mewcomm

Can we get a moratorium on the word "Desperate"?

When the Russians were backed against the Volga engaged in vicious fighting during the Winter of 42/43. Russian replacement soldiers were ferried by boat at night from the Russian staging area on the East side of the river, to the besieged City of Stalingrad on the other side of the river.(At night so as to avoid being strafed by the Luftwaffe). As these young often peasant soldiers boarded the boats each night, seeing the burning city across the near frozen river some were properly scared and fell out of line in fear. They were summarily shot on the spot. No discussion. "Next!". "Move along and board the vessel!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              

 

         

 

                 Stalingrad was a DESPERATE situation!


      Could we get a moratorium on the word "DESPERATE"?

Health Care Reform is "Desperate"?
Education reform is "Desperate"?
Deficit reduction is "Desperate"?
The War on Terror is "Desperate" (and just what is "Terrorism"?)
U.S. crumbling infrastructure is in "Desperate" condition?

Main Entry: des·per·ate
Pronunciation: \ˈdes-p(ə-)rət, -pərt\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin desperatus, past participle of desperare
Date: 15th century

1 a : having lost hope b : giving no ground for hope
2 a : moved by despair b : involving or employing extreme measures in an attempt to escape defeat or frustration
3 : suffering extreme need or anxiety
4 : involving extreme danger or possible disaster
5 : of extreme intensity

At the Academy Awards

 

          

Why I would not shoot a News story with Lara Logan or Anderson Cooper.

With reports of the despicable assault on  Lara Logan in Cairo, and Anderson Cooper’s previous dust up with hostile demonstrators I found myself asking, “what the hell happened?”  “How do two world known experienced reporters get assaulted?”  By being there!   This is not to say they shouldn’t have been there. Rather they should not have been there in so naked a manner. In both cases (according to broadcast images) Logan and Cooper were both uncovered. No apparent “incognito” cloaking on their part was evident.  Why would they do this?   Part of the burden of being well known is that you attract all kinds of parasites and predators. This is well documented. To go into a hostile/unstable environment without taking care to use a more “stealth-like” method strikes me a poor judgement at a minimum and one could make the case for recklessness. Logan and Cooper not only endangered themselves but their crews.  A blond (beautiful) caucasian woman in the midst of a 95% arab male crowd of demonstrators? In  the middle east? With no known attempt to camouflage her presence?
 
I have admired Ms Logan’s brilliant and gutsy reporting for some years.  Cooper? Not so much. But as a former long time News cameraman, I would not shoot a story with either one of them based on their apparent ignorance of how to cover news in a hostile, volatile and violent environment.



Going to cover a riot? Man UP!

“Civil Disobedience”, a  “riot”, an “unruly mob”, “hooligans”……….all music to a news photographer’s eyes and ears.  The chaos, unpredictability, the pathos, of angry, emotional crowds of people. And Yes, the DANGER!  These environments are among the most exciting to capture moments of anarchy, humanity, cruelty and even amusement.

Watching the scenes in Egypt today, I found myself flashing back on what I would do were I to join the photographic fray. A partial primer.

What would I take in addition to my camera package?  A waist pack, with a Flashlight (LED), Soft Gloves, clean rags or hankies, water bottles (as many as you can easily carry), a cap and clear eye protection a hand held radio with pre loaded law enforcement and public safety frequencies (analog and digital), maps (no not your iPhone map) a paper blow up of the 25/50 square blocks around the area of the event (laminated in plastic), a hard hat (optional) and any must have prescribed medications. ( You may plan 3 hours at the Demo and end up in Jail for 3 days. Take your meds! And throw in a bottle of asprin too! Do I really even need to mention food?)

 Dress in sturdy pants (no shorts) long sleeves, socks and light weight ankle high shoes (Merrells ). And dress for the climate.

Important Option:  A gas mask. If you have no training or experience in the use of Gas protection, and you have the time (and money) then do it. Train with CS gas, and expose yourself to it under accepted training practices.  There are many videos for gas training. Do your homework and buy/rent/ or borrow the gear, otherwise, go it the old fashion way. Take your chances.

