Eminent Domain Stuff
New London Update (2/24/06)
Bad NLDC!
Coverage of the Rally at New London's City Hall (w/ pics)
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
PR Or Psy-Ops?
Check out this story:
To me, the question is whether mixing the two will save American lives. I don't particularly care who in the world trusts us, unless distrust leads to Americans (military or civilian) being injured or killed.
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WASHINGTON — On the evening of Oct. 14, a young Marine spokesman near Fallouja appeared on CNN and made a dramatic announcement.I am somewhat torn on this matter. In the short term, blending PR and Psy-Ops and using news outlets to dupe the enemy will almost certainly save American lives. Over the long term, however, such actions will almost certainly hurt our government's credibility with respect to the dissemination of factual information.
"Troops crossed the line of departure," 1st Lt. Lyle Gilbert declared, using a common military expression signaling the start of a major campaign. "It's going to be a long night." CNN, which had been alerted to expect a major news development, reported that the long-awaited offensive to retake the Iraqi city of Fallouja had begun.
In fact, the Fallouja offensive would not kick off for another three weeks. Gilbert's carefully worded announcement was an elaborate psychological operation — or "psy-op" — intended to dupe insurgents in Fallouja and allow U.S. commanders to see how guerrillas would react if they believed U.S. troops were entering the city, according to several Pentagon officials.
To me, the question is whether mixing the two will save American lives. I don't particularly care who in the world trusts us, unless distrust leads to Americans (military or civilian) being injured or killed.
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