Target Centermass

Category: Military

  • What I’m Reading Tonight

    First, here’s a somewhat interesting, though rarely insightful, look at the friction between the American media and military.

    “There’s an irony here, because when you had embedding, there was a sense that the reporting was better than ever,” says Dan Goure, a military analyst with the Lexington Institute. “But since the end of major combat operations, the relationship has really gone to hell. There is a strongly held perception in the military – particularly the Army – that the media is doing the enemy’s work. You guys are seen as the Jane Fondas of the Iraq war. And so the military attitude is, ‘why should we level with you, because you’re going to screw us.’”

    That attitude apparently goes all the way to the top: Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said that “the steady stream of errors [by the media] all seem to be of a nature to inflame the situation and to give heart to the terrorists and to discourage those who hope for success in Iraq.”

    Goure says the relationship between the press and military has been bad since the time of the Vietnam War. In World War II and the Korean War, he says, the military had a sense that the press was on their side. But today, he argues, “both the military and the media have unrealistic expectations of each other,” as they have for the past 40 years. “The military expects the media to be a kind of public affairs arm, and the media expects the military to move faster and more agilely on these kinds of issues than they can. When the military is dealing with a problem, it has to go through the chain of command, there are reviews – it’s a very laborious process.”

    All of that seems pretty dead on, but then there’s the following:

    Many of the reporters I spoke to say the military’s secrecy has helped them control stories, which suggests there may not be a change in press strategy anytime soon, despite the embarrassment caused by the Tillman case. Fidell, who has crusaded for more openness on the part of the military, characterizes the situation bluntly. “At the moment,” he says, “they’re winning.”

    The media want more openness from the military, but essentially refuse to cover any positive story that they’re able to dodge. Sure, big tales like successful elections cannot be buried, but I’ll wager that I could go to CENTCOM or Defend America and find a wealth of positive news releases that have received no media play. Heck, while talking about military secrecy or hesitant forthcoming, this story doesn’t even mention the fact that it was indeed the military that broke the news on the Abu Ghraib abuse story.

    Second, Elephants in Academia takes an look at SecDef Donald Rumsfeld’s interactions with wounded American troops and the dichotomy of how this relationship is presented when drawn by an editorial cartoonist and captured by a camera (hat tip to Confederate Yankee).

    I gave writing this post a fair amount of thought for a couple of reasons. For starters, it’s about that Tom Toles Washington Post cartoon from late January, and I hate to give it any more play. And it’s about Donald Rumsfeld, and I’m aware that I’ve had more than enough to say about him recently. But I’ve decided to throw caution to the wind because I found the visual comparison between the two pictures so striking. And ultimately I hope the post is about more than Toles and Rumsfeld–it’s about the disconnect that I see between public perception of the military based on the way it is portrayed in the press and the reality of the military as I understand it. I know it’s somewhat unfair to compare a stylized drawing like a political cartoon with a photograph because of its attendent aura of verisimilitude, so I would like to start with the disclaimer that both are constructs since, of course, all photographs are shaped by the person who pushes the button and by the way the subjects deport themselves. But in this case, I think that, as in the cartoon, the construct is instructive.

    Don’t let the hedging in that intro dissuade you from what is a very intriguing read and a striking visual contrast.

    Third, here’s a so-far fascinating four-corner discussion on the abusive, oft-disgusting treatment of women by many of those of the Islamic faith (hat tip to Howie at the Jawa Report).

    A Muslim rape epidemic in sweeping over Europe — and over many other nations host to immigrants from the Islamic world. The direct connection between the rapes and Islam is irrefutable, as Muslims are significantly overrepresented among convicted rapists and rape suspects. The Muslim perpetrators themselves boast that their crime is justified since their victims were, among other things, not properly veiled.

    What is the psychology here? What is the significance of this epidemic? And how do we face it when our own feminists, with a few exceptions, are deafingly silent about it?

    I’ll admit I haven’t finished reading this lengthy piece yet but, so far, I’d say it’s safe to tuck it into the know-thy-cultural-enemy file.

