Back in 2006, Harris Interactive released poll results that indicate the military is the most trusted institution in America, with 47% saying they have a "great deal" of confidence in the military.
Coming in at the bottom? Law firms, Congress, organized labor, major corporations and...the press, which garnered a whopping 12% confidence rate.
This all makes sense when we read blog posts by reporters like Bobby Calvan from the Sacramento Bee, who is currently stationed in the Green Zone in Iraq. Blogger Doc Weasel preserved the post for posterity as Calvan ended up deleting the whole embarrassing thing (h/t Hot Air). Apparently, Calvan tried to re-enter the Green Zone after covering a press conference, but didn't have the required two forms of photo ID at the check point, and the soldier on duty was leery about letting Calvan back in. As a result of the soldier doing his job properly, Calvan got snitty. Here's a snippet:
With nothing to lose I decided to get pushy.
I asked him how he could not possibly know that Knight Ridder was one of the country’s largest newspaper chains. I told him that we’re bigger than the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times.
“I’m from Atlanta. I only know the Journal,” he said.
“I thought you said you also knew the Miami Herald,” I retorted.
“We’re bigger than the Journal,” I replied. “You never heard of Knight Ridder?”
He didn’t want to be embarrassed. He already looked irritated. He asked me if I knew the number of the military’s media office.
How silly of the soldier not to know of the now-defunct Knight-Ridder newspaper empire, much less McClatchy. I suppose he was too busy worrying about possible suicide bombers trying to get past him. But that's obviously not much excuse in the eyes of Calvan.
You simply must read the entire blog post to appreciate the arrogance of Calvan toward a man whose life is on the line each and every day trying to protect the lives of his comrades and civilians. And be sure to read the lengthy comments section. Not once have I ever seen such a long comment thread where everyone is in agreement about the topic at hand.
The media wonders why they are not trusted. This is a prime example: Why would we trust someone to write an impartial report about the war in Iraq and our military's handling of it when reporters like this show their disdain for the very men who will protect them no matter what?
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Calvan's Arrogance...
October 25, 2007 - 11:50 ET by Wildcatter1980...does not surprise me in the least. In fact, it is what I have come to expect from the drive-by MSM. They are lock-step in their points of view. The reason they have such disdain of the military (and think our service men and women are idiots) is because they feel that "smart" people would refuse to follow their order and not fight in Iraq and anywhere else that the far left wingnut netroots think the US military should not be. Of course, Calvan would want that soldier there post haste if his life was in jeopardy!
Just my $0.02
And had the soldier been a
October 25, 2007 - 12:00 ET by BruzillaAnd had the soldier been a nice guy, and let him through, the headline would have been "How Safe Is The Green Zone? Questions about security violations raise scrutiny." And Calvan would have been all over this kid, and how he was able to get into the green zone without the required ID, and how this was proof that the military is a failure, and blah, blah, blah.
Makes you wanna do the
October 25, 2007 - 12:01 ET by BDMakes you wanna do the 5-S's (Search, Silence, Secure, Safeguard, Speed to the rear) in the harshest manner allowed on him just for general purpose.
But unlike this idiot, the troops are too well trained for that....
Calvan is a liar.
October 25, 2007 - 12:05 ET by nofateHe says: "We showed our military-issued badges. Unbeknownst to us, we were supposed to be carrying an additional form of ID...He asked for a passport. I told him I didn’t have it on me. (The advice is to lock up your passport once in Baghdad and never take it out until departing.) He asked for another form of ID, and I replied that I didn’t have anything else."
There is no way I believe that this idiot did not go through a standard introduction as to how to behave and survive in Iraq, including how to deal with just such situations and what I.D. to carry at all times. Two forms of I.D. are pretty standard here in this country for many types of transactions, like entering a curfewed disaster area maybe(?), not to mention just going to a bank that you don't have an account with. Yet this fool thinks a soldier who could be dealing with a murderous terrorist at any time should let him pass the checkpoint based simply on his arrogantly stated word??!! I would like to hear from other reporters that have been over there and some of the military that have served at those checkpoints. I'll bet that this idiot is proven to be full of s**t! And the fact that he folded his blog just tends to prove that he has absolutely no ground to stand on. Kudos to the guys just doing their job.
"The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."
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I sometimes wonder if they
October 25, 2007 - 12:10 ET by bassndudeI sometimes wonder if they scower the country for morons to write for the papers. In this case, they found themselves a "gud un." Whats Calvin doing now? Still reporting? Or is he back to cleaning out the stables?
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
This lowlife
October 25, 2007 - 12:57 ET by hawkrock60I don't think there have been so many people simultaneously laughing at a single person on the Internet since the Star Wars Kid.