A Canadian soldier serving in Afghanistan speaks out;
I knew Tony. I’ve kept my comments to myself until I could calm down my outrage over the media coverage of his death. We weren’t great friends, but buddies. Other soldiers know what I mean. I spoke to Tony a couple weeks ago out at one of the FOB’s. Not much said, just that there was a job to do, some bitching about the heat and the food, reminders that it would soon all be over, discussions of plans upon returning to Canada, the promise to drink some beers together on our way home. Normal soldier stuff. There is nothing in his first and last letters as published in the newspapers to suggest he was any more miserable than any other soldier, in any army, in any theatre in the world. It is our right to ***** and complain. A soldier who is not doing either, is upset or distressed and needs attention. A soldier who is not scared out there is a liar or crazy. As a soldier you do not ignore fear, you manage it. Welcome to war.
[…]
Mr / Ms reporter ; Please, suggest to my face or that of my military family that we do not possess the mindset or the skills needed to engage in combat. I don’t think you have the parts or the qualifications to make such a statement. You do however have the parts and the audacity to drag the family, friends and colleagues of Tony Boneca through the mud so you can sell papers and airtime and generate controversy. You do your country and your military a disservice but also have undoubtedly cause Tony’s parents a great deal of unneeded and unwanted stress. . You also do the general public a great disservice because you corrupt the truth and cloud the heroic activities of our soldiers, and you fuel the rhetoric spewed forth by the anti everything wackos out there.
Read the rest, at The Torch. Then, if you’re so inclined, pass a copy on to your friends.
Thanks so much for this. And pass a copy onto the MSM. They ought to read it.
I read the rest, and I’m touched. This letter should be shared read out loud to anyone who questions the drive and focus of Tony.
It’s so disheartening to know that this soldier may have a tainted reputation for not “giving it his all” just because a rabid rebel rousing keen journalist managed to access his girlfriend and friends just in the nick of mourning. It’s sick and disrespectful……..and very unprofessional.
Could it be too much to wonder if they have learned any lessons from this? Yesssirrreeee.
Where is journalistic integrity ???? He didn’t realize that as a reservist he would have to fight in a war. Aren’t you suppose to check your facts a million time over ??? He voluntered for a SECOND DUTY. After serving a year he still didn’t understand what was involved ??????? Gimme a break. He’s a hero and the journalists are scum. He did his duty. A journalists duty is to find the truth
This attempted misrepresentation of Cpl. Tony Boneca is simply the perfect illustration why your garden variety Canadian has an inherent distrust of the MSM.
This kind of yellow journalism is in the same category as the ‘pissants’ on the National War Memorial monument. To the journalists who cast doubt on Cpl. Boneca’s resolve shame on you.
Godspeed, Cpl. Boneca.
The first scum media to report this ‘story’ was, you guessed it, our taxpayer funded CBC! They went all out to slander this brave man with a fake story.
To look for integrity at the CBC would be like looking for something that only exists in fiction. The CBC will do and say anything to defame this mission–hoping this rubs off on the CPC rather than the Liberals that sent the soldiers there in the first place. As has been proven in politics so often, there is no level to which the CBC will not sink to defend their masters. Despicable. But sadly, typical. And no, I doubt if they learned anything–the haven’t before.
Man, that was beautiful, I wish the media would carry it.
Can you imagine how uncomfortable the funeral is going to be now? Like the grieving process isn’t bad enough but likely the girlfriend, uncle, friend, etc. will attend, emotions are likely to spill over that day. Thanks media, guess you will be hiding in the shadows that day somewhere waiting to pounce out and report any harsh words or exchanges?
ah..memories…i remember when my brother returned from somalia…..star had cartoon of canadian soldiers goose stepping…insinuating they were fascists/baby murderer’s/etc…..meanwhile, no-one bothered to mention the 1000’s of lives saved by the engineers(including my brother) who left the wire to give electricity etc. to the locals….i see that the pampered/subsidised/compromised left wing idiot media in this country has not changed one bit
The CBC won’t learn a thing from this.
Nor do they care.
The agenda is far more important than the truth.
Down with the CBC!!!
