Military Blogs. Real or Government Propaganda?

[Joanne98]

There was a military blogger on c-span this morning. He likes Bush, he's just trying to get out the "good news", he said Murtha was castigating the marines, and most interestingly, he said he had a chapter on "Spiritual Warfare" in his book. "Spiritual Warfare" is coming from the FAR FAR FAR Christian right. So the question is. Since military bloggers have to be approved by the government, aren't they then by definition propaganda?


Blogs of War
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-700605.php

Even though for many, that truth doesn’t include revealing their identities, their online diaries are becoming an increasingly popular way for anyone with an Internet connection to “listen in” on the war zone.

Blogs provide a vehicle for soldiers to speak their minds and tell their personal stories. But the information medium also poses new dangers that the Army is still trying to come to terms with.

Some soldiers have found that blogging can have great benefits, and others have discovered the hard way that there can be consequences for posting things their commanders don’t approve of. Nonetheless, the number of soldiers who blog continues to grow.

Read more about the military blogosphere in the March 14 issue of Army Times.

Here are links to some of the most-read, military-related blogs:

• Mudville Gazette.

The de-facto hub for military bloggers is run by an active-duty service member who calls himself Greyhawk. Greyhawk founded the MilBlog Web ring. He told Army Times that a band in Seattle is creating a song from one of his posts about leaving his family behind and going to Iraq. The site hosts one of the most comprehensive lists of soldier bloggers.

• Blackfive.

The site is typically updated a few times per day. It was named the best military blog in the 2004 Blog Awards. Although Blackfive is a former Army officer posting from Chicago, just about every entry is military related. The site is home to a popular reoccurring feature called “Someone You Should Know,” which profiles service members with remarkable stories. This blogger, who is known only as Matt, says he is “on a mission to highlight the good that our military men and women do every day.”


• American Soldier.

A self-described gung-ho GI, this blogger is readying to deploy to Iraq for a second time. Although he refuses to divulge his real name, the blogger is a sniper assigned to a National Guard unit. He says he aims to enlighten his readers on what life as a soldier is really like, versus the misrepresentations he believes are shown by mainstream media.

• The Questing Cat.

Two specialists with the 1st Infantry Division share their lives with readers. Spc. Nick Cademartori, who is the Questing Cat, founded the site in April. His best friend, Spc. Michael Cotignola III, posts to the same blog using the handle Jersey Cowboy. The two men offer a candid look into the mental tribulations that soldiers battle in Iraq.

• My War.

A site often credited with jump-starting the “MilBlog revolution.” Colby Buzzell, who recently left the Army as a specialist, built a fan base that ranges from soccer moms and truck drivers to Jello Biafra, the leader of a punk band called The Dead Kennedys. His uncomplicated accounts of his time in Iraq continue to garner him attention as he works on a book due out in the fall. Esquire Magazine wrote of Buzzell’s work: “The most extraordinary writing yet produced by a soldier of the Iraq war.”

• Just Another Soldier.

Spc. Jason Hartley of the New York National Guard called his blog “Just Another Soldier” and wrote bluntly about everything from conditions on the base to his comrades’ high jinks. He said the Army busted him down to specialist, accusing him of operational security violations and disobeying an order to keep the blog offline.

• Life in this Girl’s Army.

The blogger refers to herself only as Sgt. Lizzie. The number of visitors to her blog spiked in early December, when she was wounded by a roadside bomb near Baghdad. Back in the United States, she continues to write about healing from her wounds and transitioning back to garrison life in the Army.

• Armor Geddon.

Tank platoon leader 1st Lt. Neil Prakash was awarded a Silver Star in January. He is assigned to 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, and his blog offers gripping, straightforward accounts with photos of battle and life in Iraq. Although he is redeploying back to Germany, he continues to post new, in-depth stories from his tour.

• Major K.

An infantry officer who recently arrived in Iraq, Major K has blogged throughout his mobilization and pre-deployment training. A recent post details the first casualties his unit took.

• Pass the Brass.

Pfc. Heath J. Coleman, a military policeman based at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, often writes humorously, invariably laughing at his own mistakes. His posts, which he says are all true, often end with a message or lesson.

