MilBlog Silence...

In solidarity with my fellow MilBloggers – HG&U will be dark through 21 DEC.  There is a need for the free and open expression of ideas, opinions and accurate news.  Our founding fathers demonstrated this adherence to the principle of free speech with aggressive pamphleteering and oratory.  We, as a nation, can not stand by (or sit) while restrictions on the rights of humanity are put in place.  In my mind the internet reflects the ongoing evolution of our planet’s freedoms. 

 

Wednesday 16 December 2009,

Many if not most, fellow milblogs -- including This Ain't Hell, From My Position, Miss Ladybug, Boston Maggie, Grim's Hall, and those participating in the Wednesday Hero program -- are going silent for the day. Some are choosing to go silent for a longer period of time. This blog will resume operations on Monday December 21, 2009.

The reason for this is two-fold.

First, milblogs are facing an increasingly hostile environment from within the military. While senior leadership has embraced blogging and social media, many field grade officers and senior NCOs do not embrace the concept. From general apathy in not wanting to deal with the issue to outright hostility to it, many commands are not only failing to support such activities, but are aggressively acting against active duty milbloggers, milspouses, and others. The number of such incidents appears to be growing, with milbloggers receiving reprimands, verbal and written, not only for their activities but those of spouses and supporters.

The catalyst has been the treatment of milblogger C.J. Grisham of A Soldier's Perspective. C.J. has earned accolades and respect, from the White House on down for his honest, and sometimes blunt, discussion of issues -- particularly PTSD. In the last few months, C.J. has seen an issue with a local school taken to his command who failed to back him, and has even seen his effort to deal with PTSD, and lead his men in same by example, used against him as a part of this. Ultimately, C.J. has had to sell his blog to help raise funds for his defense in this matter.

An excellent story on the situation with C.J. can be found at Military Times: While there have been new developments, the core problem remains, and C.J. is having to raise funds to cover legal expenses to protect both his good name and his career.

One need only look at the number of blogs by active duty military in combat zones and compare it to just a few years ago to see the chilling effect that is taking place.

Milblogs have been a vital link in getting accurate news and information about the military, and military operations, to the public. They have provided vital context and analysis on issues critical to operations and to the informed electorate critical to the Republic.

On Wednesday 16 December, readers will have the chance to imagine a world without milblogs, and to do something about it. Those participating are urging their readers to contact their elected representatives in Congress, and to let their opinions be known to them and to other leaders in Washington.

Some milblogs will remain silent for several days; some just for the day. All have agreed to keep the post about the silence and C.J. at the top of their blogs until Friday 18 December.

The issues go beyond C.J., and deserve careful consideration and discussion. We hope that you will cover this event, and explore the issues that lie at the heart of the matter. Contact the milbloggers in your area or that you know, and hear the story that lies within.

A Partial List of Participating Blogs:

This Ain't Hell
Boston Maggie
Blackfive
Miss Ladybug
Drunken Wisdom
Grim's Hall
From my position
CDR Salamander
LL

Haze Gray and Underway!

 
Two cartoonists join in!

Private Murphy
Delta Bravo Sierra

Check them out as well...

If you wish to donate to CJ's defense fund, please use the following address, or click the link below. He's in a serious battle against a serious foe. Read the article to find out all about it.

Grisham Legal Fund
c/o Redstone Federal Credit Union
220 Wynn Drive
Huntsville, AL 35893

Please write "Grisham Legal Fund" in the memo line if you use this option.

Milblogs have been a vital link in getting accurate news and information about the military, and military operations, to you. Today, many milblogs are gone and others are under attack from within and without. Today, you have the chance to imagine a world without milblogs, and to do something about it. Make your voice heard by writing your congressional representatives and others, and by making donations as you see fit.

The battle for freedom of speech and the marketplace of ideas is fought on many fronts and in many ways. Without your help, the battle may well be lost.

Crossing the line...

I run the header of Day by Day Cartoons by Chris Muir because I like his art, generally agree with the premise of the cartoon and have actively supported his work financially. I am not, however, very fond of the most recent strip detailing salacious attributes to Obama political appointee Kevin Jennings.

Claims made by various pundits on media outlets, like FOX and CNN, have been proven to be incorrect and exaggerated. Media Matters details the pivotal issue around a self reported event by Mr. Jennings which occurred early in his teaching career. This is a baseless measure for pursuing his resignation. Whether he is qualified to hold the post by virtue of academic or experiential qualifications is a different matter.

A person’s sexual orientation should generally be off limits. There are boundaries – pedophiles are clearly a category in which orientation should be considered disqualifying.

What concerns me is the role these “czar’s” play in policy development. Having known a number of political appointees, I have found them to be a mixed bag. In areas requiring highly specialized knowledge, they tend to be well qualified and provide value to the nation. In roles in which their position is simply to maintain the administration’s philosophy, I have found them to be negative influences on their organization, and by extension the nation.

