Grumpy Editor

Obama talks to VFW about jobs for veterans, but…

Rather than presenting a solid plan with a pathway to job creations for veterans, President Barack Obama told a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Reno Monday that “we’re going to set up a kind of reverse boot camp,” notes Grumpy Editor. 

Although job-searching veterans already possess a specialty from military service, the president proposed still more training plus education and advice for starting a business. 

“Our American veterans have the skills America needs,” he proclaimed.  “So today, our economy is growing and creating jobs, but it’s still too hard for too many folks to find work, especially our younger veterans, our veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.” 

Indeed, with the jobless rate in June for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans at 9.5 percent, the president’s rhetoric sounded uplifting.  Yet, not many eyebrows were raised by media. 

Obama also informed the VFW that he signed a veterans “skills to jobs” act that requires federal agencies to look at relevant military training when approving applicants for federal licenses and certificates. 

“We’ve got to put those folks back to work,” he declared. 

Not mentioned was a retraining program for veterans announced two months ago.  Called the Veteran Retraining Assistance Program, it allows qualifying veterans to receive up to a year of education assistance. 

But that won’t do much good for the many veterans in their twenties and early thirties. 

To qualify for VRAP, veterans must be between 35 and 60 years old and unemployed.

 

Most editors skirt 7 U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan

Seven U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan in one day received scant attention in most media, observes Grumpy Editor. 

Emphasized initially in the minimum coverage Sunday was that the fatalities were NATO personnel. 

Nationalities of the dead later were confirmed to be Americans. 

A roadside bomb killed six U.S. soldiers in an armored vehicle.  Another U.S. soldier was the victim in a separate insurgent attack. 

An example of limited coverage:  The Wall Street Journal yesterday wrapped up the Sunday deaths in Afghanistan of “seven coalition service members” in one sentence in the sixth paragraph of a 17-paragraph story under a Tokyo dateline. 

Other newspapers had little or no mention of the attacks. 

CNN today, a bit late, reported "six U.S. troops were killed by an improvised explosive device Sunday in eastern Afghanistan, a U.S. official said."

Meanwhile, BBC and NBC News on Sunday promptly identified the deaths as U.S. personnel. 

The casualties came on the same day donors led by the U.S. and Japan agreed to provide Afghanistan with $16 billion in development assistance.

 

TV slow in picking up HOA vs. Army veteran's swing set

An April 12 story in The Dallas Morning News on a homeowners association suing an Army captain --- recently back home after nine months in Afghanistan --- over a swing set for his four children, took almost three weeks before television news jumped on the development, notes Grumpy Editor. 

But it was this week’s TV coverage, ranging from Dallas-Fort Worth WFAA to ABC News --- that stirred things up, expanding coverage and illustrating weird happenings with HOAs. 

Dallas Morning News writer David Tarrant last month detailed how Candi Fry of Mineola, Texas, was being sued by Spring Lake Homeowners Association for installing a $1,200 wooden swing set while her husband, National Guard Capt. Bill Fry, was deployed in Afghanistan. He has been added as a defendant.

Candi Fry said she received verbal consent to install the swing set a year ago, Tarrant reported. 

But things changed when the HOA said a neighbor complained that the swing set could be seen from the road.  Take down the swing set or move it, she was told. 

The HOA attorney said proper documents, including architectural drawings (remember, this was a swing set for kids) were not submitted, adding the association cannot make exceptions. 

“We are in appreciation of his service,” Tarrant quoted the attorney.  “But the idea that people can set up anything on their property because their husband is deployed overseas is not something that cannot be permitted.” 

Probable next step:  court.

 

L.A. Times defies military with GIs, dead bombers photos

Grumpy Editor notes after the Defense Department asked the Los Angeles Times NOT to run the images, the newspaper goes ahead and publishes two photos showing American troops, members of the 82^nd Airborne Division, posing with the remains of suicide bombers in Afghanistan in February, 2010.

Then in a follow-up story last Wednesday, the L.A. Times --- without blushing --- explains: “The Pentagon, the White House and top commanders and diplomats in Afghanistan have condemned the action by the soldiers and have launched investigations.”

Condemning action by the soldiers?

Some folks say publishing the pictures is another anti-military step by major media to trash U.S. troops --- even to incite violence against U.S. military personnel.

One can imagine how the L.A. Times, with some current staffers, would have handled advance hush-hush preparations, including activities of the same 82^nd Airborne Division --- with absolutely no leaks by media to warn the enemy --- for D-Day in World War II.

The L.A. Times says it “acquired 18 gruesome images” showing Army soldiers with dead suicide bombers and decided to run two shots.

L.A. Times reporter David Zucchino declares he “verified the authenticity of the photos through interviews with the soldier who provided the photos, with Pentagon officials and with commanders from the unit.”

That was followed by L.A. Times editor Davan Maharaj stating: “After careful consideration, we decided that publishing a small but representative selection of the photos would fulfill our obligation to readers to report vigorously and impartially on all aspects of the American mission in Afghanistan, including the allegation that the images reflect a breakdown in unit discipline that was endangering U.S. troops.”

Some subscribers may raise eyebrows with the phrase “our obligation to readers to report vigorously and impartially.” 

 

U.S. pays $50,000 each for Afghans killed March 11

Many newspapers yesterday reported the U.S. promptly paid $50,000 in compensation to relatives for each of 17 Afghans killed two weeks earlier in a shooting rampage said to be carried out by an American soldier, observes Grumpy Editor. 

The unusually large payout may have buzzed over the heads of most editors, accustomed to U.S. life insurance policies. 

But in Afghanistan that amount turned out to be a whopping number.

Average annual income there is equal to about $425. 

That means each $50,000 payment corresponds to 118 years worth of average annual income in Afghanistan, based on current figures. 