Press Pass (what’s that you say, you’re a “Citizen Journalist”? NO “real” press pass?) Be imaginative go to Google Images search PRESS Pass take a template and make your own, laminate it and go forth) Hell even Flickr has a “Press Pass”.  Everyone is a journalist! (I say that derisively!)  Now, don’t get carried away. Make it clean and professional in appearance and do not misrepresent yourself.  Often an official appearing badge will get you cleared into restricted areas that otherwise you’d be denied.

Covering a potentially violent demo is all about judgment. And luck!  Want to stand on the top of that  garbage truck for a better view of Police busting heads in the park nearby? Go ahead and if the truck takes off and you break your leg you knew the risk. Still, taking chances can yield visual dividends. Dare smartly!

Think and act responsibly. It doesn’t take a social psychologist to read a crowd’s mood. And an otherwise restrained group can turn into a hostile mob in a few seconds. Remain Situationally AWARE! Watch your surroundings. Do NOT “pal around with demonstrators”. They are NOT your friends. You are there to cover the event.  No matter your politics you’ll be better served by remaining neutral in your actions.  No “high fives” or “glad handing” with participants. The “perception” of favoritism or editorial bias is easy to misconstrue. Be careful!  Likewise you are not there to “be friends with the Police” (way too many young reporters these days, think of themselves as allies of the Police. ) Further, hostile elements in a crowd of demonstrators may well interpret your behavior as being sympathetic or supportive of the “state”.  Do as law enforcement instructs, say “Yes, Sir” “No, maam” and then move on and find a way around them and get back to covering the chaos of the event.
 
DON’T run from Tear gas! Relax. Check which way the wind is blowing. (And are the police advancing on your position?!) CS gas won’t kill you. Yes, it burns, yes it’s uncomfortable. Yes it may make you sick and give you a maximum headache. So what? You didn’t come to this event to feel good. You came to cover it. Man up!  Practice with gas before hand, just as military and law enforcement do. Learn to quickly put on your gas mask and properly clear and fit it.  NO gas mask? Cover your face, mouth, nose and eyes as best you can. Then pour clean water into your eyes and NEVER touch your eyes/face with your hands!  Then reload, check your batteries and media and move out!  Find the story!  Keep moving!

TIP: Watch the Police Tactical Commander on the Street. They are  key.  Locate their Command post. Often "detainees" are held in a temporary staging area. Find it. If  possible get the tactical radio frequency of all Public safety and law enforcement to monitor their actions. ( this is highly unlikely anymore as many cities have moved their radios to Digitally encrypted transmission systems.)  Still it’s worth the look.

Each demonstration is different. Go to many. The vast majority are not violent. (thus less adrenaline). But you’ll learn with each event and one hopes get better at “covering” this kind of visual opportunity. There are many additional methods and means of planning to cover a demo. What is the route?: Have you done a recon?  Where are buildings you can get access to for high shots? Do a multi-team Shoot with Radio communications between photographers. (Don't count on the Net or Cell service being up.)  Anyway Go forth!  Have a blast! 

Disclaimer: Use this information at your own risk.

The author covered many demonstrations (some violent/most not) in Washington DC and elsewhere as a (20 year)  television news cameraman.

What did Admiral Mullen know and when did he know it?

The current and evolving news story about the conduct of the Skipper of the USS Enterprise (America's most famous War ship) is raging on the net and cable news of course.

The larger issue is not whether Captain Honors will be cashiered (though it is difficult to see how he survives), but what other officers knew about this video and what action was or was not taken.

In any routine investigation of this incident those that will be deposed will include the following: All of the CVN-65 line/command officers serving at the time the video was made, those who produced the video. the previous CO of the Enterprise (who is now an Admiral), the 7th Fleet Commander at the time of airing, the CNO and the Chairman of the JCS himself a Naval officer.

 If indeed investigators find that other senior officers knew about or saw this video and didn't act.......it could get ugly. What a waste.

