21st Century Warfare: Where is the Live Feed?

...forms their opinions. That is actually the truth as I've found in my various activities in supporting our troops. It is not necessarily the media. Yes, the reports do play some part in the forming of opinions, but not in the way that you would think. It brings out more questions rather than completes the picture for people.

We are the 21st century generation who is very used to having cameras trained on every activity and being able to actually see what is going on in various live action reports. We are the people who routinely see images from helicopters flying over high speed chases, dashboard cameras on police cars, security cameras in stores and parking lots, citizens with cameras recording their neighbor's house burning down, press meetings, live debates, television shows and movies that make much of being "in the action" and many more.

This anomaly can be seen in people's opinions about the Iraq or Afghan battles in the war on terror. In fact, the entire idea that these two are battles in the same war is alien. Maybe it is because the media has labeled them as individual wars. Or the politicians. Or the general discourse of everyday citizens because the battles began at two separate occasions and the people we originally intended to take out were not "the same". Most people remembered the first Gulf War and why we were after Saddam. They do not put his behavior together with the potential dangers of Islamist terrorists. Because people never make the connection (contrary to popular reports that believed Americans were "misinformed"), the continuing battle for Iraq was and continues to be a separate situation for most Americans.

The media, of course, does play some part in forming people's opinions. Yet, the lack of knowledge is still what forms their opinion more than anything else. The lack of any real in depth reporting or anyone putting together the real, thorough, lengthy story of who are committing "sectarian" killings, why, where they come from and what outcome could they possibly want from such actions still leaves the big question: why are we there if they are just killing each other?

We could blame that on the media. We could blame that on the military. We could blame that on the Pentagon. We could blame that on the White House. We could blame that on Congress. We could blame that on ourselves for not making ourselves more informed.

Certainly, there is plenty of information available on the internet and in books that would make things a little more clearer. But, most people don't really take the time. Why should they? What people want is a trusted source to explain things to them in short, succinct answers that make sense based on their limited knowledge of history, security and other parts of the world. Doing actual research on the subject would be far too time consuming. And so, it comes down to who it is that is telling them the narrative of the war and, in particular, the battle for Iraq. Or, more succinctly, who is not telling them and if anyone is really "trustworthy". Most people seem to live by the "X-Files", post hippy rebellion in the sixties standard: trust no one.

They would trust their own eyes. Those eyes are blind because we have come to rely on real time, real action video of real life events to inform us. That does not exist here. There are no helicopters hovering above a speeding Bradley watching a fire fight unfold. There are, but none that are bringing live feed of the situation into our homes as we have come to expect. There are no Humvee dashboard mounted cameras recording every move. Or, there are and we just can't see the video. There is operational security to consider here.

But, we are talking about the generation of "Big Brother", "The Amazing Race", "Cops", "American Idol" and many other "live, follow them through their lives" videos or programs. Without these, we feel totally blind. Without these, we know nothing and cannot understand.

In the beginning of the war, we got live action drama all day, 24/7. I believe very much that this is the reason the war was so popular right at first. Seeing is believing and we were kicking down doors and Republican Guard faster than a June bug on a hot plate.

That does not exist. Without that, the public feels blind. Believe me, they are not going to go looking for information either. They want it handed to them either in small bites or in pretty pictures that they can simply glance at and process without more decision making than choosing a burger or a salad. Preferably, from someone that they trust and there are not many of those around.

They want live feed. Without it, they are blind and deaf. Without it, they are subject to the narrative of the media, politicians, the enemy and other unknowledgeable or incomplete source.

They want their live feed like the OJ chase so they can decide while they cook dinner or sit down for a cold beer whether we are winning or losing so they can decide in five minutes flat if the verdict is "guilty" or "not guilty".

They want to know right now whether the war is won or lost. Who cares about tomorrow?

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On the Anniversary of 07/07: thoughts on terrorism.

Today is the anniversary of the London bombings of the underground. 52 people lost their lives to terrorist bombings. The largest peace time loss of life since WWII according to this article.

