This brat is sad and mad.:(

Tanker Bros latest post is a MUST read! As is the link on Blackfive site. Both deal with the latest clamp down by the US government to stifle milbloggerss. Now, I'm not a military insider BUT it seems to me that this move on the part of the higher ups, is counterproductive to winning the GWOT on the homefront. Tanker Bros has just posted that they are closing down their award-winning blog. As readers know, both of the Tanker Bros authors are back in the sandbox or imminently so. I have been a reader of Tanker Bros for quite some time now, and I hafta tell you...I have NEVER seen either of them even hint at OPSEC violations that would endanger their brothers and sisters in the sandbox. They just wouldn't - that simple.

I do have a question or two. Why is it that media like CNN can air outrageous footage of our guys, and other networks are allowed to fill the airwaves with bafflegab and bull*** that often endangers the lives of those in the sandbox, and yet soldiers in the field (or trenches or sandbox!), guys who REALLY know what is going on, are not allowed to share their observations? Unlike the msn, soldiers as bloggers have a vested interest in NOT divulging any information which might aid the enemy, or hurt their fellow soldiers.

Forgive my ramblings but all this seems wrong to me. A lot of us have come to rely on people like Tanker Bros posting their commonsense take on matters related to the GWOT. I refuse to read main stream media - and have for a while, because of the way 'news' is packaged.

Is the American chain of command so blind that they can't see how the bad guys manipulate not only the middle east media, but now seems capable of manipulating western media too?

Every milblog I have read - without exception - observes OPSEC, and shares a perspective that the msm cannot/will not grasp.

This GWOT depends on the populations of the participating countries supporting the troops. The msm has proved totally unwilling to show a balanced picture of what is going on in the sandbox. Milbloggers, boots on the ground, have stepped up and filled the void created by misinformation, media manipulation, and kept US informed.

They did this while always putting the safety and wellbeing of their brothers and sisters in arms above all else. If we, as readers are aware of this, respect this, why can't the powers that be that seem determined to clamp down, see this?

Milbloggers are one of the most powerful weapons the allies have in this war. They have proved their worth with every post. Patriots all, they know what the government and military seem determined to ignore. In THIS war, more than any other, the power of the 'pen' has a place alongside the power of the sword. When msm now depends on terrorist groups for footage, and the number of REAL journalists in the war zone is almost non-existant, to the point where their bosses slant whatever they CAN get, seems to me that milbloggers feed a real need for REAL information.

Tanker Bros ending their blog, and I forsee other bloggers following suit, signifies a sad turn of events.As more patriotic bloggers leave the table, a huge hole will be left in the information war. Okay - that's enough from me for now. I will have more to say another day, perhaps when I can be coherent.

Godspeed Tanker Bros - and thank you.......