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POSTSCRIPT: Some hours after this Post, Admiral John C. Harvey relieved Captain Honors from Command of the Enterprise. He went on to say,

"The investigation into the videos isn't over, Harvey added. The Navy will continue to look at all aspects of their production, he said, "to include the actions of other senior officers who knew of the videos and what they did or did not do in response."

"These are the Days of our Lives".....Freddie Mercury/Queen

Photo  Flashback

Newsweek/Beast Merger Flashback to War, a Soviet Premiere and a great Photographer

Zennie Abraham of The Blog Report With Zennie62 writes a Smart and insightful piece on this merger of Newsweek with The Daily Beast.  Abraham observes that the merger between these two Old/New media firms can't last. Why? Because the rationale is based in the East Coast/ Big Media Celebrity, "it's going to happen because we set the tone" mentality.  And the rhetoric seems very yesterday . No articulated vision as yet. The NY Times Dealbook  suggests that Newsweek really needed  the creative editorial force of Tina Brown and that's why the deal was done.  They further point out the daunting financials of both  organizations. 

Tina Brown has long been a Journalism celeb because she took chances and brought a sassy Brit attitude to US publishing. Running the New Yorker & VF is  big time media no matter the era. Analog  OR Digital!  It just doesn't get much better than Tina Brown as an Editor.

But celebrity status and  Harmon &  Diller's money will  matter little if they fail to make this union go. I'm skeptical.

I  confess, a bit of sentimentality. It was Newsweek that sparked my interest in Journalism. My Mom sent me a subscription when I was a soldier/kid in Vietnam.  It usually came 2-3 weeks late and I'd carry the latest issue in my Rucksack into the Jungle.  And it was there that I  first read the byline of World Class Newsweek Photographer Wally McNamee, who snapped the image below of Russian Premiere Leonid Brezhnev. His mind and eye influenced my career choice.  So I wish Newsweek well.

PHOTO FairUse

Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev eyes actress Jill St. John at a poolside reception hosted by President Nixon in California.

 

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US to focus on "Killing" not befriending? For now.

"Targeted Killing is new US  focus in Afghanistan" not befriending the civilian populace  reports the NY Times in the past week.

The US simply cannot make up it's mind. Afghanistan is a conundrum that has befuddled  the current crop of "the best and the brightest".  Policy and Rules of Engagement change annually.

As far back as 2004, the former Afghanistan Joint forces commander Lt. General Barnon  worried about collateral damage  "I felt that civilian casualties were strategically decoupling us from our objective," said Barno. "It caused blowback that undermined our cause."

After Barno left Afghanistan in 2005, air strikes aimed at killing local Taliban or al-Qaeda leaders resumed as well as for close air support.

Throughout the late 2000's various incidents, politics  and command changes offered no real clairity to the effort.   In May of 2009 General David McKiernan became the first US Commander relieved in time of War.  SecDef Gates, saying at the time  that he seeks "fresh thinking" and "fresh eyes" on Afghanistan.  Sources said, that McKiernan was basicially too old school. Not tactically  hip enough for COIN opns. Added JCS Chairman Mullen  "I couldn't afford not to have my A team over there." (in Afghanistan)

Enter elite killer General Stanley McChrystal onto the stage.  He emphasized cooperative tactics and a return to a more restrictive rules of engagement policy.  That is, until his brilliant career was destroyed by an insecure civilian leadership class. (We'll never know whether he would  have succeeded.)

Now celebrity General David Petreaus is on the scene in Afghanistan. There are no Generals left that the public has even heard of. [With respect, General Rodierno is not a celebrity Commander ---and good for him). Petraeus in his confirmation hearings on Capitol hill said he would  be looking to relax the rules of engagement!

So while we have studies being released stating that "Civilian Casualities create new enemies"  and repeated Command changes one wonders just what is the path to "victory"?  (Numerous prominent observers are publicly calling for the Taliban to have some input at the table.--- Wait! Aren't they the ones we're supposed to be killing?)

It's difficult to imagine the West "winning" in AfPak even under the best scenarios.The chaotic personnel and strategy shifts are a bad omen. 

