So, Scott Beauchamp, the supposed war diarist is outed, and the Left is defending his stories, like Jay Stevens. Stevens seems to believe everything that Beauchamp writes as true and he turns any question of disbelief against the questioner. (How dare you question how bad war is, Scott Beuachamp is there)
Of course, even TNR has had to address that the appalling incident with the disfigured woman took place (if it happened at all) in Kuwait before Scott even made it to the horrors of war. Powerline has some good quips, and comments regarding this so called diarist.
The amusing thing like so many others (Jason Glass, etc.) his lies seem to give him authenticity because that is what people like Jay want to believe.
Reality based community? I think the better term is one I read elsewhere: The community based reality.
9 comments:
Hahaha!
So let's see.
First the right-o-sphere said this guy was obviously a fake.
But he's a soldier.
Then the right-o-sphere said was telling lies.
But the TNR did extensive fact checking and corroborated his posts.
Now I'm the delusional one?
Hahaha.
You might want to read both the TNR report, which is iffy, and the other link.
The basic point is that we all believe what we want to believe. I believe that the American soldiers that I served with were good, decent, smart, hard working, and yes, with a bent to a certain dark humor.
You believe, as best as I can tell, that they are all dehumanized thugs.
I base my assessment on personal observation. You base yours on the TNR article.
But, maybe you are right. How sad is that?
Maybe I was wrong, here is a link to the atrocities that Americans are committing: http://www.kfyi.com/pages/barry_young.html?feed=119587&article=1655245
I am so ashanmed.
I agree we all absorb the news we want to hear -- your link is evidence of that. And I never said that all soldiers are heartless thugs. Read the post. I said morbid humor is not unusual for 19-yos under extreme stress.
I know soldiers, too, and most of 'em are decent people. Tho' some of them are complete scumbags, too. The point is, as Dave Rye so eloquently made, they're human.
Beachamp's anecdotes weren't even that bad. Wearing a skull as a cap? How does that compare to some US soldiers' habit of making human ear necklaces in WWII and Vietnam? Running over dogs in the streets? Is that worse than shooting gophers, ultimately? Maybe in degree, but not in kind.
What's astonishing is how energetic the noise is from you all on Beauchamp. Even some minor ugly stories make you all jump up all frenetic, like somehow acknowledging any ugliness in this war will tarnish the gleam you put on it.
No, the problem I have is with a fabulist. I do not discount individual acts that are horrific. But would you also acknowledge the sacrifices of the troops who do everything possible, including assuming greater risks to themselves than allowing innocent civilians to be harmed?
Why do they not receive equal coverage? Couldn't be because of the narrative not fitting the facts now, would it?
Hey Steve,
Would you drop me a line at MTSentinel [at] gmail [dot] com. Promise I'm not a stalker or a disgruntled defendant!
No, the problem I have is with a fabulist. I do not discount individual acts that are horrific. But would you also acknowledge the sacrifices of the troops who do everything possible, including assuming greater risks to themselves than allowing innocent civilians to be harmed?
Er. I have.
Of course, now that it's clear Beauchamp was a phony -- and man I got egg on my face for defending him, eh? -- I guess this argument is a little irrelevant...
Now you can sift through every word I've ever written on Iraq, and I've never -- never -- called for the investigation of a prowar blogger, b/c I don't like the stories they post.
Actually, the opposite. On 4&20 b'birds, I've linked to several miliblogs, not all of which agree with my opinion. And when the Pentagon said it was going to shut down miliblogs, I thought it was a terrible idea, that we all deserved to know, first-hand, what was going on...
But it's a little silly making that argument with Beauchamp at the center. He was exposed and the TNR has got some 'splainin' to do. D*mn pro-war rag!
Jay, you don't need to go from one extreme to the other. There is still evidence that Beauchamp may have bee telling the truth. At the core, it doesn't really matter. Wingnutia wants to beat you over the head with the idea that their miniscule point *might* be correct on the tiny facts, such that you abandon reason in the hope for honesty. They aren't honest. Don't expect them to be. Continue your research and find the truth. Don't capitulate to the All Seeing Will. It's a lunacy. Don't go there.
Jay, I saw your post at LITW, and I have to admit, I admire what you wrote. I just refuse to register anywhere, so I couldn't leave a comment.
Not to say that I haven't had egg on my face as well. But in the relentless search for the truth, sometimes we take the wrong track for a little while.
As to the milblogs, I do rely on them more than the generic news. I have found that it is almost impossible to suppress a young sergeant or even a young captain from expressing their opinion. Not that their opinions are always correct, but that they should be considered and weighed in the totality.
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