ZOT! The Walking Wounded

The American Conservative ^ | January 31, 2005 | Fred Reed

[hard_rocker1232]

The observant will have noticed that we hear little from the troops in Iraq and see almost nothing of the wounded. Why, one might wonder, does not CNN put an enlisted Marine before a camera and, for 15 minutes without editing, let him say what he thinks? Is he not an adult and a citizen? Is he not engaged in important events on our behalf?

Sound political reasons exist. Soldiers are a risk PR-wise, the wounded a liability. No one can tell what they might say, and conspicuous dismemberment is bad for recruiting. An enlisted man in front of a camera is dangerous. He could wreck the governmental spin apparatus in five minutes. It is better to keep soldiers discreetly out of sight.

So we do not see much of the casualties, ours or theirs. Yet they are there, somewhere, with missing legs, blind, becoming accustomed to groping at things in their new darkness, learning to use the wheelchairs that will be theirs for 50 years. Some face worse fates than others. Quadriplegics will be warehoused in VA hospitals where nurses will turn them at intervals, like hamburgers, to prevent bedsores. Friends and relatives will soon forget them. Suicide will be a frequent thought. The less damaged will get around.

[hard_rocker1232]

Those paleos.

[OSHA]

How did I know that you signed up today?

[Enterprise]

"Why, one might wonder, does not CNN put an enlisted Marine before a camera and, for 15 minutes without editing, let him say what he thinks?"

It's because any given Marine has more common sense and a closer grasp on foreign policy than any given CNN moron. And they KNOW they won't like what the Marine will tell them.

[Arrowhead1952]

Mods are meeting at this time.

[proudmilitarymrs]

Here kitty kitty!!!

[TomB]

Apparently Fred has never heard of milblogs. He can get all the unfettered access to servicemen and women he wants.

But he won't like what he hears.

Oh, and welcome to FR.

[all4one]

Ummmm...do you feel what I feel....could it be the hot breath of the Viking Kitty Zot Masters breathing down your neck??

[OSHA]

OH CRAP! I'm #2!

[Darksheare]

Interesting.
You honestly think 'we' don't hear anything from the troops?
It may interest you to know that there are MANY FReepers over there now, some have come BACK from there, and some are GOING there.
It may also interest you that a good protion of FReepers have served in uniform, currently serve, or are signing up to serve.

[TomB]

Do you know what a milblog is?

[Edgerunner]

Fresh on the site today huh...Nice liberal message if you like that sort of thing...

[nuconvert]

"The Pentagon learned from Asia. This time around it has controlled the press well."

LoL. Yeah Right! THEY'RE TERRORISTS!! not insurgents.

[P-Chan Penny]

This seems like a job for the Viking Kitties...

[Blood of Tyrants]

TROLL ALERT!

I'll tell you why, troll, because the media HAS interviewed them and cannot get them to badmouth the president like you liberals. It was a LIBERAL PRESIDENT who escalated the war in Viet Nam and that same president placed rules of engagement on our troops that guaranteed that they would ultimately lose. YOU screwed up the silent injured Vietnam vets with your hatred and spitting upon them. And since you liberal morons view every US engagement as a "new Vietnam", you think that you can achieve a sort of victory if you can spit upon and denigrate the heroes from Iraq.

Crawl back into your hole with your gay "life partner" and sodomize each other.

[Darksheare]

Eeeep!

They're scary!
They sneak up while we keep trolls occupied, and then garrote the troll while we stare in horrified fascination.
And then they wave while smiling.
The smiling is the worst part of it.
Last time I saw that happen, I found myself twenty threads over shivering in the buff having water poured over my head while someone slapped me back to life.
And considering I'm room temp, that was only partially successful.
/ bad joke

[P-Chan Penny]

There is a ZOT alert.... Send in the Viking Kitties!!!!

[R. Scott]

Soldiers are a risk PR-wise, the wounded a liability. No one can tell what they might say…

I encountered Walter Cronkite’s crew one time. If they had tried to interview me it never would have been broadcast – I was pushing my way through his crowd of tabloid “journalists” trying to get into the Battalion Aid station. They were intent on taking footage of wounded American as part of their work for Hanoi’s Propaganda Section.

[hard_rocker1232]

Actually I'm a Kirkian conservative. Fred Reed is a paleocon. Hardly liberal.

[TomB]

It looks like hard_rocker doesn't want to have a conversation...

Color me suprised.

[MEG33]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1331823/posts
Wounded Marine Salutes Bush