How to win the war on terrorism and get even with Rolling Stone
When are presidents going to learn to leave fighting wars to the generals? And when are generals going to learn to not insult or disrespect their Commander in Chief? The resignation of General Stanley McChrysta benefits only our enemies, the Taliban and al-Qaida, and is NOT good for America.
I think it was very foolish for a general to permit a reporter from Rolling Stone magazine to travel around with him and his staff and have access to private discussions and conversations. Any one who knows anything about Rolling Stone magazine and is a general would not let one of their unethical gossip monger, fame, fortune and glory seeking tabloid journalist any where within a 100 miles of a general, especially not in the middle of war!
I believe in freedom of the press, but war is hell and you have to have secrets. Often it is secrets that win wars. You don't broadcasts your movements. You don't let the enemy know what is on the minds of the generals who plan and implement strategy. And you certainly don't allow unethical reporters free access to top commanders in the mists of a war, for risk they will publish information that would be useful to the enemy.
If I were President Obama I'd issue an executive order prohibiting press access to high command and officers in the field. This is not as issue of freedom of press; it is an issue of security. One aspect of security relates to discipline of forces and obeying orders from the President on down the chain of command to the lowest man on the totem poll out there digging fox holes, hiding behind rocks, fighting for their life! When permitting access to commanders at any level jeopardizes the security of forces on the ground, then you must fix the problem by kicking the press out!
War is hell and sometimes it simply is very foolish and unwise to let the press have free access to commanders in the field. But you know what, I believe General Stanley McChrysta knew this all along. I believe he wanted to create a situation where he would have to resign because I believe he wants to go into politics. I'd not be surprised if he runs for office in the next election or on down the road!
As an Army brat I grew up listing to my father talk about General Dogulas MacArthur, who he served under in WWII and the campaign to retake the Philippines. My father won two Bronze Stars in combat in the Pacific and later also served under MacArther during the Korean War. He was a leader of men and believed that Harry S. Truman was way out of line in 1951, that he should have left the fighting of the war to General McArthur, who is most remembered perhaps for his eloquent statement that, "Old soldier never die, they just fade away." My Dad would often preach how Truman was gutless, with such evocative expressions as, "To hell with the communist forces! We should have let MacArthur blow them to hell if that's what it came down to! It would have been best for everyone!"
Maybe my father was right. One thing is for certain, where there is a widely published conflict between the Commander in Chief and any of his generals during a time of war, it benefits only our enemies. That is why in this modern age of instant communication, where it is especially difficult to control communications, it is vital, a matter of life and death, that a free press NOT be permitted access to command and control officers, their staff, or anywhere near a headquarters or field operations command unit. To do so risks everything from leaking of critical classified information to the such ridiculous situations as that of a Rolling Stone tabloid journalist publishing private statements that would cause the resignation of a very fine general.
If I were General Stanley McChrysta I'd sue Rolling Stone magazine and put them out of business. I've never liked that magazine anyway, as they were greatly responsible for popularizing the drug culture in America which misguided many young people and caused them to be hurt and harmed, their lives destroyed, by blowing away their minds on everything from alcohol and marijuana to LSD and psilocybin magic mushrooms! I would not be unhappy to see Rolling Stone magazine get hit with a law suit by General McChrysta, especially if President Obama joined in the claim!
Whatever happens, my thoughts and prayers are with the men and women of our fighting forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world. God bless America! Keep us free and bring our soldiers home safely ... leaving not an opium poppy standing, nor a Taliban to profit upon the opiates derived from their latex sap. The terrorists in Afghanistan, you see, are funded by the opium poppy, and the war on terrorism could be won quite easily by total eradication of opium poppies! Now I may not be a general, but I'm certain about that! So if you're listening President Obama, and want to win this war, wage it against the poppy and get even with Rolling Stone while you're at it!
I think it was very foolish for a general to permit a reporter from Rolling Stone magazine to travel around with him and his staff and have access to private discussions and conversations. Any one who knows anything about Rolling Stone magazine and is a general would not let one of their unethical gossip monger, fame, fortune and glory seeking tabloid journalist any where within a 100 miles of a general, especially not in the middle of war!
I believe in freedom of the press, but war is hell and you have to have secrets. Often it is secrets that win wars. You don't broadcasts your movements. You don't let the enemy know what is on the minds of the generals who plan and implement strategy. And you certainly don't allow unethical reporters free access to top commanders in the mists of a war, for risk they will publish information that would be useful to the enemy.
If I were President Obama I'd issue an executive order prohibiting press access to high command and officers in the field. This is not as issue of freedom of press; it is an issue of security. One aspect of security relates to discipline of forces and obeying orders from the President on down the chain of command to the lowest man on the totem poll out there digging fox holes, hiding behind rocks, fighting for their life! When permitting access to commanders at any level jeopardizes the security of forces on the ground, then you must fix the problem by kicking the press out!
War is hell and sometimes it simply is very foolish and unwise to let the press have free access to commanders in the field. But you know what, I believe General Stanley McChrysta knew this all along. I believe he wanted to create a situation where he would have to resign because I believe he wants to go into politics. I'd not be surprised if he runs for office in the next election or on down the road!
As an Army brat I grew up listing to my father talk about General Dogulas MacArthur, who he served under in WWII and the campaign to retake the Philippines. My father won two Bronze Stars in combat in the Pacific and later also served under MacArther during the Korean War. He was a leader of men and believed that Harry S. Truman was way out of line in 1951, that he should have left the fighting of the war to General McArthur, who is most remembered perhaps for his eloquent statement that, "Old soldier never die, they just fade away." My Dad would often preach how Truman was gutless, with such evocative expressions as, "To hell with the communist forces! We should have let MacArthur blow them to hell if that's what it came down to! It would have been best for everyone!"
Maybe my father was right. One thing is for certain, where there is a widely published conflict between the Commander in Chief and any of his generals during a time of war, it benefits only our enemies. That is why in this modern age of instant communication, where it is especially difficult to control communications, it is vital, a matter of life and death, that a free press NOT be permitted access to command and control officers, their staff, or anywhere near a headquarters or field operations command unit. To do so risks everything from leaking of critical classified information to the such ridiculous situations as that of a Rolling Stone tabloid journalist publishing private statements that would cause the resignation of a very fine general.
If I were General Stanley McChrysta I'd sue Rolling Stone magazine and put them out of business. I've never liked that magazine anyway, as they were greatly responsible for popularizing the drug culture in America which misguided many young people and caused them to be hurt and harmed, their lives destroyed, by blowing away their minds on everything from alcohol and marijuana to LSD and psilocybin magic mushrooms! I would not be unhappy to see Rolling Stone magazine get hit with a law suit by General McChrysta, especially if President Obama joined in the claim!
Whatever happens, my thoughts and prayers are with the men and women of our fighting forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world. God bless America! Keep us free and bring our soldiers home safely ... leaving not an opium poppy standing, nor a Taliban to profit upon the opiates derived from their latex sap. The terrorists in Afghanistan, you see, are funded by the opium poppy, and the war on terrorism could be won quite easily by total eradication of opium poppies! Now I may not be a general, but I'm certain about that! So if you're listening President Obama, and want to win this war, wage it against the poppy and get even with Rolling Stone while you're at it!
posted by TAL | 1:00 AM
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