I would like to see more accountability from our government and much better transparency. I trust the government to act in my best interests and spend my money wisely, both for today and tomorrow.

O Canada...

The most public case to date in the history of the Canada's Human Rights Commission is that of author Mark Steyn.  In this case, a Canadian magazine, Macleans, published an excerpt from Mark’s book America Alone.  The work is only controversial in that it points out uncomfortable facts about recent history, repeats public quotations from various figures and provides some postulations on the fate of world culture.

 

The Canadian Human Right Commission was founded by virtue of the Canadian Human Rights Act enacted in 1985.  This act is a supplement to the Canadian Constitution of 1867.  Canada has a Bill of Rights.  Despite the quotation by some in Canada that “free speech” is a uniquely American (meaning United States of America) concept.  It is codified in the Canadian Bill of Rights, adopted in 1960.  Additionally, a “freedom of the press” is also clearly detailed in the Bill of Rights, CDN. 

 

It would seem that the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) original construction was a rather straightforward approach to eliminating discrimination and providing equal opportunity to all.  Somewhere it’s enforcement arm, the Human Rights Tribunal, went horribly afield.  Individuals were summarily charged with “hate speech” and brought before these tribunals, which operate outside the normal realm of due process.  In fact, under the article creating the Human Rights Tribunal (HRT), the judge is specifically not bound by rules of evidence.

 

Rules of evidence

(9) In conducting an inquiry, the judge is not bound by any legal or technical rules of evidence and may receive, and base a decision on, evidence presented in the proceedings that the judge considers credible or trustworthy in the circumstances of the case.

 

Shocking? 

 

There are some in Canada who are actively campaigning to bring the CHRC and HRT into line.  Some may have ulterior motives and I am not able to judge the legitimacy of their claims.  However, the simple fact that MPs are taking up legislative action implies that things may have gotten out of hand.

 

In the United States, a single court system handles almost all civil and criminal cases.  Lesser administrative courts, those handling discrimination, are empowered at the state or federal level and subject to further judicial review.  What is most disturbing is the general lack of concern amongst our northern neighbors.  Although no Canadian will admit to being “just like America”, both nations share similar histories and demographics.  Each nation has been a haven for immigrants and our passion for freedom, at least on paper, are nearly parallel.

 

It should be a caution for how the constraint of speech can become a suppression of speech and thus ideas and thought.  It is up to the citizens of a nation to reject clearly inflammatory, idiotic and hateful rhetoric.  It is up to the government to protect its citizens from truly egregious acts, not petty grievances cooked up by ideo-political thugs.

 

I did not speak, for they did not come for me.

 

And when they did, there was no one left to speak for me.

 

 

Machinations...

A US citizen is under arrest in Singapore for "insulting a public servant". This after comments he made about a judge "prostituting herself" on his blog. He then traveled to Singapore and taunted the local authorities online, including the location of his hotel and phone number. Singapore is one of those interesting locations which relies upon social conformity in the extreme and exhibits very conservative behavior. It is also essentially a city state that relies on the good graces of its neighbors to remain independent.

I wonder how this case will affect, if at all, international law? Does an individual have the right to free speech? Does a nation have a right to impose arbitrarily restrictive rules on individuals' expressions? We will see how open China has become during the forthcoming Olympic games. For all the hand wringing of multi-culturalists and moral relativists, there is little commentary on nation's or cultures which impose sanctions on classes of people. None of the left decries the lack of freedoms for women in Islamic cultures nor does the right spend enough time cataloging the abuses of repressive regimes like China and Burma (Myanmar).

I wonder if they are simply prostituting themselves to their own vested interests.

I think I'll stay away from Singapore for a few months.

Words...

Don Imus, of who I am no fan, is out. I am sympathetic, but not swayed by the free speech arguments. His platform was enshrined in his contract with CBS and MSNBC. Two organizations who live and die by perceptions. Some time ago I was involved with a promotion involving the Dixie Chicks. It was a good (and expensive) project. It targeted our main demographic and looked like a real winner. A coup for our brands. Then they made their statements in the UK. Upon reading these comments I contacted the planning director and asked if I should pull the promotion. He scoffed at me and said the issue would blow over.

Five hours later I was contacted by a VP with orders to suspend the promotion. This cost the firm a LOT of money. The market reacted to the possible perception surrounding the comments by the Dixie Chicks. They certainly had the right to say whatever they wanted, however, as they made their livelihood in the realm of perception, they were subject to its risks and consequences.

Imus has found out the same thing. His comments were ignorant and unkind. However, his point about the lack of remorse for the overzealous persecution of the Duke lacrosse players is well made and underscores our present state of hyper-political correctness.

It's a jungle out there!