Marine Corps Times censored at base exchanges
Andy sends us a link to the Marine Corps Times which is complaining that the Commandant of the Corps has directed base exchange facilities to end their displays of the Marine Corps Times near the checkout registers, because the Times has been relentless in their coverage of the story of the Commandant’s undue influence on the urinating Marines case.
The commandant’s office punted all questions, including whether Amos was involved in the decision to move Marine Corps Times from prominent display in the exchanges,to Manpower & Reserve Affairs, which has oversight of the exchange. A spokeswoman for Manpower & Reserve Affairs said the paper was moved as part of a plan to “professionalize” the front of the exchanges.
Fiscal guidance for 2014, issued Oct. 22, specifically prohibits commands from using operations and maintenance funds for purchasing subscriptions to Marine Corps Times, which is part of the Military Times network and owned by Gannett, one of the world’s largest media corporations.
The order to move the paper from checkout areas came six weeks later. Distributors were given a variety of reasons. One was told it was due to business performance, though the paper is one of, if not the top-selling publications in Marine Corps exchanges.
Yeah, it’s petty and small of the commandant to do that, but guess what? Bloggers have been dealing with censorship for years. TAH has been blocked from some networks (mostly Army) since about 2009 as “extremists” because of our criticism of Pentagon leadership (if you could call it that). It hasn’t hindered our growth or stifled our message. And we never even mention it, let alone write a big whining piece about how we’re mistreated. Get over it, Times. If your entire business model relies on sales at the register in 2014, you need to rewrite your business model.
It’s crappy that the brass would do that, but you’d think a newspaper called the Marine Corps Times could adapt and overcome to this new challenge without whining about it. But then, I’ve been having a running gun fight with Tobias Naegle, the editor in chief of the Military Times, when he tried to get me fired from a non-paying job over some petty shit, so I’m not at all surprised that his subordinates are whining about this instead of planning around the new barrier to their sales.
Category: Marine Corps
Aw, what a cute little kitten fight!
Neither side is right, but I’ll admit it makes for some entertaining observation between these two jackwagons.
General Amos–don’t want to be called out for doing stupid shit? Don’t do stupid shit.
MC Times–you are a private paper (Gannett, IIRC.) Your paper is not endorsed by the Marines or DoD. Get over yourselves.
@1 So do they also hide the NYT or local papers at registers? Censorship because the Commandant doesn’t like being question by a free press became American when?
The don’t sell porn there either, Sean.
If indeed General Amos is behind this, it is but another example that does not speak well of him or his term as Commandant. One of the things that we fight for is a free press and to me this smacks of censorship.
Now for the most part, the Marine Corps Times is fish wrap but they have the right to say whatever they want and the paper is VERY popular amongst the troops. And every once in awhile they do some pretty solid reporting.
Having said all of that, I agree with NHSparky, this is not an official publication and they are allowed to put their product on base. The less bitching the better.
Should I write a letter of protest to GEN Amos, perhaps?
I was thinkingof something on the order of not just scolding him for wasting my tax money, but also for being a conceited ass who can’t take criticism.
I would, of course, make it appear that I’m praising him to the skies before I dropped the brick on his left foot.
When General Amos was the CG of II MEF at Camp Lejeune, there was a spike in suicides and motorcycle fatalities. His response to the suicide problem was to put the chain of command of the deceased Marine on trial. Imagine a unit, already rolling from the tragic loss of one of their Marines having to go see the CG and explain themselves and justify every decision they had made regarding the suicide. And I am talking everyone from Platoon Sergeant on up to Battalion Commander.
For motorcycle fatalities, there was talk of banning bikes for junior Marines. This was on top of everyone having to take a motorcycle safety class on base and wear enough reflective clothing to make you impossible to miss on the roads. The banning bikes idea was squashed but Amos made it as painful as he could for those that rode a bike.
My point is, knee jerk reactions to bad news are nothing new to this General Officer. Unfortunately, his decisions impact the entirety of the Marine Corps now.
Oh, and I forgot to add, his policies did little to nothing to stem the tide of suicides or motorcycle fatalities. But they did piss off a lot of people and cause hate and discontent, so problem solved….
So what you’re saying, Masterguns, is that Amos has only his own best interests at heart, not those of the Marine Corps.
And this is in addition to be someone with no real leadership skills.
Nice to see my tax dollars at work.
Master Gunny…seems I have to put that out there again?
In the beginning was the plan.
And then came the assumptions.
And the assumptions were without form.
And the plan was without substance.
And darkness was upon the face of the blueshirts.
And they spoke among themselves saying,
“It is a crock of shit and it stinketh.”
And the blueshirts went unto their Chiefs and said,
“It is a pale of dung and none may abide the odor thereof.”
And the Chiefs went unto their Division Officers and said,
“It is a container of excrement and it is very strong, such that none may abide by it.”
And the Division Officers went unto their Department Heads, saying,
“It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength.”
And the Department Heads spoke among themselves, saying to one another,
“It contains that which aids plant growth and it is very strong.”
And the Department Heads went unto the XO, saying unto them,
“It promotes growth and is very powerful.”
