Media and “vets”
OK, a personal beef with the media. Why is it whenever something bad happens, suddenly their veteran status becomes the lead fact? Doesn’t matter how long they were in, whether they got thrown out on their ear for being a douchebag and a screwup, whether their service was 100 years ago: suddenly the only fact that matters is that at one point in the past they served.
Prosecutors Ask for 17-Year Jail Sentence for Vet Who Assaulted a Cop with Marine Corps Flag on Jan. 6
Military veteran, 44, who impregnated his 14-year-old stepdaughter then faked his own death to avoid child rape charges is sentenced to 85 years in prison: Planted gun and suicide note on a boat before being found alive in RV park two years later
The first guy was a retired cop who did one four-year hitch ’85-89. Entire career since he got out…but “VET” is the lead fact. The second guy? Out since 2011.
Now, I’m not disputing the charges or penalties… but it just seems like ‘they’ are trying to tar all vets when they single that one period in life out.
I look around here – I see mostly intelligent folks who talk a good game on the law, occasionally medicine, music (well, I question some of your taste but you’d question mine so it’s fair), occasionally philosophy. I know, shocking – the media may have some bias. Still pisses me off.
Category: Media, Military issues, Pointless blather
I am with you. Not having seen the articles you mentioned, why wasn’t the cop’s status mentioned as the reason for the incest. Veteran cop rapes stepdaughter?
Late October 1981, Hack Stone reports to 29 Stumps for Electronics School. Shortly afterwards The Los Angeles Times had an article about a home invasion in Malibu. To say that this event was “bizarre” would be a great understatement.
It seems that these two individuals, one 18, the other 19, wanted to join a gang. Not just any gang, but a “ninja gang”. Well, like most gangs, you just don’t say that you want to join, there is some sort of “initiation. To go through the initiation, they had to survive an evening on the Malibu Beach. Yeah, it was truly the inspiration for the Marine Corps’ Crucible.
At some point, they got bored of waiting for the grunions to run, so they decided to break into a home. As we all know, Malibu is quite expensive, so the people who reside there are usually financially well off, and quite often famous. The house the broke into was occupied by the owner. The owner was Penny Marshall. Yes, that Penny Marshall.
So, the Malibu Sheriffs Office responds with police cars and a helicopter, and the two potential ninjas flee out the back door. They attempt to escape by climbing down the cliff. Unfortunately, they did not cover scaling down a cliff in the ninja orientation briefing, and they were stuck.
So now the Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department need to rescue these two guys.
When The Los Angeles Times ran the article, they reported that the 18 year was in the Marine Corps (emphasis on was, not is), and learned his ninja skills while in The Marine Corps.
Ninja training must have been an MCRD San Diego thing, because us Parris Island Marines never got that training in 1981, so we had to take the Marine Corps Institute Ninja correspondence course.
Hack Stone stands corrected, it was 1984, not 1981. Couldn’t locate The Los Angeles Times article that played up the Marine Ninja angle, but did find some references on line from other news sites.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/06/27/Two-teenagers-who-broke-into-Penny-Marshalls-home-dressed/4943457156800/
My Drill Instructors at Parris Island told us this back in 1984. The fact that we were Marines would be reported if we ever committed any crimes in the future.
Hollywood Marine, go figure.
This isn’t a new phenomena. I’ve noticed veterans are represented in only two ways by the media and the Dem party. Mentally unstable wrecks duped by the evil military or blood thirsty killers prone to vote for Republicans.
Yup. Comics don’t help much either:
Exactly. If we aren’t some sort of ptsd addled victim class, the. We are right wing former special forces racist types oath keeping scuba ninjas that worship Trump.
Bingo– if yer a vet’ran and don’t have PTSofD than there’s somethin’ evil wrong with ya! (Any normal person is unhinged by war and the good person is one who didn’t go– per left/libtards.)
“This isn’t a new phenomena”
No, indeed. Bill Mauldin wrote about the same thing back in the 1940s in his book “Back Home”. With cartoons, of course.
If it bleeds, it leads… and liberal media people like hitting the “horrors of war” a lot.
I think if you use a USMC flag to assault the police you are sending a message that your veteran trumps the retired popo status.
Man, get real. Hell, everybody knows that anyone who is a Vet is a stone cold baby killing rapist that is strung out on drugs and alcohol. Also homeless and suffering from the PTSofD. I needs money to get my moto sickle fixed up to take a ride and pay respects to my brothers that died in my arms, some food for my comfort dog, a new doo rag, a pair of cool shades. Help me out, Brother Man.
I was asked by several potential employers back in the 70s “…how many women and children did I kill” and “what kind of drugs do you use?” Finally told one twerp HR dood, “None, you me to start with yours?” For a long time the only people that really knew of my Vet’s Status was the DMV. Georgia waives the Driver’s License Fee for Vets. Gotta show a legit DD 214 to get it. And yep, they check to make sure it’s legit.
