Volume 2 Issue 46
April 7, 2003
Into Baghdad
The Allies take the cities, Reporters in the crossifre, and something you won't see in this week's K-Mart circular
This weekend, there were many stories on TV and in the papers about the deaths of two fine journalists. Mike Kelly was a old-fashioned print reporter, making his way through many newspapers, and a top-class magazine editor, having shaped the Atlantic Monthly into one of the best journals in the nation. David Bloom was a gifted TV reporter who often worked hard at the story, and that work ethic may have lead to his death from a blood clot, likely caused from riding in the confined environment of a tank. All across the media, deserved accolades are being paid to these chroniclers, both of whom were still young enough to make a marked impact on their fields for years to come.
Also over the weekend, Army Capt. James F. Adamouski of Springfield, Virginia was killed when the Black Hawk he was riding in went down over central Iraq. Adamouski was a West Point Graduate, who deployed to the Gulf just months after his wedding. No network has paid Adamouski any plaudits beyond a name on a scroll or a line in the newspaper. The Washington Post's story on him is just some 200 words long. Adamouski was due to attend the Harvard Business school next Fall, and then become a professor at West Point, a future where he could have made important contributions to society equaling those of Kelly and Bloom. But you won't see Adamouski on TV, other than a quick photo or name on a scroll, maybe while you're watching a report on the latest valiant reporter killed for the same reason...doing their job.
Of course, reporters who risk their lives to bring us the news about this war should be lauded, especially when one of them loses his life while doing it. And it is true that these reporters, because of their professions, do have a minor role in our lives, to the point where we recognize their name or faces. So perhaps it is good to show that war can affect us personally, at a time when so few of the ruling elite even know of soldiers in the armed forces, much less have a personal connection to one. For all the talk about the "cost" of war, maybe its good to see that "cost" from time to time. During the 2nd World War, the military banned photos of dead American soldiers, until mid-1943, when FDR decided that the population had become too complacent to war, and needed to be reminded of the costs. If that was necessary in a time when hundreds of Americans were dying each day, and the nation's economy was on a war footing, surely it is necessary today as well. But while reading about the reporters who have died, remember that so far in this war, for each of them, 50 American soldiers have died. Fifty parent's have lost children, children have lost parents, and others their spouses. While to many now war is just a more realistic video game, with small losses and amazing technological breakthroughs, it is important to remember that many people also give their lives in war, and it is worth considering still, even when things are going well, and the battle is almost won.
WAR NEWS:
In Baghdad: The US has taken parts of Baghdad, and announced it will be in the city to stay, picking off parts of the city one at a time -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/07/international/worldspecial /07CND-MILI.html
From inside a Presidential Palace the US has seized -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2924697.stm
WMD: US troops may have found the first real battle-ready chemical munitions near Baghdad Airport -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/07/international/worldspecial /07CND-CHEM.html
Saddam: What if he's taken alive?
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/5574716.htm
The Battle of Basra: The siege has ended, with British troops taking most of the town -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,5944-637558,00.html
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-iraq-basra.html
Chemical Ali: The General, one of the people on the US "hit list" was apparently killed at his home by a bomb raid -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1-637826,00.html
The End: How will we know when we've won?
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/06/international/worldspecial /06ASSE.html
The Congress: Two freshmen Representatives and their views on the war -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/05/national/05FRES.html
The first President Bush: While 41 of course supports the war, he and many of his advisers are still weary of the course US foreign policy has taken -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/07/national/07LETT.html
The Reporters: David Bloom of NBC died over the weekend in Iraq -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/04/06/sprj.irq.journalist.death/i ndex.html
An Appreciation -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43246-2003Apr6.html
Business Week reports that Bloom ignored medical advice from being in closed spaces for so long -
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/apr2003/nf200304 7_8783_db071.htm
More tributes for Michael Kelly, killed last week -
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=express&s=kellytributes04 0403
http://slate.msn.com/id/2081167/
Capt. James F. Adamouski, US Army, 29, Springfield, VA -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48789-2003Apr7.html
The Next War: Despite their claims to the contrary, looks like the Bushies are getting ready to go into Syria -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/06/international/worldspecial /06POLI.html
Gun Control and the Iraqis: Tim Noah recently wrote about how in Iraq almost every household has a gun, yet a police state still rules, which goes against one of the key arguments of the NRA and other gun defenders. Well, they've responded, but have yet to convince Noah -
http://slate.msn.com/id/2081185/
Speaking of Police States... Police in Oakland today fired rubber bullets at protesters. But missed. And hit longshoremen at the Port instead, injuring a group of them. When even longshoremen are questioning that use of violence...
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/07/national/07WIRE-FRIS.html
Onto the rest of the insanity...
The Outbreak: A good review of SARS to date, with some new information on how it started in China -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/07/science/sciencespecial/07S ARS.html
And a Chinese doctor apologized for holding back data for so long, data which could have helped stop the spread of the disease -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2919967.stm
The Economy, stupid: Can Bush fix the economy in time for the 2004 elections?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31614-2003Apr4.html
All Children Left Behind: A great look at what's wrong with DC's schools -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6160-2003Apr1.html
Look Who's Voting for President: Presidential Politics in New Hampshire is a different game, that can't be stated enough, as this article shows -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35713-2003Apr5.html
It's back! Limited engagement! Unburied from war news! The Bad John Edwards Photo of the Day!
Oh God John, when we called it "Hear it from the Heartland", we didn't mean we wanted to hear you sing!
Um...be careful with that: Scientists are trying to figure out how to move the Liberty Bell to its new home without destroying it -
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/5574720.htm
Who Wants to go to Jail? Three have been found guilty of cheating on the British version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1-638022,00.html
Eternal Rest and Blue Light Specials? A man's ashes were found on a shelf at a California K-Mart -
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2003/04/05/state0102EST0152.DTL&nl=fix
Don't they get privacy? If it's spring in Washington, it must be time to watch the panda's mate -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31777-2003Apr4.html
And in Philadelphia...: Buried in an ESPN story - According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, a hockey fight broke out in the centerfield seats at Veterans Stadium during the home opener April 4 against the Pirates. One of the combatants lost his balance and tumbled backward down at least a dozen concrete steps with his opponent. The crowd's "oohs and ahs" -- as catcher Mike Lieberthal later described it -- provided perverse rhythm to each bump.
Some things never change...have a great day!