  • Military Recruiters Win Access Suit

    Good news came out of Washington, D.C., today, as the Supremes pimp-slapped a collection of anti-military academics to the tune of 8-nada.

    The Supreme Court ruled, 8 to 0, on Monday that colleges and universities that accept federal money must allow military recruiters on campus even if people in the academic community deplore the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gay people.

    Ending a decade-long battle in favor of the Defense Department, the court rejected the argument of law school faculty members that being forced to associate with military recruiters violated their First Amendment rights to free speech and association.

    “Law schools ‘associate’ with military recruiters in the sense that they interact with them, but recruiters are not part of the school,” Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. wrote for the court. “Students and faculty are free to associate to voice their disapproval of the military’s message.”

    At issue in the case of Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, or FAIR, is the Solomon Amendment, which withholds federal grants from universities that do not open their doors to military recruiters “in a manner at least equal in quality and scope” to the access offered civilian recruiters.

    The American Association of Law Schools has long required its members to insist that prospective employers agree to a policy of nondiscrimination on grounds that include sexual orientation. The association’s stand set the stage for a conflict with the military and its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

    Some law schools tried to comply with the Solomon Amendment by half- measures, relegating military recruiters to off-campus locations. But Congress specified in 2004 that mere access for military recruiters is not enough; it demanded equal access.

    Although law schools became the centers of campus resistance, their full colleges and universities stood to lose if they ran afoul of the Solomon Amendment. The federal money at stake comes from a wide range of agencies and for a wide variety of uses.

    When the case was argued before the Supreme Court on Dec. 6, Roberts zeroed in on the universities’ apparent desire to have it both ways – to show disapproval of the military’s treatment of gay people but still accept federal money.

    “What you’re saying is, this is a message we believe in strongly, but we don’t believe in it to the detriment of $100 million,” the chief justice told a university lawyer.

    The decision, in which Justice Samuel Alito Jr. took no part because he joined the court after the case was heard, overturned a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which had found in favor of FAIR.

    At the time of the Third Circuit’s ruling, I blogged that it was “destined to be appealed and hopefully overturned” because of my following take on the matter:

    Realize first that we’re talking about an all-volunteer military that discriminates on a variety of factors in its hiring policies. I don’t recall my tank being wheelchair-accessible. Because of the special role that the military plays, it has long been legally held that even some constitutional rights are surrendered or curtailed for its members.

    This ruling essentially seems to give a free hand to law schools and other institutions of higher education to ordain any aspect of the military that they feel is discriminatory and banish recruiters as they see fit. Well, without the ruling, they could already do this, but with the understanding that there could be financial repurcussions. The schools want to fight what they view as discrimination by the government with discrimination against the government, as long as it doesn’t hit the bottom line.

    It’s almost like Chief Justice Roberts reads Target Centermass. Still, the 8-0 shutout is a sweet bonus I did not anticipate.

  • Cindy Sheehan Arrested After U.N. March

    Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan is back in the headlines again for yet another arrest. Bully for her — she’s scored another attention fix.

    Cindy Sheehan, who drew international attention when she camped outside President Bush’s ranch to protest the Iraq war, was arrested Monday along with three other women during a demonstration demanding the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

    The march to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations by about a dozen U.S. and Iraqi anti-war activists followed a news conference at U.N. headquarters, where Iraqi women described daily killings and ambulance bombings as part of the escalating violence that keeps women in their homes.

    Women Say No to War, which helped organize the news conference and march, said Sheehan and three other women were arrested while trying to deliver a petition to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations with more than 60,000 signatures urging the “withdrawal of all troops and all foreign fighters from Iraq.” Police said they were arrested for criminal trespassing and resisting arrest.

    […]

    Richard Grenell, the spokesman for the U.S. Mission, said in response to Sheehan’s arrest: “We invited her in to discuss her concerns with a U.S. Mission employee. She chose not to come in but to lay down in front of the building and block the entrance. It was clearly designed to be a media stunt, not aimed at rational discussion,” Grenell said.

