Will Jill Shill for Jihadis? UPDATED

Jill Carroll, the American reporter captured and whose fearful visage was featured in several jihadi videos, has been released unharmed. Not only that, the Foxnews reports that "... she had been treated well, despite the group threatening twice in videotapes to kill her. .." (Guess she forgot about them killing her translator... no threat to her mebbe. By the way, are threats of death defined as torture?)

Of course, the United Nations issued a statement of condemnation after "...human rights experts found that...(they)... failed to comply with international human rights and law of war obligations by detaining indefinitely and without charges..." whoops, sorry, that the statement from the UN group that didn't visit Gitmo.

Anyway. Back to Jill. According to the Foxnews report, a statement by her captors, the Revenge Brigade, declared "the loyal reporters are the friends and brothers of the mujhaideen, and their loud voice defends them (Mjahideen.)
"Jill Carol, go back in peace to your family and to your country, to tell them and to the American people what you saw and heard during these three months. You are a witness of the events here and we have full confidence in you that you will tell the truth without any falsification."

So.... Let's listen for her "loud voice" as she makes the rounds of the MSM talk shows, writes her book, and generally cashes in for keeping her head while in captivity, whacha wanna bet that this "loyal" reporter shows just what a friend of the mujahideen she really is?

I'd love to be wrong on this one.


UPDATE: 4/1/06 I was wrong on this. Gladly so. I guess my views had been colored by the recent release of the CPT hostages and their failure to speak out. According to a statement posted on Breitbart Ms Carroll has stated

"...Things that I was forced to say while captive are now being taken by some as an accurate reflection of my personal views. They are not. The people who kidnapped me and murdered Alan Enwiya are criminals, at best....

I also gave a TV interview to the Iraqi Islamic Party shortly after my release. ... fearing retribution from my captors, I did not speak freely. Out of fear I said I wasn't threatened. In fact, I was threatened many times.

...let me be clear: I abhor all who kidnap and murder civilians, and my captors are clearly guilty of both crimes..."



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Don't They Know Where I Am?

I read a sad post linked through Mudville. As angry as he is, it really touched me. Looks like a young guy. On deployment. And his old "friends" have forgotten to call or write. He says "....I go half way across the world, and I dont even hear from you, you dont even contact me, you dont even give support to those who are close to me, like my family, or Heather. ..." "...I thought that when I left for here, Id have a great group of people back home to come too, I was sorely mistaken...."

As someone who left home two weeks after HS graduation to join the Navy and see the world...then spent 22 years doing just that, I'm gonna offer some unsolicited advice.

I can remember feeling the same way on some early deployments. "Welcome to the club. You can never go back." Sure, someday soon God willing you'll return home. You'll see all your old friends from high school. Some stayed there. Some went to college. You'll go to the places that you used go together. And you'll talk about shit. You'll have stories about what you did on the other side of the world. Interesting stories about cool shit you did and places you saw. And as you talk, at some point you'll realize that they don't have a fucking clue. They can't imagine it at all. The boredom. The excitement. The loneliness. The cameraderie. The people. The languages. The poverty. The wealth. The filth. The spotless streets. The eerie sound of the call to prayer in a strange land. They just don't know. Their world is tiny compared to yours now.

As for wives... the good ones become your rock. Your base of operations. The one you come home to after a long deployment. The one whose love gets you through it. (I can remember few things I thought sadder than the guys who got off the plane and went home to an empty apartment.) She's the one who understands (even if she really doesn't). You'll find that with life in the service there are few mediocre marriages. They either break up under the pressure, or like a diamond, are hardened and made more precious by it.

God willing, you'll learn this on your own. You're different now. You're a sheepdog That doesn't mean the sheep are lesser beings. They're just....well... sheep. Accept it. Take pride in it.


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CBS TV: The UNIT - We're Finally the Good Guys

I liked this show. What? Liked something from Hollywood in 2006? Am I getting old? Have I lowered my standards?
I don't know, but I have been waiting for someone to come out with a show where we're the good guys. I can't remember the last time I saw an American character, good guy, cap a jihadi screaming Allahu Akbar in primetime. It's about time. We're at war. It's time Hollywood showed who the enemy is... and it's not Halliburton. Great juxtaposition with the wives. True. I was disappointed in the last scene where we find that the commander is nailing a subordinate's wife. It happens, yes, but is found out quickly and destroys careers. It happens, but isn't acceptable. The only proper way to finish that story line will be for him to get canned.

The whiny wife, the stoic-supportive wife, the slutty wife. Yep - those are all familiar territory. My wife (who was the stoic-supportive type) enjoyed seeing that angle.

Technical details... okay, they got stuff wrong... but hey, it's Hollywood and I was so thrilled to see US forces portrayed as the unambiguous good guys that I was willing to let em slide on that. Keep it up. Pull no punches.

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