On 12 December, Ann Scott Tyson of the Washington Post put out a story on an American Special Forces unit in Afghanistan that prevailed against overwhelming odds in a desperate battle against heavily-armed insurgents. The story was also covered by the Associated Press, and the AP story was posted on the FoxNews website. If you rely on other media for information about the world, you probably missed it.

The battle took place in early April when twelve army Green Berets from the 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Special Forces Group and a few dozen allies from the 201st Afghan Commando Battalion were inserted by helicopters onto a 10,000 foot peak in northeast Afghanistan’s remote Nuristan province. Their target was the village stronghold of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin militant group–previously thought unreachable by Allied forces.

The American Green Berets and their Afghan allies were immediately taken under fire. The enemy were more numerous than expected, armed with automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades, and occupied fortified positions on all sides of our troops, including some that were 1000 feet above them. The Special Forces team was caught in the open, surrounded, and was fired upon from all sides.

Nevertheless, the Americans and Afghans never lost their nerve or their resourcefulness, maintained good fire discipline and employed sound tactics. In the ensuing seven hour battle, the team was nearly overrun more than once, they nearly exhausted their ammunition, and were aided by friendly air support dropping 2000-pound bombs dangerously close to their position.

The team fought their way downhill through murderous fire, carrying their wounded to a streambed where the first medevac helicopter was driven away by enemy fire. The wounded were evacuated on a second helicopter that landed in midstream, and the rest of the team was extracted by subsequent helicopters. Two Afghan commandos were killed, and fifteen of the group were wounded, including four critical injuries among the Green Berets. The enemy’s losses were estimated to be 150 to 200.

For their valor in this two mile high battle, ten of the twelve Green Berets in the unit were awarded Silver Stars, the army’s third-highest decoration. No unit of elite troops has earned such a quantity of the decorations in a single action since Vietnam.

The story went out on 12 December, as mentioned above. There was no mention of it on the websites of the Los Angeles Times, New York Times or MSNBC.

Once, in an alternate universe known as the mid-20th Century, feats of courage, sacrifice and heroism in combat were honored by our news media. Victories were celebrated, and the men who won them were lauded. I believe Americans still want to hear about soldiers like Staff Sgt. Seth Howard, who accounted for 20 of the enemy with his marksmanship, or Staff Sgt. John Wayne Walding who, after having his lower leg virtually amputated by enemy fire, applied his own tourniquet, or Staff Sgt. Luis Morales, who knelt on the hip of wounded Staff Sgt. Dillon Behr–the only way he could apply pressure to the wound and continue firing–until he too was twice wounded. The true stories of men like these are inspiring, and demonstrate the best and highest aspects of the American character.

Today, the media outlets that ignore stories like these prefer to chronicle the antics of misbehaving professional athletes, scandalous starlets, or corrupt politicians. But the men and women in our armed forces set sterling examples of behavior that we can all aspire to. Our troops continually show that they are indeed drawn from the best America has to offer, and prove it with their courage, commitment and sacrifice. Yet our media would rather spotlight the infrequent mistakes and missteps of the few while ignoring the achievements of the many. Reporters dwell intently on the costs and tragedies of combat, but seldom celebrate the hard-won victories. The media will gladly place blame for the ravages of war, but only reluctantly give credit to those who endure it and prevail.

The men of the 3rd Battalion do not consider themselves heroic. They did their duty as they saw it, and each is more comfortable talking about the courageous deeds of others rather than his own. The vast majority of Americans in uniform fit this profile, but you would never know it from the media coverage of the military.

The people who serve our country in uniform do not consider themselves heroes. But every other American should, and we have an obligation to honor the gift of freedom that they provide for us every day. If your source for news–in print, on television, or on line–covered this story, then you’re fortunate. Too many don’t, and of those, we should ask, “Why not?”

by Lance Thompson

The nation’s mood seems less that buoyant these days. Whether it’s buyer’s remorse from the presidential election, plummeting stock prices and shrinking 401Ks, or wrangling in Washington over how many zeros to add to the blank check the politicians are forcing us to sign, we seem to be in a rather sour mood.

Thus, the Good News Network will be inaugurated today, dedicated to putting a positive spin even on the most negative news.

The presidential election is over. This is good news for those in “battleground” states, who will enjoy a reprieve from the incessant drumbeat of campaign commercials and pitches for their votes. They can go back to the comparatively cerebral Geico spots and Super Bowl ad reruns.

Seven trillion dollars, the latest estimate of the nonexistent funds the federal government will spend on the economic crisis, seems staggering. The good news is that this gargantuan line of credit, secured by American taxpayers, is so large that Democrats no longer complain about the cost of the war in Iraq. The porcine bailout is so massive, it makes the war in Iraq look like an impulse buy.

Illegal immigration was scarcely mentioned in the presidential campaign after Mitt Romney dropped out, but international gate crashers are still drawn to job opportunities and thriving economies. The good news is that now the economy south of the border looks better than what’s going on in the north. That giant sucking sound that Ross Perot used to talk about is the flocking of illegals back to their comparatively prosperous land of origin.

The struggling economy has domestic car manufacturers begging at the federal trough for relief from plummeting sales. The good news is that the same struggling economy has brought the price of oil and gas down to the lowest levels in years, and we can all afford to drive the gas-guzzling classics and massive SUV’s that will soon be outlawed by the car czar.

