Disinformation attack
Last week's Los Angeles Times broke a story about the Lincoln Group. According to the article, the U.S. Military has been contracting with the Lincoln Group to get the good word about the war in Iraq out to the people in Iraq.
Evidently, the Lincoln Group payed the newspapers in Iraq to run articles and opinion pages for the military. According to an article in 12 Dec Chicago Tribune, Senator Warner is concerned and the Pentagon and military officials are looking into the matter to see what really happened.
What happened? Just what it looks like: the military pays to get articles in the paper!
That is how business runs in Iraq. In the U.S., if you want to show appreciation for good service, you leave a tip: in Iraq, you pay the tip up front. This is not just for food servers, this is for everyone who is in the service industry, and that includes, police, doctors, public servants and newspapers.
The newspapers also have an additional problem: They have been targets of insurgent strikes if the newpaper publishes something that is pro-coalition. Paying the newspapers up front helps them to be "convinced" that it is all right to run the articles.
Newspapers are also written and read differently. Here in the States, letters to the editors are signed with the name and usually the city in which the writer lives. To respond either in person, or by replied opinion, it is not hard to find the person in the white pages and contact them directly. There are no white pages in Baghdad, because there is no phone service or printing to speak of. Anyone can sign their opion with any name they want and there is no accountability or way to track the author.
When a writer pays the newspaper to print his opinion piece, the editor knows where the article comes from and agrees to help protect the identity of the author. That is very important in a volitile environment like Baghdad.
So, is this really "freedom of the press?"
Maybe not, in the U.S. sense of looking over the past 200 years of development of that freedom.
Is it helping win democracy and establish stability?
More than some in Washington want to admit.
War has different rules. Someone needs to explain that in the free press.
Evidently, the Lincoln Group payed the newspapers in Iraq to run articles and opinion pages for the military. According to an article in 12 Dec Chicago Tribune, Senator Warner is concerned and the Pentagon and military officials are looking into the matter to see what really happened.
What happened? Just what it looks like: the military pays to get articles in the paper!
That is how business runs in Iraq. In the U.S., if you want to show appreciation for good service, you leave a tip: in Iraq, you pay the tip up front. This is not just for food servers, this is for everyone who is in the service industry, and that includes, police, doctors, public servants and newspapers.
The newspapers also have an additional problem: They have been targets of insurgent strikes if the newpaper publishes something that is pro-coalition. Paying the newspapers up front helps them to be "convinced" that it is all right to run the articles.
Newspapers are also written and read differently. Here in the States, letters to the editors are signed with the name and usually the city in which the writer lives. To respond either in person, or by replied opinion, it is not hard to find the person in the white pages and contact them directly. There are no white pages in Baghdad, because there is no phone service or printing to speak of. Anyone can sign their opion with any name they want and there is no accountability or way to track the author.
When a writer pays the newspaper to print his opinion piece, the editor knows where the article comes from and agrees to help protect the identity of the author. That is very important in a volitile environment like Baghdad.
So, is this really "freedom of the press?"
Maybe not, in the U.S. sense of looking over the past 200 years of development of that freedom.
Is it helping win democracy and establish stability?
More than some in Washington want to admit.
War has different rules. Someone needs to explain that in the free press.
posted by greenzone at
5:48 PM
6 Comments:
The Lincoln Group was contracted out for PsyOps work---I'd heard this story but I never really paid attention until now. Seems that all over the net---people are saying they paid for "fake" stories but the only stories I'm finding weren't fake at all--they were merely US friendly propaganda.
And from a military point of view--thats exactly what PsyOps is about--spinning the minds of the locals in our favor.
But I'm still going to research it some more--might even post my research about it rather than the regular blather that I usually blog about.
By
--TBAS, at 11:29 PM
Hi there! Great site and thanks for serving our country!
By
UnitedStatesAirForceAuxiliaryMember, at 6:15 AM
The WHY? of Terrorism in Islam
I am an American living in Asia. I am not Moslem, but I am a writer and historian. I would like to share some information with you: information concerning Moslem terrorism. It may help you understand what is going on in the Middle East, as well as significant parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and even the United States. Moslem terrorism has already struck the United States and Europe. I am certain it will happen again; next time you and your loved ones, as well as a vast number of other innocent victims could be caught up in a man-made catastrophe: a calamity of biblical proportions that is based on teachings straight out of the Koran.
