Letters to the Editor
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With some hesitation...
I comment: Thanks for the article and the angry-grouch-o image of demented Col. Stevhen Boylan. Are they wonderful spokespersons imitating humans, or am I just amazed? It's amazement.
Amazement is amazed.
_
One day in early seventies I decided to turn off the news.
For seven years I did just that: tuned it all out. It was ill.
I never regretted it either.
An old pickup had no radio for fourteen years.
That's sounding not such a bad idea to me lately.
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Boylan is a Liar
a kool-aid drinking, Bush lap dog, and certified liar.
He needs to be removed from an position in the military.
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Vice - I don't think it means what you think it means
Thanks for the article, Farhad.
Why does Col. Boylan misuse the word "vice?" There are two examples of it in this piece. Doesn't he mean to use "versus?" Maybe he's just mangling the "vice versa" phrase, which would be incorrect in those sentences anyway. I normally presume that someone in PR has a good grasp of the Enlish language. Or is there some use of "vice" that I'm not familiar with (which is entirely possible).
I think we need Bebop-o's artistic input here.
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Usage
For Boylan, versus = vice. Maybe he's using a voice recognition program instead of typing, who knows.
For Farhad, disinterested = uninterested.
Sorry, just had to point that out.
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finding it hard to care?
Ok. Boylan is a loose cannon and a bad writer and maybe half-way crazy when it comes to responding to critics. Is it wrong for me to think that this isn't much of a story? When he becomes a liability for Petraeus won't they just replace him and Petraeus can maintain plausible deniability regarding the unhinged blog responses? I mean, what does the readership / editorship here at Salon think will happen as a result of this story, best case? Boylan will probably get replaced as spokesman, as he is far too aggressive & emotionally involved to dispassionately maintain press/public relations for his boss. If the goal of the press that's been devoted to this topic is to highlight the current administration's pettiness, dishonesty, or one of its other negative attributes, then I must say that Col. Boylan is too far down the chain of command, at least in the public consciousness, to be an adequate symbol of the administration & its flaws. I guess my overall point is that, if the story begins and ends with Boylan & there will be no real repercussions beyond him losing his position as spokesman & perhaps some slight embarrassment for Petraeus, then it seems like sorta small potatoes.
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Keep Pushing!
I have read all the stuff by GG on this subject, most of the comments, and now this. I am horrified by the amount of politicization in which he is engaging. Is this kind of behavior widespread in the military, notwithstanding his position as PR Spokesman? Says a lot about the caliber of our efforts in Iraq. Is he just the tip of the iceberg? Please, Salon, stay on this. This issue is much bigger than at first glance it may seem.
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Not stilted?
"Humphrey describes the fake Boylan's letters as "worded in rather stilted language" and missing key words. "It didn't seem like someone who had risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel would write like that."
Actually, that sounds like a pretty apt description of the e-mail that was sent to Greenwald.
That said, Boylan clearly wrote the thing, and is denying it because he is embarassed (and to be a pain in the ass).
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"vice" and another bit of military-writing trivia
When I was a lieutenant in the Air Force, I was struck by a couple crazy, widespread written-English quirks:
- The use of the word "vice" to mean something like "instead of".
- The substitution of the prefix "in-" for "en-". The two most common (95%+) substitutions in written American military English are "insure" instead of "ensure" and "indorse" instead of "endorse".
I could deal with the higher-than-usual use of acronyms and the passive voice, but "vice" and "in-" drove me nuts. "Short trip", I hear you retort. Guilty as charged.
--JMike
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Definition of "vice"
Well, there is this:
Vice Vi"ce, prep. [L., abl. of vicis change, turn. See Vicarious.]
In the place of; in the stead; as, A. B. was appointed postmaster vice C. D. resigned.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
He seems to use it rather frequently. See the Newshoggers interview, for instance.
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noj
Your response is exactly what Boylan and his superiors hope it will happen;that this issue will simply fade away. If his emails were broadcast in context on any of the MSM media, I think you would have a firestorm from the American public, because it will confirm the degree to which the administration and conservatives have politicized the military. That politicization is anathema to our Constitution and to our Democracy.
Here is evidence that Boylan plays favorites in his position as PR spokesman: giving interviews to those he perceives as sympathetic sources and attacking the views of those he perceives as anti-war. He is paid by us. We are entitled to his full respect. Again, is he emblematic of a far more widespread politicization in the upper ranks of our military? He is not a "nothing". Certainly, I believe, his actions have thus far been condoned by Petraeus, and that really concerns me. And, there is no question in my mind that he sent the emails in question. This is just part of the cover-up efforts.
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Word from Boylen's Boss?
What's does General Petraeus have to say on this issue?
The military has an obligation to always, without fail, remain apolitical under civilian control. Boylan's performance history, irrespective of this latest incident, does not meet that criterion.
Therefore, first of all, Boylan needs to be removed.
Secondly, his claims of identity theft and his disavowal of having written multiple emails bearing his email address and electronic signature must be investigated comprehensively in a timely manner and the results transparently reported to the public.
Third, General Petraeus must make a statement verbally and in writing committing to the accomplishment of the first two needs.
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noj, meet donnaquixote
... if the story begins and ends with Boylan & there will be no real repercussions beyond him losing his position as spokesman & perhaps some slight embarrassment for Petraeus, then it seems like sorta small potatoes.
-- noj
Wednesday, October 31, 2007 11:39 AM
As donnaquixote points out, exposing Boylan's emails begins to expose the massive and unconstitutional politicization of the military carried out by the Usurper and Darth and his minions.
At every turn, through every event, every disaster, every death, the theme remains constant: determined gutting of the Rule of Law, Balance of Powers, Representative Government, and the Civil and Human Rights of Citizens.
That's why Boylan's petty stupidity matters; it illuminates the real crime.