omg... Coming Jan. 10... "THE MILITARY CHANNEL"!!

[leftchick]

Imagine my surprise as I laid on my sofa at 5:00 AM, suffering flu symptoms and flipping channels. I stopped on Discovery Wings channel to watch a very good documentary about Glenn H. Curtiss when, cut to commercial..... Coming Jan. 10, 2005...


The Military Channel
By Rory O'Connor, MediaChannel.org

Posted on December 6, 2004, Printed on December 21, 2004
http://www.alternet.org/story/20677/

"America is a strange country. All of its best generals are journalists," Defense undersecretary Douglas J. Feith told the San Francisco Chronicle in recent interview.

Now the generals have their own cable channel.

As the Fourth Estate continues to morph into what General/Journalist Tommy Franks calls the "Fourth Front" in the ongoing and endless war on terror, and as the lines blur ever-further between military public affairs – disseminating accurate information to the media and the public – and psychological and information operations – using often-misleading information and propaganda to influence the outcome of a campaign or battle – the inevitable has finally happened.

The Military Channel.

How did it happen?

As the Hollywood Reporter aptly put it, "Discovery Wings Channel has been drafted."

That's right – Discovery Communications International (DCI), a media behemoth that boasts 60 networks representing 19 entertainment brands (including TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids, and, in partnership with the New York Times, the Discovery Times Channel) will "re-launch" its six-year-old Discovery Wings cabler next month as the Military Channel, focusing on all aspects of the armed forces, military strategies and personnel throughout the ages.

:puke: :puke: :puke:

[Ian David]

Don't lose hope just yet

Have you ever watched The Discovery Times channel?

If you do, you'll find a nearly endless parade of anti-Bush commentary.

[leftchick]

4. what is that?

I have never heard of it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. Digital cable

There's a whole slew of Discovery channels in that set.

[leftchick]

36. I have digital cable.

I must have missed that one. I don't really watch a lot of tv.

[Squatch]

1. Thank God!! Finally!

I was sick and tired of watching the "History of the Gun" and "Battlefield Detective" on the History channel. Now, I would love to see programs of a non-military nature on History.

Now, if they would only move all those home-improvement shows off of TLC.

[bryant69]

7. This history channel is basically the war channel

ANd you are right it sucks.

But I guess that's what people want.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[American Tragedy]

35. Maybe I'm alone in this, but I'm fascinated by the history of wars

especially since it has become rather topical. I wish more people had seen the two hour program on Western intervention in Mesopotamia.

[MessiahRp]

45. No you're not...

I totally dig the American Revolution stuff not because I love war but the details of how it came about and was planned was interesting to me. I also am interested in all the espionage related to World War II and such. Doesn't mean I want wars to happen though.

I happen to enjoy the History Channel though. I like having a place to learn about Alexander or King Arthur or Nostradamus. I like watching their Conspiracy Theory shows and like having a place to learn about what our current Government wants swept under the rug... historical information of any sort.

We have a President who is the antithesis of education, frankly having something to give us history lessons on a regular basis that keeps it entertaining is probably the best thing on TV.

And sure some of their programs are flawed, but not nearly as much as our Government approved textbooks in our school systems...

Rp

[Greylyn58]

47. I've Always Been Interested in the Civil and Revolutionary Wars

When I started researching my family history I took an interest in both wars as well as the Old West.

The Civil War is my particular specialty. So if they put out a channel were I could see more about it I would be very happy.

:bounce:

on edit: I like to watch Discovery Times Channel as well as History International that shows a lot of Medieval History as well as Greek and Roman history.

[Politicub]

56. I like the show 'Decisive Battles"

It's interesting to see how ancient armies fought.

It also demostrates the sheer folly and tragedy of war.

[rndmprsn]

40. agreed...

my old roomates called it the war channel...history channel int is a bit better...just a bit.

discovery/times has some interesting docs on it.