Other services:

• The Green Side.

This site features e-mails from a Marine lieutenant colonel On his second tour in Iraq, Marine Lt. Col. David G. Bello of 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, e-mails his father, who in turn posts to the blog. The site features e-mails and photos from both of Bello’s tours, including accounts from Fallujah.

• Doc in the Box.

A Navy corpsman on his second tour in Iraq with a Marine helicopter squadron, Sean Dustman is Doc in the Box. He started blogging during his first tour after reading other MilBlogs.

• CDR Salamander.

This blogger, who will only say that he is a Navy commander, offers his observations of the war, politics and other varying topics. Salamander vehemently protects his true identity.

• Baldilocks.

A member of the Air Force who comments on just about everything except the Air Force.

http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-700605.php

[Joanne98]

1. Here's the book that just got released...

The Blog of War Book is Released
http://www.bloggersblog.com/militaryblogs/

The Blog of War by Matthew Currier Burden, the founder of Blackfive.net, was released today. It has already to jumped to #273 on Amazon.com's list of bestselling books. The book features the writings from dozens of military bloggers, also known as milbloggers. Here are few comments from book reviewers.
Publishers Weekly: "The best (if sometimes troublesome) selections relate personal experiences: a woman trucker is severely wounded; a tanker fights his way into Fallujah, enthusiastically describing the men he kills; a base commander fires an obstreperous Iraqi employee. More literary efforts are less successful, with several wince-inducing attempts at poetic battlefield imagery. Tributes to fallen comrades often fall into mawkishness. Burden warns that unfettered war blogging may soon disappear under the heavy hand of military censorship, but if our leaders are worried about criticism of their policies, Burden's book will reassure them."
Booklist: "Previously, war letters, diaries, and memoirs were published long after the actual experience of the writers. Burden, a blogger himself, has selected observations of ordinary men and women written and sent in real time as they endure the cauldron of war. Some of the writings are mundane, but there are also chilling descriptions of surviving a mortar attack and attempting to save the life of a severely wounded Iraqi. This collection is an excellent introduction to an emerging form of war reporting."
Vanity Fair: "Can you handle the truth? Matthew Currier "Blackfive" Burden's The Blog of War (Simon & Schuster) is loaded with firsthand reports from the Internet diaries of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Grab it before the Pentagon orders it burned on the ever growing bonfire of lost civil liberties."
Washington Post: "Blogging the story of Schram and hundreds of other unknown soldier-heroes was a good decision, as was piecing together a collection of military blogs from all over the Iraq theater. Though Burden's politics have a decidedly conservative slant (one of his favorite bloggers, a Marine who re-enlisted as a corporal after watching others go off to Iraq and Afghanistan, calls his site 'Red State Rants'), nonpartisan patriotism is the common thread tying together these reflections, love letters and stories of combat. They make for riveting reading."
You can also check out the blogs of the milbloggers whose words were included in the book. Blackfive.net has a long list which includes A Day in Iraq, Boots in Baghdad, Dadmanly, Howdy's Blog, Military Bride, The Sniper Eye, Trying to Grok and many other milbloggers. The full list can be found here. Some other bloggers discussing the book include ArmyWifeToddlerMom, The Indepundit, Fuzzilicious Thinking, Sepia Mutiny and Milblogging.com.

http://www.bloggersblog.com/militaryblogs/

[Joanne98]

5. Troops Denied Access to Left-Wing Blogs!

I know Wonkette isn't left-wing but humor me anyway....

Troops in Iraq Denied Access to Some Blogs

Wonkette is reporting that US Marines in Iraq no longer have access to some blogs, including Wonkette. Wonkette received an email from a marine notifying them of the blockage.
Just to let you know, the US Marines have blocked access to Wonkette along with numerous other sites such as personal email (i.e. Yahoo, AT&T, Hotmail, etc), blogs that don't agree with the government point of view, personal websites, and some news organizatons (sic). This has taken effect as of the beginning of February.
Wonkette has an update with another email from a Marine in Iraq that shows access to sites like BillOreilly.com are allowed while access to sites like the Al Franken Show are blocked. If the blocking of blogs follows this same pattern then it is easy to guess which blogs are censored and which blogs are probably not. (via Daily Kos)

Posted on March 7, 2006

[acmejack]

2. Blackfive was on the Washington Journal this morning.

At least half of these are Pentagon propaganda ops. Count on it.

