Keep on Pushing

Push back Day Three and it's Doug Petch's turn, read his post here. It's all good but this phrase resonates: "isolated incidents presented without context".

Thing is, context is needed, otherwise you get people with short term memories proudly repeating the false 'atrocity of the day'. I use the term "short term memory" deliberately. Do you know why? What you've forgotten already?

Found a great article about Bill Roggio who's off now, soon to be "milblogging" from the coal face. Read it here. It lists three websites at the bottom, Michael's, Bill's group blog, www.threatswatch.org, and Andi, Queen of the Pushbackers.

Bad press brainwashes impressionable readers. It must be stopped. Threatswatch has an admirable list of objectives including this: "the press must be aided, rather than ignored, to bring clear and concise information to the public". What a beautifully diplomatic way of putting it.

I miss the whole Starbucks and morning paper ritual. Wouldn't it be amazing if the press became more of a 'public service', telling us the truth and the positive as well as negative. Oh and could it be as amusing as PJ, as erudite as Hitchens and as heartfelt as Michael Yon. Not too much to ask!

From Hugh Hewitt's book 'Blog':

"High consumers of information spend a significant part of every day searching for information on whatever subject concerns them...Moderate consumers of information...are not clueless, but neither are they passionate about staying ahead of the information curve."

Hugh's a sharp guy and has written a post on his blog recommending people not argue about politics during the Thanksgiving weekend.

This is my precis, making all of the points yes or no questions. Read the whole thing, which is very funny, here.

1. Refuse to argue, at least twice.
2. Agree to discuss the war only if you both can agree on a few facts (Note: refuse to be sidetracked from establishing agreement on these facts)
3. Ask if they recall Operation Desert Fox
4. Ask if they think President Clinton was lying when he gave his justification for bombing
5. Ask if they think the invasion of Afghanistan was successful
6. Ask if the US would be better off if it had removed the Taliban in 1997
7. Ask if they believe Bin Liner would have used WMD if he had them on September 11th
8. Ask if political leaders have to react differently to perceived threats post 9/11
9. Ask if Zarqawi trained in Afghanistan pre and post 9/11
10. Ask if they believe Sodhim's regime would have changed without outside intervention
11. Ask if Sodhim supported terrorists
12. At this point you'll know whether to excuse yourself from the conversation.