It took many years for critical mainstream revelations of World War II and Korea to surface that examined American failures in those wars. DC didn't need to yell "national security" too loud in those days to silence those in the know -- just a quiet word to the publishing and television heads all paying taxes in the 90 percent range was usually enough.
Mr D's old buddy -- the Kinston, NC lad Frank Snepp changing a good deal of that in 1977. People had seen Vietnam on televison starting with the Tet offensive in 1968 and ending with the NVA rolling down Highway 1 in April 1975. They couldn't be fooled anymore and this work caused a bit of sensation when published.
Yet it was still quite easy in the mid-1990's to make the American sheep believe the Serbs butchered a hundred thousand innocent Muslims in Bosnia (or was it 200,000?). It was even easier to wag the dog in Kosovo. However...
Too many literate people from all sides of the various conflicts were there in Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Albania, and Macedonia. When you get some of them together in a forum like FR it doesn't take long to understand who was there and who wasn't. It has taken a few years, but increasingly the truth has come out and in the process damned much of the West.
Absolutely no substitute for experience on the ground in-theatre...
The West doesn't like this phenomena -- especially with World War III going on now. It makes them nervous in Foggy Bottom and Downing Street for people to be able to read about the US funding and equipping Osama bin Laden and others who are now taking the fight to the West.
Many would like to muzzle this type of discussion and utilise agents to mute such discourse. However you either believe in free speech or you don't. "Old Europe" and the US State Department with many of this ilk that don't -- no doubt when the smoke clears they will be badly shaken (not stirred).
Hoplite does his research and has a concise American style of writing -- he fits a mould Victor Davis Hanson has described a few times when denigrating academia. There are two events Hoplite will fight to the death every time: Racak and Aracinovo.
When the truth about these two events is finally known it will be a devastating blow to the West. With the war on terror and coming battle with Iraq the focus now, there are plenty of people in DC and London that want to see those events forgotten -- swept aside from the view of the taxpayer and citizen.
And in another age they would have been -- the internet and these type forums a powerful weapon for those who still believe in unfettered truth and the right of free Westerners to know...
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Wraith
It is good to see you about -- I figure you and your pals are very busy these days...
I can't begin to tell you how concerned I am about the coming Islamic entente strike on London. Some of the senior Brits took high level briefings when Blair visited the States last week and they seem to be on the ball and doing everything they can.
I don't think it will be enough...
One never wants to get emotional about these things so as to keep a clear head -- and thus from a games theory perspective the Islamic entente plan is sound: Massive OK City style explosion(s) in the Financial District and by the water -- combined with their very best doing some big game hunting. If they successfully execute this attack they will win the war with one lightning coup de main as the shaky Western resolve collapses.
And in the Balkans the death squads are roaming once more...
Keep your head down...
The forces of freedom on the move. Europe trembles.