[Joanne98]

3. That what I was thinking. He sounded like a moderate freeper...

[Joanne98]

4. Air Force gets 450,000 to study blogs!

http://www.defenselink.mil/transformation/articles/2006-06/ta062906b.html
ARLINGTON, Va., June 29, 2006 – The Air Force Office of Scientific Research recently began funding a new research area that includes a study of blogs. Blog research may provide information analysts and warfighters with invaluable help in fighting the war on terrorism.

Dr. Brian E. Ulicny, senior scientist, and Dr. Mieczyslaw M. Kokar, president, Versatile Information Systems Inc., Framingham, Mass., will receive approximately $450,000 in funding for the 3-year project entitled “Automated Ontologically-Based Link Analysis of International Web Logs for the Timely Discovery of Relevant and Credible Information.”
"It can be challenging for information analysts to tell what’s important in blogs unless you analyze patterns."
Dr. Brian E. Ulicny, senior scientist

Patterns include the content of the blogs as well as what hyperlinks are contained within the blog.

Within blogs, hyperlinks act like reference citations in research papers thereby allowing someone to discover the most important events bloggers are writing about in just the same way that one can discover the most important papers in a field by finding which ones are the most cited in research papers.

This type of analysis can help information analysts’ searches be as productive as possible.

The blog study is part of Air Force Office of Scientific Research’s new Information Forensics and Process Integration research program recently launched at Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.



THE NAME OF THE STUDY IS
“Automated Ontologically-Based Link Analysis of International Web Logs for the Timely Discovery of Relevant and Credible Information.”

[Joanne98]

6. Ray McGovern and Larry Johnson have to get APPROVAL....

This SUCKS!


CIA Tells Vets to Get Agency Approval Before Blogging

CIA veterans need approval before writing anything including blog posts according to a brief report made by USNews.com.
The CIA's Publications Review Board is sending out terse reminders to agency veterans reminding them of the rules requiring that any writings--even blogs--must first get agency approval. Among those getting the warning is outspoken blogger and ex-agency man Larry Johnson, who smells censorship. "It's very selective," says Johnson, who has been critical of the CIA's failure to defend outed ex-spook Valerie Plame. His note from CIA brass referenced his blogging. A CIA spokesman described the reminder as standard operating procedure. "Should anyone be surprised if CIA reminds people of the obligations they voluntarily assumed?" asks the agency in a statement. Exempted from the review list: radio and TV appearances -- unless written notes are used.
Eventually one of these reminders will probably be posted on the Internet. (via Raw Story)

Posted on March 22, 2006

[Lasher]

7. Real or propaganda? The answer is yes.

Maybe you recall some of the LTTEs that newspapers have received from soldiers who were saying how great things were going in Iraq. Those letters were fraudulent products of propaganda. Since we know this was done, why wouldn't the government and/or individuals set up phantom bloggers to pursue the same agenda? We should assume that they would and that they can - and that they therefore have.

I think the best assumption is that some are genuine and some are not. We get to guess which ones are real. This is the internet. There's sock puppets and other vermin in here with us.

You asked, "Since military bloggers have to be approved by the government, aren't they then by definition propaganda?" No, one does not necessarily follow the other. I don't think it's fair to say that all these sites are government propaganda, just because they have to be approved by the government.

[Joanne98]

9. I agree. Some of the ones NOT approved by the government..

Could be "Blackops". I guess the rule should be, "If it sounds like bull shit, it probably is". Still having the Military Industrial Complex MUCKING UP the internet is totally aggravating. Why can't they just bankrupt the country and leave us alone. DO THEY HAVE TO STEAL EVERYTHING?