An interesting article titled "Why Britain?" I think that it makes two important points:

European Muslims do not assimilate as well as US Muslims thus they do not have an onus to respect and give loyalty to their new home nation.

"The U.S. has a historical advantage; America is still the land of opportunity to the whole world. The people moving there believe the American dream of social mobility," he said. "In Europe , we've historically treated our immigrants as hired help, and waited for them to finish the work they arrived for and go home."

That is true, more people come here to live the life than to just get a job and go home. Even those "guest workers" that are imagined to do so, often end up staying here for years or permanently. We have a second advantage:

Experts, noting that success against terrorism can be very temporary, agree that there are other reasons.

The United States is geographically more separate from the Middle East , the home of Islamic fundamentalism. Beyond that, especially since 9-11, the U.S. has cracked down on both travel and new-resident visas, making it hard for terrorists from outside to get into the country.

Magnus Ranstorp, the chief scientist at the Swedish Defense College , said that U.S. efforts to track down everything involved in terrorism, particularly funding, had made it very difficult to operate in America.

" The United States is so difficult to crack, they have to have established operatives living inside the country to be effective," he said. "To date, they haven't shown themselves. The truth is, while it's not the al Qaida Great Satan, Europe is a much easier place to move around."

Of course, you cannot imagine that we are safe just because these things make it more difficult. It doesn't change the dangers.

You never know who is coming in under what circumstances. I believe that is why the US has been reluctant to let in huge numbers of Iraqi refugees. There is a danger there when you cannot know, as one said about the doctor terrorists in Britain, what is in someone's heart.

Then again, according to a relative, said doctor was very plain in his anger about Iraq and believing that Islam had been insulted. Frankly, stating that something should be done about it. Obviously, his heart was on his sleeve and really, no one wanted to believe it.

Which is a major malfunction. Many mass murderers have stated their intentions to friends, family and in public, but no one wants to believe. We should believe them more often and believe that we must be vigilant.

People use the systems that we have against us. Not just immigrating here and getting jobs or using our airplanes, freedoms, and complacency about people who over stay their time.

In one British case, an asylum seeker received assistance to the tune of $100,000 pounds to make his life in Britain with his family. Using it to finance terrorism and continue to defraud for many more thousands of dollars and launder money for terrorism. Money that was surely used to kill innocents, if not British soldiers and citizens.

One must wonder who we are financing here.

Then there are the three who were jailed for operating a terrorist web site and inciting others to terrorism. Excuse me, "holy war". None of them were sentenced to life in prison. According to the judge, they do not have blood on their hands because they did not touch a bomb or gun. In the US, such people, if not tried for more severe federal crimes, would be subject to the RICOH law that prosecutes such people as leaders of mob crime for murders including life sentences or death. This was because too many were getting away while others did their dirty work.

Still, one must ask an important question: Why aren't these men being charged with treason against the crown and sentenced to life?

My question stems from a historical view of what happens when you send radicalized Muslims to jail for short periods of time and then they get out. Usually, they continue to be or are more radicalized than before. They simply go on to bigger and badder things. In the case of these three, one will be deported to Morocco when his term is over. Unless the Moroccans pick him up on entering the country and charge him with more crimes to be jailed indefinitely, there is an extreme likelihood that he will go on to become a big leader. Such as is the case with many well known terrorists like Zarqawi and Zawahiri. Both were sentenced to short jail terms in their nation of origin, only to get out more radicalized, join and eventually lead even more violent attacks against civilians and other nations.

I believe that the judge's comments on the subject of what exactly these men have done is lame, fantastical and should have caused a national outcry. Except, of course, that Britains believe there is hope for everyone, even as they are stabbing their victim for the 40th time.

The question is: What have we learned from Britain?

Nothing, according to JD at Outside the Wire

And to prove my point, Paul comes along and asks me a simple question, but did not get a simple answer in this post: We are at War

I stated:

We must fight them there because that is where terrorism has started (to wit, in the Middle East), where it is prevalent and where it must die in order for our nation and others to be safe. There is nothing we can "fight" here or do here that ends the Islamist Salafist ideology. Aside from capitulate to their demands and some how "change" our foreign policy.