What an eloquent and moving posting. I have forwarded the piece in its entirety to a couple of friends I have in the media, with a suggestion they circulate it to their colleagues. I hope they do…
My understanding is the FAMILY chose NOT to have the press present at Cpl.Boneca’s repatriation.They have my sympathies for losing such a brave man…
In this regard,my thanks go to PM Harper for handing to families the power,and respect,to make this decision for themselves.I cannot keep from wondering if this decision reflects the family’s feelings towards the MSM’s disrespectful treatment of Cpl.Boneca’s memory.
Hold on a second.
If a deceased soldier’s girlfriend and her family relate some of supposed feelings of said soldier, why the hell is it the media’s fault for voicing their message?
I never hear anybody over here complain when we report things like, “My son Bob always believed in what he was doing — in this mission.”
Then why the hell is everyone talking about media “scum” today?
Unless it’s only alright for us to give airtime and ink to opinions you, personally, agree with. Which is kinda ironic, considering we’re over there fighting for democracy and its basic tenets, like free speech, and all.
Tony:
I have personally experienced instances wherein media had the deatils of a story (involving some delicate police operations), but called to ascertain whether or not publishing what they had would put the operation (and lives) at risk. When told that was the case, they voluntarily held off. THAT’S integrity in journalism. To publish a story, of marginal value, knowing the grief it would cause to friends & family of a fallen soldier…that’s NOT integrity, that’s sensationalism…
tony:
You would have a good point, defending free speech, except that said media are already without credibility and have demonstrated outrageous bias. They have already “chosen sides”, and consequently, negative responses to their missives are to be expected.
If someone lies to you 90% of the time, he’s a liar. Even if a factual statement occasionally appears.
And liars piss most of us off.
Tony Boneca died with his boots on and a gun in his hand, doing what he had been trained to do. That’s an honourable way to go and we should remember him with honour.
Vaya Con Dios, Tony.
small point…soldier use rifles, not guns…an old saying from boot camp…this is my rifle, this is my gun…this is for killing, this is for fun….guess what the gun is?
With over a quarter century of service under my belt before I retired, I know the expression. However, not all persons visiting this site are ex-military so I used the term ‘gun’
By the way, your flippancy is not appreciated. Not in this thread!
it was not my intention to insult anyone…with a combined 52 yrs service between my two brothers and myself…i was just trying to lighten the moment….
all the media should be there with the exception of CBCpravda and CTVtass.
they still have not published the true story or a retraction.
RIP Cpl. Tony Boneca
FU MSN
…er … make that FU MSM
Our press, like our American cousins, has been compromised. Its become so obvious they are now living in a surreal land of denial, that there looking like naked lunitics, at a kings ball.
They are not only feeding information to the enemy. But at every turn the MSM tries to pull down civilian moral. Its shameful if not treasonous.
In Any other age these outrages would have been dealt with swiftly. Usually at the end of a rope. After a fair trail. At least in the despised West . Most other Nations don’t have much time for that sort of civility. Nor do they care . As well there people have no rights, press , civilian or otherwise. Only the strong man of the time.
To do this to a family, who lost There Son honorably, as well as said soldiers memory being tarnished for political reasons. Is a sort of desecration. In my opinion anyhow.
God keep Cpl. Tony Boneca & his family in His arms.
An honorable man who kept his post till the end .
As a genealogist, I’ve read war letters dating back to the beginnings of modern mail: Almost all contain “trashing” of food, dirt, conditions, etc.. I’d say it is normal and to be expected for people in combat conditions to have and express complaints.
I have no problem with the press speaking about the complaints: My problem is the press not speaking about the other side of the thing.
There are two or more sides to every story. Yet, the more liberal MSM these days can see only one of those sides. That is a great wrong.
It’s unacceptable that our soldiers fight Islamic terrorists over there and at the same time, fight media terrorists here.
Here’s a message for any news organisation with any honour, truth, or balls left – Publish this soldiers letter.
Thank you for posting this letter Kate.
I see Tokyo tony has posted the usual MSM excuses for undermining our soldiers and the mission in Afghanistan.
And he managed to sqeeze in three excuses in just five lines.
That indicates to me Tokyo tony could indeed be a real journalist.
So here is my opportunity to say FU tony and the MSM horse you rode in on.
