DEAD WOOD FLOATS, YAH?

If there is one word that I would not like to be associated with, it would be RENEGADE….worse if it was bestowed on me by associates or people who depended on me for succour, support or leadership in their hour of need.

I opened this blog in late January 2007 to support Jeff Ooi (Screenshots) and Ahiruddin Atan (Rocky Bru) when both were sued by by the New Straits Times. Subsequently, I walked beside Haris Ibrahim (People’s Parliament) when we launched the “NO BUY NO LIES” ( now, HARTAL MSM) in the first quarter of 2007. Since then I stopped subscription to both NST and the STAR. I remember at one forum I sat beside Datuk Kadir ex NST and I was wearing the yellow NO BUY NO LIES Tees. He remarked that he still buys the MSM as he has many cats in the house.

However I bought from the stands, NST on Tuesday and on Thursday, the STAR, to read Syed Nazri and Pandian respectively. I don’t read both now because they have lost what I always thought they had as senior journalists.  They are writing as if their job is to fill the pages between the ads. Who was it who warned: Seek the truth. Set it right, write tight.  


I now read Marina Mahathir (Wed) and Azmi Sharom (Thursday) online.

But since P Gunasegaram (formerly the Edge) broke into the Star I buy the tabloid on Friday which also has the Football pullout. I have always enjoyed Guna who has always subscribed to “feed the watchdog (the rakyat) and euthanize the lapdog” (no need to elaborate here.)

On Friday last his column did not appear! Was it because of this?  

 

Is there a parallel here in Colonel David Hunt, U.S. Army (Ret.),  military analyst and the author of the New York Times bestseller They Just Don’t Get It who had extensive operational experience in counter terrorism, special operations, and intelligence operations. He has trained the FBI and Special Forces in counterterrorism tactics, served as the security adviser to six different Olympic Games, testified as an expert at many major terrorist trials, and lectured at the CIA, the FBI, and the National Security Agency.  In his book ON THE HUNT he cited an instance when the top brass betrayed their soldiers.

Two great Special Forces soldiers, along with their team, tracked down a terrorist who was on the 10 Most Wanted list in Afghanistan. The Special Forces soldiers were operating under the much-hated rules of engagement, which said to capture or kill the bad guy, who was a bomb maker and terrorist leader. The soldiers followed this killer to his house/compound, used guile and trickery and lured the waste of life out of his lair and put a bullet in his head.

It was a perfect operation — a “Nice going guys,” high fives, take the day off, “Get ready for the next one,” type of operation. So how do you think our Special Forces soldiers were rewarded — or if not rewarded, treated — after this? THEY ARE BROUGHT TO TRIAL, INVESTIGATED AND FORCED TO SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR LAWYERS.

Can another parallel be drawn with this Star episode when the “General” seemingly compromised his “troops”.  No wonder blogs are re-purposing real journalism since 1997. It would be a sad day for the Mainstream if the true-blue hacks gave the finger to their bosses: I’d rather blog now…..thanks for those awful memories.”

Then what do you have remaining. Dead wood.

And Deadwood Just Floats along…….

FOLLOW-UP STORY HERE