Paul asks in comments, basically, why not? Why don't we swallow some of our pride and change our foreign policy? Well, his simple question (that is really an answer wrapped up as a question) got a long response from me:

Whose "pride" are we supposed to swallow first? Who shall we surrender first to them? Where will it end? At what line are you willing to say "no more"? And, once you have decided this, will you be in a position to actually do something, having swallowed so much "pride"?

Your question is interesting and simplistic. Would that all things should have such a simple answer. But it hides or ignores the real dangers and complexities of the situation. It hides the real costs of such an answer.

My question to you is, "Is the value that you place on these peoples and the ideas so low that you are willing to swallow your pride intact or in part in order to save yourself"? And for what will you have saved yourself having given it all away?

at the post:

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Flag Day: O'er the Land of the Free

Oh, Say Can You See...

Not long ago, like many Americans, I used to see the flag and not feel anything. More precisely, I barely recognized that it was there. It was simply some red, white and blue material hanging on a flag pole at the post office, the bank or outside a house. During parades or special events, I would place my hand over my heart, say the pledge of allegiance and sing the national anthem. I did these things because that is what I was supposed to do, not because I felt like I should or because I believed it meant anything beyond a perfunctory nod to ceremony and tradition.

Over the Ramparts We Watched...

Like many Americans, I experienced an epiphany on a bright Tuesday morning in early September 2001. It was beautiful out, I was late for work and trying to figure out a way to play hookie from the office when I turned on the TV and saw the great tragedy of our times. As I watched, I went through an entire roll of emotions: numb, confused, anxious, sad, angry. Over and over again until I was washed out. Finally, I felt the great swell of pride as "over the ramparts we watched" our flag rose above the ashes, smoke and ruins of the WTC and the Pentagon.

It was at that moment that I finally realized what Francis Scott Key must have felt when he penned his famous poem, standing on the deck of a ship in the harbor, seeing the flag over Ft McHenry still waving in "the dawn's early light" after a night of fearsome bombardment. He knew that "our flag was still there" and, thus, so was our country, just as I was re-assured of the same.

From that day forward, every day and every event, I have grown to understand the meaning of that flag and I have loved it more than I have ever loved it before. I have learned to love freedom and never take it for granted. I have learned to love being an American.


Gave proof through the night...

I now know that our flag is taken down at night to protect it from damage by harsh elements or those enemies who might tear it down and our nation while we sleep. Just as we are protected, day and night, by our military men and women around the world, while we sleep or go about our daily business, never knowing or thinking about danger because they stand watch.

Our flag is illuminated at night to represent "the rocket's red glare", as the flag continued to wave all through the night of that historic bombardment. It signifies the continuous light of freedom shining down on this nation and that it shall never be dimmed. I know that our flag is raised in the morning, not simply because it was taken down the night before, but because it signifies that our nation is still here, one more day, free.


Oh, say does that star spangled banner still wave...

I have seen our flag whipping violently in stormy winds, just as our nation has been whipped by the winds of war, struggle and controversy. I have seen our flag waving gently in the wind, from one side to the other, just as we have sometimes wavered, in what some call "inconsistency", as we have struggled to balance our ideas, our freedom, with the needs of a growing and diverse nation. I have seen our flag lay dormant, without a breeze to stir it, as we have sometimes done when we have turned inwards or experienced great prosperity, hopeful of a peaceful future.

I have seen our flag dragged on the ground and stepped upon by dissidents within our country who believe that we have not lived up to our ideas or believe that they have been "stepped on" by our government and our laws. I have seen our flag burned to ashes by our enemies just as they have hoped to destroy our nation and its ideas. It has pained me to see such acts, not only because I love our flag, but because it represents our people and our ideas and it is this that is being attacked, threatened and disrespected.


