Oops! Government blocks troops from BBC and NPR

[madfloridian]

This is from a friend here with a son in Baghdad. This is scary and makes me furious.

QUOTE: "I was just talking with my son in Baghdad. He said that the TV was locked up by the military leaders so that the troops could not watch BBC news. Also, the military leaders have blocked NPR from the satalitte communications system. They can listen to VOA - a US government financed news radio. Such great decisions must come from the top administration leaders of our government."

This guy is honest and truthful. You can trust what he says. I will not post his name.

[bahrbearian]

1. Yes but we're bringing Freedom to Iraq.

[uhhuh]

16. I See You Don't Understand

The nature of freedom.

You see, freedom, unlike oil, is a finite resource. If you give some to Iraqis, you have to get it from somewhere else. Since we used to have lots of it here in the U.S.A., it is the easiest place to mine freedom from.

We owe it to the Iraqis to give them a lot of our freedom. As compassionate Americans, we should be happy to give them ours, since we have had it for so long. They need it.

That's why we need to open up ANWR to exploration. There isn't much oil there really, but there's tons of freedom just waiting to be dug up.

If the troops get to listen to a free press, they are using up some of the freedom we are trying to get shipped to the Iraqi people. That wouldn't be fair now, would it?

( A message from the idiot pretender in Crawford, and the White House sometimes when he can't sneak out.)

[bahrbearian]

23. I see now !

We open the ANWR and give some Freedom of the consumer, to the Developer, who Like Haliburton and can pass some of that Freedom on to another country like Iran ,Syria or maybe Saudi Arabia

[Pastiche423]

31. Now I understand

Just like many people are awakening to "peak oil", we all must open our eyes wide to "peak freedom".

When I listened and read about the atrocities perpetrated by our troops, I was too naive to underdstand about our low reserves of freedom.

Yah, it all makes sense now.

:silly: :silly: :silly:

[flpoljunkie]

2. This will come back to bite them in the ass.

You can be sure of that.

[against all enemies]

3. Must make sure the troops vote Republican!

They can only be allowed to see "Bush is great news". remember the last recount, overseas military were the difference.

[dae]

4. This just keeps getting worse, those bastards will never learn. They are

as deluded as the damn Nazis right up to the end.

[madfloridian]

5. Here is letter to the editor by the father not long ago.

Not posting the link, as I don't want his son in trouble.

SNIP..."From the newspapers, TV, Internet and radio, I learned that these Americans were employees of an American contractor named Blackwater Security Consulting, located in Moyock, N.C. Although I am horrified by the nature of their deaths, I am also concerned as to why our government is employing civilian mercenaries in a U.S.-military war zone. According to the news reports, these mercenaries are being paid more than $500 per day to provide military security for the United States Army. This must be very disturbing to our military personnel in Iraq because their average pay is $70 per day.

No wonder "Senior American commanders and Pentagon officials are warning of an exodus of the military's most seasoned members of Special Operations to higher-paying civilian security jobs in places like Baghdad and Kabul, just as they are playing an increasingly pivotal role in combating terror and helping conduct nation-building operations worldwide" as reported in The New York Times on March 29.

"Support our troops" sounds patriotic, but I do not understand why our government, after recently reducing the combat pay and cutting the veteran benefits for "our troops," hires mercenaries -- and at exorbitant costs....."

[madfloridian]

6. Has this been known? So little outrage it must be common knowledge.

I had not heard it. Can anyone else verify?

[madfloridian]

7. Now I find this post about blocking email to the troops.

I am totally amazed this was responded to so little. Censoring what the troops see is alarming enough. I found this posted at the DFA blog just now.
SNIP..."Shutting Down Troops' Private Email

Trying to silence those who want to speak out about Gen. Sanchez and prisoner abuse?

"DefenseWatch magazine has received several tips that the Defense Department is preparing to shut down private email service for troops deployed in Southwest Asia by ordering Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown, & Root to pull the plug on private electronic communications for at least 90 days. Anyone with knowledge of this alleged plan is urged to contact DefenseWatch Editor Ed Offley."

So I thought I would post this and kick the thread one more time.

[Columbia]

15. Highly doubtful

E-mail is one of the only ways for communication between servicemembers deployed and their loved ones back home. I sincerely doubt that they would pull the plug on this. One caveat however, during sensitive operations, there will be communications blackouts for operational security reasons. These can last for hours or a few days. Someone might have got wind of one of these blackouts and just exaggerated it a bit to make a story. I wouldn't put too much stock in it.