[Postscript: One day after posting, the  press is full of news about excessive civilian casualities in Afghanistan. Either the West get's serious about Killing the enemy in large numbers or they should come home.]

Post POSTSCRIPT:  Yet another Rules of Engagement absurdity.  The LA Times Reports that some Mom's of Dead GI's have emailed complaints about restrictive Rules of Engagement directly to Af/Pak Commanding General Petraeus. The insanity of it is that he actually answered them.  Imagine, Russian Field Marshall Konstantin Rossokovsky during WWII  in the Kursk salient, summer of 1943 during  the battle listening to irritated family members complain about his tactics as he killed Germans by the thousands each day. Yet Petraeus is now doing most of his killing with Special Opns.    Those Mom's never know what their sons are doing.

 [Photo: Fair/Use Peoples Voice image]

Soldiers as "Scum of the earth"

 "We have in the service the scum of the earth as common soldiers..."  So said, Sir Arthur Wellsley, the Duke of Wellington in describing the British Army in the early 19th century. (Though there is some debate among historians over the veracity and the wording.)

While it sounds harsh today, there are some parallels between then and now. The Washington Post today reports that army suicides are up again.  And yet this is not a surprise. In the fall of 2008, fully 24% of the US Army's ranks were high school drop outs, some criminal waivers were permitted as well as dubious psychological enlistees.  SecDef Gates pledged to reduce this number and indeed, recruiters have slowed this flow of dregs into the army.  (Stop by your local recruiter and ask the NCO’s)

What's that you say? What does it matter? Of course it matters. One need not be a sociologist to know that higher education translates into better unit effectiveness, esprit  de  corps and general strac level of a military unit.  Poor education does not guarantee these traits…..though ask an E-7 if he wants HS dropouts in his/her unit. Or someone with a criminal past.  Lower education is almost universal among soliders with  behavior problems and criminal conduct. Drug abuse and psychological problems are shared disproportionately amongst the uneducated.

The Army should provide a full statistical description of the suicidees. The overwhelming majority will be enlisted men. Uneducated and few of these self-destructing people will have been combatants. Indeed, I'm betting most were rear echelon personnel.

The Army brought many people into it's ranks that had no business being inducted. Suicides are but one part of that failure.  The other many more important negatives these undesireables stain the army with remain largely out of the public eye.   They should be discharged post haste. The Army will be better for it.

Drone pilots are "technicians" Not "Warriors"

 

 The Los Angeles Times recently published a piece entitled, "Drone pilots have a front-row seat on war, from half a world away" yet they "feel more more affected by war than ever" says veteran reporter David Zucchino.  Moreover, even though they're sitting in an air-conditioned building in the Nevada desert,  "they are as engaged in deadly combat as any pilot inside an airplane"

That a piece like this was written by a distinquished reporter is troublesome. In a society where military service is openly shunned by the affluent and educated classes, it is important to explain the distinction between these Drone "technicians" and true combat warriors. Far too few American youth have felt the sting of battle. Never had their  ear drums blown out by an artillery barrage. Or fought in hard combat to kill our enemies. Most Americans have little experience with the military. A recent DoD study stated that 75% of American youth are "unfit" for military service. (Drugs, drop-outs, crime, obesity, et. al)  And amidst all of that ignorance comes a story about Drone operators as if they were true combatants.

While the increasing use of Drones has clearly saved many lives and enabled missions that might not have been possible with conventional forces, journalists  like Zucchino should never confuse these combat technicians with true "warrirors". To do so is to dishonor those who fight at the "tip of  the spear".  Zucchino acknowledges that these rear echelon personnel do not risk  their lives, but that is buried in the piece. 

Given the choice of serving this nation by eating the dirt of the middle east, and having the satisfaction of killing our enemies up close versus the Huxleyan dystopia of Drone operations, I'll take the savagery of human combat every time.

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Addendum May 27, 2010.  A NY Times piece today notes a "scathing" military report of "unprofessional" conduct by Drone operators.  The "Fog of War"  now almost exclusively electronic with a human periphery.  Again, I prefer soldiers on the ground.