Yet, for all the damage to the material, our ideas, our freedom remains. They may destroy that flag, but they cannot destroy our nation, our people or our ideas. That flag may be gone, but I can turn and see it still waving over our nation's capitol, at the post office, in front of my house and on the neighbors house down the street. It still waves, just as we continue to survive and spread the idea to every new citizen and from nation to nation.



O'er the land of the free...

Our flag represents our nation. Not only our ideas, but the very people for which it stands. It is made up of many strips of cloth held together by a strong thread that can withstand troubled winds and stormy weather. We are a nation of many people, held together by the common thread of our ideas, strong because it was woven together for over two centuries. That all men are created equal, endowed, not by a king or a government, but by a higher force with "unalienable rights" of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Like us, the white stripes would be nothing without the red. The blue field would be meaningless without its many stars. Each piece being equally important and serves an equal purpose: to represent all of our people. Without the thread that holds the flag together, it would fall to pieces on the ground, just as we would fall without the thread that binds us together. That thread, that idea, is freedom.


And the home of the brave...



I have seen our flag flying over military bases in war zones and peaceful nations. I have seen it flying over ships at sea from one end of the world to another. I have seen men and women in uniform saluting it in far away places with names we cannot pronounce. It did not get there because we are a conquering nation, subjugating others, but because those who serve under that flag have defended it, defended our nation, our freedom and the freedom of every nation and peoples at every point of the compass. That flag reminds them, where ever they may go, however far, however long, their home is here and remains forever free because they bravely serve.

I have seen our flag draped lovingly over the casket of fallen soldiers and old warriors who have given their last full measure in defense of that freedom. Our flag, representing our nation, embraces them one last time, in thanks for that service.

I have seen our flag folded precisely in a triangle, blue field with white stars facing out, representing the eternal heavens to which we have commended our fallen. It represents the eternal rest which they have earned through their brave service. It represents the eternal hope of our nation to remain forever free.

I have seen our flag passed solemnly to grieving families as the last material gift their loved one could give. The last embrace the brave shall ever receive as their loved ones hold the flag tightly in their arms. And, the final, most priceless treasure, one more minute, one more hour, one more day of freedom paid for by their service and sacrifice.


I have seen our flag absorb the tears of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, wives, husbands, sons and daughters. "On behalf of a grateful nation" it comforts them in their time of grief. Their tears remind us of the cost to remain free and that we should be forever appreciative that these brave souls serve and sometimes die on our behalf, even when we have forsaken them.

The often quoted Thomas Jefferson once said that, "the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots". However, it is the tears of those left behind, absorbed by our flag, that goes straight to our roots, to our hearts and reminds us to be strong in the face of adversaries and troubles, to count the cost dearly and hold our freedom that much more closely.


I have seen our flag placed upon the graves of our fallen, on rows upon rows of white marble stone, in remembrance of their service under that flag and the sacrifice they gave to keep our flag flying and our nation free. It tells our fallen that their sacrifice was not made in vain; because of them our nation still stands. It signifies our infinite gratitude as on the first day when we laid the flag upon them and gave it to their family. Wherever that grave may be, from Arlington to Normandy, from Africa to the Philippines, the placing of the flag claims that land to be the property of the United States of America, forever free, bought and paid for by the blood of our citizens on behalf of our nation. That land becomes "the home of the brave".

Finally, I have seen our flag placed upon the shoulder of citizens who continue to step forward to defend our nation, our people, our ideas and our freedom.



Through this eternal cycle we remain the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in which he repeated words he said the flag had spoken to him that morning: "I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself."

I hope, from this day forward, when you see the flag that your eyes will not pass over it, but maybe linger for a moment and feel a swell of pride as it waves above you. When it is presented, please honor it by removing your hat and placing your hand upon your heart in respect. Not simply as a symbol of our nation or in allegiance to such, but for all of those things it has been for us, for all the ideas it stands for and all those who have given us the privilege of living free beneath it to make of it what we would.

Long may it wave.



Find out more about our flag at USFLAG.ORG


- May no soldier go unloved

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