I am a little late to this issue due to a busy day and an internet connection which was less than stable all day.

Being the strong supporter of the United States Military that I am, I was dismayed and disappointed when I read several articles which stated that the US Army had literally put the heel of the boot on Military blogs. These blogs are a so important as they counter the bulk of the MSM and their negative take on any military action taken under this administration. Certainly there is an occasional positive article but to unearth it sometimes is rather difficult. When was the last story you read about the children we have saved or the schools rebuilt or the medical care we provide not only to our own but the Iraq and Afghanistan citizens and yes, even our enemies. We could go on and on but those of us who follow carefully know the successes.

The news from today was unsettling at best and I am hoping this article in the Washington Post casts a bit of a different light on these new regulations.

Please read past the typical heading on this piece to the meat of the article and an interview with Maj.Ray M. Ceralde.

Army Maj. Ray M. Ceralde, who worked on the new regulations, said Wednesday the intention of the 2007 rule is not to have soldiers clear every public posting with commanders.

“Not only is that impractical, but we are trusting the soldiers to protect critical information,” he said.

He said there is no effort to block soldiers from setting up or posting comments to blogs. “We’re not looking for them to seek approval each time a blog entry is posted,” Ceralde said.

The rules, he said, do not affect personal, private e-mails that soldiers send. “Soldiers have a right to private communications with their families,” he said.

Instead, Ceralde said, soldiers are expected to consult or clear with commanders when they start a blog, in part so they can be warned about information they cannot publish.

Ceralde said Army leaders wanted to emphasize the importance of maintaining operational security. Soldiers will be punished if they publicly reveal sensitive information, such as troop movements, planned raids, travel itineraries of senior leaders, or photographs of casualties, new technology or other material that could compromise their location.

The rules say solders can be charged with violating a lawful order under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The Military blogs I frequent have never, to my knowledge divulged any sensitive or operational information as the owners and writers know the consequences of doing so. Perhaps there have been those who have broken the law and they should be prosecuted but it makes no sense to penalize those who have been a positive voice for our soldiers and their mission. For better or for worse, we are in Iraq and Afghanistan and I pray that these words above will mean a continuation of the wonderful work these blogs have afforded those of us who are readers.

HT: Patterico for pointing to this WaPo article.

He has since also posted an update ..this is going to be a real hot potato and I hope the US Army is not the one to come out half baked.

Update: A take from a man who has been there. While I appreciate his entire piece, this drew my attention:

I’m sure this won’t be the last word on the subject. Some bloggers like Michelle Malkin have posted info on writing your congressman and other government officials, but I would suggest you not do that. We’ve got too many politicians running this war from the get go - that’s part of the problem - let them get it figured out.

Please let’s keep the politicians at bay. All owners of blogs should be concerned if they become involved as they will turn this issue like all others into endless hearings and sound bites.