[ngGale]

18. Not everybody gets to E-mail especially when...

they don't want anyone to know where they are. E-mail is the last thing they would want access to, they may get some real news. Now the military is becoming a prisoner, that's against the Constitution.
They will be sitting ducks or brainwashed, or both. Stepped up violence from a reason they won't know. That can be a security problem and put our military at risk. Keep them in the dark. NOT!

[Columbia]

19. Huh?

Is it too late for me to understand you or too late for you to make sense? Probably me.

[progressivebydesign]

34. Check out the post about it (a few posts down).

Halliburton has cut off most email connection for the troops for 90 days. Halliburton runs the show... apparently.

[madfloridian]

8. Looks like they stopped the email on the 9th of May.

So I guess this was already known.

http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=49019&Disp=11&Trace=on

Scary.

[Alerter_]

9. Bush considers the troops "opposition players"

The troops are a political liability to the Bush regime. They are cut off from any mainstream media except FOX and Rush Limbaugh.

[madfloridian]

10. Have they been doing that all along?

Have they cut email before and I did not know about it? Apparently my friend's son has been getting NPR and BBC, but soon won't. I knew FOX was beamed there in lieu of CNN, but did not realize they were being so isolated.

[Hubert Flottz]

21. The Nazis did the same kind of shit!

Cut off outside information to the fighting soldiers and installed political officers in every unit! Nazification 101!

[BiggJawn]

11. No NPR?

Why not? They don't want the troops hornied-up by listening to Cokie give Junior "Aural Sex" every Monday morning?

And since radio ops are now just glorified cell-phone operators, they can't get around A-farts and tune the stuff in on shortwave.

[Columbia]

17. Why would there be NPR in Iraq?

It being radio, it wouldn't be on satellite TV. And surely it does not have shortwave repeaters in Iraq.

And by the way, I resent that comment about radio operators. We are not just glorified cell-phone operators and we can turn in to shortwave.

[BiggJawn]

22. The original post said they had their NPR cut off

" Also, the military leaders have blocked NPR from the satalitte communications system."

Sorry you feel besmirched. My point was that today's RO's are just appliance operators compared to what they taught at Monmouth in the past. Nothing personal intended, just a comment on our society in general...

[madfloridian]

24. I get NPR on Sirius Satellite radio.

I got the mail from a friend who is intelligent and reliable. I really don't know whether the troops get or got NPR, but that is what his email said. I don't know.

I don't know the usual military procedures, I just was concerned because he was so upset after talking to his son.

[Columbia]

26. Sirius and XM don't broadcast to the ME

At least to my knowledge. We don't have receivers for them either.

[Arianrhod]

12. My sons just returned from Baghdad.

They said all news was blocked to them in the Green Zone. The only info they had access to was what was given them by the commander.

[T Bone]

13. But I assume they can still hear Rush piped in 3 hours a day or so?

Right wing drug addicts are probably permissable fare.

[Karenina]

20. Just tune into AFN

:toast:

[Columbia]

14. Funny

When I was over there we had access to CNN, BBC, and yes, FOXNews. No access was blocked. Heck, even if they wanted to block it, there is always BBC on shortwave you can listen to if you wanted (12095 and 11760 khz - wow, I still remember!). BBC always did cover a little too much "football" for my taste though. Fairly decent news besides that.

On edit - I forgot about NPR. I don't think NPR broadcasts on satellite TV or shortwave radio, so we never did get NPR.

[madfloridian]

25. Yes, NPR is on satellite radio.

I don't know what they get in Iraq. Was quoting my friend's email.

[Columbia]

27. No satellite radio, just TV

[hedda_foil]

30. NPR has been part of Armed Forces Radio.

So has BBC. It sounds to me like they've been cut out of the programming ... leaving the troops with Rush and Fox News only.

[Columbia]

32. AFN doesn't broadcast shortwave to the ME

Transmitter Location Band Daytime Evening
Key West, FL Upper Side Band 12133.5 kHz and 5446.5 kHz 12133.5 kHz and 5446.5 kHz kHz
RR, Puerto Rico Upper Side Band 7507.0 kHz 7507.0 kHz
Guam (Barrigada) Upper Side Band 13362.0 kHz 5765.0 kHz
Diego Garcia Upper Side Band 12579.0 kHz 4319.0 kHz
Keflavik, Iceland Upper Side Band 10320.0 kHz 6350.0 kHz
Pearl Harbor, HI Upper Side Band 10320.0 kHz 6350.0 kHz

http://www.npr.org/worldwide/shortwave.html

[dusty64]

28. Outrageous

and UnAmerican, why am I NOT surprised.

[dusty64]

29. Outrageous

and UnAmerican, why am I NOT surprised.

[peacetalksforall]

33. We only export democracy...we don't practice it anymore.