Sick of wingnut attacks, the Baghdad Diarist outs himself

[CatWoman]

Baghdad Diarist Sheds His Pseudonym
By: Nicole Belle on Sunday, July 29th, 2007 at 3:45 PM - PDT

Since the wingnut blogs are scrambling to try to discredit him, good for Scott for coming out from the shadows. Will he get apologies for all the ugliness they’ve thrown at him? I don’t think so either…

The decision of an Army private who has been writing anonymously for The New Republic to reveal his identity has not quieted critics at the rival Weekly Standard who continue to question the accuracy of the soldier’s deeply critical accounts from Iraq.

The statement from Scott Thomas Beauchamp on tnr.com.The soldier, Scott Thomas Beauchamp, a member of Company A, 1/18 Infantry, Second Brigade Combat Team of the First Infantry Division, posted a statement Thursday on The New Republic’s Web site (tnr.com) saying, “It’s been maddening, to say the least, to see the plausibility of events that I witnessed questioned by people who have never served in Iraq.”

Private Beauchamp, who wrote “Baghdad Diarist” under the pseudonym Scott Thomas, said: “My Diarist, ‘Shock Troops,’ and the two other pieces I wrote for The New Republic have stirred more controversy than I could ever have anticipated. They were written under a pseudonym because I wanted to write honestly about my experiences, without fear of reprisal. Unfortunately, my pseudonym has caused confusion.”

Private Beauchamp recounted some grotesque incidents in his columns, including his own mocking of a woman disfigured by the war and accounts of a soldier who took joy in running over a dog in a Bradley fighting vehicle and another who found the top of a child’s skull and wore it on his head as a joke.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/29/baghdad-diarist-sheds-his-pseudonym/

[Solo_in_MD]

1. He may also be in trouble with the army

he has broken any number of regulations

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cynatnite]

4. He may be in trouble for not reporting those incidents...

to the proper military authorities. Not only because of how bad incidents like those make them look, but also because there is a climate of not being willing to go to superiors in order to protect their buddy. If he is punished, I wouldn't be surprised if it's harsher than the norm because he reported to the public first before reporting to his superiors.

[ConsAreLiars]

5. Yup, whistleblowers are hated by fascist organizations.

You are probably right that the monsters will try to punish him.

[cynatnite]

6. That is not how whistleblowing works...

First you go to your superiors. If nothing happens, then you go outside of that to other authorities. If that and all other attempts to report these incidents failed...then you to the press or get it out in the public to garner support in hopes of stopping these awful incidents and the men involved punished.

Joe Darby, the soldier who received the torture pics at Abu Ghraib, reported to his superior first. Nothing happened. Then he went outside of that, but still did it within the military. He went to the Criminal Investigation Command. He is who I would consider a whistleblower and a hero.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cynatnite]

9. So is that what you call Joe Darby?

Did you know his life was threatened for going to the military authorities and giving them the Abu Ghraib pics? This was one of them:



Joe Darby was never charged with anything because he did his job by reporting what was going on there. Rumsfeld said his name in front of the world. His life was threatened and he was forced to move away from his hometown. Joe Darby is a hero and he didn't have to violate any military regs. The military investigated...not Joe Darby...but those who committed those horrific crimes.

Joe Darby complied (as you put it), yet you want to insult him, me and whoever else attempts to explain why the military works the way they do. I spent four years active duty and six years in the air guard. I've seen the good and the bad of it as with most organizations. Just as has many DU Vets has as well. (there are a lot of us here)

You want to insult us for attempting to educate others who may not understand why Joe Darby was not punished and why this soldier may be.

[ljm2002]

10. I'm thinking he is practicing journalism...

...rather than whistleblowing as such. That is, his purpose is not to reveal criminal acts, but instead to provide a picture of the brutal realities of this conflict from someone on the inside. It is more of a journalistic / literary endeavor. In the process he may have violated codes by not reporting things to his superiors. (Since no one else reported these things, either, the military should charge all of them or none of them.) This case hinges on free speech vs. military discipline. (Will the military tell him that, if he wanted to write about his experiences, he should have kept a diary for later publication? With the Pat Tillman case in the news, we see that a diary is vulnerable and may never see the light of day. Beauchamp, by being published in a timely fashion, has gotten his reporting out there, so good on him for that.)

[Solo_in_MD]

11. Where did I say that he was wrong or should be punished?

I just said that he had broken a number of the rules. I did this to point out the risk he was taking by outing himself. Many are not aware of the restricitions soliders are under.

[BlooInBloo]

3. Sadly No! has the full story, fwiw.

[Hamlette]

7. Sadlyno is my FAVORITE site, the stuff they had on this story was priceless:

1) WingNet accuses soldier/journalist of being an impostor.

2) WingNet proven wrong.

3) WingNet backfills, engages motorized goalposts, attacks with redoubled fury.

3.5) Developing: WingNet completely loses narrative; forms digital lynch mob; redefines success to mean utterly destroying the targeted person by any means available, short of leaving the safety of their heavily-farted computer chairs.

4) Upcoming: WingNet brags about triumphant victory over forces of anti-American calling-them-wrongness which are blatantly in league with the terrorists, enjoys brief period of tumescence, finds new victim.
http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/6588.html

I LOVED the "WingNet completely loses narrative; forms digital lynch mob".

I read this a couple of days ago and went back a couple of times just to laugh again. That site is run by some seriously smart, funny dudes. You should read it everyday.