The release of US military records on Afghanistan is being compared to the 1971 leak of the Pentagon Papers by Daniel Ellsburg, with one important difference. The media no longer cares, and even if they did, hardly anyone is surprised to learn that Afghanistan is a mess, or even that we may have committed and covered up war crimes.
Abortion Bush Campaign Finance Cheney Climate Clinton Congress Conservatives Corporations Corruption Deficits Democrats Drugs Economy Education Election Elections Energy Environment Fox News Gays Guns Health Immigration Lies McCain Media Middle East Obama Palin Protests Racism Religion Republicans Romney Spying Supreme Court Taxes Tea Party Terrorism Terrorists Torture Trump Unemployment War
9 Comments
Unfortunatley, this is not humor or irony. This is tragedy and more far far left anti-war terror against Soldiers. I understand the anti-war side, fine, state your point, but do not, repeat do not put Soldiers lives at risk needlessly. Don’t even come close. Criticize the policy, attack the policy makers, don’t jeapordize the “joe” in the field who is there following orders and bleeding out on the battlefield.
To you Julian Assange , living safely in the UK who never had to fight for you country, and who lacks appreciation for the sacrifice of countless “joe’s” who have given you the opportunity to spout off and profit so you did not have to learn German. Why don’t you leak a cartoon picture of muhammad if your such a tough guy. Oh I know, just pick on those with whom the law (or Soldiers) will protect you.
Gutless, spineless worms who never picked up a rifle or stood a watch and peered out into the night straining for that sight or sound that makes a difference. Why do the Soldiers do it? For Country, maybe. For Fame, yea right! Money, get real! For his buddy, lying next to him trying to sleep. Thats who he fights for. You’d throw that away to bring business to your “for profit” web site and secondarily to spit on a sleeping Soldier. Make your point, thank a Soldier for your freedom, then just shut up! Tragic. Not Funny.
“Far far left anti-war” terrorists, Patriot? The leaks had to come from somewhere…inside. Like maybe an Army intelligence officer? Like maybe BradAss87? Brad Manning?
Roger. Same thing. Sneak around afraid to speak up and be counted like a man. BM, he’ll get his in military prison. When I say far far left, I mean those like on the far far right as well, ie. abortion bombers. Extremists who don’t care about the lives they put in danger. Simply out for themselves. They exist in all walks of life, military, gov’t, civilian, religion. They cloke themselves in those organizatins to provide cover. The majority of folks exist in the middle 80-90%, it’s the fringes on each end we must concern ourselves with and the influence they can conjur if allowed.
I don’t buy this garbage either that wikileaks doesn’t know who supplied the docs. They can turn over computer records and their forensic guys can tell exactly where it came from. Even now over 100 civ names are coming out, good people who will be targeted and their blood will be on wikipedia not the military. I hope Assange enjoys the price he sold his soul for and sleeps well, in hell.
And what part of the Afghanistan papers puts any soldier in any more danger than they are currently in? Be specific, especially because there are some of us (ahem) who have more direct knowledge of what’s going on in Afghanistan on the ground than most armchair “patriots” commenting on humor blogs in the safety of their own homes.
Well Starluna, I’m glad you serve too. I’ve done 2 combat tours, 1 in Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan as a combat medic. How about you? Oh, I’ve also worked for 10 years as an Intel Analyst first for DA then for DHS.
You should be well aware of Afghan patriots who risk their lives and those of there families to provide information to US and NATO forces on taliban infiltrations into local villages. If those names were to be released they could be made to turn on US forces, like the double agent who blew up a bunch of his CIA “friends”.
All our Soldiers are at risk, but there are even more who work in SF, Intel and special occupations. You are awre of small teams we have who train Afghan police and military and who regularly travel out to remote areas.
It’s too easy for the Taliban to hold a mans(cooperator) family as hostage to get info on US troop movements, plans, etc.
If you are so much (AHEM)in the know, then you should know that OPSEC saves lives. But, if you are just testing me and are really just another worm like BradAss87 or Assange, then you take the advice I gave him in my first response.
PatriotGST – your response does tell me a lot about who you are and who you are not. It also makes me much more comfortable with taking your positions as the less informed opinion that they appear to be.
It suffices to say that our soldiers are at risk for simply being in Afghanistan. Nothing in the released papers changes that in any meaningful way. Informants, anyone who is perceived to be an informant, and anyone who opposes the thugs and the drug cartels who perpetrate the bulk of the violence in Afghanistan, or who are seen in the company of the aforementioned are always at risk and have always been at risk. Nothing in the released papers changes that either. Indeed, the released papers only bolster the argument that the military leadership have been making for a long time: there is no military solution to Afghanistan.
Starluna- You are correct in that there is nothing new concerning strategy within these papers. We all know lots of things go right/wrong in a war. It’s not and was never meant to be pretty. But, that is not my point with putting persons in danger.
When I was in both countries, for instance, we would have to work with interpreters. Those interpreters were documented and any incidents they responded to had to be written in reports. If those documents become publicly available while the war is ongoing it could be very bad for those named. Many of the interpreters understood they or their families would be at great risk if their identity was discovered, but they believed in trying to improve their country. Our troops rely on them and many times with their lives. Can’t you see the difference between strategy and what i’m saying. I could care less about the strategy, i’m not a general or diplomat. Thats their job. You worry about strategy, while I tie on a tourniquet and keep a kid from bleeding out. Your right, I am less informed on policy and strategy, but is there anyone in the administration who knows what the endstate or strategy is?
I’ll give you the last word, i appreciate the discourse.
@Starluna,
Sorry, I lied, one last post. If you won’t take my “less informed opinions” then perhaps the Taliban, ADM Mullin or SEC Gates will satisfy your requirement of an informed party. Or how about the actual hacker who turned in PFC Manning to protect lives.
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/30/taliban-says-it-will-target-names-exposed-by-wikileaks.html?GT1=43002
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66S5WT20100729
http://www.newsweek.com/video/2010/07/27/hacker-on-why-he-turned-in-alleged-wikileaks-source.html
Sorry, but the evidence in support of my position is indeed overwhelming, compared to your uh “ahem”.
To all you patriots,
If you volunteered to go and fight in this war, then you were either ignorant of history and reality or you are a f%^&*g idiot.
Wars are fought to win, these two, Viet Nam, Lorea never were. Even Bush41 wasn’t willing to do something this stupid.
you watch the nation elect a guy who looks and acts like a chimp and then follow him to war, oh right he stayed in his little bunker didn’t he.
They all do! They sit on their white horses, safely over the hill from all the fighting and ask some grunt to look over the top and let them know what’s happening.
The phrase rich man’s war poor man’s fight is written in eqyptian hieroglyphs. So is, “there is the right way and then the army way”.
Take your rah tah and wipe up the blood and shit!