Comments on: Getting it http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/01/14/getting-it/ The unbearable lightness of Lex. Enjoy! Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:59:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Albany Rifles http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/01/14/getting-it/comment-page-1/#comment-40620 Albany Rifles Tue, 16 Jan 2007 14:29:02 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/01/14/getting-it/#comment-40620 "Bush may have started this war, but the country is fighting it. " Lex, I disagree with you on this point. The country is not fighting this war, DOD, the intel agencies and a few others are but the country as a whole is not. All that the general public is realy doing is buying yellow ribbon magnets and watching flyovers at sporting events. There is not sense of a nation at war. We can argue about taxes one way or another but where are the bond drives? Heck Viet Nam at least had the buy a US Savings bond ads. Where is the call for national service? I agree that Charlie Rengel is wrong on his call for conscription but at least he is calling for some effort on the part of the populace. Those of us who lurk on these blogs have a greater stake than most of our countrymen as well as a better understanding of the need and cost of war but our countrymen truly have not been called to war. Who is to blame? The Administration AND the media are both guilty on this. If politicians would act like leaders and the media of all stripes cared less about the shareholders? “Bush may have started this war, but the country is fighting it. ”

Lex,

I disagree with you on this point. The country is not fighting this war, DOD, the intel agencies and a few others are but the country as a whole is not. All that the general public is realy doing is buying yellow ribbon magnets and watching flyovers at sporting events. There is not sense of a nation at war. We can argue about taxes one way or another but where are the bond drives? Heck Viet Nam at least had the buy a US Savings bond ads. Where is the call for national service? I agree that Charlie Rengel is wrong on his call for conscription but at least he is calling for some effort on the part of the populace.

Those of us who lurk on these blogs have a greater stake than most of our countrymen as well as a better understanding of the need and cost of war but our countrymen truly have not been called to war.

Who is to blame? The Administration AND the media are both guilty on this. If politicians would act like leaders and the media of all stripes cared less about the shareholders?

]]> By: Albany Rifles http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/01/14/getting-it/comment-page-1/#comment-409749 Albany Rifles Tue, 16 Jan 2007 14:29:02 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/01/14/getting-it/#comment-409749 "Bush may have started this war, but the country is fighting it. " Lex, I disagree with you on this point. The country is not fighting this war, DOD, the intel agencies and a few others are but the country as a whole is not. All that the general public is realy doing is buying yellow ribbon magnets and watching flyovers at sporting events. There is not sense of a nation at war. We can argue about taxes one way or another but where are the bond drives? Heck Viet Nam at least had the buy a US Savings bond ads. Where is the call for national service? I agree that Charlie Rengel is wrong on his call for conscription but at least he is calling for some effort on the part of the populace. Those of us who lurk on these blogs have a greater stake than most of our countrymen as well as a better understanding of the need and cost of war but our countrymen truly have not been called to war. Who is to blame? The Administration AND the media are both guilty on this. If politicians would act like leaders and the media of all stripes cared less about the shareholders’ bottom line we may actually fight this war as a nation, not as a disjointed effort by individual elements of our government. (I will now take off my rose colored glasses.) “Bush may have started this war, but the country is fighting it. ”

Lex,

I disagree with you on this point. The country is not fighting this war, DOD, the intel agencies and a few others are but the country as a whole is not. All that the general public is realy doing is buying yellow ribbon magnets and watching flyovers at sporting events. There is not sense of a nation at war. We can argue about taxes one way or another but where are the bond drives? Heck Viet Nam at least had the buy a US Savings bond ads. Where is the call for national service? I agree that Charlie Rengel is wrong on his call for conscription but at least he is calling for some effort on the part of the populace.

Those of us who lurk on these blogs have a greater stake than most of our countrymen as well as a better understanding of the need and cost of war but our countrymen truly have not been called to war.

Who is to blame? The Administration AND the media are both guilty on this. If politicians would act like leaders and the media of all stripes cared less about the shareholders’ bottom line we may actually fight this war as a nation, not as a disjointed effort by individual elements of our government.

(I will now take off my rose colored glasses.)

]]> By: Eric http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/01/14/getting-it/comment-page-1/#comment-40613 Eric Tue, 16 Jan 2007 14:20:26 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/01/14/getting-it/#comment-40613 The newspaper here in Bloomington actually ran an article over the weekend about the import of success in Iraq; however, I don't think it was quite what you are looking for. It was very bleak, too depressing in fact for me on a Sunday morning. The gist of the article was the consequences of if the troop surges don't work (I can hear your liberal media detectors going into overdrive from here). I can try to find an online version for you if you're interested. The newspaper here in Bloomington actually ran an article over the weekend about the import of success in Iraq; however, I don’t think it was quite what you are looking for. It was very bleak, too depressing in fact for me on a Sunday morning.

The gist of the article was the consequences of if the troop surges don’t work (I can hear your liberal media detectors going into overdrive from here). I can try to find an online version for you if you’re interested.

