Silencing Phillip Carter
I was distressed to read that Phillip Carter, author of the Intel Dump blog, received reactivation orders last Thursday. Phil's taken the news with characteristic class; well-wishers abound in the comments, hoping for the best for Phil.
What no-one seems to be saying, and Phil is obviously unable to say himself, is this: Is this payback? I don't know, but I'll say it, and I'll say that this administration and this military leadership will breath easier in the information vacuum his forced activation creates.
Phillip Carter has been one of the more outspoken critics of the military and of the government since leaving the active service. He's written clear and precise articles as an intelligent man who's been there and done it. He advocates the draft, and calls'em like he sees'em.
He advocates very effectively for positions that are highly inconvenient to the administration and to the military.
We all know that very large numbers of recently departed active service members are being reactivated as the military struggles to keep the necessary forces in place. Recruitment has suffered hugely; forcing the recently active to serve additional tours is very much the only option at this point.
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I can see how a reasonable
I can see how a reasonable person would think there was, well, perfidy, afoot in his reactivation, but I hope the thought didn't last long.
The vacuum created by his reactivation is similar to the vacuum created in the entertainment world when Miami Vice went off the air, and Philip Michael Thomas was never heard from again. One difference, and it's an important one, is that Phillip Carter adds much more to the mix than did Thomas, but I'd be far more concerned if he (Carter, not Thomas) were the only, or even the loudest critic of the military.
Another difference, also important, is the future return to broadcasting by Mr. Carter, which Mr. Thomas can't expect. I think that concerns about motive in his reactivation are better focused on its legitimately problematic need (as detailed in your last paragraph) rather than looking for potentially devious explanations.
Nonsense.
Nonsense.
The Army Brass obviously would not agree with some of his opinions. Personally, I disagree with his liberal lawyerish opinions on Gitmo. However, I doubt they have actually read his posts, then realized he’s an IRR Soldier available for recall to active duty, than acted on it. Too much effort for busy people. Too far fetched a way to silence a relatively unknown and mild critic.
I’m in the National Guard. Right now, any soldier going to the Individual Ready Reserve can expect to be recalled to active duty. It’s that simple. Mr. Carter had to know it was highly probable he would be called up.
As he said in his own post, if he did not want to serve in Iraq, he could have resigned his commission. Or, he could have joined a National Guard unit not currently scheduled to deploy.
Any way you look at it, he’s a volunteer and should be celebrated.
I'll point out that Phil
I'll point out that Phil Carter himself has indicated that his writings had nothing to do with his selection to go to Iraq, and everything to do with his set of qualifications.
Smoke with this administration usually means fire; I view their actions with (what I perceive to be) healthy suspicion.
Ross:
Ross:
Your suspicions have several visible attributes.
1. They're sometimes mildly irksome, in that you don't appear to have an alternate, non-suspicious, mode about the actions and motives of the current administration, in any area
2. Most often, your suspicions are based on debatable but reasonable extrapolations from observations of fact or act
3. Ipso fatso, they are, indeed, healthy suspicions, whether they're borne out or not.
But you knew that already. I just wanted you to know that I knew it, too.
Pick an area I shouldn't be
Pick an area I shouldn't be suspicious about, and we'll discuss ;)
I find it odd, Ross, that
I find it odd, Ross, that despite your healthy suspicion of government, you often advocate large-scale government solutions to problems.
Buckethead: If we had good,
Buckethead: If we had good, clean, enlightened Liberals like Paul Martin and his Québécois friends, big government solutions would work.