Monday, April 18, 2005

GEN. MYERS: AMERICAN PRESS: TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH RE IRAQ / AFGHANISTAN

J. Grant Swank, Jr.

Air Force General Richard B. Myers told the American press what the Red States have been wanting to tell the press for months, yes, years on end.

That is, the media must tell the whole story about New Iraq and democracy planting in Afghanistan. Instead, the American freedom of the press has not lived up to its potential for freedom of the press. It has blunted truth while trumpeting constantly the negative.

"Myers told the editors that he reads far more about the problems of servicemembers’ equipment and the latest insurgent attack than about ‘the thousands of amazing things our troops are accomplishing.’ This concerns him, he said, because American resolve is key to success," according to Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service.

What the US press does not seem to realize is this: Unless Americans get the full story, their freedom of the press may be in stark trouble by killers international taking over free republics such as ours. Therefore, it is to the advantage of the American media to tell the good as well as the bad about what’s going on "over there."

Murderers global are out to do in democracies, America’s included. That would do away with the newscasters. Therefore, for the news feeds themselves it would be advantageous for the whole story to get to the public rather than the staccato accent of deplorable this and discouraging that.

"The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff encouraged newspaper editors today to tell America the full story of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"’It’s particularly important today … because the American people need to know the full story,’ said Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers to the American Society of Newspaper Editors, ‘because it is going to be their resolve that is so critical to our ability to confront the extremist threat.

"’A bomb blast is seen as more newsworthy than the steady progress of rebuilding communities and lives, remodeling schools and running vaccination programs and water purification plants.’"

With 140,000 US service personnel in New Iraq alone, along with 20,000 in Afghanistan and 25,000 elsewhere, Myers accented that "’they are doing absolutely remarkable work. They have the best training, the best equipment and the best of America’s values and professionalism.’"

Furthermore, they are our own American people. They are our young men and women and our older men and women as commanders-in-charge. Consequently, to be patriotic, loyal to the American way of life, it just makes sense to give these fellow Americans all the support the United States can muster. And that includes the press — particularly the mainstream media that has had its own reputation of repeating ad infinitum every minus on the charts.

"’Our troops accurately represent the armed forces and their missions. Every day, they understand they are improving life in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places around the world.
"’In your profession and mine, (we are) working hard to defend our values, our way of life and our Constitution. We risk our comfort, our safety and our lives for what we believe in.

"’What questions are the news reports trying to answer?’ the chairman asked. ‘The theme of the coverage lately seems to be When are the troops coming home? rather than What are we accomplishing?’"

It was a paternalistic message that the newspaper craft needed to hear. America, by and large, has become disgusted with the slanted anti-American press. Therefore, knowledgeable citizens are going to alternative, truth-filled reporting, chiefly on the Internet. They are communicating with one another via the Internet the reality news, particularly in New Iraq and Afghanistan as well as liberty sprouting occurring elsewhere.

All the while, the entrenched leftist American press clique continues its stooge mode, thinking itself to be the elite in news providers. It is not the elite. It is the prime cultural drag in our nation.

Instead of putting down the war-on-Bush to take up truth-in-news, the old guard of liberal news givers carries on as if all is well with their own values. The truth is their values are tawdry and in much need of repentance, confession and making amends to the American public. They could start with a confession or two or three or more offered the United States President George W. Bush.

"’I would ask you to keep at the task of trying to show as complete a picture as you can. I know our troops deserve that, and I think the American people deserve it as well,’" General Myers stated — truthfully.

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