[Joanne98]

8. Spiritual Warfare

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_warfare

[Joanne98]

10. Spiritual warfare needs it's own thread...........

Did you know there are TERRITORIAL DEMONS! Demons who possess REGIONS instead of individual people. Now let me guess what this has to do with Iraq. hmmmmm Another thing. What's the difference between "Spiritual Warfare" by the Christians and Jihad by the Muslims. Both of them are a conflict or a struggle with yourself or others, unless taken to extremes which is what we see with Islam. It looks like to me certain FAR rightwing christians have decided to create their own form of EXTREME Jihad. Which is why we are hearing the words "spiritual WARFARE" from troops. The military chaplains should be investigated for promoting this crap.


http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/warfare/warfare.htm
3. Strategic Level Spiritual Warefare:2 The doctrine called "Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare" (SLSW) is a popular charismatic method of casting out demons from geographical locations or territories. It identifies three levels of demonic control on earth. First, there are "Ground-Level" demons, which possess people. Secondly, "Occult-Level" demons empower witches, shamans, and magicians. Thirdly, "Strategic-Level" demons, the most powerful of the three, are said to rule over certain regions or territories. Their main purpose is to hinder people from coming to Christ. Well known proponents of this teaching are C. Peter Wagner (Engaging the Enemy: How to Fight and Defeat Territorial Spirits) of Fuller Seminary School of World Missions; John Dawson (Taking Our Cities for Christ) of Youth With a Mission; and Frank Peretti (This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness).

In the early 1990s, there were a number of citywide gospel campaigns in Latin America. Some of the evangelists attributed their success to days spent wrestling in prayer against the powers of darkness. Author Frank Peretti stirred the imagination of believers with his two early books: This Present Darkness (1986) and Piercing the Darkness (1989). These fictional books demonstrated in graphic and sensational detail the battle of believers with territorial spirits. In the early 1990s, Charismatic leader C. Peter Wagner linked himself with the movement and has been its most vocal spokesman and most prolific writer. Wagner has attributed astonishing claims to the use of spiritual warfare, claiming, for example, "10 million Japanese will come to Christ by the year 2000; it helped to bring down the Berlin Wall and opened Albania to the gospel; it deposed dictator Manuel Noriega; it lowered the crime rate in Los Angeles and broke the power of demons over Japan" (Breaking Strongholds in Your City, 1993, p. 25).

How does one go about breaking territorial dominion? There are a number of detailed steps required. First, seek the name of the ruling spirit and identify its territory. Second, seek the function of demons in a particular area. Thirdly, if demons occupy a neighborhood, then a "Prayer Walk" is required. If the demon controls a city, then a "Praise March" is necessary. If a demon exercises power over a region, then a "Prayer Expedition" is demanded. And if a demon rules in a nation, then a "Prayer Journey" should be carried out. "Spiritual Mapping" is the process of gathering information regarding a region or a people in order to determine the identity and function of the territorial ruler; i.e., the process of discovering the exact location of the demon's domain. The accumulated data is later used in spiritual warfare prayer and intercession. "Identification Repentance" is the practice of discovering the sin and guilt which give the demon a foothold in an area in the first place, and then repenting of that sin to break the grip of demons in an area.

Peter Wagner explains: "Spying out the land is essential when warring for a city … Christians should walk or drive every major freeway, avenue and road of their cities, praying and coming against demonic strongholds over every neighborhood ... Even if you don't see instant results, keep the trumpets blowing … always remember God is not slack concerning His promise; the walls will come down!" (Engaging the Enemy: How to Fight and Defeat Territorial Spirits, p. 98).

The most commonly cited proof of text is Daniel 10:13,20, which is the battle between the prince of Persia and Michael the archangel. The prince of Persia is said to be an example of a Territorial Spirit which can be defeated through the techniques of SLSW. Wagner writes, "This story leaves no doubt that territorial spirits greatly influence human life in all its sociopolitical aspects" (Warfare Prayer, p. 66).

http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/warfare/warfare.htm

[Wilber_Stool]

11. I only read opinions when they appear in

Stars and Stripes. I trust their editorial polacy.

[Joanne98]

12. thanx

[Joanne98]

13. kick

[Joanne98]

14. kick