]]> By: Daveg http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/01/14/getting-it/comment-page-1/#comment-40575 Daveg Tue, 16 Jan 2007 13:21:16 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/01/14/getting-it/#comment-40575 "Victory," and the concept of it, is simply another word in our lexicon that will need to change with the times. "Gay" doesn't mean what it used to, for example, and neither does "War." Take the so-called "War on Drugs." What defines victory in the War on Drugs? Nothing. Yet, we keep "fighting" that war. When will it end, and who will be present at the surrender ceremony? No one knows, because it is by its very nature not knowable. For journalists, debating semantics is easy, fun, and almost completely pointless. I say "almost" because I do think there would be value in agreeing what we should call our enemies, but we can't even get agreement on that. <i>I? “Victory,” and the concept of it, is simply another word in our lexicon that will need to change with the times. “Gay” doesn’t mean what it used to, for example, and neither does “War.” Take the so-called “War on Drugs.” What defines victory in the War on Drugs? Nothing. Yet, we keep “fighting” that war. When will it end, and who will be present at the surrender ceremony? No one knows, because it is by its very nature not knowable.

For journalists, debating semantics is easy, fun, and almost completely pointless. I say “almost” because I do think there would be value in agreeing what we should call our enemies, but we can’t even get agreement on that.

I?

]]> By: Daveg http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/01/14/getting-it/comment-page-1/#comment-409748 Daveg Tue, 16 Jan 2007 13:21:16 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/01/14/getting-it/#comment-409748 "Victory," and the concept of it, is simply another word in our lexicon that will need to change with the times. "Gay" doesn't mean what it used to, for example, and neither does "War." Take the so-called "War on Drugs." What defines victory in the War on Drugs? Nothing. Yet, we keep "fighting" that war. When will it end, and who will be present at the surrender ceremony? No one knows, because it is by its very nature not knowable. For journalists, debating semantics is easy, fun, and almost completely pointless. I say "almost" because I do think there would be value in agreeing what we should call our enemies, but we can't even get agreement on that. <i>I’m convinced that at this point, the president seems unable to articulate a clear strategy because doing so could potentially give his opponents and detractors a proverbial leg to stand on in the seemingly biased media.</i> I agree with this 100%, although I'd say that this has been the case since at least 2003. In the world of hyper-gotcha media politics, any admission of a mistake is blood in the water unless, of course, it's a mistake made by the head-in-the-sand isolationist crowd. They, apparently, can do no wrong, although they can eventually be completely ignored once they have outlived their usefulness in advancing the agenda. Ms. Sheehan, call your office. “Victory,” and the concept of it, is simply another word in our lexicon that will need to change with the times. “Gay” doesn’t mean what it used to, for example, and neither does “War.” Take the so-called “War on Drugs.” What defines victory in the War on Drugs? Nothing. Yet, we keep “fighting” that war. When will it end, and who will be present at the surrender ceremony? No one knows, because it is by its very nature not knowable.

For journalists, debating semantics is easy, fun, and almost completely pointless. I say “almost” because I do think there would be value in agreeing what we should call our enemies, but we can’t even get agreement on that.

I’m convinced that at this point, the president seems unable to articulate a clear strategy because doing so could potentially give his opponents and detractors a proverbial leg to stand on in the seemingly biased media.

I agree with this 100%, although I’d say that this has been the case since at least 2003. In the world of hyper-gotcha media politics, any admission of a mistake is blood in the water unless, of course, it’s a mistake made by the head-in-the-sand isolationist crowd. They, apparently, can do no wrong, although they can eventually be completely ignored once they have outlived their usefulness in advancing the agenda. Ms. Sheehan, call your office.

]]> By: Richard Cook http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/01/14/getting-it/comment-page-1/#comment-40457 Richard Cook Mon, 15 Jan 2007 21:53:42 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/01/14/getting-it/#comment-40457 Ens Tim and Badbob Take a shot at describing victory in a non traditional war such that it would fit the current news format. Since, in previous wars, victory meant the surrender of the other side, I don't think victory in the GWOT can be described quickly. Someone take a shot at it. Kris: I don't see where there is pressure coming from to make the MSM change. I have been working like hell trying to expose the people around me to new info (blogs) but 99% still want to be spoon fed and see the effort to get informed news to be too much trouble. This leads to another point; If people consider it too much trouble to get accurate news about a war their country is in what does that tell you about where the war is in their priorities? It's not their fault - we are getting our asses roundly kicked in Information Warfare and I don't see any effort to build a strong effort. Damn this sounds depressing. Ens Tim and Badbob

Take a shot at describing victory in a non traditional war such that it would fit the current news format. Since, in previous wars, victory meant the surrender of the other side, I don’t think victory in the GWOT can be described quickly. Someone take a shot at it.

Kris:

I don’t see where there is pressure coming from to make the MSM change. I have been working like hell trying to expose the people around me to new info (blogs) but 99% still want to be spoon fed and see the effort to get informed news to be too much trouble. This leads to another point;

If people consider it too much trouble to get accurate news about a war their country is in what does that tell you about where the war is in their priorities? It’s not their fault – we are getting our asses roundly kicked in Information Warfare and I don’t see any effort to build a strong effort. Damn this sounds depressing.

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