[bobedwards]

10. Nonsense!

You can't get any better than those History Channel shows about the various wars we've been in, especially WWII! :headbang:

[NuttyFluffers]

38. which they repeat over, and over, and over.... :P

i agree with my history professors in their little joke about History Channel in calling it the Hitler Channel. hard to find a week, let alone a day, when they aren't talking about WWII and/or Hitler. sat and watched it for several months and then i realized it's mostly repeats of the same topics. i saw more history watching the different PBS channels here.

[lostnfound]

13. Do you think they will take those shows OFF of the history channel?nt

[Squatch]

16. Here's to hoping they will

:toast:

[ProfessorGAC]

24. HI Shows On TLC

A pet peeve of mine too! That's fine, but it's practically all they show now. There are 3 or 4 on EVERY DAY! If someone is "learning" from that show, you would think they'd have learned everything they needed to know by now.

Hey TLC! How about a broader playlist?
The Professor

[Atlas Mugged]

37. That was my immediate hope

As loathesome as I find the idea of a channel devoted to all things destructive, at least it might let the Discovery channel go back to archaeology and science.

Now, if we're lucky, they'll start a Vegas channel so the Travel channel can go back to world wide travel.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

2. No big shock there

[HeeBGBz]

3. Propaganda Central

Turn off your tvs, there's a draft in here.

[leftchick]

5. at every commercial break on the DW channel....

there was a commercial for joining the Army Reserves! I suppose they are getting ready for the Jan. 10 rollout!

[JohnOneillsMemory]

53. The Recruitment Channel! Hardcore propaganda for bored teens.

"compelling, real-world stories of heroism, military strategy, technological breakthroughs and turning points in history."

"The Military Channel also provides access to military personnel and hardware, allowing viewers to experience and understand a world full of human drama, courage, innovation and long-held traditions."

THE RISE OF HITLER WAS AIDED BY US CORPORATIONS WHO OWN AND RUN THE US GOVERNMENT. THE ENDLESS FOOTAGE OF THE DEFEAT OF HITLER IS PROPAGANDA DESIGNED TO COVER THIS FACT UP AND CREATE COUNTERFEIT 'POLITICAL CAPITAL' FOR CONQUERING THE WORLD.

http://www.spiritone.com/~gdy52150/noon.html
(The Nazi Hydra in America)


"...you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt,
the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cudOf vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori."
(It is sweet and glorious to die for ones country)

-Wilfred Owen: Dulce et Decorum Est
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/owen1.html

[G_j]

6. I guess it was just a matter of time

:puke:

[TyeDye75]

8. You know in North Korea

One channel continously runs film of militery parades and demonstrations. A military channel if you will. hmmm.....

[leftchick]

9. hmmm indeed!

welcome to DU TyeDye75! :)

[TyeDye75]

26. Thanks

:hi: :hi: Ive been lurking for a while, finally signed up and clocked up 100 posts pretty quickly.

[VioletLake]

11. I'm surprised that it took them so long to get on the air.

They had a booth at a convention that I attended in in the late 90s. (I got a Military Channel teddy bear and posed for a photo with a howitzer. :crazy: )

[Walt Starr]

12. I honestly do not see why anybody has a problem with this

Like it or not, the history of "civilization" is a collective story of wars with a very few peaceful periods interjected between some wars.

This is a fact of life. Military history is vastly important to understand and most people forget it. This is why George Santayana's statement rings so true, "those who forget history are condemned to repeat it."

[BigMcLargehuge]

19. I agree with you Walt

as someone who actually likes to watch military documentaries and someone who believes that when we can actively dissect the past we can shape the future I am looking forward to the channel. I liked Discovery Wings too.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

54. The Recruiting Channel: Propaganda for Bored Teens. "Cool."

"compelling, real-world stories of heroism, military strategy, technological breakthroughs and turning points in history."

"The Military Channel also provides access to military personnel and hardware, allowing viewers to experience and understand a world full of human drama, courage, innovation and long-held traditions."