If Barack Obama’s campaign promises are to be believed, the military will be drastically downsized by government committees and withdrawn from Iraq by presidential order. The good news is that our military has been so effective in the last few years that al Qaeda and the Taliban have already been downsized. Admittedly, the downsizing was accomplished by precision guided munitions and attrition rather than by committees, and the withdrawals were compelled by effective tactics rather than presidential decree, but the result is the same.Terrorist organizations are severely damaged after seven years of war.

Of course, there’s good news even for the beleaguered bad guys. Now they, too, can place their faith in “hope and change.”

by Lance Thompson

Washington–December 2009

Once the Democrats had control of the White House and Congress, they found it surprisingly easy to pass legislation reinstating the “Fairness Doctrine,” which mandated that no conservative thought or utterance could go unchallenged or unpunished.  At first, this was applied only to the last bastions of free market principles in media–Fox News and talk radio.  But the new regulations were so effective in silencing conservatives that follow-on legislation found countless new means of expression in which to quash conservative voices.

This also gave liberals an opportunity to create a new bureaucracy to administer and enforce the oppressive measures.  During preliminary discussions over what to call this new department, such non-starters as “Bureau of Cognitive Control” and “National Thought Police” were suggested and just as quickly discarded after disastrous poll results.  Ultimately, the Chairman of the Committee to Name Committees settled upon “Supreme Directorate of Fairness and Reason.”  Due to the many cases brought before the Supreme Directorate by the Secretary of Torts (the most recently-created cabinet post) and the ACLU, every municipality was compelled to appoint local Czars of Fairness and Reason.

These public servants put in long hours, deciding whose ideas must be suppressed and whose should be forced upon the public.  Often, they must make snap decisions in order to keep the backlog of cases at a manageable level.  Yet, since all their deliberations are required to be carried on in secret, as mandated in the Pelosi Need to Know Acts of 2009, we offer this rare glimpse into the workings of the Czar of Fairness and Reason of an average-size city--Centerville, Colorado.

Omar Flagrant, the Centerville Czar, is a 29 year-old male vegan with a master’s degree in women’s studies and three years’ experience in crisis escalation.  He arrives tardily at his charming craftsman-style office in a government-subsidized hybrid vehicle.  The building that houses the Centerville Directorate of Fairness and Reason was seized without compensation from a private citizen under eminent domain rules expanded under the Harry Reid Property Reform Act. 

The Czar is greeted by his aide, Lionel, with a stack of new cases.  “Czar Flagrant, a citizen was spotted last night with a McCain/Palin bumper sticker still affixed to her large American SUV, flouting the United Attitude law that stipulates complete eradication of non-Obama expressions.”

The Czar adjudicates his first case before he sits down.  “The citizen must completely cover the offensive sticker with a “Conservatives For Obama” sticker within 24 hours or face forfeiture of vehicle.”

The Czar takes his place at his “green” desk, made entirely of recycled hard-hats (plentiful since the massive construction layoffs of the summer), and asks for the next case.  “It’s on the monitor–video evidence.”  The Czar scrutinizes his monitor, showing a local female college student on the lake shore with an “I Love the USA” tattoo on her thigh.  “A clear violation of the World Consciousness Bodily Expression guidelines,” pronounced the Czar.  “She must have the tattoo removed or modified to read, ‘I Love Being a Citizen of the World.’  Additionally, she will attend two years of Nationalist Intervention classes at the Hugo Chavez Center in Denver.”

Lionel hands the Czar a thick dossier.  “This one is really outrageous, sir.  One of the local stations is televising reruns of the old Andy Griffith Show.  On Tuesday last, a character in the show uttered the line, “Gee, Opie!”  The Czar, perhaps overwhelmed by the sheer volume of cases, shook his head, failing to grasp the severity of the situation.  “Gee, Opie,” repeated the aide.  “Sir, it’s clearly a clandestine effort to brainwash the audience.”  The Czar stares at him blankly.  “Gee, Opie.  G. O. P.  It’s obviously a subliminal endorsement of Republicans.”

The Czar nods.  “Yes.  Diabolically clever.”

“The entire show is loaded with dangerous messages,” the aide continues, paging through the dossier.  “The male child is not enrolled in day care, is allowed to conduct himself in public without ADHD medication, and is often shown wearing a gunbelt with a realistic-looking toy firearm.” 

The Czar grabs the dossier.  “Clearly an attempt at indoctrination.”

Lionel points out a crucial passage.  “The episode also contains scenes showing both the exterior and interior of a church, which the family attends, in clear violation of the Public Worship Expungement Codes.  Additionally, the father is an authority figure whose workplace displays loaded firearms, and the child is permitted not only to see these dangerous weapons, but is never exposed to lectures about the evil and wickedness of gun ownership, as required in the Domestic Disarmament Act of 2009.”

The Czar is overwhelmed by the list of charges.  “This station must immediately cancel further episodes of The Andy Griffith Show.  In order to avoid loss of license, it must replace the reruns with the new public affairs program, Weighty Issues with Rosie O’Donnell.  In addition, the station must schedule a three-hour bloc of Sunday programming featuring prominent atheists.  I also want them to produce, at their own expense, a series of public service announcements encouraging recycling of firearms into useful products like plowshares and paperweights.”

“Just one more, sir.”  Lionel opens a digital file on the computer and stands back.  “It has been reported that there is a resident of this town who is an Abraham Lincoln impersonator.  As you know, Lincoln was the first Republican president.  His occupation is thus a capital offense.”

The Czar sighs in exasperation.  “It’s fortunate for this scofflaw that we rescinded capital punishment.”  Lionel nods solemnly.