Guest Post- Perry Gaskill
CC photo credit – Frank Hamilton for Baltimore City Paper
Why McRaven and McChrystal have it McWrong
Of media gods and generals
As part of a new ploy in its ongoing conflict with President Trump, the mostly New York City-based news media now seems to be shifting focus to a tactic of trying to drive a wedge between Trump and the military.
In an interview this week with CNN, which has rippled like an outrage stone dropped in the hysteria pond, retired Admiral William McRaven reasserted claims that Trump was a threat to democracy.
“I stand by my comment that the President’s attack on the media is the greatest threat to our democracy in my lifetime,” McRaven said, “When you undermine the people’s right to a free press and freedom of speech and expression, then you threaten the Constitution and all for which it stands.”
Among those jumping in to cover McRaven’s six o’clock has been retired General Stanley McChrystal. Both are former commanders of the Joint Special Operations Command. McChrystal’s comments bear some minor irony, for those keeping score, because of him being fired by President Obama for the general’s critical riffs about the Obama administration during a 2010 Rolling Stone interview.
Two things would seem to be a problem with giving too much credence to the comments of McRaven and McChrystal. The first is the logical fallacy of false authority. Although both of the former flag officers have shown themselves to be very good at the lethal business of military skills, their opinion of the news media has no more value than yours, mine, or the guy who sells papers from a kiosk on 42nd Street.
Another thing to be skeptical of is the news media’s implied assumption that flag-rank military officers are somehow completely neutral when it comes to politics. This is something anybody who has reached the level of O-6 would probably suggest is right up there with an abiding belief in leprechauns. It might be pointed out, for example, that McRaven is likely to have been on a Hillary Clinton short list of those to be appointed to political high office had she been elected.
It’s probably fair to say that the original framers of the Constitution, Franklin and Jefferson most noteworthy among them, had a fairly clear-eyed view of how the press was supposed to work under the 1st Amendment. The country, even then, had its share of saints and scoundrels trying to scribble out a living using the craft of journalism.
It seems to me if the news media feels threatened now, which it does, the wounds it claims to have suffered, more often than not, have been self-inflicted. Somehow, the current mainstream media has adopted a posture that Trump is the enemy; anything to cause harm to his administration should be pursued by any means necessary, and any journalist who disagrees is to be considered a pariah. All of which should set off alarm bells for those thoughtful enough to want a press tasked with fairness and objectivity. In short, one doing its job.
And despite what they might want everyone to believe, both the country and a free press can survive if the New York Times folds, or CNN winks out, or owner Jeff Bezos– who hates Donald Trump– decides to shut down the Washington Post tomorrow.
Link: https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/18/politics/donald-trump-william-mcraven/index.html
Category: Guest Post
Well the fact that they were so soft and lenient on Obama and Clinton, while watching everything Bush and Trump does with a microscope is telling enough that they are the threat to democracy that McRaven talks about.
And yes, the same press abused their privilege to destroy McChrystal for things said by him and his staff that all military cliques tend to talk about is definite irony in that he wants to “defend” them.
They also had no disagreement with Obama when he said the military’s Number One priority mission is climate change, which is so utterly ridiculous, it is amazing they didn’t jump all over that one.
The same media that didn’t say shit when Obama fired Mattis for standing in front of Congress and being truthful because he was under oath.
I’m guessing these two are getting short on the millions they have in the bank and want another paycheck, or because they’re bored. Or both.
These effing progtard propagandists of the MSM are a much larger threat to our representative republic than anything our president could do in his four to eight years in office. They have consistently dissembled and concealed the truth from the public based upon their own political biases and objectives. I learned 47 years ago when I was in the Viet of the Nam not the believe stuff I read in Time magazine, especially when it conflicted with events I saw with my own lying eyes. Finally, if the MSM thinks so much of the wisdom of General Officers, then why aren’t they preaching we should be ruled by an autocracy of old flag officers? My experience with them is that many of them are arrogant assholes who have no compunction about harming as many of us lower ranking cannon fodder as it takes to advance their careers. One general I dealt with in RVN, an Asst. Div. Commander-Manuever, was certifiably insane, IMHO. BG Kendall was his name. He is surely below room temp. now.
