Based on an intramural squabble on Facebook (and some of my own email) have the milblogs jumped the shark and lost focus - getting too anti-Obama, and losing the thread of telling the stories not told?
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With Facebook and other social media the Privates have stopped creating blogs and moved elsewhere where it is less likely they will get a following beyond family and friends. These blogs also tend to be pretty repetitive over the years.
At the SSGT/LT/Capt. Level Over the years the truly outspoken and good writers eventually cross a line that any employer would not want crossed. LT G., Armor Gideon and a host of others. This has reduced the surviving few to the bland and boring posting news links and commenting or they post so infrequently that they do not get a strong following or seem to have a voice.
The Retired there is a strong current of patriotism and conservative politics in the group so they tending to like Bush even if they hated the fact that he started the war(s). I think a good part of that is Bush is a honest person who truly respected the the Military and all its personnel and it showed in many way. Obama seems really uncomfortable with the military and has no idea how to deal with the average Joe. Add in the policy issues with the current President and you get a whole lot of thoughtful disagreement to outright bashing.
Looking at it over a long time span it really is understandable where we are at. As with all forms of media and entertainment is there a product there that will bring people back and does the source have the drive to keep the blog going for an extended time as one's life changes.
If (and that's a big if) and when he does something counter to his *Let them eat cake, I won!* attitude, I'll consider looking at him with something other than cider-proof glasses. But I believe the planet will split in two long before that ever happens.
For some though, I think it's difficult to maintain the illusion of being a pure Mil Blog when you also own a PAC.
The "story not being told" these days is not so much what is happening on the front lines with our brave troops. but with the increasing harmful actions of our Commander in Chief and an irresponsible Congress.
Given the near criminal irresponsibility of the mainstream media in sharing even minor flaws in Obama's actions, statements, thoughts, claims or his background (not the "birther" nonsense) the MILBLOGs should rightly add some focus on the President and his crooked, incompetent or criminal cronies.
Even our Secretary of State has said that our unsustainable spending is a national defense issue, which confirms the legitimacy of MILBLOGS getting out of the trenches and looking for the enemies amongst us.
No need to get over on the Michelle Malkin end of things (which she does quite nicely and with convincing evidence in most cases), but no need to shirk from covering the same issues.
Are we better off today than in November 2008? Absolutely not! Is our survival as a freedom loving representative republic with a stable free-market economy in jeopardy? You betcha!
Our nation lost in Vietnam and turned the deaths of 55,000 of our finest into a meaningless waste because few on the home front dared speak out against the leftists. Well, the same leftists are destroying our country again, and we must not let them get away with it again!
Those still in uniform are severly restricted from saying much about the civilian "leadership" but retirees have considerably more freedom and we darn sure need to excercise our freedom of speech to defend our country!
Dammit, we need to get back to Usenet. It was both more anonymous and more secure, and also harder to use, which latter quality kept some of the doo-dahs away.
Then I met Bill, which goes to show you can't be too careful on the Internet, and I pestered him with a lot more Army-questions before I decided to sign my life away.
I think what I'm trying to say is, it would be a shame if all the blogs that are just about military life disappeared. They are a way to connect with a population that really doesn't understand the military, and isn't very involved in the war. John (NTA) has a point, though. Former military have the advantage of knowing both sides, and having the freedom to be completely obnoxious to the Powers That Be.
"We swore an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign AND DOMESTIC."
I wholeheartedly agree!
"Our nation lost in Vietnam"
Say whut? We were winning when I left, (as I recall it, but memories do fade with the years) and I didn't get there until 1970
SAKER:
"I read A LOT of milblogs before joining the Army, because I was curious about what military life was like."
Good thinking. I went in blind as a bat, knowing nothin other than what my Dad (WW II) had to say about it: "They say jump, you ask "How high?" on the way up!"! Good advice that was!
"Then I met Bill,"
And took the advice of a RLO whose chose to stick with WO status? Good thinking!
"I decided to sign my life away."
Good on ya!
I've learned so much! I hope some of you remain more mil-oriented and less politics (though they are so intertwined)-oriented.
And took the advice of a RLO whose chose to stick with WO status? Good thinking!
My advice had a bit more practicality than some she'd received...
As military personnel, past and present, it is stupid folly to pretend politics don't matter. That politics are beneath our concern.
That's a rough paraphrase, of course, but it is true.
This whole lazy arsed cop out fhat we as a group/class/whatever shouldn't be most very mindful of whta's going on around us politically is just plain tiried old idiocy.
It's weak sauce.
To do otherwise is to be asleep on duty.
This is doubly true for those of us no longer in uniform. This pretense that politics aint our business is nothing more than a betrayal of our brothers and sisters still in uniform. We screw the pooch as formers then it eventually becomes that duty of the currents to fix what we let laps. We all know we don't want that.
Like I said. Weaksauce heaped super scoops of stupid.
There seems to be a singular view of *Veterans*, but this should be no different then a singular view of the *Military*. Allow each group some space to find their own place, to serve this Great Nation.
When Repubs play political hardball, the press screams that it's an existential threat to the nation -- but when the Dems do it, it's "ho-hum" time...
BillT, you're not a bad guy, but I hate this subject! This is the only reason, I don't lash out at the Obama/Biden and Bushes/Cheney with Bush '41's VPOTUS and Clinton/ his VPOTUS, because they're all involved in 'Skull and Bones'. Our political party system is *Phuster-Clucked* on both sides, this is the reason I don't like what I've seen.