Press Plays The Role of Armed Forces Public Affairs Staff

Voting is highly emphasized in American culture. Asking questions related to public policy takes a lower priority.

Oct 10, 2019 MyNorthwest.com

Fight for quiet in Olympic National Park pits Navy versus nature

“For now, the skies above the Olympic Peninsula belong to the Navy’s mission of defending freedom. What that sounds like is up for debate.”

When the US returns from an undeclared war or military conflict without a victory- what becomes of American rights and freedoms?

Hometown Pride

“For the past couple of years, the Whidbey News-Times paid the insurance for the Veterans Day Parade, about $200, because it was a small way of saying thank you to the men and women who sacrificed so that we may have our liberties, including our Freedom of Speech.”

Were US troops sent to Vietnam so that Americans could be free to send letters to the editor?

Is there any case in which the US Armed Forces have been sent to distant lands on a mission to protect freedom of speech?

Is protecting freedom of speech even part of training scenarios?

Military Town – Hometown Pride

Recent Seattle Blue Angels Air Show event:

KIRO 7

“The moment we hit 7.5 Gs in the Blue Angel’s Jet & I passed out!”

The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.

In some cases, the US Armed Forces provide for our physical security. That’s as good as it gets.

In terms of American rights and freedoms- The Dept. of Defense has no more say than the Dept. of Agriculture.

Legal marijuana, concealed carry of handguns, semi automatic rifle sales, federal minimum drinking age, sports betting, voting rights, bump stock ban, interracial marriage, gay marriage, tobacco sales, open container laws, etc.

None of these are linked in any way with The Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Troops, The Dept. of Defense or the outcome of military operations overseas.

As the decades of undeclared/unwon wars stack up (The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.) the greater the cultural urge to glorify people who do, or did time in uniform.

If there is an honest reason to send people away into decades of undeclared/unwon wars overseas let’s hear all about it.

If the US Armed Forces were an NFL team, newspeople might ask:

Did the advantage of US air power allow the undeclared wars in Iraq or Afghanistan to be prevented, won or shut down?

The press and the American people have a much more honest relationship with sports teams than they do with the Dept. of Defense.

If The Troops were an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:

DOD was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.

Detailed reporting and meaningful comments here:

Oct. 5, 2019 The Seattle Times

Stanford stuns No. 15 Washington in merciless, methodical thrashing

Why doesn’t this style of reporting cross over to stories about the US Dept. of Homeland Security, big drug busts, or the Department of Defense track record for winning undeclared wars?

Possibly of interest-

Newspeople play the role of federal public affairs personnel during Operation Macho Swagger– a ride-along to let us know what is being done to keep the southern edge of the Strait of Juan de Fuca safe from B.C. incursions: Operation Macho Swagger & Port Angeles Heroin

If you run a government operation- these are the reporters you want to see on interview day: