The information age sometimes sucks!!!

I hear all the time about how the people deserve to know this or that and they (the powers that be) have gotten this information thing down to an almost scientific procedure of overkill and a glut of information. In wars of the past and especially the foreign variety, there was a comfort zone that the times, communications and transportation built in. There are people who think that the advances in all of these areas has made life easier to keep in touch at to get information about all sorts of things. These things may be good or they may be bad, it might be your business and it might be none of your business.  You used to get a telegram and that was that, “We regret to inform you” was all it said. Your loved one was not coming home.. that was pretty much it.

The freedom of information act was in my opinion overkill and today, I became somewhat of a victim of it. The freedom of information act has allowed freind and foe to get information about things that frankly should not be out there. The past years of what some people insist are government secrets and or just the government doing their jobs and too busy to insure that everyone and their uncle knows what they happen to be doing with this or that.. this is especially true in the realm of the military. I am no big fan of the freedom of the press as it relates to military issues and or security issues. Does this make me a sheep? or does this demand for information put us ultimately into the crosshairs of some current and future enemy attacks?

Through the “request for information act” we received  the report named ” ARTICLE 15-6 INVESTIGATION OF EFP ATTACK RESULTING IN THE DEATH OF SPECIALIST MICHEAL EUGENE PHILLIPS 24 FEB 2008 101ST ABN MND – B. This report is done for all casualties these days. I read it and wondered who else would WANT to know these things. The fact is that through the men my son served with and other combat veterans, all of the pieces were already laid in place and there really were no big mysteries to be found reading this report. The report came in and I felt the need to read it. I read the statements that were there from the people on ground there that day.  The pain that the report brought me was something that I was ready for but still causes a lot of grasping in thin air for comfort or just peace. The time line is there, the report from those involved was there. They reported seeing children playing on a soccer field, the lead vehicle slowed because they thought they had identified an IED ahead. They stopped to check things out and the EFP behind them hit my son’s vehicle.  They started taking sniper fire right after the blast, The attack too place at 10:10, my son lost his fight at 11:31.  That’s all anyone needs to know.. there is more there, but its no one’s business.

Since these wars have started in Afghanistan and in Iraq the media in its various forms have outdone themselves in reporting the goings on of the military and the special intelligence wings of the governments who are fighting the Islamic terror forces. They pretend that this is about “news” when anyone with half a brain knows that this is dangerous for everyone involved. There have been so many leaks from those in government to the press that they might as well broadcast the news directly in the open from inside the various briefings that these elected officials get. Why not? Within hours of some intel meeting, there is a late breaking news story about some “secret plan” to do this or that to our enemies and those who would love to kill us.  Through the freedom of information act, people have posted on the internet, various things that have gotten our guys injured and killed. I have seen posts that tell in great detail how the “warlock” systems work and how to defeat them. The warlock basically blocks cell phone signals that trigger IED’s. Can someone tell me why someone would want that information out there? Is this freedom or is this useful idiot behavior? We live in an information age.. and it will be our undoing.

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