Personally I think many in the MSM will go belly up before they will admit they are biased and wrong and should make the necessary changes.
To our soldiers who are giving their all at our behest, Godspeed.
As Canadians we have pledged that each and everyone of you will be brought home to Canada, to your family and to your loved ones and we offer your nations undying gratitude for your many sacrifices on our behalf, regardless of what the editors at the CBC etc. decide is “fit to print”.
As I’ve said before, the MSM’s motivation in showing repatriation ceremonies, funerals, and coffins is to show the BAD side of war only to sway public opinion against it. They do not show the positive side of what our soldiers are doing. Do they show a joyous family reunion after a tour has ended? A soldier with his/her children? The schools rebuilt, the freedoms restored, etc. in Af’stan? No, because that would SUPPORT the mission.
from personal experience going back some 40 years:
all the way back to the time the high school where my eldest brother was teaching auto body mechanics and some of the students built a go-kart racer:
EVERY time, without fail, EVERY media story that I have had personal involvement in or personal up-to-date knowledge about, the reporters get it wrong. every time. I would guess about oh, 10 to 15 times now. personal insight or inside info on a story mostly in newspaper, EVERY time they skip crucial points. including some 3 cities I have lived in, so there is great consistency in this tendancy of oversight.
every friggin time.
’nuff said.
todm they don’t show the women allowed to feel the sun on their face with out being stoned or the adulterers shot in soccer stadium.
Gives a new meaning to soccer mom.
Concrete: Tokyo tony: LOL!
I think it’s pretty clear that “tony” is an MSM insider, always at the ready with excuses and justifications for the MSM and, in particular, the CBC.
Like, Robert J., any story I’ve been ‘in on’ which has been written up in the MSM or reported on the CBC, has either left out crucial information or reported WRONG information, thus skewing the story. Attempts to have corrections and/or apologies made are nearly always futile, especially at the CBC.
When it comes to manipulation and/or misreporting of information about our men and women in the military, it seems to me that these actions are bordering on treasonous. WE’RE AT WAR.
The very freedoms which the left/libs in the MSM enjoy are being protected and fought for by our military and those of the U.S., Britain, and Australia, to name a few of the participating countries in this War on Terror. That’s why it’s particularly ugly and reprehensible that these journalists purposely underplay, and thus undermine, what our men and women in uniform are accomplishing in Afghanistan.
If “the West” doesn’t win this War on Terror, I wonder how tony and his ilk will like living in Dhimmitude? No more free-wheeling lifestyles for them: no more sexual “freedom,” no more equal rights, no more feminism, no more abortion-on-demand to ‘ensure’ women’s “right to choose,” no more freedom of speech, no more freedom of expression, no more freedom of the press, no more separation of Church and State.
Get on it, tony. Make sure that your friends and colleagues read this soldier’s letter and then, couldja, wouldja see that it’s reported in the MSM?
new kid:
The MSM has indeed picked up and given prominent play to remarks from Tony Bonseca’s own dad, who made the same points in the letter above.
That’s why I can’t quite understand why some folks on this site go absolutely ballistic when the MSM picks up remarks they disagree with, accusing them of everything under the sun without pausing to acknowledge the tens thousands of times you’ve heard published quotes from someone you agree with.
As for “Concrete’s” cracker-jack observation that I (gasp!) might actually, really be a member of that profession you seem to consider the human career equivalent of swine feces, I say: Bravo, Sherlock. What gave it away? The words, “us,” and “we” sprinkled throughout my post each time I referred to journalists? That’s a D-plus in Grade Eight reading comprehension, at best, buddy!
tony, it’s not good points sprinkled in with bad points that has my back up, and lots of Canadians’ backs up. It’s the overwhelmingly negative accounts by the Canadian MSM of what’s going on in the M.E., over a long period of time, that rankles.
It’s as though the left/lib leanings of most MSM reporters/journalists have obscured the main reason why our military and those of other countries are fighting over there: It’s not to deprive Muslims or any other group of their freedom–or, as too many think, to ensure our access to M.E. oil. It’s to nip the Islamist terrorists’ killing and destruction in the bud, where they reside, before they import any more of it to N.A., Britain, Australia, etc.
