Monday, December 12, 2005

Christian Lowe in Iraq

Don't miss his post on life with IEDs. Some of the best reporting you'll ever read from Iraq; you'll think you're there and then be thankful you're not.
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

JL,
Interesting blog but had a few comments. I'll start by saying the guy gets props for not only going to Iraq but for leaving Baghdad and going to an FOB and going on missions. And no, I haven't. Having said that, I wasn't impressed with this guy at all. Yes, he is in a war zone but he seems to worry about stuff overmuch. I bet the soldiers he's with are happy that he doesn't have a weapon because he'd freak at the first "twig snapping" and probably shoot one or more of his own.
His bias is also readily evident when he makes comments about liking CNN and not Fox News and when he says "People are everywhere. Kids are waving. You could get fooled into thinking that the Iraqis in this town wanted us here. But you’d be a fool to think that.". The Iraqis DO, the Irhadeen don't.
Sorry to seem so harsh on the guy but...
Dean

2:16 PM
Dean Barnett said...

Just for the record, the above obnoxious comment is not mine.

A loser who claims someone in a war zone worries to much - even by blogosphere standards, that's pathetic.

2:38 PM
Anonymous said...

Dean,
Thanks for the feedback. Just wanted to give a little background (explanation not excuses). I thought long and hard about the comment before I posted. I actually read all of his posts about his latest trip to Iraq before commenting. And I thought long and hard about that part of the comment and did almost leave it out.
I don't have a problem with him worrying, as you and I noted, he is in a war zone. What bothered (not sure that is the right word but it's the best I can think of right now) me is that he seemed fixated on worrying the entire time he has been there this time. His posts alluded to him being there back in 2003 and he may have been equating the way things were then with how they are now. He seemed not cautious but scared. And that's where my comment about him not having a gun came from. I guess what I was trying to say was that sometimes worrying too much is worse than not worrying at all. Moderation is the key in life. I also hope no one thought I was questioning this guy's bravery since as scared as he appeared to me, it took some guts to still go out and do his job.
Not the nicest thing I've ever written, and sadly, not the meanest. I still stand by the comments I made about his bias.

I hope this explains things a little better. If you (and the rest of the Galley Slaves faithful) still think of me as a loser, I'm OK with that.

Dean
Mpls, MN

4:57 PM
Dean Barnett said...

It explains it a little better, although an apology for your intemperate remark would have been far preferable.

I had a friend several years ago who was terminally ill. He was also really ugly. He was homely before he got sick, but after...

I never mentioned his unappealing appearance to him or his loved ones because to do so would have been gratuitously mean, ridiculously ill-mannered and hopelessly obtuse. The following might surprise you but it's true -every thought that we have needn't be shared with the world at large.

So you've determined that a guy who volunteered to go to a war zone to provide desperately needed fair coverage (Lowe is an ardent conservative, fwiw - he writes for the Weekly Standard)worries "overmuch" and that he'd "freak at the first twig snapping." In other words, you question his steeliness under fire while you engage in the Battle of Minneapolis.

To make such a conclusion is your right. But sharing that conclusion with the world in a public forum?

I guess "loser" wasn't the right word and perhaps unduly harsh. But "schmuck" sure seems to fit the bill.

6:53 PM
Anonymous said...

Everyone,
I've spent part of the day corresponding with Dean Barnett about my original and follow up comment. He has been helpful in showing me the error of my ways. For that I thank him. I've also done a lot of thinking. I'm going to take his advice since it's good advice and it's the right thing to do.
My comment about Christian was mean and for that I apologize to him and everyone affected by it(readers, his wife, etc.). I'd say more but it would sound like I was trying to rationalize my comment and quite frankly, I cannot.
I apologize for any embarassment suffered by Dean Barnett caused by my only identifying myself as Dean in my original comment. I corrected that in my second post so people would know it was not him. I only know Dean through reading his soxblog and from a few emails but he has always seemed to be a good, smart, caring person.
I don't see a way to remove my first two comments. Galley Slavers, you may feel free to remove them if you wish.

Once again, my apologies
Dean
Mpls, MN

9:42 PM

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