Georgia didn’t always check. See Shane Ladner. He’s been mentioned here a few times.
For employers, insisting a polite “none” for the women/children or drugs is best. But, for other goobers, a random two-digit prime number about how many folk “wasted” is good, so is growling “recoil” or “job satisfation” when asked “What do you feel most killing terrorists?” (Not much changed post-9/11.)
Yeah, probably not my smartest retort, had been using the “none” before. You had to be there. Had been on a year + search for real work and been told numerous times, in a round about way, that I wasn’t (insert minority or sex here) enough, quotas, you know. And were over the quota for Vets. ’74 – ’75 were not good years to be a white boy that wore a pickle suit. Ms Thang Secretary alluded that I didn’t have a chance but he had to do the interview. Cooled my heels for 2 hours waiting and when ushered in, noticed his Hanoi Jane Pic and his Che coffee cup. Dood got busted for dipping into the secretarial pool and using nose candy. His wife threw and cleaned him out soon after. 3 weeks later got hired on in electronics by a good guy that hired nothing but Vets, one of which had been on Forrestal when She had Her Ooops moment. Stayed in that business for 20 years.
Folks like Ladner is why GA tightened up the License Requirements.
I hear ya. Folk at the day job insist (sniff) civilians have “greater flexibility” in what they do… when that just means they don’t have to do things and not getting those results has no bad consequences, compared to the military.
Similar situation happens when a story involves a former (either honorably or otherwise) LEO that was involved in some sort of incident, even as a victim. The media just LOVES their tags and categories, especially if it involves someone who is more or less conservative.
It probably involves their need to confirm their own biases. Another example would be when a politician commits a crime their party affiliation is announced if they are Republican. But if it’s a Democrat you rarely hear the party affiliation.
They hate us. They are out to destroy the military in any way they can.
If you disagree with that assessment, riddle me this Batman: If they were out to destroy the military, what would they do differently?
I can be an honored and respected veteran.
or
I can be a mother raping baby killer from Viet of the Nam.
or
I can be a poor unfortunate veteran worthy of pity.
or…….
The opportunities are endless for veterans.
“Be all that you can be!”.
Yes, the points made here are spot on.
There is a code or rule of thumb that you have to refer to when the media comes out with stories.
“There was a shooting. People killed and wounded. The shooter is in custody (or killed by police). We are not releasing the identity, but it is important to not jump to conclusions.”
The “not jump to conclusions” line means he is of Middle Eastern descent.
If it is a white shooter, they are quick to get his photo out that and some suggestion about a hate crime and White supremacy motivating the attack. This is literally within minutes of the shooting. If the shooter is black, hate crime is never mentioned even when postings by the shooter are obvious. He is “angry” but not racist.
If a white cop shoots someone that is black, that’s the story lead. If they never mention the race of the cop, he is most likely black or Hispanic… but never white.
Sometimes they are correct – i.e. hate crime based on race – but they should be fair.
Sometimes when a black cop shoots a black criminal ot is also implied to be racist. When the picture comes out they will lighten it a few shades or show a different cop.
IMHO The reason is simple. Whenever a perp holds, or is perceived to hold, a position of trust, and then betrays that trust, it’s considered newsworthy. That’s why you never read about the background, or profession, of most criminals. However, when a perp is a Nurse, teacher, cop, or Veteran, all positions held in esteem by society, that fact is almost always included in the report of their malfeasance. Kind of a “man bites dog” kind of thing. 🤷🏼♂️
This is the bell curve perspective principle in action. When the majority of what we see is one thing, we assume that represents the majority of the whole. Sad fact, the majority of what civilians see are the wannabe 1%ers with their patched and blinged up leather, or the never-served on the side of the road claiming to be door gunners/door kickers and forever damaged by what they never did and never saw outside their CoD inspired fantasies.
This sample population is assumed to be the center mass of the bell curve. Meaning there is a diminishing minority of the good, decent, honorable, successfully “adjusted”. That also means on the left side of the curve is those who are even worse than the perceived center mass, and that is a major driver.
This is partly intentional, but also partly a simple error of perspective due to biases of human nature. The media, Dems and Leftists are in the former, and most civilians are in in the latter categories.
Another interesting perspective – the number of older vets who rarely claimed their service who now sport caps, license plates, etc. of their long-ago service seems to be growing.
One reason is they can finally proudly claim their service, something they often couldn’t do when they first came home. Another is the end-of-life retrospective we all do. When the majority of our living is behind us, we naturally look back and reorganize priorities. What identity do they or did they once have? A middle-manager selling widgets doesn’t inspire much pride, but family, relationships, being a good person, and military service does.
We all do this, and those who don’t have anything much to claim will over-emphasize – or invent – that one thing. How many people say their father/grandfather never talked about his service, but now hangs out at the Legion or VFW, wears a cap, etc.?
The included assumption of identity of gray hair is family, work, etc. The additional identity of service is not.