It’s bad enough that we have home-grown terrorists, which the MSM refuses to call terrorists–at least the CBC does–and which the MSM prefer to see as confused youth, without the MSM’s constant refrain that the war in Iraq isn’t going very well. THAT is not true and is very demoralizing to our troops. If it weren’t for the blogosphere, most Canadians would think that only bad things were happening. Look at Af’stan: life getting back to normal, elections, women and girls walking the streets freely, going to work, going to school. Under the Taliban, none of this was permitted.
There’s a saying that goes “It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” and it applies in spades to the fighting in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
The MSM thinks a war should last only a few months or a year or two? Wouldn’t that be nice?
Look at WWII. Most people thought it would be over in a few months. Years later it was over, and the world is still dealing with the repercussions.
That’s life, tony, when people/governments believe that there is something–our democratic freedoms–worth fighting and dying for. If they aren’t worth fighting and dying for, then we forfeit them. Is that what the MSM wants? Is that what the CBC wants?
That’s what’s bugging a growing number of Canadians. The members of the MSM seem to want everything to be “peaceful” (“peace, peace, where there is no peace”) and seem to think that absence of war and fighting is “peace.” Well, it’s not.
It’s THE PATTERN over the years that is galling. It’s the obvious and unfair bias that is galling. It’s the flippant and arrogant contempt for patriotic allegiances and strongly held beliefs and principles that ARE worth fighting and dying for that is galling.
And, finally, it’s the MSM’s refusal to understand the genuine threat of this Islamist enemy to our way of life. What doesn’t the MSM understand about Dhimmitude?
Why do people (the media)keep using the words of Boneca’s girlfriend and her father as though they are Boneca’s words, and take them at face value. This soldier is not here to clarify what he did say, or to dispute what he didn’t say. I’ve read Boneca’s words, and not once did he say he did not want to fight. Not once did he say he was misled. Not once did he say the war was wrong. He said it was hot there, and that they were on rations, and that a 7 day treck turned into 22. (thats war, things don’t always go as planned).He also, more than once, assured the reader that “I’m okay”. To me, his words sounded more like innocent soldier bragging. Bragging about the hardships of being a soldier, particularly, in Afghanistan. Even if some of it was “complaining”, who doesn’t compain about their job once in a while? With the job these guys have, they have every right to complain. It doesn’t mean that won’t continue on doing that job with courage and honour. Lest we forget.
new kid:
Fair enough. You bitch-slapped me on the pervasive-negativity thing. I think you’re 100 per cent right that it’s a serious problem with the MSM, and it extends far beyond Afghanistan or individual political stripes. It’s not about ideology — it’s about the old definition that man bites dog (i.e. an out-of-the ordinary event) is news. That’s why stories about, for example, all the young girls now going to school get treated as an afterthought bside a fatal roadside bombing.
I guess the only silver lining is that all this indicates that bad people (those who commit the murders in our cities that wind up on our local front pages, and the terrorists who plant bombs by Afghan highways) are still the exception to the rule. They’re still deemed newsworthy because they possess that man-bites-dog quality: namely, rarity. It’s kind of sad that good people and good deeds don’t make news often enough. But at least it suggests that people still see goodness as the rule, not the exception.
It goes beyond the man bites dog, tony, but I appreciate your concession to the reality of the “pervasive negativity” of the MSM.
It is well-documented that the members of the MSM fall well to the left on the political spectrum, and what seems to go hand-in-hand with this positioning is pervasive anti-Americanism, something that many of us are heartily tired of. The U.S. of A. has been painted as the Monster of the World.
Whatever faults our neighbours to the South are guilty of, and it’s not their fault or President George W. Bush’s fault that they happen to have a population 10 times bigger than ours–and therefore, logically, are more powerful–they are the best neighbours any country could ever have and Canada undoubtedly owes much of its security and prosperity to the fact that we live in such close proximity to them.
PS–I don’t think I’ve ever “bitch slapped” anyone. ‘Sounds ominous.
This post is from a soldier who is a regular contributer to the CBC Viewpoint (on-line). (It’s strange that the media doesn’t claim that THIS soldier was misled or “disillusioned” with the Afghan mission.)
