Friday, September 12, 2008
A new strategy
The Army is cracking down on soldiers who go on the record opposing the war.Specialist Leonard Clark, a National Guardsman, was demoted to private and fined $1,640 for posting anti-war statements on an Internet blog. Clark wrote entries describing the company's commander as a "glory seeker" and the battalion sergeant major an "inhuman monster". His last entry before the blog was shut down told how his fellow soldiers were becoming increasingly opposed to the US operation in Iraq.“The message is clear,” says one reservist who is home for the holidays but has to return and asked not to be identified. “If you want to get out of this man’s Army with an honorable (discharge) and full benefits you better not tell the truth about what is happening in-country.”But Sgt. Johnathan Wilson, a reservist, got his honorable discharge after he returned home earlier this month and he’s not afraid to talk on the record.“Iraq is a classic FUBAR,” he says. “The country is out of control and we can’t stop it. Anybody who tries to sell a good news story about the war is blowing it out his ass. We don’t win and eventually we will leave the country in a worse shape than it was when we invaded.”
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2 comments:
I think its beyond the power of both the armed forces and the government to try and suppress the voices/opinions of the soldiers who are in opposition to the war. Firstly, it is against the rights of these people as American citizens to have their opinions stifled by an over controlling government or anybody for that matter. Secondly, these are the people that have the first hand accounts of what is happening in the war and are trying to convey both how they feel as soldiers and what is actually happening in the war. It is an attempt by the government to try and hide from the reality.
How sad is it that the soldiers who are fighting for us to keep our rights to free speech, press, etc. are unable to exercise those rights themselves? It is no secret that many soldiers in Iraq are unhappy about their current situation and they have every right to express their opinions about it. In fact, if the Army were to demote and fine every dissenter, there wouldn't be much of an Army left.
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