THE RISE OF HITLER WAS AIDED BY US CORPORATIONS WHO OWN AND RUN THE US GOVERNMENT. THE ENDLESS FOOTAGE OF THE DEFEAT OF HITLER IS PROPAGANDA DESIGNED TO COVER THIS FACT UP AND CREATE COUNTERFEIT 'POLITICAL CAPITAL' FOR CONQUERING THE WORLD.

http://www.spiritone.com/~gdy52150/noon.html
(The Nazi Hydra in America)


"...you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt,
the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cudOf vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori."
(It is sweet and glorious to die for ones country)

-Wilfred Owen: Dulce et Decorum Est
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/owen1.html

[GarySeven]

14. Christ!!! Why do you have a problem with this??

This knee-jerk, anti-military reaction we liberals have simply amazes me. The problem with the military in this country has never been the military, but the politicians who misuse the military power of the United States. May I respectfully point out that it was the U.S. Military that saved the world from global facism in the middle part of the last century? The liberalism which expanded in the last 50 years would not be possible without military strength, which is sometimes NECESSARY to defend liberalism. This is not to say that it has been misused in the past (as it is now) and that the military industrial complex forces politicians into wars rather than away from them, but let's not be so quick to indict or impugn the motives of the corps of soldiers who daily risk their lives in a cause to which too many of us liberals only pay lip service.

[leftchick]

15. read the link...

and perhaps you can figure out the reason for the alarm. I am decidedly not "anti-military"! I have friends and relatives who serve and have served and I am proud of them. I won't bother to explain the concerns if you won't read the link.

[GarySeven]

21. What concerns?

That this will be a propaganda vehicle? Can you think of any commercial TV broadcast that isn't a propaganda vehicle, selling products to cure problems that aren't really problems at all compared to those being faced by Third World nations. I invite you to read the responses to your post; I won't bother to explain mine to you if you won't read the responses.

[VioletLake]

22. Nice...

comparing selling war to selling (viagra?). That this will be a propaganda vehicle is indeed a concern. It's not just any propaganda vehicle.

That said, the idea of a military channel doesn't offend me. What offends me is the perversion of ideas that the RW engages in.

I'm offended by any attempts to present pro-war, pro-"military-industrial complex" propaganda as valuable information.

There is no shortage of people willing to spend their time watching infomercials about things like the "Bradley Fighting Vehicle." :eyes:

[leftchick]

23. exactly!

I am glad someone gets it!

[VioletLake]

25. I didn't mean to take your thread lightly with my first response.

Thanks for posting it.

:toast:

[LadyRaivan]

49. I have to agree...

...that it's not the military, but the politicians. We would have none of the freedoms that we enjoy today if not for the military, but it's disheartening to see the way they are used as pawns on the political chess board. However, there are many people who glorify the act of war, and I don't agree with that, either. It's something to be avoided at all costs, IMHO.

[burythehatchet]

17. I stopped watching History channel

when they started running programs which seemed oddly like they were instructing the viewer on battlefield strategy.

[mdhunter]

18. We already had the history channel filling this niche, no?

[leftchick]

20. yes... and apparently...

a few folks are not reading the link and understanding the potential ramifications. :eyes:

[TreasonousBastard]

27. Well, I actually read the article...

and it sure looks like this channel is going to end up as a propaganda arm for the Pentagon. At least that's this article's take on it.

War is good, the military must be supported and expanded since it's the fundamental, perhaps only, force protecting civilization.

War will be glorified, shiny medals shown off, the machinery of war will be praised as the summit of technology. Heros will be profiled.

I doubt much will be said about the extraordinary suffering of the Civil War, the fields in France that are still closed off from the massive amounts of blister gas remaining from WWI, the broken bodies and psychiatric cases hidden behind closed doors from all of our wars, the use of the military from everything from enforcing the White Man's Burden to saving the world for United Fruit...

Will Smedley Butler's speeches or Eisenhower's warning be showcased? I doubt it.

