Welcome to the US Message Board Community Newsletter
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Today's Date is: 11-16-2003. This newsletter covers activity since 10-26-2003.
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"Jessica Lynch" by Dan - Member since 8/03
There's been a lot of talk in the country this week about Jessica Lynch, the army private whose capture and eventual rescue became the first human issue story to come from the war in Iraq. This week, Lynch returned to the media's eye as she has spoken out against the dramatization of her ordeal.
Among other things, Lynch stated that the military's report of her capture, a one woman against an entire army story that would seem at home in a Schwarzenegger movie, was greatly exagerrated. Further, she reported that Iraqi doctors actually donated blood to keep her alive.
One must wonder what implications these reports have on the state of our government and military intelligence. I'm a firm believer that we the people don't need to know everything that our military is doing, especially during war times. However, my immediate reaction for this situation is that the information was obviously skewed to promote patriotism and in an attempt to gain support for our war efforts. It's not much different from the anti-Japanese and German propaganda films made during World War II, only in this case, the life of one particular person has been somewhat exploited.
Which is not to say that Lynch is an innocent victim in all of this. She came out against the government only days before her book was released, a book which she recieved a reported six-figure sum for. Listen closely and you can hear the collective scoffs of all the staunch, Republican war-mongers in the country, outraged that someone would publicly say something
negative about our military, or perhaps just at the idea of a woman being in the military rather than in the kitchen.
Sure, she is biting the proverbial hand by lashing out against the people who have, for better or worse, made her a celebrity, but as a result, she has become a hero to free-speech supporters everywhere. Smut peddler Larry Flynt was so touched, he decided not to publish the nude photos of Lynch that he recently purchased (what a guy!).
Moreover, in our capitalist, me-me-me society, can one truly blame her for wanting to make some money? Her cashing in on a story that's not completely true is no less offensive than Britney Spears lip-syncing her way to the top of the charts, or Ashton Kutcher making money for "acting". In a society-obsessed culture that uses up then craps out its cultural icons at a
disturbing rate, Lynch may well have realized that her popularity isn't going to last, and decided to make some money off of it before she went the way of Elizabeth Smart or the Pennsylvania miners. It's a sad but utterly American truth, if given the opportunity to become famous for a day and make some extra money, no matter how dishonest, most of us would probably jump at the opportunity.
As I said earlier, we all know Jessica Lynch isn't going to be in the public's eye for too long. Was the military wrong to lie? Yes, definitely. Was she wrong to make money off of what she knew was wrong? I don't think so, but I'm sure there's some that do. Jessica Lynch is someone who saw an opportunity to get her fifteen minutes and took it, worrying only about the consequences later. Whether we like it or not, this is what now passes for an American hero.
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US MESSAGE BOARD FEATURED MEMBER OF THE MONTH
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This month's featured member is:
Isaac Brock
Isaac has been a member since the end of September. He doesn't have a high post count, but the content of his posts has him being heard louder and clearer than those with more posts. He has the ability of posting in a respectful & polite manner and his knowledge on the topics he participates in is second to none. Isaac is from Canada and has brought a unique perspective to our Canadian forum. He has single handedly changed my posting habits in that section with his straightforward, yet polite replies. I am both grateful and humbled by him.
Congratulations Isaac, and thanks for being a valuable member of the US Message Board Community!
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HOT TOPICS
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Threads with the most replies:
Title: "Speech from Majority Leader Tom DeLay" (posted 11-10-2003 by jimnyc)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=978
Title: "Partial Birth Abortion Ban" (posted 10-02-2003 by Gop_Jeff)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=481
Title: "Supreme Court to Decide Pledge Case" (posted 10-14-2003 by jimnyc)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=613
Title: "Domestic Terrorists" (posted 11-14-2003 by MtnBiker)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1036
Title: "Supreme Court to Decide Pledge Case" (posted 10-14-2003 by jimnyc)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=613
Title: "The Patriot Act" (posted 10-28-2003 by Gop_Jeff)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=797
Title: "New York City weirdos" (posted 11-10-2003 by lilcountriegal)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=976
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US MESSAGE BOARD STATISTICS
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Members: 349 (up 100)
Threads: 1015 (up 300)
Posts: 10,701 (up by 3,000 posts!)
