Pentagon Spokesmen Say Soldiers Justified In Barring Reporter From Attack Scene

Associated Press ^ | February 11,2002 | Matt Kelley

[Dark Wing]

It is nice to see the US military knows who its real enemies are.

[dighton]

Is this a labor-saving device? You decide.

[William Tell]

clamboat said: "You are right! There is NO reason we need to know what happened there. If the military tells us what we need to know, that's good enough for me, and it should be good enough for any True American! No need for reporters to be in over there at all, they should stick to reporting cats in trees in their hometowns."

When our nation is truly at war, evidenced by a Declaration of War passed by Congress, everyone can recognize that the nation's survival is at stake. It is reasonable under such circumstances to experience a curtailment of our liberties consistent with national survival. At such times, we are relying on the Congress to protect our future freedom.

In the present case, with no Declaration of War, I can understand the confusion with regard to curtailment of freedom and the uncertainty about when our freedoms will be returned.

The reporter's problem is that he is unable to recognize that there is any such distinction. He wishes the freedom of the press to be absolute. During war, it is not. If he had spent his time better before the present situation, he would have educated his readers to the subtleties of the Constitution. He would have suggested that freedom of the press should not be curtailed except during a legally declared war. ( He might also have suggested that my right to keep and bear arms should not be curtailed except during a declared war. )

I have little sympathy for the reporter. I don't expect that he will learn from the experience.

I did perform guard duty while in the service. The reporter would be dead if he had challenged the military guard. The guard would have had little trouble deciding that his standing orders were lawful. He would have fired.

This is just another reason why I won't fly until sanity returns to our airports. The National Guard at our airports will fire if they believe that they are acting under lawful orders when they do so. It is a very dangerous situation for us all. Some of the deaths at Kent State years ago were people far from the demonstration who just happened to be in the line of fire.

[Grampa Dave]

This reporter works for the Washington Compost. He would not be hired if he had morals or was a conservative or a combo of both! The same applies to reporters for the NY Slimes, LA Slimes and the SF Gay Ronicle, only lying amoral liberals need to apply for a job with these left wing fish wraps.

[sneakypete]

Besides, some guard posts come with the special intructions to 'use deadly force' to prevent unauthorized entry by anyone.

This is generally the way SF works. They don't have the time or resources to babysit idiots who insist on getting in the way,and in a circumstance like this a "outsider" could screw-up the collection of vital information,or even reveal the identities of the SF'ers on the ground. If one of these guys is on guard duty and he tells you to not come any closer or you will get shot,my best suggestion to you is to take him at his word. If you don't,you WILL get shot.

[William Tell]

Jerez said: "Note that the soldier didn't say that HE PERSONALLY would shoot the reporter -- only that the reporter 'would be shot.' In other words, there's a strong likelihood that you will be shot if you go into the middle of a battle scene! "

Be in no doubt. If the military guard believed that he was following lawful orders in doing so, he would shoot the reporter.

David New was a soldier who refused to wear UN insignia on his US Army uniform because he believed that the order was unlawful (expecting him to wear a uniform which represented allegiance to the UN ). He was court-martialed and found guilty of disobeying a lawful order. I believe that his case is nearing the US Supreme Court.

The expectation that soldiers will guard access to a battle zone is lawful. The soldier would have fired.

[pa_dweller]

I have no doubt the G.I. was just following his General Orders.

General Order 11

To be especially watchful at night, and during the time for challenging, to challenge all persons on or near my post and to allow no one to pass without proper authority.

[CRAW]

Lady......Your are stuttering

Lady......Your are stuttering

Lady......Your are stuttering

Sorry I could help myself.

[CIB-173RDABN]

Clamboat -

Let me see, the military on one side , the press on the other, who do I trust? Such a hard question / not

[Diojneez]

what about the response of the Washington Post?!

What difference does it make? The WashingPost is well known as an anti-American propaganda rag.

[tessalu]

US military knows what they are doing, and they do not need reporters to second guess how they are doing their job.

[Sci Fi Guy]

An Army buddy told me that when the they went into Grenada, the MPs were had orders to shoot to kill anyone who tried to get past their checkpoints. He almost killed a reporter who refused to obey his orders to halt and identify. I guess that an MP pointing a gun and shouting halt was just to vague for a reporter.

[xzins]

Just think....if they had shot, then the reporters wouldn't have been around to tell the story.

But, I can guarantee you that private's on guard duty have been decorated for refusing access to GENERALS who did not have the proper password.

I hope someone pins an ARCOM on this troop's chest. He was doing his duty.

[sport]

They should have shot the reporters, they are nothing but a bunch of communist traitors.

[Alissa]

Right gramps, that's why Amearicans go to war, to support our ability to be told the truth by the government, not by some pesky reporter who might not get "the facts" right.

I don't see reporters getting the facts right the majority of the time, even in their own homeland. WE don't need their crap at a time like this. Sorry - news reporters have lost all their credibility.

[Thud]

I recall that the Israelis wasted a cameraman in Lebanon who pointed his video camera at them. The newsies squawked until the Israelis released a gunsight videotape showing what it lookee like with that type of videocamera on a man's shoulder pointed at a tank at that distance.

Our soldiers are there to fight, not give interviews. Al Qaeda and the Taliban don't play by the rules, and they do imitate newsies.

Maybe next time our troops will know to shoot the idiots to keep them from complaining. Think of it as evolution in action.

[Thud]

Why does everyone assume all reporters are "liberal," and therefore it is acceptable to kill or threaten them? I find it repulsive and unAmerican.

They didn't. But if you want to believe that, feel free.

[hove]

I'm sure Hitler didn't allow reporters in the prison death camps. Besides....why would the German people want to know what was really going on there....?

[Lady In Blue]

Bump!