I also doubt that the screams of the wounded and dying, or their questions of why they are there will be heard.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

29. And will they show...

the way World War I set up the conditions for World War II in Europe? The lies that were used to justify the Vietnam War? The thousands of innocent people who were tortured and massacred in Central America by military forces being "advised" by the U.S.? The invasion of Grenada launched for no reason other than to teach uppity islands a lesson, and then totally bungled?

I don't think so.

Call me anti-military if you will, but I'm pretty knowledgeable about world history, and I can't think of a single military operation that the U.S. has been involved in since World War II (with the possible exception of the Korean War, and even that's not 100% non-controversial) that actually involved "defending freedom."

Eisenhower sending troops to to Lebanon? Nope. The Vietnam War? Nope. The "police action" in the Dominican Republic in 1965? Nope. The military advisors sent to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to teach repressive governments how to repress more efficiently and to make the region safe for sweatshops? Nope. The invasion of Grenada? Nope. The invasion of Panama to depose a former CIA asset? Nope. The action in Somalia, ostensibly to protect the NGOs working on famine relief? What was that really about anyway? Bombing an aspirin factory in Sudan? Huh? The wars in the former Yugoslavia? Maybe, but the European members of NATO took primary responsibility for that, as they should have.

The whole notion that our over-grown military force (large than the next several combined) exists to "protect freedom" is a nice fairy tale to tell gullible 18-year-olds as they sign up for the chance to be blown to bits and kill people who never did them any harm, but the historical record doesn't bear it out.

[TreasonousBastard]

30. Nope, nor will they...

analyze how our overblown military budget is sapping research and investment from the private sector. Japan and Europe are the civilian technological leaders now.

Probably won't make those comparisons throughout history that show that nations that diverted this huge part of the economy to the military eventually collapsed. One of the few exceptions was the British Empire, where the Royal Navy essentially paid for itself by protecting and enforcing trade-- similar to what we're doing with our military now. But, we're not making money on trade-- we're losing our shirts.

Don't look for a good story on how we and the Brits summarily evicted all the residents of Diego Garcia because it looked like a good place for a Navy base. Or an update on the residents of Bikini Atoll. Or, for that matter, stories on Agent Orange or breathing depleted uranium dust. Or any of the other massive medical and environmental disasters the military is responsible for. Just how many toxic, and otherwise forbidden to the rest of us, substances are in a Stealth fighter? When one goes down, you have to wear a moonsuit to inspect the damage. Unless you're a civilian in the country we're "saving."

And they'll never ask why it is so important to destroy Iraq in the name of freedom, security, or whatever, but completely ignore the Sudan and the rest of Africa where millions have died. Or live in refugee camps.

BTW, one adventure we've been in since Korea that seemed like a good idea was Clinton going in to Haiti. Of course, whether or not Clinton would have finished the job properly made no difference-- it was Clinton's idea, and therefore a horrible one, so he was forced to pull out before Haiti was properly stabilized.

[leftchick]

32. Thank you Both LL and TB....

you have both eloquently expressed for me why I posted this thread. Everything you each have said is true and quite frightening. People actually believe the propaganda our State Run TVs are spewing out at us and not actually looking at real history. This channel is indeed intended to be a propaganda arm of the Pentagon to further glorify and justify preemptive and imperialist wars.

[MisterP]

34. oh yes; right on the button, leftchick!

[Gabi Hayes]

39. coming soon:

the FBI channel

Tales of Homeland Security

the Office of Special Plans Channel

the PNAC Channel

the Spitz Channel

etc

[The Stranger]

31. It was a bright, cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen.

[UdoKier]

33. Thank goodness!

American society wasn't nearly militarized enough!


And I'm sure it will totally represent the viewpoint of the grunt soldier, not the brass and the military-industrial complex, right?

And I'm sure they'll give lots of time to military thinkers like Smedley Butler, right?

