Military blogger

[Cain]

This is a military man stationed somewhere in Iraq writing an anonymous blog

The original article that directed me to the site: http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=3901 It contains some background.

And here's yesterday's entry:

i've speaking with an ex-navy seal who now holds political office (not gov. jesse 'the body' ventura)...we first started our dialog with a barrage of hate mail...he thought i was an ill informed ignoramus and i thought he was a neo con artist...but once we got past that we started debating on the issues at hand with a good deal of level headed discussion...

he feels that as a soldier i should keep quite about all of my political beliefs...i, as a soldier, feel that i do have the right of free speech with in the realm of the army...there are things that i can not speak about...my chain of command...the president...their decisions...and the like...

he brought up a point that i was curious about...although i have spoken to jag (military attorneys) and i know that i am safe in the eyes of military law as long as i do not step out of the realm of the military...i was not sure what the ethical dilemma of speaking out really consists of...i know what i am allowed to say but what should i say...

he believes that we (the military) are allowed to have views but we should not make them known...we are ambassadors of america and we should act as such...we should support our government no matter what kind of decisions they make...

i, on the other hand, believe that we are entitled to our (americans) right of free speech...as long as we (the military) do not step out of the realm of the military...i feel that the members of the military do not make their voices heard enough...we are the silent fighters...because the majority of us do not pay attention to the decisions that are made for us in the capital...

i actually have been performing an 'experiment'...i've been asking random soldiers who the vice president of the united states is...a very simple question...but i found a surprising answer...the majority of those i asked did not know the answer nor do they care...this is bad...our lives are at stake...our country as well...and we do not even pay attention...we have a voice...but we do not choose to use it...

the ex-navy seal used an example of a military member attending a political rally...we are not allowed to attend in uniform...however i pointed out that even though we can not attend in uniform...if asked we do not have to lie about our profession...we do not have to hide the fact that we are soldiers...i feel that this applies to expressing our political beliefs as well...now if we can just get the whole of the military (and america) to step into the voting booth...who knows what might happen...

I feel that we should not speak out or rise up against the chain of command...that would be counter productive and we are soldiers...we have a duty...no matter what our beliefs...we raised our hands and took the oath...I also feel that I should not make my beliefs known to my soldiers...I should not influence their beliefs at all...I would be wrong as a non-commissioned officer if I expressed my ideas with younger soldiers...I must watch for that...

[VeeKaChu]

The BLOG itself (http://turningtables.blogspot.com/) is kinda intersting... too bad this terrorist-lover hates our freedom.

many of the iraqis that work for us think we are doing everything all wrong...we are trying to instill fear in the people...they say "they are to proud for that"...they will not be scared into compliance...

the animosity is growing and i'm not sure how to subdue it...the iraqi fundamentalists who praised us and danced when we took baghdad now scream for us to leave immediately...what would become of iraq then...i don't know...we have opened a can of worms...the neo con ultra right wing fascists out there would tell me to just keep blowing stuff up...because that's how they think you solve problems...just look at israel...they also tell me i'm not a real soldier and i'm unpatriotic..."you don't agree with my views so you are not a real american"...i thought america was founded on the principles and ideals of human differences...they must think something different...

they say these things from the comfort of their homes where no threat exists...and no lives are in peril...so let them...it changes nothing...it does seem funny to me though...
Sometimes it's as if he'd been reading this forum!

[ethEreal]

Pfft, don't let Zoe read that, because according to him, everyone in Iraq is fighting for OUR freedom, and is doing so solely out of patriotism; please...this war is/was bullshit, and the US troops shouldn't suffer for it. Much to the chagrin of Rumsfeld, this IS turning into Vietnam: guerilla attacks, the soldiers are of lower economics status, etc.

[AGT-WildBillGates]

That guy should have read the papers he signed to join closer. Stuff about speaking out is all in there.

[crz]

ever read/watched the Godfather? then maybe you understand why dissent inside a strong/unified body can be a problem, even if its only spoken.

[snaggle]

Originally posted by crz
ever read/watched the Godfather? then maybe you understand why dissent inside a strong/unified body can be a problem, even if its only spoken.

All it takes is one guy here and there to speak out against what he does, and pretty soon it spreads like a virus, infecting everyone it comes in contact with. Soon after that, you've got a full out mutiny made up of the most well trained and dangerous people in the world. That's why there's a chain of command, and dissent is squelched like a match flame before it burns down the forest.

[Acharne]

And that's why I'm not joining the Armed Forces, and why I have great respect for those who are willing to subject themselves to that.

[philly]

the neo con ultra right wing fascists out there would tell me to just keep blowing stuff up

...sounds like somebody should think before they act and read what their signing up for more carefully.

Its funny how peoples perceptions of military life change when they go from learning computer programming in the safety of the states to being a target in some litterbox of a country. Its all fun and games until your called to do your duty. :rolleyes:

[Moniker]

Can someone plese inform the rest of us what these enlistment papers say about speaking out about certain things?

And have any of you guys ever actually been out in active duty?

[snaggle]

So, because I've never been active duty...I don't know about how they maintain unity within a group? Oh, I understand it all so clearly now. You need to stop reading into things so much Moniker...

[Moniker]

So, because I've never been active duty...I don't know about how they maintain unity within a group? How could you, unless you've ever been a part of, or in charge of a group like that? Plus, I doubt one guy keeping a weblog will cause all out mutiny -- perhaps I'm not the only one reading too much into things.

[snaggle]

I never said one guy could cause a mutiny...but when you have thousands of "one guy"...there is a problem. I have lots of military in my family...I know how things work...as well as someone who's been active? Of course not.