GMontag's Journal: Kos catches a Fairbanksing. Bonus: Other News

The DailyKos spotted some fairbanksing in the New York Times. Seems that the journalism department at Yale does not bother teaching that one should actually read a book before reviewing it. The NYT editorial staff does not seem to require that level of detail for 1000 word articles either.

Here is another take on the article and the author of the book has a few things to say too.

Like I said before, The New Republic has their new Stephen Glass. Now The New York Times has their new Jayson Blair. Bonus: both writers in the same body! One could also say that The Examiner has had it's own Eve Fairbanks for several months since the Big Shame in a Small World story.

Update: another Kos article that mentions fairbanksing.

This comment captures my meaning when I wrote the definition of fairbanksing:

"A gratuitous fabrication in a story when the truth would have served just fine...."

Reminds me of an old southern saying; She'd climb a tree to tell a lie, when she could stand on the ground and tell the truth.

by alex valgus

In other news . . .

I am going to be in training for the next few days for a project in Asia. More specifically, the Orient portion of Asia but not in a country that begins with an "I". Yes, that is cryptic and true, because I don't want my mom to kill me for going :)

Seems that I am the only person who has passed the interview process and accepted the job. I still don't know what the pay package is yet, but I know the people who figure those things out and they told me that it is a lot better than what I was expecting. Will see today or so.

At the end of this month I have to go to Georgia for training from the military (sort of like contractor basic-training) and then off to The Orient! My 'bloggin will be on the decline until I get settled in.

A few days ago I saw the author of "Blackwater" on C-SPAN's Booknotes. Now, I don't know if he was accurate or not about the specific things about Blackwater the defense contractor, but he sure was full of crap about everything else.

He repeatedly stated that the military people in Iraq and Afghanistan make about $40,000/year while they are there, but the Blackwater contractors make (sometimes qualified with "up to") "$1000/day tax free". For one thing, the military people are tax free while they are over there, no limits, no minimums. Just ask RedWarrior if you don't believe me. The contractors must stay overseas for a minimum of 330 days in a 365 day period to get their $82,450 income tax break. That is, the first 82.45 days are income tax free, and I doubt the low guy on the squad gets $1000/day anyway.

I have not looked at a pay scale lately, but the military guys who make $40,000 or more including all pay and allowances, incentives, special pay, etc. is pretty much anybody and if you got promoted once you make more. I would guess that the Privates and Specialists get paid better than the KBR/Halliberton chow line people. The Blackwater guys are the ones getting shot down in helicopters and hung from bridges.

The author was also trying to further the myth that contractors are not covered by any US law, then he backtracked, then forwardes the same nonsense. Here is some news for folks. Any time anybody is on a military facility they are covered by the UCMJ and most installation commanders incorporate the UCMJ into the installation rules/regulations to make it "extra applicable". Since Blackwater is usually under State Department contracts, they are covered by US law the same way a State Department employee is covered when in a war zone, or anywhere else.

Perhaps he got something right in his book, but of the things I am familiar with, he did not get any of that right.