    This is the third arrest for Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan (see here and here for her previous run-ins with the long arm of the law). At this point, one has to wonder how much ink has to be wasted on this woman, be it through biassed fluff pieces in the media or through fingerprinting during bookings.

    Meanwhile, Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan’s upcoming protest in front of an American military base in Germany is still on, and Davids Medienkritik brings us the good word that a counter-rally is in the works.

    Cindy Sheehan will be in Germany this upcoming weekend to spread her message of retreat and defeat as she marches from a church in Landstuhl (a town where wounded American soldiers are treated) to a location outside Ramstein Airbase where she plans to set up another “Camp Casey.”

    But not everyone is planning to sit around and silently watch the German media fawn and drool over Ms. Sheehan. Several groups are organizing a peaceful counter demonstration to support American and Coalition soldiers and victory in Iraq. We strongly encourage all of our readers in Germany and surrounding areas to converge on Ramstein this Saturday to take part! Our website has already christened the demonstration site “Camp David.” We will be contacting other bloggers throughout Germany and Europe to spread the word.

    Check it out for details.

  • Sheehan to Protest at U.S. Posts in Germany in March

    Ah, Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan, you should certainly be able to get a good attention fix with the plans you’ve got in the works now.

    Cindy Sheehan, mother of a soldier killed in Iraq and the woman who protested the war last summer outside President Bush’s Texas ranch, is scheduled to bring her anti-war message to U.S. military installations in Germany next month.

    “[We’ve already heard] that Cindy Sheehan is like Hanoi Jane [Fonda] coming here,” said Elsa Rassbach, an event organizer with American Voices Abroad, which is supporting Sheehan’s trip.

    But, she said, “We’re here to just democratically talk about U.S. policy.”

    The Hanoi Jane comparison sounds about right for Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan. To denounce our government policy and lie about America on our soil, however disgusting in this case, is her right. To do it abroad, as she will, is beyond vile.

    On March 11, protesters plan to walk from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to a parking lot just outside Ramstein Air Base, where Sheehan will be at a “camp,” paying tribute to those who have died in the Iraq war.

    “Cindy will be with us at Camp Casey Landstuhl/Ramstein to call attention to the fact that Germany is Europe’s logistical hub for the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and others threatening Iran and the Middle East,” according to an event flier. “Germany has the power to stop the further use of U.S. bases in Germany for illegal wars and criminal methods of warfare — the power and the right to just say no!”

    Organizers are hoping to erect the camp — known as Camp Casey for Sheehan’s son — in a parking lot outside Ramstein Air Base’s west gate. The parking lot is under German jurisdiction, said Erin Zagursky, an Air Force spokeswoman at the base. Protest organizers are meeting with city officials in Ramstein and Landstuhl to gain permission for their event.

    […]

    Sheehan’s goals are to bring the troops home and have peace on earth, she said in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes.

    She also wants to teach the world to sing in freakin’ perfect harmony. And everybody gets a pet bunny.

    Her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, 24, was killed in Iraq on April 4, 2004.

    Snark aside, SPC Sheehan was honored by Blackfive in a manner far, far better than anything than anything Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan has done or will continue to do in her constant quest for notoriety.

    Sheehan said in an e-mail she was too busy for a phone interview with Stars and Stripes.

    “I don’t know anything about the visit,” she wrote. “It is being arranged by some people in Germany.”

    With the Kaiserslautern military community home to more than 50,000 Americans with military ties, Sheehan could face a rough welcome. When asked for comment Wednesday on Sheehan’s upcoming visit, several soldiers in Kaiserslautern asked if they could be quoted anonymously.

    One soldier, who recently returned from Iraq, did give his name but didn’t have much to say about Sheehan.

    “Anything I would have to say about her, you couldn’t print,” Army Staff Sgt. Mark Genthner said.

    SSG Genthner speaks — or rather diplomatically refuses to speak — for a great many of our troops. Here’s hoping Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan will have a grand opportunity for a great deal of interaction with those she’s trying to save.

    Certainly, friendly confines and adoration await Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan on much of her European vacation.

    Beginning March 9, Sheehan’s European visit will take her to Frankfurt, Aachen, Landstuhl and Ramstein in Germany. On March 13, Sheehan is scheduled to have a news conference in Paris, and the following day will address the European Union parliament in Strasbourg, France.

    A protest organizer in Landstuhl said he was asked by others, including some of the 732 members of the European Union parliament, to arrange the protest involving Sheehan.

    “The meeting with Cindy Sheehan is coming to us by an offer of members of the European Union in Strasbourg,” said Detlev Besier, a Protestant reverend in Landstuhl. “They asked whether it was possible or not to visit Ramstein Air Base and the hospital. It was not our idea. We were asked whether it was possible or not.”

    Yes, the tripe of Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan will play very well in France and before the EU parliament. Perhaps she may even call for an end to the American military occupation of Germany, as she has previously of Iraq and Katrina-ravaged New Orleans.

    Rassbach said she did not know what response servicemembers would have to Sheehan’s appearance outside Ramstein Air Base.

    Oh, I have some guesses. Hat tip to Greyhawk and the Gunn Nutt, who weigh in with their thoughts on the plans for Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan’s Euro adventures.

    Previous Gold Star mom Cindy Sheehan blogging:

  • Defunct French Warship Ordered Home after India Shunning

    Jacques Chirac has acquired another political black eye as France once again signals retreat.

    After a two-month voyage bound for India’s shipwrecking yards, France’s defunct aircraft carrier Clemenceau is returning home after experts concluded it carries far more asbestos than French authorities originally claimed. The saga of the Clemenceau was an embarrassment for the French government.

    Once the pride of France, the decommissioned warship is now the country’s shame. After weeks of uncertainty over the Clemenceau’s fate, French President Jacques Chirac ordered late Wednesday that the ship return home. Mr. Chirac’s decision comes on the eve of a visit to India, where opposition has been growing against the ships planned dismantlement in the Alang shipwrecking yards.

    Ever since the Clemenceau steamed out of the port of Toulon on December 31, it has been the object of a growing international dispute. Greenpeace and several environmental groups argue it carries far more asbestos on board than the 45 or so tons French officials first claimed. Egyptian authorities originally blocked the Clemenceau from entering the Suez Canal en route for India, for fears of its toxic cargo.

    When Egypt finally gave the green light, the Clemenceau received another setback: India’s supreme court barred the ship from entering Indian waters pending a determination whether the ship was too hazardous to be dismantled. That decision was expected Monday. But the court said it would tap a new committee of experts, and make a final ruling scheduled for Friday.

    Greenpeace hails Mr. Chirac’s announcement as a victory.

    Yannick Jadot, head of Greenpeace’s campaign in France, told French radio that he hoped Paris will assume a leadership role to ensure other toxic European ships are dismantled safely. He said safeguards were needed so poisonous materials could be removed from such vessels without harming the environment or workers’ health.

    As much as I relish an international embarrassment for Chirac, I am loathe to grant any encouragement to Greenpeace.

    The Clemenceau is now returning to France. For the time being, its unclear just where it will finally be dismantled.

    Likewise, I will not be celebrating such an ignominous demise for what was certainly once a proud vessel. Those who served upon her should step forth and demand an honorable resolution for the carrier.

  • 2006 Milblog Conference in the Works

    Thanks to Andi’s World, the first-ever Milblog conference has been scheduled for 22 APR 06 in Washington, D.C.

    The conference is designed to bring milbloggers together for one full day of interesting discussion on topics associated with milblogging. We will explore the history of milblogs, as well as what the future may hold for this medium which the military community is using to tell their stories.

    The milblog community is diverse, and we intend to showcase the full spectrum of milblogs, including those who have blogged from theater, veteran members of the armed forces, spouses and parents.

    Registration for the conference is free of charge. Due to seating limitations, there are only 300 seats available for this event. Milbloggers and/or members of the military community will be allowed to pre-register. There are 150 seats reserved for the military community.

    Pre-registration will begin on February 8 and continue through midnight February 15. Any slots not filled by milbloggers will be given to the general public. Registration for the public will begin on February 16. All registrations are first-come, first-serve.

