I'm Waiting For The Outrage
Why is it that any time someone alleges anything about U.S. soldiers, the U.S. media jumps all over it, playing it as the gospel truth, whether it's been proven or not? For example, Haditha. The case that is, by the way, dying a slow death because it was all a lie.
Let's all play along and see how long it takes for international outrage about abuses by U.N. Troops in the Congo.
It's not that I think that our soldiers are saints or that Republicans never do anything wrong or that there aren't idiot Christians out there. I just want to be able to watch the news and know that what I'm watching is the truth, or at least a reasonable attempt at it, instead of the usual political propoganda that is delivered under the guise of "news".
Found at AoS.
Let's all play along and see how long it takes for international outrage about abuses by U.N. Troops in the Congo.
Widespread allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse of Congolese women, boys and girls have been made against U.N. personnel who were sent to help and protect them -- despite a so-called zero tolerance policy touted by the United Nations toward such behavior.If even one of these allegations was about a U.S. soldier, there would be rioting in the street and CNN would be running the story 24/7.
The range of sexual abuse includes reported rapes of young Congolese girls by U.N. troops; an Internet pedophile ring run from Congo by Didier Bourguet, a senior U.N. official from France; a colonel from South Africa accused of molesting his teenage male translators; and estimates of hundreds of underage girls having babies fathered by U.N. soldiers who have been able to simply leave their children and their crimes behind.
It's not that I think that our soldiers are saints or that Republicans never do anything wrong or that there aren't idiot Christians out there. I just want to be able to watch the news and know that what I'm watching is the truth, or at least a reasonable attempt at it, instead of the usual political propoganda that is delivered under the guise of "news".
Found at AoS.
Labels: mediots, military, the whacky folks at the U.N.
"Why is it that any time someone alleges anything about U.S. soldiers, the U.S. media jumps all over it,"
maybe because people in the United States expect much more from our their countrymen than those of other nations?
Posted by Anonymous | 7:11 AM
We do and we should. However, in every case so far, the troops are portrayed as guilty and ready to be locked away long before any official investigations are completed. We even have idiots in Congress like Jack Murtha who are so eager to see themselves on the teevee that they declare them guilty.
But soldiers suffer from the same fate as the Duke lacrosse players. If you fit into a demographic that the media holds in contempt, you better be above reproach or you'll be lynched.
Posted by Frank | 7:53 AM
In a perfect world, things would be as you describe... unfortunately, this isn't a perfect world. This type of media behavior is an unfortunate side effect of freedom of speech and press... you have to take the bad with the good Frank... besides, the fact that sensationalism exists means that few REAL abuses (like Guantanamo, which was proven...) happen... and when they do, appropriate actions are taken... allegations are meaningless without proof, but sometimes just the allegation is enough to destroy unfortunately (the duke kids will never be the same)...
Posted by Anonymous | 11:15 PM