While correcting people on their use of a novel Internet label, “milblogger,” it would be wise to respect the established meaning of older terms, such as “academic.”

At the very least, the use of the term is misleading here, because it can suggest that Armstrong is an academic, which he is not. He does not work for any academic institution. The irony is that I do, and I have no hang ups about “blogging academically.”

Yep, well, that’s what satirists do. Poke holes in trends. (And truly, it is a bit strange to see those congressmen doing that during the State of the Union. The Washington Post also had a piece on it, which is probably where Jon picked it up.)

But the other side of it is that Jon really doesn’t use the net much as far as I can tell. I mean, he reads compulsively, but he’s the world’s worst e-mailer. As far as I can tell (and we’re just friends, not close friends) 9 times out of 10 he’ll call instead of e-mailing. In fact, now that I think of it, most of the e-mails that do get sent are actually sent by his assistant Beth, on his behalf. Which might also explain why he finds it strange.

They are, sadly, little more than flacks, and they’re not even very good at that. It’s like listening to a concerto played by somebody who is absolutes stone-cold tone deaf. Which is why, when people talk about a big “Pentagon” plan for counter-blogging (or propaganda, or whatever) I laugh.

As you note, most of what they put out is boring and unenlightening. Which, pathetically, is the norm in all actions by our various public affairs sections.

(Sidebar: The history of censorship and propaganda and the military-media relationship has actually been something in my “to do” list for at least half a decade. But, as with many large scale academic projects, it’s not really viable for me to pursue until I have the time to really pursue it for a manuscript. Plus, my planned endpoint is probably 1991, if I’m writing history, so it’ll be a few more years before the sources are really available on that period.)

Stewart is a friend of mine, but I admit that I don’t watch him that often. What has he been saying about Twitter?

Bob Bateman

I actually do follow as many of the military services as I can find in Twitter, as well as the various “COMs” (AFRICOM, etc.). I can’t say they have been very enlightening, or that they have said much at all in fact. I also followed the blog of the U.S.S. Kearsarge as it toured Central America and the Caribbean, and again, not much of personal interest to me — though there were quasi-comical instances of the wives of sailors pestering the Captain to specify when they would be back home.

(Just look at the near complete lack of any comments whatsoever.)

(I couldn’t “reply”, so I’ll backquote)

In re organized “Counter blogging” by “the Pentagon” (which I denied) you wrote:

“Air Force Releases ‘Counter-Blog’ Marching Orders
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/01/usaf-blog-respo.html ”

To which I reply, “Holy Crap!” And I read Noah’s stuff all the time, and periodically have too many beers with him. Don’t know how I missed that. You were right and I was wrong. But let’s put a qualifier on there to make it accurate, eh?

The US Air Force now, apparently, DOES have a “counter-blogging” function in its public affairs wing. (The caveat being that it is, at least so far, only the USAF. Not the whole DoD structure, and each of the services. So far as I can tell, they’re the only ones.) I’ll be interested to see if that backlashes on them. (The Army route was different, we opened our own blogs with comments areas. Sort of the inverse of the USAF approach. Again. I don’t know about USMC or USN at this point. DoD itself has no blogs other than one Public Affairs pablum site, which I don’t think is open for comments.)

Bob Bateman

Well, then let’s see, how about this for example?

Air Force Releases ‘Counter-Blog’ Marching Orders

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/01/usaf-blog-respo.html

I think you’re ascribing too much competence to the military with that ascertion about “counter bloggers.” That’s conspiracy theory stuff. Fact of the matter is that there is no central (or even decentralized) group or policy for “counter-blogging.” What brings people to your site, from Afghanistan, from Leavenworth, from DC and Ft. Hood, and dozens of other sites with military people assigned there…is the fact that you’re talking about something military people are interested in.

So, for example, if you were writing about military history of the interwar period (1918-1939), I’d see that pop up on my google-alerts, and I’d wander over here. If you were writing about open ocean sailing (looking for crew), I would also have seen that in a different alert, and wandered over here. If you were writing about windsurfing, or acrylic painting, or travelling in NE France…all of which are among my interests, I’d have wandered over here.

So you wrote about milbloggers (and I’ve explained some on that point), and you wrote about Iraq/Afghanistan, and people who are interested in those things are…well, people in the military and people in Iraq/Afghanistan.

(I know this is a delayed one, but I just spotted this.) (I don’t know if your position has changed in the past couple of weeks.)

Bob Bateman

These are all essentially war bloggers: strategy, public diplomacy (yikes! Joe Stalin is blushing at that one), defense, counterinsurgency, active duty, retired, policy analyst…all centered on warfare and U.S. dominance.

The question remains a valid one: why do they ignore sexual assaults and sexual harassment in the military, as if they never heard of it before?

That old story about the Scottish family making a roast of beef Child asks why the end is always hanging off the end of the roasting pan. Mum says: Go ask your grandmother, it’s a family tradition. Child asks grandmother, grandmother says :One year, years ago, I didn’t have a pan big enough for the roast..

Americans would be more likely to just buy a pan that fit. Canadians would be less inclinced to break with.. tradition. Even when the tradition, in the end, makes no sense. But it does have to with that uniquely “United Empire Loyalist” mindset.

I don’t see flags on the tombs of our Fields of Honour, unlike the US where they are everywhere. (now, maybe that’s changed, I mostly home confined re disabilities so.. don’t get out much ).

Canada and the US? very different.

When Bob Bateman posted these two comments,

March 3rd, 2:18pm:
http://openanthropology.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/some-breaking-news-on-the-human-terrain-system-death-threats/#comment-4128

and on March 11, 1:41pm:
http://openanthropology.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/the-teacher-is-not-your-friend-an-american-teaches-iraqi-police-about-loyalty-to-iraq/#comment-4349

he did so from an IP that I traced directly to the Pentagon.

So there he is, in some cubicle in the Pentagon, posting during regular working hours (although I imagine the Pentagon’s regular working hours are 24/7), coming on this blog to attack anyone who might have a critical view of U.S. military practice. Then in other posts he blames the civilians in charge, lest anyone might take a negative tone toward the troops.

Interesting. One wonders if this is regular Pentagon practice, to counter-blog, and to blame the civilians that the Constitution demands that they answer to (a rather impolitic statement to say the least).

I think I recall you commenting previously too, but I also believe I have seen a paper around the kinds of subjects you mentioned above that was sent to me (I can’t remember the details, and I have not yet had a chance to do anything more than skim the paper). The author’s name, if I remember, is somewhat similar to your name here.

Anyway, if you want, we can discuss further by email perhaps. Please feel free to contact me at max.forte@openanthropology.org.

Thanks for your observations here.

BTW I’m interested in blogging, social activism and discourse. I’ve been here before, left a comment I think, and I’ve been having a great time reading these threads. RWL’s catch 22 attempt here is great for my study. I’ll send you some of my stuff by email.