Total hits since 10/26: 649,553
Unique visits since 11/26: 4,817
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Today's Date is: 11-16-2003. This newsletter covers activity since 10-26-2003.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Jessica Lynch" by Dan - Member since 8/03
There's been a lot of talk in the country this week about Jessica Lynch, the army private whose capture and eventual rescue became the first human issue story to come from the war in Iraq. This week, Lynch returned to the media's eye as she has spoken out against the dramatization of her ordeal.
Among other things, Lynch stated that the military's report of her capture, a one woman against an entire army story that would seem at home in a Schwarzenegger movie, was greatly exagerrated. Further, she reported that Iraqi doctors actually donated blood to keep her alive.
One must wonder what implications these reports have on the state of our government and military intelligence. I'm a firm believer that we the people don't need to know everything that our military is doing, especially during war times. However, my immediate reaction for this situation is that the information was obviously skewed to promote patriotism and in an attempt to gain support for our war efforts. It's not much different from the anti-Japanese and German propaganda films made during World War II, only in this case, the life of one particular person has been somewhat exploited.
Which is not to say that Lynch is an innocent victim in all of this. She came out against the government only days before her book was released, a book which she recieved a reported six-figure sum for. Listen closely and you can hear the collective scoffs of all the staunch, Republican war-mongers in the country, outraged that someone would publicly say something
negative about our military, or perhaps just at the idea of a woman being in the military rather than in the kitchen.
Sure, she is biting the proverbial hand by lashing out against the people who have, for better or worse, made her a celebrity, but as a result, she has become a hero to free-speech supporters everywhere. Smut peddler Larry Flynt was so touched, he decided not to publish the nude photos of Lynch that he recently purchased (what a guy!).
Moreover, in our capitalist, me-me-me society, can one truly blame her for wanting to make some money? Her cashing in on a story that's not completely true is no less offensive than Britney Spears lip-syncing her way to the top of the charts, or Ashton Kutcher making money for "acting". In a society-obsessed culture that uses up then craps out its cultural icons at a
disturbing rate, Lynch may well have realized that her popularity isn't going to last, and decided to make some money off of it before she went the way of Elizabeth Smart or the Pennsylvania miners. It's a sad but utterly American truth, if given the opportunity to become famous for a day and make some extra money, no matter how dishonest, most of us would probably jump at the opportunity.
As I said earlier, we all know Jessica Lynch isn't going to be in the public's eye for too long. Was the military wrong to lie? Yes, definitely. Was she wrong to make money off of what she knew was wrong? I don't think so, but I'm sure there's some that do. Jessica Lynch is someone who saw an opportunity to get her fifteen minutes and took it, worrying only about the consequences later. Whether we like it or not, this is what now passes for an American hero.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
US MESSAGE BOARD FEATURED MEMBER OF THE MONTH
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This month's featured member is:
Isaac Brock
Isaac has been a member since the end of September. He doesn't have a high post count, but the content of his posts has him being heard louder and clearer than those with more posts. He has the ability of posting in a respectful & polite manner and his knowledge on the topics he participates in is second to none. Isaac is from Canada and has brought a unique perspective to our Canadian forum. He has single handedly changed my posting habits in that section with his straightforward, yet polite replies. I am both grateful and humbled by him.
Congratulations Isaac, and thanks for being a valuable member of the US Message Board Community!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOT TOPICS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Threads with the most replies:
Title: "Speech from Majority Leader Tom DeLay" (posted 11-10-2003 by jimnyc)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=978
Title: "Partial Birth Abortion Ban" (posted 10-02-2003 by Gop_Jeff)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=481
Title: "Supreme Court to Decide Pledge Case" (posted 10-14-2003 by jimnyc)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=613
Title: "Domestic Terrorists" (posted 11-14-2003 by MtnBiker)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1036
Title: "Supreme Court to Decide Pledge Case" (posted 10-14-2003 by jimnyc)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=613
Title: "The Patriot Act" (posted 10-28-2003 by Gop_Jeff)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=797
Title: "New York City weirdos" (posted 11-10-2003 by lilcountriegal)
http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=976
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
US MESSAGE BOARD STATISTICS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Members: 349 (up 100)
Threads: 1015 (up 300)
Posts: 10,701 (up by 3,000 posts!)
Total hits since 10/26: 649,553
Unique visits since 11/26: 4,817
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