Disregarding the social and economic factors that serve as underpinnings for Islamic terrorism, I will address the more fundamental issue: the religious teachings that sanction violence against non-Moslems and against women. Here are seven verses from the Koran. These scriptures have been translated into modern English.
…murder, crucify, or cut off the hands and feet of non-Moslems…Chapter 5 Verse 33 - The Koran
…create terror in the hearts of non-Moslems …cut off their heads…Chapter 8 Verse 12 - The Koran
…and fight non-Moslems until Allah’s religion is the only one…Chapter 8 Verse 39 - The Koran
…of all the loot you plunder from non-Moslems, 20% belongs to Allah and to Mohammed. Chapter 8 Verse 41- The Koran (Author’s note: Loot included kidnapped female sex-slaves.)
…Take as many as four wives from the women you are sexually attracted to … Chapter 4 Verse 3 - The Koran
…God has made men superior to women… Virtuous women are obedient. If a woman becomes disobedient, beat her. Chapter 4 Verse 34 - The Koran
…When it comes to marriage, Allah makes it legal for you to take as wives, women whom your right hand possesses. Chapter 33 Verse 50 - The Koran (Author’s note: This verse talks about the “loot” non-Moslems call… kidnapped female sex-slaves.)
Most people in the western world have never heard of these astonishing scriptures, but they are in the Koran … along with a relatively short list of others, just like them. This is important because not all Moslems are the same; there are two very different types. Militant Moslems view these verses as commandments from God. They think they apply to life in the Twenty-first Century and they try to use them, regardless of the suffering and mayhem they create, whereas moderate Moslems ignore such verses because they were uttered a long time ago: when the Arabian peninsula, from whence Islam came, was a very primitive place.
Historians tell us these terrorist teachings are part of a cluster of ferocious beliefs that were deliberately added to one specific part of the formerly peaceful and tolerant Koran. These changes were done years after the faith was first organized.
In fact, historians also tell us Islam didn’t simply fall from the sky as a full-blown religion, but rather evolved from a persecuted sect of Jewish-Christians. The first Moslems were actually part of a larger group of Jesus’ followers called the Ebionites.
Ebionites were peace-loving disciples of Christ, who shared their wealth with fellow believers, and taught that a man should marry only one wife. In fact, women were much more independent in the Ebionite-days of Islam. They were more influential too. I say this because my research has determined that the first prophet of Islam may have been someone other than Mohammed: I believe the first prophet was a very special woman named Khadija the Pure. Khadija was Mohammed’s first and only wife for twenty-four years. Khadija was fifteen years older than Mohammed and she was his employer. Khadija was also an influential Arabian princess who was extremely wealthy. Even though Khadija was part of the ruling family that controlled worship in the all-important Kabba Temple, with its 300+ pagan gods and goddesses, she became an Ebionite Christian. www.TheMoslemInstitute.com
After Khadija’s death, Islam was hijacked by a cartel of corrupt men. New beliefs were added, old beliefs were deleted or relegated to unimportance, and the religion was changed beyond recognition. In the end, Islam abandoned many of its Ebionite Jewish-Christian teachings and turned cruel and predatory; women suffered the most: they became the focus of repression, scorn, and violence.
Today, although moderate Moslems are loath to admit these ideas, and many of them are terrified to voice criticism of their militant Islamic brothers, because of fear that violence will come to them and their families, the fact remains that these added teachings are not the original beliefs of Islam; they are amendments: They are the terrorist teachings of Islam.
In the near future, militant Moslems hope to unleash a series of unimaginable calamities upon the United States and the rest of the world. Because the terrorist teachings of Islam sanction deception, treaty breaking, and war, as well as looting, murder, kidnapping, terrorism, and human slavery (including sexual slavery), so long as these crimes are directed against non-Moslems, there is no limit to the things these fanatics can do. But the scariest part: Militant Moslems will do everything… in the name of God (Allah). If they die while committing these crimes against humanity, they believe Allah will bless them and give them seventy virgin brides as an eternal reward for their brutality.
