SwiftVets.com

Denis

Attention Milbloggers! http://keohane.blogspot.com/2008/01/attention-milbloggers.html

Pass this word along! IVAW (Iraq Veterans Against the War) has invited milbloggers, with preference given to those on active duty or who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, to attend and blog from their upcoming Winter Soldier Investigation (March 13-15, Washington).
http://activedutypatriot.blogspot.com/2008/01/wanted-bloggers-especially-military.html

Army Sergeant of IVAW and I have been discussing this after I made inquiries (also see the comments) about it to IVAW.
http://keohane.blogspot.com/2008/01/wsi-2008-its-in-details.html

He offered to follow up and did so. He has my sincere appreciation for that!

From Army Sgt's statement:

"We welcome bloggers, regardless of political affiliation or stance on the war...

Preference will be given first to active duty military bloggers. Active duty military bloggers, regardless of their stance on the war, will have a seat. Active duty military bloggers unable to afford the financial burden of transportation to DC but still wishing to attend, please contact me at sgtivaw@gmail.com . It will next be given to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and following that, all other veterans. This is an event by military and former military, and we want to help as many of you get there as possible.”

There will, of course, be some criteria and ground rules. If you are active duty, some are waiverable."

Please read those ground rules and criteria. Some are open to a totally subjective interpretation, but do not appear to close the door to at least contact, request and negotiation.

As Scott Swett and Tim Zeigler wrote in "To Set The Record Straight", it's a new media! Pass it along.
http://www.tosettherecordstraight.com/index.php?topic=Reviews

Denis

Navy_Navy_Navy · Admin Joined: 07 May 2004 Posts: 5777

What a sterling opportunity!

I wonder if the milbloggers might be allowed to bring a photographer/recorder/assistant with them? It's a matter of preserving criminal evidence, if nothing else.

Dismantling lies is something that the internet does very, very well.
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

Denis · Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 5:56 am Post subject:

Me#1You#10 · Site Admin Joined: 06 May 2004 Posts: 6503

I have mixed feelings on this Denis.

What I think you're going to see at WSII is NOT going to be the equivalent of WSI which was the "testimony gathering" phase of that operation. IVAW's "testimony gathering" is now underway behind closed doors. That "testimony" will be sliced and diced into a litany of horror-story vignettes, none rising to the level of actionable "war crimes" with sworn testimony, that might be harvested from the detritus of ANY war...and the leftist media will have a field day with it.

This planned event, like WSI and Dewey Canyon III, is designed to generate media-enticing agitprop for an ongoing anti-military, anti-Iraq war propaganda campaign at least through election '08. I'm not confident that a level of "openness" already being touted by IVAW with an invitation being made to "milbloggers" isn't, in the final analysis, more helpful to them.

ocsparky101 · Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:10 pm Post subject:

WS1 was an attack on the United States of America and its military. It was perpertrated by a bunch of commies hell bent on defeating the US in Southeast Asia. Their methods were less than honest. If anyone has doubts about that I would suggest reading the FBI files of the VVAW. It would be nice to have John Kerry's military records and his FBI files but low he refuses to release them to the public. The VVAW FBI files though have enough information in them to show what these people were about. I have heard enough from them would perfer not hearing from them what so ever.

streetsweeper95B · PO2 Joined: 25 Nov 2004 Posts: 365 Location: Texas

That is a very distinct possibility you have, #1. Very distinct. I wondered myself a few times but have never really given it any consideration until now. It makes sense they'd want to have the preliminaries out of the way beforehand. The show of co-operation may very well be just a diversion tactic, to enable them to launch their salvo early on the morning of the 13th, securely tucked away in an elected anti-war congressional rep's office.

Is that a likely possibility?
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Denis · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:33 am Post subject:

Denis · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:39 am Post subject:

On IVAW's media man, Dahr Jamail:

http://keohane.blogspot.com/2008/01/dahr-jamails-other-sources-its-not-just.html

Denis · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:50 am Post subject:

In the interest of full disclosure:

IVAW didn't just leap to a newfound openness about this. They've kind of been pushed a bit the last few weeks.

Read the post and the comments that followed it. That's how this milblogger invite came about:

http://keohane.blogspot.com/2008/01/wsi-2008-its-in-details.html

Navy_Navy_Navy · Admin Joined: 07 May 2004 Posts: 5777

I was just thinking about the things we'd have liked to have had on the scene at the time of WS - how about mp3 recorders? Super cheap, super easy to use, and with an internet connection, could be super powerful.

Upload the sound files to web space where transcriptionists and debunking teams can start transcribing and listening for the inconsistencies and omissions that will inevitably undo poseurs. Proofread and make them available in text and the blogosphere will be all over it.

You know those web pages where a photograph is deconstructed? They show how wire photos, for instance, are posed and cropped and framed in the best possible ways to support Palestinians and fan the hatred of Israel. The sites have a photograph of the photographer "working" his scene and what the second photograph shows is always very different than what photographer #1 was demonstrating.

IVAW is sure to have video shot of the goings-on, once again. How much different the story might be if there is someone there to photograph the photographer. It would be very useful to be able to see how IVAW stage-manages (and then edits!) their magnum opus.

This could be a very interesting project. In fact, I wish I lived close enough to make it one of MY projects.
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

Denis · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 4:37 am Post subject:

One of the pleasant thoughts I've had the last several days is imaging the 1971 WSI with John O'Neill, George Elliot, Bob Elder, Steve Gardner, Carlton Sherwood, Ken Cordier, etc., in attendance with keyboards, wifi and a site to post to.

Navy_Navy_Navy · Admin Joined: 07 May 2004 Posts: 5777

Yeppers!

And how about a second videographer on the scene back when John Fraud Kerry was manfully striding around the jungle for the benefit of his own Super 8?

Wink

_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

Denis · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:12 am Post subject:

streetsweeper95B · PO2 Joined: 25 Nov 2004 Posts: 365 Location: Texas

Navy_Navy_Navy · Admin Joined: 07 May 2004 Posts: 5777

I don't think he hired a professional film artist or anything - someone was holding the camera, though.

Part of the film is really wavering around... like it used to do in the old days when a movie camera was held by someone walking backwards.
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother