Thank Heavens the Media is Honest!

Summary: Time magazine recently devoted a cover story to the assertion that evidence abounds that humans are causing global warming, without giving any evidence in the article to back up the assertion whatsoever. It’s a good thing that the media is otherwise completely honest; if not, reporting inaccuracies may have caused a multitude of problems in Iraq.

It was definitely an honest mistake. Time Magazine, in its April 3, 2006 cover story made the absolutely unbacked assertion that humanity is the cause of the bulk of global warming that is currently occurring on planet earth. Inside the article, no evidence was given that humanity is the cause of any global warming. Click here and click here for examples of actual evidence for historical global warming and cooling cycles, which I’m sure have since been brought to the attention of Time's editorial staff. I haven’t seen the retraction and apology yet from Time Inc, but I’m sure it will be quickly forthcoming. After all, Time and all other media outlets are, I’m certain, impeccable in their honesty and report only the truth to their subscribers.

It’s a good thing that the media is (except for this one, unusual case) honest in their reporting of what goes on in the world. I especially appreciated this when I and my brigade got to come home early from Iraq back in 2005; a major factor in all of the coalition forces coming home early, and Iraq being completely turned back to the Iraqis so quickly, was a result of the continually accurate reporting of the news media, which caused the insurgency to give up and either go back to their home countries or simply get on with their new, liberated, Iraqi lives.

The following are some of the facts that helped influence the insurgency to realize the hopelessness of their crusade:

• The preponderant majority of Americans support American troops in Iraq
• Humanitarian missions are conducted daily all over the country
• Infrastructure is much better than it was before America arrived
• Nearly all Iraqis are happy that Saddam has been deposed
• The number of civilian Iraqi casualties caused by coalition fire is much lower than originally feared
• Iraqis themselves are playing an increasing part as soldiers and police in the war on terror
  
• The preponderant majority of Iraqis was grateful for American support in the liberation of their country
• Each election or referendum in Iraq was an even greater resounding success than the previous one
  

It is to the media’s everlasting credit that they reported these facts consistently, despite the temptation that I’m sure sometimes occurred to report only the sensational, or to give a certain story a particular political slant. It would be particularly tempting to do this during an election year, if the media collectively believed that the wrong political party was in power.

In bygone times, the media might have only reported the truth when it was so obvious as to preclude any other option. Thank heavens for the honesty of today's American media.

A penchant for dishonesty would have been disastrous to the American cause in Iraq, and may have resulted in (a) far more insurgency-caused deaths and destruction of property, such as holy shrines, (b) a burgeoning United States debt, (c) a lack of trust and friendship between Sunni and Shia’ in Iraq, and (d) far more families--Iraqi and American--torn apart due to the violence and strain. The war and the insurgency may have even dragged on, perhaps clear into the year 2006. I am glad that the American media is always honest.

Serving in Iraq was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I made some lifelong friends. Someday I’d even like to bring my family back here to see where I served. Even though, it’s so good to be home again with my fam…

Boom! Boom! “Counterfire!!! Counterfire!!! Target XYZ, grid…”

Dammit! The explosions of war and the combat radio jar me back to reality from a very good daydream. I’m still here.

Is it too much, I think to myself as I finish my work shift, to imagine that one day my dream of media honesty can become a reality? That they can care enough to tell the news as it really is and not as they—for whatever reason—would like it to be? Then maybe I really could come back here someday to the free country of Iraq, as a tourist—with my family. And maybe I’d even be able look up some of those old friends.