Propoganda

So the Taliban released a video showing the troop they captured. No surprise there.

The question we've been debating here was whether it was right for the media to replay the video and give the Taliban free airtime to exploit this soldier.

We are a democracy, an open society, and the capture of any of our troops is news. None of us disagreed with that. But was it necessary to go beyond reporting the fact that one of our troops was missing, captured, etc. and replay the video?

I didn't have much to say because I'm wasn't sure where I stood. The more I think about it, the less I like playing the released video. It gives the Taliban free propoganda. It becomes further incentive to capture our troops.

I guess the argument for playing the video is that is keeps the story in the news, and hopefully makes the hostage more valuable alive, rather than dead. Maybe there was consent from the our government to air the tape. I don't know.

I do know that various media outlets were very capable of keeping quiet when one of their own was captured because they decided publicity was a greater risk than silence.

Something to ponder.

All I know is that all of us here hope we can find this troop and rescue him.

We've seen the tapes that don't get aired that show how these things end. Sometimes I wonder if more people saw those tapes that they'd realize just what it is we are fighting against. But I doubt it. It would seem unreal in its stark reality, the effects are nowhere near as good as the latest Michael Bay flick, and it is too far away and happening to a stranger.

I hope that's just me being cynical.

That cynicism probably says something sad about civil-military relations... maybe we can tackle that one on another day.

As always though, whatever else is going on in the world, the ball keeps rolling here.

I got one response to one of my proposals so far. He punted... not his call to make.

At least he didn't shoot it down. And this individual was more cc'd as courtesy and to BS check since he has some informal influence but it really isn't his call.

I also had a funny exchange with one of the senior NCOs here. He was asking when I go home, which led to him asking if I was stationed at Fort Bragg.

I told him no, I'm Guard. I admit, it is always nice when people assume I'm Active Duty. It stokes the ego, and this fine forecasting machine runs on props (did I mention I watched Seasons 1-7 of Scrubs since getting here?).

The Guard issue always prompts the question of what I do when I'm not doing this. I explained I'm a Law Student, which jarred his memory, cause it probably came up when I first got here.

As we talked I said it was actually kind of a nice break. As much as I enjoy the learning process, I'm not a great fit in academia.

When I said that Law School as an institution and Law Students in particular have an inflated sense of self-importance, he said the Special Forces guys are the same way.

One of the many ways this place, really these people, can keep me grounded.

Another great moment was when one of the guys I would coordinate with here logged into one of our chat rooms from back home. Just as he was asking how things were going, I was posting that one of the conventional weather guys needs to be pistol whipped.

My friend concluded that nothing had changed.

No, I didn't pistol whip him.

Yes, I still think he needs it. But I won't.

No, it was not an open chat room. It is restricted for SOF forecasters. There is a log, as with all chat rooms, but given the things we've said about each other's lineage and social relations, I don't think the pistol whipping comment would be the first thing to get us in trouble if someone where so bored and uptight as to check through them for such comments.