This is not a bad thing, is something I use to help this generation, and is why I support Honor Flights. The meme of the old guy viewing the war memorial with the line, “That old man with a cane was once more of a badass than you’ll ever know” is important.
It infers that after service, you can live a full life, have a family, work a job or career, but this is still you at the core. It is the definition of a life well lived, and that is something to aspire to, and to inspire this and future generations.
As with most things good and just and right, this is internal and individual, the two things that scare the Left most. They are the two things most out of their control. So, the bell curve perspective principle is intentionally employed, to undermine that which they fear most – the individual.
<hopping off my soap box>
OAM, you may be able to hop off of your soap box but you’ll never get off of that Pedastal we’ve placed you on.
I have noticed a great increase in the number of Vet plates
on vehicles of older veterans. And there is no perk to be
had other than a friendly wave or perhaps a thank you.
Maybe save a few bucks on the registration.
Getting old is indeed an exercise in searching the past
for meaning. I think being a Vet gives us a place to start.
I’d draw the line a veteran license plate with an AAM on it (AFEM, at least) but that’s me.
Shit, I’ll move to Texas just so I can get an NDSM license plate. Yes, I’ve earned higher awards, but it appeals to my twisted sense of humor to roll around with that on my plate.
Plus when you reach a certain age you just don’t give a rat’s ass what other people think. That’s why I indulge myself and run around the house and the yard in my underwear.
TMI?
Kommiefornia may offer a Veteran plate but I haven’t checked in years. Purple Heart plate is available for a fee, plus an additional yearly charge to keep it. Thought about puttin’ in for one but couldn’t find out if’n they’d personalize it to read NO REMFS. Drivers license costs an extra 5 bucks to have the V designation but DMV wouldn’t accept VA ID or DD214. They insisted on a form from County Vets Service Office and I couldn’t be bothered to make an appointment and drive the 25 miles to another town. I know I served and that’s enough for me.
Top left drawer is all Fire Dept Tee shirts, Bottom drawer is all Navy tee shirts. Top right drawer are sleeveless FD and Sleeveless Navy tees, tank tops plus non PC tees. License plate has the DMV Navy emblem on it and the plate frame says USS Okinawa LPH 3 which has been on 3 cars since I moved to Florida.
Forgot to add the 9 Navy ball caps, 1 ARNG ball cap and 3 FD Ball caps in 2 rows hanging from a door.
“A middle-manager selling widgets doesn’t inspire much pride…”
Not even if you were once selected as widget sales manager of the month? 😜
“the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”
We need to lobby ConREGRESS to get a ‘get out of jail free’ fund like they got when they get a little handsy with pages and interns.
I think this pragmatic approach to ‘dealing with Vets’, just like our ‘leaders’, will bring our overall crime stats down to say librarian-territory and then maybe the journos will shut their GD mouths.
That, and maybe have Paul Pelosi ‘insider trading up’ the MGIB funds and allocate a percentage to a mo’tosickle, doorag, and ‘support’ dog account.
/s off
Journalism is dead.
I’m retired Navy, but I was a dental officer. Not too many heroes in our ranks except for LTJG Weedon Osborne and CAPT Ben Salomon so maybe I’ll get a pass as a blood thirsty vet. Of course, there was John “Doc” Holliday…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Gordon_Lyle#:~:text=Alexander%20Gordon%20Lyle%20(November%2012,Salomon.
I am properly chastised for forgetting to mention LCDR Gordon. Thank you!
How about this? Lead off with college graduate. Just as relevant I would imagine
How about if the suspect or convict is a lawer?
Yeah, if Avenatti was a veteran in addition to being a lawer, would the headline mention his vet status? Or both?
I’m biding my time before I go out and commit a really nasty crime. I know they’ll mention my Veteran status, and probably say it’s from PTSD. Yep; Pecking Typewriter Stress Depression. I was a Supply Admin. Specialist. Worst job in the Corps. Constant bombardment of demands for supplies. Non-stop paper rushing across my desk. Missing paper clips and pens….it was a nightmare.
IMO most media twits are about as impartial as MSDNC.
The typecast is so ingrained it’s assumed all vets are damaged goods. It’s just a matter of extent and when the explosion will occur.
/sarc
Trouble is, military service does mark us. We’re easy enough to pick out if one knows the tells. These days folks thank me for my service, I just smile and change the subject.
“folks thank me for my service”
I hate that and usually respond “did you serve?”
No.
Why not?
Well I was uh busy with er studies and ah family stuff.
Like what?
It goes down hill from there.
“folks thank me for my service”
My response:
“WTH. It was either jail or join. Spent my 18th birthday in jail, saw the same judge 3 times in six weeks.”
Judge said: “Boy, I’m getting tired of seeing you.”
My response to judge: “I don’t want to see you anymore either judge. I joined the Navy and am leaving town.”
Judge response: “Best thing you could do son.”
Check your email, Andy.