), makes his unit and its leadership look pathetic, has an investigation that is taking away assets from war fighting (as opposed to investigating his stupidity).

But the "right wingers" are wrong for being mad?

Please explain.

Cheers,

Jerry

P.S.: LOL Terry, you have a soft spot for people with bit imaginations. Remember Ford? LOL.

Re: I'm confused

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Are you saying you know his account to be false?

Because the choice of venue is one which, actually, gives him more credibility, TNR isn't Mother Jones. They aren't mad because he's wrong; they are mad because he's speaking out. Look at how they felt vs. how they now feel about Pat Tillman.

Some of our soldiers are shitty. Some leaders are pathetic (and I don't think we need to name names here). Some units are crappy.

The point here is that the Right likes soldiers, when they are perfect. If they aren't perfect, they are traitors, liars and fifth columinists.

They don't love us, they love the image of the oiled warrior.

TK

[tenderberry.livejournal.com]

Swallow your coffee before you follow that one.

thanks for the warning

Re: I'm confused

[killslowly.livejournal.com]

That's true. We do not know if this guy is legitimately experiencing the stuff he said, or if he is embellishing.

I am just so freaking tired of all these people writing crap, pointing fingers, and then being proven wrong (your are right. Beauchamp is still innocent till proven guilty).

It will surprise me if this guy is being honest about his story. But what about taking care of your unit? He is actually talking crap about his coworkers, the people who eat, shit, and bleed next to him. The people that are supposed to trust him. (just because it did not happen to him does not make it a lie... until he says it did, then it is a lie).

I mean, he is describing atrocious behavior. I hope he actually informed his superiors about all this insanity:

Desecrating a grave site?: That's a crime against humanity and reportable.

Driving and killing dogs with a Bradley?: Endangering your crew and equipment, while being malicious and presenting the military in a bad light with the locals. And probably hitting a fucking IED in the process.

Insulting a wounded contractor/soldier in a mess hall full of people?: That is just fucking wrong and it is discriminatory against somebody who might be disabled. And just so over the top that is unbelievable. You mean to tell me nobody kicked their asses on the spot? No senior NCO, no Officers? Are we that weak as leaders that nobody steps to the plate and corrects this stupidity?

So this jackass is stuck either way.

If he is telling the truth, then he is a willing participant and he is the piece of shit I think he is. Regardless of his "soul-searching" moments.

If he is embellishing or outright lying, then he is the piece of this I think he is.

There are plenty of jackasses in the military who do act stupid and create situation that are horrible and we have to fix (if fixable).

We do not need another "writer" making up crap trying to make us look bad. The way I see it? He is just another Ford, Debatto, Weichert trying to milk the experience into a money making scheme.

Nothing wrong with that I guess. We put our experiences in resumes and/or try to use our learnings positively. But this guy just stinks, and its trying to make it on the backs of his unit and compatriots. Like that looser actor who did the movie in Turkey.

I hope it is just PTSD that's treatable. Maybe Scott has a chance and recuperates and does good for society. But to talk crap about your unit while you are there? Unforgivable man... unforgivable. Probably fragable.

Re: I'm confused

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Would talking about Walls and Corsetti be in the same category?

I know of some really petty shit done to people; while I was at Ft. Lewis. If they write about how they were treated, what happened to them, is that wrong?

If the stuff he's said happened, it needs to stop.

What do you think is likely to happen if someone reports things like this up th chain?

TK

Re: I'm confused

[killslowly.livejournal.com]

Ah.. you brought me some awful memories.

Talking about Corsetti, Walls, and that female SGT would not be wrong, because investigations were conducted, sentencing given and punishment issued.

The poor people at Ft. Lewis have a right to be represented, if whatever happened to them is true and/or truly shitty, nor apparently shitty, or I hate the army so it is shitty, shitty.

And reporting things up the chain of command is not difficult. Actually it is encouraged in professional outfits. I do not know how it is in the infantry unit he is working with, but apparently he has plenty of time to talk shit about people at chow halls, run over dogs with bradleys, and/or watch his friend wear a freaking piece of child skull for a day or two.

What would happen? Several things could happen. Either it gets ignored, or he is labeled a p*ssy, or it gets swept under the rug, or it gets acted upon in a half assed way, or it gets taken serious and it is fixed. But lack of courage in reporting is not an excuse. Fear of reprisals is not an excuse. Fear of ridicule is not an excuse. And he seems to be courageous enough to be writing about it albeit under an pseudonym.

It is interesting that his reporting was kept confidential so that he would not get punished. Punished for what? OPSEC? Lying? Embellishing? Talking to the media without a PAO representative present? I am confused. Did he forget that we need permission to talk to the media? His paycheck is being paid for by the tax payers, not the media. Did he forget who's allegiance he swore to? Did he forget we swore to obey the officers appointed over us? Granted, we are not required to follow unlawful orders, but not to talk to the media without PAO is not an illegal order. But I digress.

What is awful is that this person is in the wrong regardless, and instead of doing something positive, so that we might win this war, he writes crap that degrades his unit and his compatriots. I do not think that his actions aid the enemy, but it sure aids the rest of the world into categorizing the US soldier as an uncaring piece of selfish shit who does anything he wants and does not pay the price.

I guess I was lucky that in my year I did not have to report anything bad. I guess I could have reported our entire unit, by allowing us to go outside the wire without the proper training, equipment and support. But I was a bit busy "doing" the job, than writing fiction, or falsely accusing my friends of torturing prisoners while wearing a badge I did not earn.

Call me crazy, but I believe in writing about the truth. Selfless truth. Not sending anonymous stories to my fiancee's place of work while making my unit look awful and not reporting the activities to the rightful authorities.

Phew!!!.. LOL, I better go get some coffee. I think this caffeine withdrawal is doing a number on my nerves.

You know I love you right? LOL, we might disagree on many things, but you know how to ride horses, if you know what I mean.

Re: I'm confused

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I wish he'd been public about it. I don't know what his chain was told/did.

I do know that as far as the Anonymous aspect of it goes, he was going to get a ration of shit, no matter if he was telling the truth or not.

The kid who reported the Abu Ghraib stuff has been villified, gotten death threats, had to move.

I know you love me, and I know what you mean about riding horses. It doesn't hurt me when you challenge me on it. The cure for such things is sunshine, and you help me look at it.

TK