Milbloggers

A story on Morning Edition (shocking that I'm listening to NPR, I know) this morning discusses the Pentagon ban on soldiers' use of Internet sites such as YouTube and Myspace, and this ban likely blocking soldiers' access to blogs, such as the blog hosted by former paratrooper Mathew Burden called BlackFive.net.

Mathew and I probably have different political viewpoints, but we both want the same thing: for the soldiers to stay alive and the truth to be available. I'd also like Iraqis etc. to stay alive. His Web site is worth reading. It's direct entries from soldiers, and as far as I can tell (I briefly browsed) it isn't being used for any sort of propaganda. It understandably includes a lot of military talk/terms, but it's a great alternative to the news for soldiers and for citizens who just want to know, on some level, what's actually going on.

BlackFive.net is also naturally upset about the Internet ban. The soldiers are asked to spend years now away from their families, and now they are blocked from telling wives and husbands that they aren't shot in the head, and blocked from seeing a child sing them a song, all because the Pentagon wants to make sure their version of the "truth" is the only version. I know the argument is that the Pentagon is worried operational secrets will get out, but I think it's BS--the soldiers who believe in what they are doing, and even the soldiers who are questioning, aren't going post confidential information on their Myspace page. Seriously.

It makes you wonder why the Pentagon is so worried all of a sudden.
I mean, I have no idea why soldiers would be upset.

The NPR article is here, and it includes links to Mathew's and other milblogs.