CPL. BRIAN SANDERS:
Up close and personal with the enemy
CBC News Viewpoint | July 12, 2006 | More from Cpl. Brian Sanders
——————————————————————————–
Cpl. Brian Sanders joined the Canadian Forces 11 years ago while he was in college. Shortly after, he decided to become a full-time soldier and joined the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) regiment. The 29-year-old native of Strathroy, Ont., has served in Kosovo and Bosnia. He is currently on duty in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he drives an armoured ambulance.
——————————————————————————–
Well, my search is finally over. I have found nowhere, a place where the population at present is 35.
About eight hours north of Kandahar airfield is a little place that is deep in the mountains. It’s a place where few Coalition forces have explored. It features rough mountain terrain that is riddled with tunnels and is an excellent hiding place for Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents.
Through the valleys of the mountains small streams flow, offering life to apple trees and the occasional poppy field — some of Afghanistan’s popular resources. This fertile terrain also makes it easy to bury landmines and other improvised explosive devices.
A promise of a five-day operation has now turned into 14 days of harsh living. Burning barrels fill the air with an odd smell — diesel fuel mixed with human waste.
It is a far cry from the porcelain toilets that wait for us back home in Canada. A makeshift shelter offers little privacy from the local Afghanis if a person wants to have a lukewarm shower with water scooped up in a can from a nearby stream used for irrigation.
With our natural reaction to remain clean, two small basins and a washboard are propped on the other side of the shower to wash clothes, all in the same water from that stream.
Surrounding our camp are armoured vehicles, providing lethal protection from insurgents. A few kilometres away, more support stands by, if required, in the shape of artillery, which is available at a moment’s notice.
Our days are filled with numerous activities. On a daily basis, sections of infantry explore the vast mountain range, searching for enemy strongholds and storage areas that may contain weapons. Midday patrols in the 50 C heat are challenging for even the toughest soldier, especially when you are carrying protective equipment, weapons and bullets.
But our well-trained soldiers are here to do a job, and no obstacles will stop them from that.
Always something happening
A couple of nights ago, the section returned with news of a compound overlooking our position.
Being an armoured soldier and having experience on the chain gun mounted to the turret of our light armoured vehicles, I was asked if I would like to destroy the target.
I accepted the invitation, and after 30 rounds, and a rush of high-explosive adrenaline, the target was swiftly destroyed.
The next day started early. Again the “frigid” temperatures of 25 C woke me at around 5 a.m. Supplies have been running low here, and resorting to a cold ration pack was the only way to get my breakfast into me.
Later, over the radio, we learned a convoy would be coming in to replace us. A Company was mounted up to provide security for the guys coming in.
The remaining soldiers back at the platoon house started packing their belongings. They were finally going back to Kandahar airfield to relax for a couple of days.
I had only been out here for two weeks, but some of the soldiers here have been around for three months. Morale was at an all-time high, though. Everyone was talking about how they would enjoy their shower upon returning to the airfield, while others just wanted to get online to talk to their loved ones.
All of a sudden there was a commotion up at the observation post.
“Sarge, contact coming in.”
We dropped everything, and could feel the adrenaline rush. Seven of us huddled within earshot of the radio, listening closely.
Our guys have spotted two Taliban fighters with a pickaxe, shovel, and a big silver box. Our guys were in pursuit. The sarge explained in a very calm voice over the radio, “Capture these guys in a very safe manner.”
All of us remembered all too well what happened only a week ago. Stacked anti-tank mines attached to an improvised device destroyed one of our LAV-3 vehicles, injuring six of the platoon’s closest friends.
After what seemed like hours, a voice came on the airwaves.
“One of them got away, sarge, and the other is trapped somewhere in the valley. We found a cave as well. He might be in there.”
More tense moments, and then this: “We got one, and he has admitted to planting mines.”
A sigh of relief overwhelmed everybody back at base camp.
“Good job guys, bring him in.”
Meanwhile, the rest of the patrol was able to uncover three stacked anti-tank mines attached to a remote device. It was a huge victory for us, and allowed the safe passing of our replacement convoy.
The prisoner was taken in to our compound for questioning. We have been trained in taking prisoners of war and instructed on how to treat them according to the Geneva Convention.