And the XO went unto the CO, saying unto him,
“The new plan will promote the growth and vigor of the command, with powerful effects.”
And the CO looked upon the plan and saw that it was good.
And the plan became policy.
This is how shit happens.
Gen Amos is on the short bus to retirement. He only has 8 months left on his term as CMC & he is too old (67) for any other assignments. Not to worry though, the Emperor will dig up another perfumed prince suck up as CMC. No Louis Wilson, Robert Barrow, Alfred Grey types need apply.
Ahhh… Retired Jonn is all growl-y and butch! I like!
@9 NHSparky…it’s true, it’s true. I had forgotten that and it applies so well here.
@6 Master Gunnery Sergeant…thank you for your service sir. Thank you for looking after your men and their welfare. The services will always miss all of you good, high quality senior NCOs.
@12 Thank you and same to you!!
@6 Master Guns, I well remember that crap while on staff at II MEF. I ride and got a lecture by the G-3 as to why it was irresponsible of me and set a bad example for the younger Marines. Talk was that he was also looking to put Britt Motorsports off limits to Marines as they were the biggest bike dealer in J-ville.
@14, oh yes, those were the good ole days!!!
@15 Yeah, it was a good day when he left. I somehow lucked out of getting stuck in the circlejerk for his CoC.
I think that, what you guys who knew Amos when are saying is that he is ALL SHOW AND NO GO. Is that assessment near the mark?
@9 Sparky-Thanks for that concise explication of how shit happens.
I’m no fan of the “Times” rags for any of the services as they tend to trend too PC for me, but I do understand their angst over losing the highly coveted marketing advantage of being displayed at the checkout stands. When I was marketing to the military, a check stand display could increase sales of any item multifold. Likewise, loss of such an advantageous point of sale can reduce sales in like manner.
Further, they’re not likely to get that point of sale advantage back either. My experience with the Marine Corps Exchange Service was that they were far and away the most difficult military resale system to do business with.
They should replace it with the National Enquirer.
About of the same standing…..
@17 Yes, he puts on quite a show and he is as thin skinned as they come; petty, vindictive, manipulative and authoritarian when it suits him. As Hackworth would say, “a perfumed prince.” Of all the CMC’s I’ve served under going back to P.X. Kelly (mid 80s), he is far and away the worst one. I have never heard the vitriol directed toward a CMC that I’ve heard directed at him (and he deserves all he’s getting) nor have I known of one that is held in such low regard across the board by Marines, active and retired. He’s an embarassment.
I have met General Amos once, in Iraq when he was CG of II MEF. He could not have been more personable.
What I am about to say next may piss off our airedales out there and that is not my intent, but Amos is a pilot. From my experience working with the air wing, they like a good checklist. It makes sure you don’t forget to do shit, like turn on the propeller or forget to gas up the helo. And that is an awesome thing with a piece of machinery. Marines are not pieces of machinery (although I have heard us compared to mindless robots and that hurts my feelings, if I had feelings) Amos has been like that as a leader. If I just come up with great checklist, I can solve this suicide problem. If everyone fills in the checklist properly, we will be better leaders. It don’t work that way.
I have heard the stories of Marine who had to go see Amos when their Marines killed themselves. And lord help them if their paperwork did not back up their story. I work with a guy who was the platoon sergeant for a Marine who killed himself. The suicidal Marine was a happy go lucky fella, there were no external signs of depression or any of the other signs. The kid went home on liberty, pulled of the side of the road and shot himself. And my co-worker and much of his chain of command had to defend themselves against that.
So could Amos be the kind of guy who would shitcan a newspaper that did not see him in a favorable light?? You betcha. He seems to have gotten very spiteful as commandant and has wielded his power more as a club used to beat his subordinates into submission. Hate to say it, but he is going to go down as a shitty commandant.
@21 Master Guns he is very personable but unfortunately you are correct about how he will be remembered.
As a retired rotorhead, I was attached to 3D MAW for the invasion in ’03 when he was CG 3D MAW. I had nothing but good things to say about him and his leadership after that stint and looked forward to serving with him again at II MEF. But once I got to II MEF I realized that things had changed. He micro-managed the crap out of things, focused on minutia and burned folks for things beyond their control.
I knew when he got tapped for CMC that he would turn out to be a disaster. Word on the street was that the only reason he was tapped was to kill the grossly over budget AAAV program which he dutifully did within a month of taking over.
The Marine Corps is facing a crisis in leadership much like it did in the 90s under Krulak only this time, I think it’s worse. The rank and file Marines that I’ve talked too are just as cynical about him as the officer ranks I’ve speoken with. No one entertains any illusions that if you pop up on the CMCs radar for something wrong, perceived or actual, that you will be lucky not to end up being railroaded by a courts martial just to make it go away. There are too many cases of that happening on his watch already.
Being petty, spiteful and vindictive are not leadership attributes and participating in those activities especially as CMC will ensure he is remembered with curses and epithets rather than accolades.
“Affairs said the paper was moved as part of a plan to ‘professionalize’ the front of the exchanges.”
Hahahahaha–yeah-gotta make room for FHM and Maxim magazine!