Friday, July 31, 2009

Media Messiah Massage

When is the last time you heard or read about the U.S. death toll in Iraq?

Amazing, now that the media has their Messiah in place they find no need to report the "facts." Now as the honeymoon with their beloved (who just happens to be escalating the war in Afghanistan) continues, death tolls of "militants" will not be published. [See L.A. Times article below.]

Now to be sure, it is the military officials who are setting the policy. But where is the outrage from the media for what would be considered censorship if practiced under the previous administration? And again, where are the daily reports of U.S. soldier fatalities?

Furthermore, notice how the comparison is to our "experience in Vietnam" rather than Iraq. Why is that? Could it be because such a comparison would make the difference between how the media reported on the casualties of "Bush's" war with how it is now reporting on President Obama's withdrawal from Iraq and escalation in Afghanistan?

U.S. Stops Giving Militant Death Tolls in Afghanistan
The military alters its policy as part of a new focus in the war.
By Julian E. Barnes
July 24, 2009

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan -- U.S. military officials in Afghanistan have halted the practice of releasing the number of militants killed in fighting with American-led forces as part of an overall strategy shift that emphasizes concern for the local civilian population's well-being rather than hunting insurgent groups.

The decision has triggered a quiet but fierce debate among military officers comparing the current situation with the U.S. experience in Vietnam, when military officials exaggerated body counts and used them as a measure of success.

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