Pentagon Pete Attacks "Stars and Stripes"

 

by Pa Rock

US Veteran

The Trump administration's ever-expanding war on democracy and freedom of the press has finally taken aim at the "Stars and Stripes," the de facto hometown newspaper for the nearly quarter million American service men and women who are stationed overseas, many of whom are living abroad with their families.  Their other major news source besides the venerable "Stars and Stripes," is "Armed Forces News (AFN)" which provides canned television and radio updates from around the world - and now, of course, the internet as well.

But the "Stars and Stripes" is still a staple of stateside news, much of which is focused on matters pertaining to members of the US military and their dependents.   The military-oriented newspaper is published Monday through Thursday with a weekend edition coming out on Fridays.   The publication posts news updates on-line and occasionally also prints special editions.  It is a publication that Americans overseas (even some who are not in the military) enjoy and look forward to reading each morning.

I know the importance of the "Stars and Stripes" to American communities overseas because I have spent four years of my life living and working overseas either in the military or for the military.  The newspaper is a lifeline home.  One that Americans abroad depend on for fair and accurate reporting of the news.

Of course, fair and accurate reporting of the news is not a priority for the Trump administration.   Donald Trump has a long and colorful history of mocking reporters whose questions he does not like, suing publications which write unfavorable stories about him, his family, or his administration, and threatening the broadcast licenses of news networks whose reporting, points of view, or program hosts he dislikes.

And with an anti-news bias as big as that, it was inevitable that sooner or later his administration's censorship focus would come to rest on the "Stars and Stripes."

Late this week there were two stories in the news regarding the "Stars and Stripes."  The first said that the publisher, editor-in-chief, and a reporter on Middle East affairs had quit in protest over management decisions.  A second story followed soon after saying the three individuals had been fired in an effort by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (or possibly his wife) to take over direct editorial control of the military newspaper.   Apparently Pentagon Pete (or his Missus) thought the paper was featuring too much "woke" content, and he (or Jen) wanted the paper to refocus its content exclusively on "military readiness."

It's a shame that someone in the Trump administration wasn't focused on military readiness before we launched a war on Iran.  But, better late than never.  If they get the propaganda arm of the military fixed, victory may follow - or not.

There will be none of that "woke" crap infecting our military, right, Pete?  America's forces are at their fighting best when they are completely numb and blissfully ignorant of the world around them.

But censorship is, of course becoming a lost art.   Praise Jesus and Al Gore for for keeping the flow of information alive with the internet!