    The list of panelists is quite impressive, including several members of my blogroll. The Gunn Nutt (Aut Pax Aut Bellum, babe), a planned live-blogger of the conference, is justifiably star-struck by Blackfive’s listing of blogs that have already signed up for the event. Note to self: go over list again and update blogroll.

    As for myself, I would love to attend although, to be honest, I sometimes question my credentials as a real Milblogger with my ’90s era National Guard time. Also — and this is a pretty damned big “also”– it is slated for a mere two weeks before my wedding, so I’d really have to check some scheduling issues. I wouldn’t mind checking out some of my old haunts in D.C. again. Hmmm … tempting, very freakin’ tempting.

  • NATO Commander Fears Rapid-reaction Force Delay

    This is not a good sign for the future relevancy of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

    NATO’s top commander of operations said on Friday he doubted whether the alliance would have enough troops to declare a long-heralded rapid reaction force fully operational in October as planned.

    A delay to the 25,000-strong NATO Response Force (NRF) would be a setback to U.S.-backed efforts to turn the alliance that was Europe’s Cold War protector into an outfit capable of launching itself into crisis spots around the world at days’ notice.

    NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. James Jones, in an interview with Reuters at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Sicily, said NATO allies still had not come up with the final 25 percent of the troops due to serve in the force.

    “The reason I’m not confident is it isn’t resourced now,” Jones said, when asked if he was confident it would be fully operational by October.

    “As things stand now, I can’t say that, missing 25 percent of a force, that I have a great deal of confidence that we’re going to generate 25 percent as if by magic. I’m hoping to get there,” he added.

    Jones also said the alliance would scale back the first major maneuvers for the force, first proposed by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 2002, in the Atlantic island group of Cape Verde this June.

    “We’ve downscaled the operation in terms of some of the manpower, which is really what costs a lot of money,” Jones said. He said some 6,000 troops would take part instead of a planned 8,000, insisting it would still be a valid test.

    With the countries squabbling over financial and troop contributions for the relatively small response force, I find myself again questioning the worth of the Cold War-era alliance in the world of today and tomorrow.

  • Humor: Update the Military Enlistment Oath

    Okay, I’ve got next to nothing tonight, so it seems a perfect evening to remind myself that this is just a hobby and go watch another episode of Firefly, which Santa hooked me up with after I gushed over the movie Serenity.

    Still, I don’t want to leave y’all empty-handed, so here’s a suggestion to rewrite the American military enlistment oath by personalizing it for each branch (hat tip to Blackfive). I chuckled and hope you will too.

    Out.

  • U.S. Navy Seizes Pirate Ship Off Somalia

    It’s not just a job, it’s an anti-piracy adventure on the high seas.

    The U.S. Navy boarded an apparent pirate ship in the Indian Ocean and detained 26 men for questioning, the Navy said Sunday. The 16 Indians and 10 Somali men were aboard a traditional dhow that was chased and seized Saturday by the U.S. guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill, said Lt. Leslie Hull-Ryde of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain.

    The dhow stopped fleeing after the Churchill twice fired warning shots during the chase, which ended 87 kilometers (54 miles) off the coast of Somalia, the Navy said. U.S. sailors boarded the dhow and seized a cache of small arms.

    The dhow’s crew and passengers were being questioned Sunday aboard the Churchill to determine which were pirates and which were legitimate crew members, Hull-Ryde said.

    Sailors aboard the dhow told Navy investigators that pirates hijacked the vessel six days ago near Mogadishu and thereafter used it to stage pirate attacks on merchant ships.

    The Churchill is part of a multinational task force patrolling the western Indian Ocean and Horn of Africa region to thwart terrorist activity and other lawlessness during the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

    The Navy said it captured the dhow in response to a report from the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur on Friday that said pirates had fired on the MV Delta Ranger, a Bahamian-flagged bulk carrier that was passing some 320 kilometers (200 miles) off the central eastern coast of Somalia.

    UPDATE: Charlie Munn over at the Officers’ Club looks at this event, and piracy in general, through the lens of our war against radical Islamic terror.

  • Monday Post-MNF Link Dump

    Man, I could go for some football right now. Instead, I’ve been checking out these stories.

    Media Zinger o’ the Day

    Landing like a solid right cross hidden behind a good left jab [emphasis added].

    Witnessing former Vice President Gore’s speech today in which he basically accused President Bush of criminality for warrant-less eavesdropping on Americans was fascinating in part because it demonstrated just how spicy a Washington speech can be when the person giving it has nothing left to lose.

    Where Have I Heard This Tune Before?

    Filed under Iran-Playing-the-World-Like-a-Fiddle.

    A POTENTIAL breakthrough in the nuclear stand-off with Iran came last night when the Iranian ambassador in Moscow praised a proposal to move Tehran’s uranium enrichment programme to Russia.

    As Britain, the United States, Russia, France and China met in London yesterday to discuss how to handle Iran’s illegal nuclear development, the country was facing the growing certainty that it would be referred to the UN Security Council.

    While China remained resolutely silent on the possibility of sanctions – a move which it has the power to veto – Russia made significant moves towards the western stance on Iran’s nuclear programme.

    Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, said last night that his position is “very close” to that of the United States and Britain. And it appeared that he could hold the key to a resolution when Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Gholamreza Ansari, welcomed an offer to move the Iranian uranium enrichment programme to Russia.

    Such a move would mean Iran, which is developing a missile which could reach Israel, could not acquire enough material for a bomb.

    “As far as Russia’s proposal is concerned, we consider it constructive and are carefully studying it. This is a good initiative to resolve the situation. We believe that Iran and Russia should find a way out of this jointly,” said Mr Ansari.

    Banned in Iran: CNN

    Allowed in Saddam’s Iraq for a willingness to filter news for the tyrant, banned from Iran for a mistranslation. From a journalistic standpoint, which is more degrading?

    Iran banned CNN from working in the country due to its mistranslation of comments made by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a recent news conference.

    The indefinite ban, announced Monday on state-run television, highlighted the continuing tension between Iran and the West over Tehran’s nuclear program.

    In remarks Saturday, Ahmadinejad had defended Iran’s right to continue nuclear research. State media have complained since the news conference that CNN translated his words as “nuclear weapons” instead of “nuclear technology” or “nuclear energy.”

    “Due to mistranslation of the words of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his press conference, activities of the American CNN in Tehran are banned until further notice,” said a Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry statement read on state-run television.

    CNN acknowledged the mistake in its U.S. broadcast.

    Yet Another Reason to Despise the Media

    A long-time military deserter has been identified and taken into custody.

    A US Marine who absconded from his base more than 36 years ago as a protest against the Vietnam war has been arrested and may face a court martial.

    Ernest Johnson Jr, 55, fled his camp in North Carolina in 1969 after becoming disenchanted with the war in Vietnam.

    […]

    Mr Johnson said he began to doubt the wisdom of joining the Marines after news emerged in 1969 of a now-infamous massacre of Vietnamese civilians at the village of My Lai.

    […]

    “I just decided I didn’t want to be a part of killing anybody. That’s about as plain as I can say it,” Mr Johnson said.

    A spokesman for the US Marines said Mr Johnson could face a maximum jail term of three years and a dishonourable discharge if found guilty.

    A decision has not yet been taken on whether to transport him back to Camp Lejeune, in North Carolina.

    However, the US military has previously dropped charges against similar deserters, instead giving them a less-than-honourable discharge.

    Why do I see this as a reason to despise the media? Well, there is this little tidbit at the end of the story.

    Captain Jay Delarosa denied the arrest was part of a campaign to send messages to modern-day Marines.

    “The purpose in apprehending such individuals is… simply an end result of a decision he made long ago.”

    That means that, during a wartime period with retention rates well above military expectations, some idiot in the press asked the question about an ulterior motive for capturing a deserter. If they cannot find a morale problem, they are quite willing to insinuate one. The approach of today’s practitioners of journalism, a craft I grew up loving, absolutely disgusts me