For me, it was an experience I will not soon forget. Blindfolded and cuffed, the prisoner was given a medical once over, fed, and questioned. He was then given a comfortable place to rest for the night.
Unfortunately, it was too late for us to leave that night, so we enjoyed the company of our replacements that evening, sharing stories of what we have been up to, and what we have seen this far during the tour. Canadian-made cigarettes, a hard thing to come by out here, were passed around, and the night slowly came to a close.
Or so I thought.
About 11 p.m. I awoke to the call of my name.
“Get the ambulance prepped in the back, and bring me a backboard.”
Still confused, and groggy, I stumbled to the ambulance and did what I was ordered. When I arrived with the backboard, I found a semi-conscious interpreter on the ground. He had been bitten by what we think was a viper.
A helicopter was ordered and would arrive in about 30 minutes. In heavy darkness, we treated our interpreter in the back of our ambulance and then rushed him to the helicopter pad and waited for the chopper to come.
Within minutes a shadow in the darkness landed in front of us, and our interpreter was flown away.
“All right guys, another good job, let’s get some sleep, we have to be up in a few hours to go home.”
What a day.
Tony – what you fail to realize is that your analogy is faulty when it comes to the war on terror. It is one thing for the media to continuously point out the crimes committed in Toronto – the car accidents, the gang violence, the home invasions – because those of us that live in Toronto know that these incidents are only a small part of our daily lives in Toronto, or for that matter any major city. Dog bites man is a fact of life especially in big cities.
But one would hardly assume that the ENTIRE city of Toronto was a crime zone.
However, there is a HUGE difference between reporting dog bites man news about cities and towns we live in, and continously reporting news about the War on Terrorism and what’s going on in Iraq and Afghanistan through a politically left wing biased prism. If one is to be biased while reporting on any war…its best for that bias to lean towards OPTIMISM and SUCCESSES, rather than towards failure.
It is VERY important that the media report the good the bad and the ugly about this war on terrorism as its being fought in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Our enemies cannot win on the battlefield in the traditional sense. So they hide in the shadows, plant IEDs, use human shields, kidnap, butcher, slaughter, civilians and children for gawds sake, not to mention captured soldiers and they know that as long as a willing media feeds the public these images and provides negative news framed by their biased, anti military, anti american or canadian left wing perspective, then they will WIN the battle by breaking the will of the people. They seem to understand the principals epoused in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. You really should read a post I wrote called The Art of War: Using The Media Elites.
Here is an excerpt:
So in war the way is to avoid what is strong and strike at what is weak.
Let me explain this in simple terms for our media intelligentsia:
Avoid what is strong ( Our Military) and strike at what is weak ( Liberal Americans/Canadians “will” or lack there of)
Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance of disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:–This is the Art of Retaining Self Possession.
The appearance of disorder and hubbub(chaos) is what our media is constantly focusing their attention on while failing to recognise, or choosing to ignore, that over 80% of Iraq is stable, and the many achievements of our military combined with help from the Iraqi army and Iraqi citizens! This constant focus on the appearance of disorder is exactly what the terrorists want our media to do, in order to help them break down the will of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans.
A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when it’s spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish:–This is the Art of Studying Moods.
So our enemies understand that as long as the troops spirit is keen, as long as their collective will is strong, theu, the terrorists, LOSE. In order to help breakdown the will of our troops, they focus on using the media to destroy the will of the American public. When our will is sluggish, then the type of assinine debate put forth by DEMS and Liberals in Washington(and likewise in Canada) occurs – talk of troop withdrawals, talk of casualties(by the way 2000+ is the lowest casualities of ANY multi year war to date) attacks upon the President (or prime minister in Canada) and his decision to go to war, Zogby polls that are DELIBERATELY misleading, combined with polls conducted by liberal based institutes that are touted in the media and are either faulty or misleading; all this serves to create divisiveness which is THE ONLY way these terrorists can defeat us, and deny democracy in Iraq, Afghanistan and by fiat in the Middle East. DIVIDE AND CONQUER. It is the ONLY way they can win. It is the ONLY way they can spread their fundamentalist agenda. And our media elites, are aiding them in doing so, by unfairly shaping public opinion!
