Objective?

In the July/August edition of The Atlantic, an article caught R's eye, "Five Days in Fallujah" by Robert D. Kaplan (registration required). He determined to read it uninteruppted (try that in a house full of females!). So many publications are decidely liberal and against the military or the use of them that I anticipated a negative portrayal of his brothers in arms. When he completed it, he was refreshingly surprised at how Mr. Kaplan had written truthfully and with respect for the men with whom he had been embedded.

While on my weekly shopping excursion, I swung the swollen cart down the periodical isle. I can only find The Atlantic in this particular store and only if the four other people who read it in this town haven't gotten there first. I perused the cover and winced: "Bush's Lost War: How the War on Iraq Undermined the War on Terror" by James Fallows. I am sure that it will be another liberal diatribe, but just to be fair, I will attempt to read it. Then I flipped over to the Letters to the Editor section. I just knew that someone would have something to say about Mr. Kaplan's respectfully written article from the previous month. Of course, I was right. Two wrote in praise of his writing, with one pointing out the contribution of the Army during a specific engagement. Then I turned the page and there it was: the whining letter of some dissenter with quotes such as "Kaplan's glorification of military values is also disturbing" or "..Kaplan either conceals or is unaware of the indiscriminate violence unleashed upon the city by the Marines he identifies with so much" or how about this one: "Kaplan's comfort with the word 'imperialism' is also worrisome, but most alarming is his repeated use of the word 'us' to describe the Marines. Should he not strive for a certain amount of objectivity?" I assume that Mr. Nir Rosen is referring to his own level of objectivity voiced here in the closing of his letter: "Though having been embedded myself, I recognize the difficulty of remaining impartial when living with the affable young men of the American Military who risk their lives for the whims of politicians back in Washington. I believe it is no less, and perhaps more, important to identify with those on the receiving end of American imperialism and military might (emphasis my own), and to question the assertions of both military and political leaders." * Hmmm, that's some objectivity there, Mr. Rosen.

Mr. Kaplan's response to the points of Mr. Rosen's letter that I listed:
"Simply because I did not snobbishly blast Christian fundamentalism, the way so many in the media often do, doesn't mean I was without judgement on it. In fact, I found it made troops more disciplined and compassionate. As for the 'indiscriminate violence' of the Marines, that was simply not what I observed: rather, as I wrote from firsthand knowledge [not that of supposed witnesses with an agenda to undermine the U.S. and squash those Iraqi's who support independence and democracy so often quoted by journalists], Marines regularly risk getting shot to protect civilians.

I am in the midst of a project about the middle and lower ranks of the American military and how the world looks from their point of view. Meanwhile, the global media are full of people, like Mr. Rosen, who are more than willing to write about things from the viewpoint of those fighting the United States. The media establishment has often lavished praise on thos who cover life exclusively from the point of view of oppressed miniorites and the working poor. Apparently it doesn't consider American's own working-class military- drawn predominatly from the South and adjacent areas- deserving of similar empathy. Given the pressure on our military, and that the overwhelming majority of our troops around the world behave in exemplary fashion, I am saddened by this double standard." *

The honesty and courage to question the tactics of his colleagues and to challenge the inconsistent standard they claim to have for journalism and the American people whom they "seek to serve" through dissemination of "facts" is commendable. Mr. Kaplan, you have a new devoted reader. I intend to personally thank you for reporting what many have believed but have been unable to find in print media: the American military is everyday putting their lives on the line for the freedom of the Iraqi people, not the "whims" of Washington politicians.

Now, on to the article "The X Factor" by Michelle Cottle. A tidbit: "Teresa's efforts to play the political spouse are reminiscent of watching your mom try to relate to the kids at your fifth-grade slumber party: sweet, but painfully inconvincing." * Doesn't that sound like an interesting take?

*All quotes taken from The Atlantic October 2004