A clear case of “The older I get, the better I was” and “I must have been great, they kept promoting me”. McRaven is such a disappointment, he could be another Mattis but his brain gets in the way.
I wonder if Admiral McRaven’s degree in journalism plays a role in his apparent need to criticize Trump on this particular issue.
Good example of the “Peter Principle”! imo
Admiral McRaven has a “HOT WIRE” up his ass!
“He is undermining, he peoples right to a free press?” where has that A.H. been? We haven’t had a free press for decades, MANY decades, the lying, liberal, communist deceiving, immoral, no integrity assholes couldn’t tell us the truth if their lives depended on it! I think just maybe THEIR LIVES should depend on it! imo
“McRaven and McChrystal”
Pretty bitches vying to be asked to the dance.
Maybe they could both go and appear on the Sunday news shows together.
All Points Logistics is hiring.
Have they filled that vacancy in Reston VA yet?
I haven’t seen Trump undermine anyone’s freedom of the press. What I have seen is a demand for accuracy and accountability from the press. Being told to stop lying is a far cry from being told to shut up.
Telling them to shut up probably wouldn’t even be undermining anybody’s freedoms. Doing something to stop their operations would.
Talking about something is not the same as doing something about it. The left has demonstrated for decades that talking about problems is the solution to problems – just one of many lies they try to sell the rest of us.
Point taken, I should have said ordered to shut up instead of told. That was my intent. Coffee, STAT!
Here ya go….
(Hands SFC D some steaming coffee in a Christmas mug, since that is the season we have now entered.)
For the record, I have no issue with a demand for accuracy in reporting. Seems like the least they could do for the special status they enjoy thanks to the US Constitution. They like to scream about their rights but seem to forget that with a right comes responsibility.
They have the same rights as you and I, no more, no less.
We forget that at our peril, for special classes of folks with extra rights or privileges are an aristocracy, which nonsense we cast off in 1776.
That was stupid.
These two are greasing the skids with the media for their conversion to political parasites. Neither one of them would make a pimple on William T. Sherman’s ass. Sherman famously said, “I hate newspapermen. If I had my choice I would kill every reporter in the world, but then we would be getting dispatches from Hell before breakfast.”
Oh, and the Sainted Honest Abe jailed newspapermen.
It has been years since I had any trust in the media! They have proven time and time again that they are not there to report the news, but to make up the news to fit their own warped agenda that has been bought and paid for by others! I do remember a day when the press actually reported the facts of the news and not their own SWJ views! I really miss the good old days when you could watch the news and be informed of the facts of the matter and not subjected to somebody else’s opinion of what the facts should be? The media has lost all credibility and should just go away and do what they are really good at, writing fiction novels!!!
Wasn’t it McChrystal who made the statement that civilians shouldn’t be allowed to own “Assault” weapons Ie AR15’s etc. He would have made a great British General back in 1776. The colonists should not be allowed to own Brown Bess Rifles. The Brits in fact stopped sending them over when they found out that the Colonists were acting up and looking for independance.
I’m sure these two were outraged when Obama used the Espionage Act to persecute the media. Because they’re non-partisan, right?
Oh, you remembered.
Can’t have that. Report for re-education.
Hahahhahahhahahhhaaaaajuaha hu sgdhhdudfuuuddh de vvvvvsh as hshhhrh da bwbhrhhshahshroiduu ui as 87s7s77svavsvsvsvvsvvwbw nhhdudusjhueuu.
.
Legenfary!!!!!111111
You must be trying to demonstrate your insanity via your keyboard. Or you are letting your pet gerbil post for you.
That’s our resident TAH Village Idiot ‘infantryman’ who used to post here under a different monosyllabic name and who was constantly trying to shit on anyone with an MOS that wasn’t infantry and/or who served in any service other that the Army.
He likes to get a belly full of Bud Light and then come in here during the middle of the night and post his unintelligible nonsense.
Oh well, at least he’s not running his mouth again about his ‘valor award’ merit badge this time, so we’ve got that going for us.
Velour award.
Someone made him wear granpappy’s lime-green disco Leisure Suit to the prom.
The horror. Scarred him for life. Tsk.
Play the Bee Gees, Go to Jail
It’s the Law…
I was wondering what became of that guy. I honestly can forgive all of the things you mentioned about that guy above except for one. Bud Light is horrible. Life is too short to drink shitty beer. Notice I didn’t say cheap; there’s some pretty decent stuff at reasonable price point, even reduced calorie options. But Bud Light? Nope, hard pass.
Someone here commented the other day that life is too short to be drinking cheap beer and enjoying ugly women.
As for Bud-Lite, it is one step above carbonated water. But we have an E-3 or 4 on AD that gets hammered on three or four of them when he is taking a break from the floor buffer.
Hack Stone may drink Bud Light if there is absolutely nothing else available, but under no circumstances will he consume a Coors Light. Hack went over to Henderson Hall yesterday and scored six bottles of Orion ($3.49 each). Orion, The Beer Of Beers. Yes, that was their actual slogan.
Meh. 4.7 ABV rice water.
Well – I for one would miss neither WaPo nor the NYT if they folded up their tents in the middle of the night and slithered away. They simply aren’t worth the bother. Even the Trib is only good for its obituaries on Sundays. The rest of it is trash.
At the same time, they take frenzied issues with people whose views and opinions differ from theirs. Sound familiar? We have one who tries to post his own frenzies here, and if he doesn’t learn some manners, he’ll be put in the timeout chair.
I think this will sort itself out. They have no control over what other people think, any more than that dimwit I mentioned, but you’d think that they believe they own the universe. Not so.
NYT is slowly losing ads and the owner wants to go with extortionist subscription fees. Yeah, that’s gonna work. This is how narrow their focus is, to their detriment.
My local newspaper (if you can still call it that) is getting skinnier and skinnier every year, as their ad revenue dries up.
IMHO Newspapers are largely owned by fat-pocketed liberal entities which want to editorialize and bias their coverage any way they can to suit their political agenda and people are fed up, thus their subscription rates continue to plummet, it’s like the mainstream mess media’s attitude of “HERE IS what we see fit to tell you peasants and how WE want you to think of it…”
Newspapers are quickly becoming just like a land line – some of us still have it for appointments, but otherwise it’s a waste. Our local newspaper is so heavily leaning on the Demonrant side that other than the Sunday Comics, I don’t read it or care about it because they are overflowing…
Shit bro.
That rhimes
McRaven is a liar who will say and do anything for a promotion or money (which he garners by promoting himself, which is how he became an admiral). He lied to me personally when I was at SPECWARGRU TWO, and the (general) consensus in the Teams matched my own opinion. Obviously, there’s something in the water both inside the beltway and at McDill that cause so many people to go completely off the rails – whatever it is, Eric Olsen, McRaven’s predecessor, was immune to it and most certainly deserved everything he was awarded during his time in service (including that Silver Star he was awarded for action in Somolia). McRaven was another kind of officer, and he doesn’t do anything without an ulterior motive. I strongly suspect he expects a Democrat to win in 2020, and is now fishing for a cabinet position. That would be his style.
Ouch.
It’s one thing for us outsiders to kibitz the man. Quite another to hear that from one of the family, so to speak.
I appreciate the frank comments.
Pm. I iamn bot rwading anymore.
My life sucjs. My beer is awesomeness.
Rakkasans
“My life sucjs.”
Gee, that’s too bad, ‘infantryman’.
Get a grip and sober up.
And don’t forget: Every Marine is a Rifleman.
You are not helping, dipshit. Set a fucking example, maybe?
Shack.
He’s always bragging about how he’s an NCO in the Army.
It’s about time that he started to behave like one.
I’ve posted on this blog late at night, sometimes “well into my cups”, but damn! That’s Wickre-ian level incoherence. This dude may need to seek some professional help. And I’m not saying it to be a dick…he may really have a problem.
I don’t buy his “drunk” routine. He has repeatedly demonstrated a desire to be “appreciated” as a troll. This drunk act just seems to be his go-to game when his muse is flogging someone else.