Dear God Tony..if there is ANYTHING that we should ALL stand united against it is this insane fundamentalist terrorism that has reared its ugly head in Canada, the US, and Europe! And our media should be working with us NOT with our enemies!!
This is what you Tony, and your fellow fools in the media are incapable of understanding. The War on Terror is not a platform to celebrate dog bites man! Our lives, our way of life, our freedoms are at stake.
I have NO problem with hearing the bad and the ugly..but I have a RIGHT to hear the good.
If the media in Canada and America is UNABLE to provide unbiased coverage and provide me with a more balanced picture of whats going on, then the media has failed at their SOLE raison d’etre!
You should be ashamed Tony to be part of a Fourth Estate that conducts itself in this shameful disgusting manner when it comes to the War on Terrorism!! It is sad that the media choses to frame stories on all the social cultural issues through that same left wing biased prism, but its reprehensible when it comes to the War on Terrorism!!
The fact that the MSM has been losing viewership and readership consistantly for years should be obvious to you…and the reasons for that loss MUST be obvious to you.
Bloggers, like Michael Yon, (yes he is a friend, but I was an admirer before becoming a friend}
Bill Roggio, and milbloggers like Blackfive, Capt Danjel Bout, Capt Russ Currie, Major Arnold Strong, Sgt Tim Boggs, and the list goes on, have provided me, and millions of others with a balanced perspective on the WoT, on life in Iraq and Afghanistan through balanced stories that contain the good, the bad and the ugly.
Where the media fails, they have succeeded!
Perhaps youdd be wiser to emulate them than to continue down the path you presently walk!
http://tvshogal.blogspot.com/2006/03/art-of-war-using-media-elites.html
“DIVIDE AND CONQUER. It is the ONLY way they can win. It is the ONLY way they can spread their fundamentalist agenda. And our media elites, are aiding them in doing so, by unfairly shaping public opinion!…our media should be working with us NOT with our enemies!!”
Well said, Huntress. Such well-informed and articulate ‘back up’ much appreciated.
As I mentioned yesterday, it’s the MSM’s flippant and arrogant contempt for matters of grave importance, like the War on Terror, that is unconscionable.
The airwaves, contrary to your and your elitist colleagues’ assumptions, are not the left’s playground, which is pretty much the level to which news reporting has been lowered. Your obligation is to report ALL of the news–as Huntress says–the bad, the ugly AND the good. And to report facts, not your opinions. The Canadian MSM, minus one or two outlets, is not doing this.
Now, tony, a response from you…
Re my post above:”The airwaves, contrary to your and your elitist colleagues’ assumptions…” is addressed to tony.
RE:”As for “Concrete’s” cracker-jack observation that I (gasp!) might actually, really be a member of that profession you seem to consider the human career equivalent of swine feces, I say: Bravo, Sherlock. What gave it away? The words, “us,” and “we” sprinkled throughout my post each time I referred to journalists? That’s a D-plus in Grade Eight reading comprehension, at best, buddy!”
IMHO, the MSM often treats their consumers like children that must be taught by journalists, rather than informed.
It is a tactic that allows tony and his peers to sidestep the issue, which if I recall was a letter by a serving soldier that the MSM is undermining Canadas efforts in Afghanistan and putting our soldiers at risk.
I will add my own biased opinion that the reason for this is Canada is so strongly allied with Americans in the Afghanistan War.
The Canadian soldiers who died in Bosnia were never subjected to the type of journalism the soldiers in Afghanistan will have to endure.
IMHO, Liberals and left wingers are not anti-war, they are anti-American and they will undermine their own soldiers if it will undermine the USA.
Canadian soldiers have had some experience with this undermining by their fellow citizens but luckily not too often at their funerals or over their caskets.
Sadly I think American soldiers are now used to it and expect it.
This war is very much about propaganda and winning or losing hearts and minds and the press corp is a part of it.
Also RE: tonys’ and the MSMs reasoning when they are taken to task for undermining our soldiers at war,
I am reminded of something I recently heard from a very old man, an American.
He said something like “When I hear someone spouting off and defending bad judgement by using freedom of speech and basic rights and democracy as their excuse, I think to myself, there goes a Communist. Real Americans never talk like that.”
LOL