The Wall Street Journal reported one farmer lost 11 family members in the shootings. 

“Such payments are customary in Afghan culture when a wrong like this is done," The Journal quoted a U.S. official. 

The U.S. also paid $11,000 for every injured villager in the March 11 incident. 

Also paying family members was the Afghan government.  But the amount was much smaller: $2,000 for each person killed and $1,000 for each injured. 

An Associated Press story on the compensation mentioned, “The families were told the money came from President Barack Obama.”

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Money woes put U.S. military families in bind 

Meanwhile, on the same day the unusually high Afghan payouts were reported, an Associated Press story told how money woes have been hitting U.S. military members and families. 

It pointed out financial struggles stemmed from multiple deployments, frequent relocations, mounting credit card debt, strain in paying bills and difficulty spouses have in getting and keeping jobs. 

“The stress factors with the families is just unbelievable,” AP quoted Roger J. Mealey, a Vietnam veteran who runs a website to aid struggling military families.

 

ABC’s GOP debate in Iowa becomes old news in West

ABC News described Saturday night’s nationally-televised debate spotlighting six Republican presidential candidates from Drake University in Des Moines, less than three weeks before the Iowa caucuses, as “high stakes” --- but West Coast viewers saw it on a three-hour tape delay, observes Grumpy Editor. 

Those in the Pacific time zone heard radio/TV news reports or read about the debate --- including via ABC News’ own Web site --- before the taped airing, thus cutting viewership and scuttling coverage of advertisers such as Hertz, Pillsbury, T. Rowe Price and UnitedHealthcare. 

In this competitive news era, it was strange for ABC News executives to decide on showing viewers in the West the “high stakes” action three hours after it happened. 

Other networks have not done that. 

Some folks in the West were unaware that the debate was on tape.  That’s because through the two-hour taped presentation, a misleading white-on-red LIVE “bug” appeared above the ABC logo at the lower right corner of the TV screen. 

[Does the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have anything to say about that?] 

Shortly after the debate ended at 11 p.m. Eastern (8 p.m. in the West), ABC News’ own Web site spilled details on the event under the headline, “Republican Candidates Clash in Pivotal Iowa Debate.” 

At the same time, ABC also came up with a super-fast-developed “Fact Checking the Debate in Iowa,” listing six eyebrow-raising items, including “Newt Gingrich would build a colony on the moon.” 

Alert West Coasters, seeking to bypass the tape-delayed airing, could have visited ABC on the Web prior to the 9 p.m., Pacific, replay to see a video:  “Watch Highlights: 2012 GOP debate.”

 

Stars and Stripes newspaper quietly marks its 150th year

Newspaper editors love anniversary stories.  But one they overlooked related to their own industry:  The Stars and Stripes, the newspaper primarily for the U.S. military, marked its 150th year on Nov. 9, observes Grumpy Editor.

Ten Union soldiers started it in 1861 during the Civil War.  That was 10 years after the founding of the New York Times. 

Initial editions rolled off presses in the abandoned newspaper office of the Bloomfield Herald, Bloomfield, Mo.  (Returning to its roots, The Stars and Stripes Museum/Library is located in that city at 17377 Stars and Stripes Way.)

The publication attracted increased attention during World War I. 

Printing was suspended between World War I and World War II but resumed in Europe in 1942 when editions were published in London, Italy, Sicily, France, Germany, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Honolulu.

Pacific editions started in 1945.

Printing facilities and geographic regions covered changed with the movement of American troops.

The number of editions touched 35 during World War II.

The Stars and Stripes has since been a prime source of daily information for U.S. forces from the Korean War, Vietnam War and Persian Gulf War to Iraq and Afghanistan. 

The estimated 350,000 readers today equals its readership during the Korean War when the Tokyo-based daily Pacific Stars and Stripes turned out editions covering Japan, South Korea, the far Pacific plus a Tokyo street edition that competed with other newspapers --- both English and Japanese. 

Today’s online audience averages more than 3 million page views per month. 

Authorized by the Defense Department, The Stars and Stripes is editorially independent.

While in past years most staffers wore U.S. uniforms, its publisher and most of its employees today are civilians.

The newspaper currently publishes four daily editions:  Europe, Japan, Korea and the Mideast.

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Andy Rooney’s books included one on 'Stripes'

Among the many journalists who wound up as staffers on the military newspaper was Andy Rooney, CBS’ “60 Minutes” commentator who died Nov. 4.

From his three years as a World War II correspondent in Europe for The Stars and Stripes, Rooney later wrote about war experiences in his first three books, including “The Story of The Stars and Stripes.”

Although movie rights were purchased by MGM and Rooney went to Hollywood to write the script, the film was never made.

 

Haqqani clan emerges as suspect in deadly Kabul attack

Just when some newspapers ran a Pentagon report that violence in Afghanistan decreased 26 percent between July and last month, compared to the same period last year, a vehicle laden with explosives smashed into an armored U.S. military bus in Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 17 people, including four U.S. troops, five U.S. civilians working for the military, a Canadian soldier and four Afghans.

Violence in the Afghanistan capital, particularly against U.S. troops, has been rare.

However, a U.N. report last month found violence in Afghanistan increased 39 percent in the first eight months this year.

The U.N. blamed the increased violence in part on a rise in use of homemade explosives.

But a ruthless crime family may be involved.

While the Taliban claimed responsibility for Saturday’s bombing, Afghan and American officials suspect a crime clan known as the Haqqani network, based in Pakistan, may have been behind the Saturday attack.

Although mention of the Haqqani group may be new to most Americans, a New York Times story last month declared “American military officers, who have spent years urging Washington to take action against the Haqqanis, express anger that the Obama administration has still not put the group on the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations.”