With that said, it is important to remember that the majority of Moslems are moderate and recognize such teachings as obsolete and out of place in the Twenty-first Century. In spite of the radical cultural differences that exist between the Judeo-Christian West and the Islamic world, in the author's opinion, it is with this moderate Moslem majority that any long-term resolution to the Islamic terrorism issue will ultimately be negotiated. However, given the massive population increases taking place in the Moslem world, at a time when poverty, chaos, criminality, and religious fanaticism are burgeoning, the numbers of Moslems worldwide who declare themselves militant is increasing; the influence their terrorist cells exert on Islamic governments throughout the world has reached crisis levels. The road before us will be long and dangerous. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, the United States and Europe must… be resolute and take courage! The survival of our civilization depends on it.
Are you are interested in learning more about an array of Islamic topics including: Who were the Ebionites and Khadija the Pure, or the Seventy Virgins of Islam, or facts concerning militant Moslem terrorism and its involvement in modern human slavery? Visit The Moslem Institute website: www.TheMoslemInstitute.com
By
danedahl, at 4:42 AM
Hi,
I'd like to speak with you about this blog. Please email me back at your earliest convenience. Thanks! -Matt
By
Matthew, at 11:04 PM
Greetings,
My name is Anthony Newman, and I work on the website MesotheliomaHelp.Net. The reason I have contacted you is because I have found your military blog and wanted to ask you if you would be interested in helping me spread the word about Mesothelioma by placing a link to my site on yours. Mesothelioma, a form of cancer, is a terrible, incurable disease that occurs from exposure to asbestos. The reason military members in particular are at risk are because of asbestos's cheap cost and ability to shield both heat and fire, it was a very sought after building material by the military and was used for insulation in both military buildings and ships. Many members of the military may have been exposed to asbestos in military buildings, including mess halls and barracks. Those who traveled and fought abroad may have been exposed on naval vessels, an area of the military that saw a high demand for asbestos use. Although the military discontinued use of asbestos in new construction in 1970, there may be several veterans out there who were exposed and may not even know it. With your help, we can spread the information so that anyone who has served our country can find the help that they need if they think they may be suffering from Mesothelioma.
In closing, I want to assure you personally that I am a real person, and not some automated program. Us folks who work for MesotheliomaHelp.Net are all dedicated to helping folks with Mesothelioma find the medical, professional, and legal help that they may require. If you are interested in providing us with a link on your site, please reply to anthony(at)mesotheliomahelp(dot)net and I will forward you our link specifics. We would also be happy to link back to your site. In any event, I thank you (or your loved one) for your service to our great country.
By
Newman, at 5:29 PM
Some chaplains will remember the Military Chaplains Review, which once provided a forum for reporting and reflection related to the vocation of the military chaplaincy. Other publications, such as service-specific items and The Military Chaplain (of the Military Chaplains Association) are excellent . . . but they do not share the same scope as did MCR.
Good news--a new ejournal will begin publication this fall with a vision for addressing this need. Curtana † Sword of Mercy will provide a home for preserving the history of the chaplaincy, sharing ministry experiences and insights, and discussing challenging issues of import to clergy serving in the armed forces.
You can read more, and "subscribe" to the journal, at http://justwar101.com/journal/.
Call for manuscripts: If you feel inspired, get to that keyboard now and draft a manuscript to be considered for publication in the inaugural issue. Since the journal will be released in September, the deadline for submissions is 31 August. Details are available online, but all genres will be considered, and 500 to 2000 words is a safe ballpark for articles.
Please spread the word about the Curtana. We are especially eager to have chaplain assistants and international chaplains learn about the journal. And, although we will focus on matters of interest to the chaplaincy, everyone interested in the interplay between the military and religion will be potential readers of the publication.
Sincerely,
Robert C. Stroud
Chaplain, USAF (Retired)
Editor
By
Robert, at 10:17 PM
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