[otohara]

41. The Discovery/Time Channel = Propaganda Channel

talk about a load of crap this channel airs. There was one called "Saddam" which did not mention once that Saddam was very much an ally of US during Reagan/Bush. Nada about Bush lies - pure garbage

Way too much information coming from Judith Miller & Tom Friedman on this little collaboration.

[toddaa]

42. None of us have seen it...

And yet we're damned sure what the content will be like. Explain to me how this is different from people who criticize Michael Moore without seeing his movies.

If the channel doesn't take a predominantly American focus on military history, I'll probably watch it. I love military history.

[leftchick]

43. the previews we fabulous!

lots of bombs, flags and soldier smiles! :eyes:

[toddaa]

48. That's all?

No mention of Gustav Adolphus, Scipio Africanus, or Toyotomi Hideyoshi, eh?

[toddaa]

60. I stand corrected

Just saw the previews on the Web. It's rah rah war is great stuff. Discovery used to be cool.

[Jesus H. Christ]

57. I haven't seen Christmas with the Kranks either.

But I'm not going to, because something tells me that one's going to suck ass too.

[theboss]

44. I wonder if I can get them to replace Oxygen with this....

I actually probably have this channel somewhere in the nether regions of the 200s. I can hardly get excited about what the 17 Discovery Channels are doing.

[leftchick]

52. what a contrast...

to the newcomer EmpireWeAre's post below...:eyes:

[theboss]

58. Well, I'm funnier

That helps.

[EmpireWeAre]

46. This is kind of a rant, but

I’ve been holding this shit in for a long time.

The crazy thing is that most Americans are completely clueless to the fact that America is such a militaristic nation. We have no parades of our military hardware. We should.
The launching of a new submarine, aircraft carrier or missile is a non media event.
If most Americans really understood the military disparity between America and the rest of the world… would we be so cavalier in how we allow politicians to use our military?

If Bush Americans really understood our military power would the selling of the Iraq invasion have been so easy? I would hope not.

Did our media ever, even once, tell the public of the disgusting claim that a military midget like Iraq was a threat to this colossus? No, never.

Were we ever told that Iraq’s entire military budget couldn’t buy and maintain one, NOT ONE! of our B-2 bombers? Never.

Yet this mighty Iraqi army fought that military giant Iran for 8 years to a draw.
Wow! Watch out America, you’re next.

And my Pop Warner team can beat the Steelers.

These Discovery, TLC and History Channel shows are pure propaganda.

They’ll show all the pretty hardware and neat stuff but they never show the cost of war, they never give us raw facts. They will never show us what happens on the receiving end of one of our “smart bombs”.
Every American should see what just one 500lb bomb can do.
And we’re dropping these and much bigger bombs into residential neighborhoods.
I am sick with disgust; we’ve unleashed the most lethal military in human history on a helpless opponent.

Iraq was 60 years and trillions of dollars behind us militarily.

We don’t have large military parades for good reason. The parades would be hundreds of miles long and take weeks to complete.

Americans are not given numbers for good reason; our sense of fair play would put a damper on the aspirations of the greedy and powerful.

Is anyone naive enough to believe that our state of the art military isn’t acutely aware of kill to loss ratios in Iraq?
Try flashing those numbers in the crawls everyday and watch the support for this disgusting, illegal war drain away.
Lots of Americans are stupid but they know a blowout when they see one.

[leftchick]

51. wow! What a great post EmpireWeAre!

Thank you so much for your powerful insight. I look forward to many more of your posts!

Welcome to DU!
:toast:

[KnowerOfLogic]

50. Militarism is the new market brand; as if there was any doubt that america

has lost its soul and has descended into an Orwellian nightmare.

[secedeeconomically]

55. If it’s broadcasted in HDTV I’m there. lol

[Silverhair]

59. Wow. Neat. Good trailers at...

http://wings.discovery.com/convergence/military/military.html

I have satellite TV, hundreds of channels, so I will probably get it.