The Conniving News Networks

First, via Hot Air, there's CNN:

Much more, with a witticism or two, at Gateway Pundit.

But that's not all the conniving going on.  Let's take you over to the AP where you might've seen the story being carried on many a wire decrying the rise of deserters in the military.  A non-story if one actually takes a peek at the numbers:

With about 15 minutes of internet research, even a non-journalist can put the Iraq War desertion rates in context.  What was the desertion rate during World War II?

"Desertion during World War II was no less a problem than in previous wars. Desertion rates peaked at 6.3% [that's 63 per 1,000] in 1944, but dropped to 4.5% [45 per 1,000] the following year.  During the war, 21,049 soldiers were sentenced for desertion..."   Desertion And the American Soldier: 1776-2006,  Robert Fantina, Page 116.

That was "The Greatest Generation"!  So how great is today's generation of soldiers who have a desertion rate of 1/10th  the rate of The Greatest?

Of all the guys who served during World War II, over two thirds of them were drafted.  What percent of today's soldiers are draftees?

How do the desertion rates of today's soldiers compare to the rates during the Vietnam War? The article discusses it a bit but here is more: in 1966 the rate was 14.7 per 1,000; by 1970 the Army had a rate of 52.3 per 1,000.  [Vietnam and America: A Documented History , Marvin E. Gettleman page 334.]  The Vietnam rates are all lower than the rate of the Greatest Generation.  The desertion rate for the Korean War was 22.5 per 1,000. [Ibid, Page 334.]

There is nothing new about the AP story.  It's very much in keeping with the mainstream media agenda.  Now that the war in Iraq has turned dramatically in our favor, they are desperately fighting to demoralize the public, discourage volunteers for an all-volunteer army, force a premature withdrawal, and thereby ensure a victory for both al Qaeda and Iran.

Their reporting is slanted, incomplete, selective, and inaccurate and has a demoralizing effect on the public which in turn makes it difficult to recruit an army so that we can defend ourselves.  Is it any wonder what the nation has stopped buying newspapers and turned off the TV?

I'd love to say that it stops there but you know it doesn't.  Check out this Reuters piece, not an opinion column by God but an actual news article that is nothing more than a hit piece on Rudy Giuliani.  In fact, as Tom Elia at The New Editor points out, one of those being interviewed is none other than a Democratic operative.

Conniving News Networks.  There is no other description. 

In fact, I can't understand anyone who would take in a network news show, especially one from CNN or a print story, especially one from the AP or Reuters, and not think that perhaps they were being duped.  I simply can't.

But they're out there.  And if they stop by here and read a post like this one, they'll defend the actions in someway and then shake their head at anyone who would even raise the issue.

It's as if we're living on different planets. 

Simply amazing.

Comments

[salvage]

You should just watch Fox News, it's made for people like you.

[Morgan K Freeberg]

Verbal irony is a potent thing, especially to those with limited attention spans. Generally, though, I find an argument that can't be made without it, is completely disposable.

+++flush+++

[matt]

Can you make a recommendation? I hate FOX, I hate CNN..in Canada I get the BBC, but I don't even know about that. Is there one news feed where you can say "I trust that?" I just don't know if one is out there.