When Will The Mission End?

I haven’t been doing much blogging lately because for the past two days I’ve been watching the Petraeus and Crocker “song and dance” routine before Congress on CSPAN. What really frustrates me is the disingenuousness that has been exhibited by the both of them in their appearances before the respective committees. Behind all of the charts and statistics discussed as to whether or not progress is being made by the surge, what is lost is that we are after all talking about people who have been injured or killed in Iraq.

I was thinking about that this evening after reading Greg Mitchell’s column in Editor and Publisher. Back on August 19th, seven active-duty soldiers serving a 15-month tour with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq wrote an Op-Ed for the New York Times titled “The War As We Saw It.” The Op-Ed was very skeptical of the U.S. mission in Iraq and whether our aims could be achieved. It ended with with a rather ominous stated “We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through.”[Link]

As the E & P column discussed, two of the seven soldiers who had authored the Op-Ed last month–a Sgt. Omar Mora of Texas and a Sgt. Yance T. Gray of Montana, died on Monday in a vehicle accident in Western Bagdad. This was about the same time that General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker began their “song and dance” to Congress in order to maintain the surge through next summer.

Tilting at Windmills Alert!

Is Mike Aguirre looking for a new job in broadcast media? Or is he just tilting at windmills again? From the UT this morning, “Aguirre to review KPBS documents.” Apparently the city attorney has moved from rooting out corruption at city hall to investigating the decision-making processes at KPBS radio and television. According to the article:

City Attorney Michael Aguirre wants to know the story behind KPBS’ decision to cancel its public affairs TV show “Full Focus.” He also wants to know how the public broadcast station selects participants for its “Editors Roundtable” talk show, which is carried on radio and TV. [Link]

I have a hard time trying to understand how KPBS falls under the purview of the city attorney’s office. But what really bothers me about this story is this part:

“In addition to seeking documents related to “Full Focus,” Aguirre also requested documentation of the station’s 20 largest donors for the past two years.” [Link]

To me this doesn’t strike me a being a watchdog, instead it strikes me as being very Nixonian.

Join Progressive San Diego for ‘Control Room’

There is a great event going on this weekend that progressives will surely enjoy.

Progressive San Diego is showing the documentary “Control Room” Saturday night.

When: Saturday, September 15th @7pm
Where: Joyce Beers Center, Hillcrest 1220 Cleveland Ave. across from Trader Joe’s
RSVP to: tommie.watson@progressivesd.org or 617-365-6788
Snacks and Drinks Provided

About: The documentary film dives deep into the relationship between Al Jazeera television and the US Central Command (CENTCOM), along with other news organizations. The film takes place during the start-up of the Iraq War and have been nominated for numerous awards.

Local Documentary Producer Andy Trimlett will be leading a discussion on Middle Eastern Broadcasting and American Media. Mr. Trimlett is currently producing a documentary about the recent war in Lebanon titled “One July in Lebanon.”

Andy Trimlett received his M.A. in Middle East Studies from the University of Washington and his B.A. in International Security and Conflict Resolution from San Diego State University. He has worked with Alternate Focus since 2004 producing a weekly television program about Middle East issues that airs on the satellite and cable television. Andy spent a year and a half as the General Manager (USA) of the Middle East Broadcasters Association, an organization for broadcast professionals in the Middle East. Andy worked in Beirut for over a month for the MEB Association and has also visited Turkey and Yemen, where he studied Arabic. Andy has produced and co-produced several programs for Alternate Focus, including Divesting from Violence: Presbyterian Policy in the Middle East. He also interviewed two former Israeli Soldiers for Burning Conscience: Israeli Soldiers Speak Out, and is currently producing a documentary about the recent war in Lebanon, “One July in Lebanon.” He is currently employed by KPBS TV/FM.

For More Information Please Visit: Progressive San Diego

Hope to see you there!