Bombs Away, But We're OK

I would like to say hello to all of my friends serving our country overseas, but they probably won't be able to see this. The Pentagon says there will be no more using the military's computer system to socialize and trade videos on MySpace, YouTube and nine other Web sites. They have cut off access to those sites for personnel using the Defense Department's computer network, citing security concerns and technological limits. We are assured this has nothing to do with censorship. It's all about bandwidth and cost. "The U.S. Army's not going to pay the bill for you to get on MySpace and YouTube," said Major Bruce Mumford.
Happily (for some) this does not affect the Internet cafes that soldiers in Iraq use that are not connected to the Defense Department's network. The cafe sites are run by a private vendor - get ready for it - FUBI (For US By Iraqis). Two years ago, an article in USA Today hailed the advent of soldiers' blogs, "Milbloggers", as "unprecedented windows into servicemembers' lives." That window is now being closed. To see the war you might be missing, drop by Mudvillegazette.com.
Bottom line, the majority of these voices won't be silenced. There are still plenty of ways for soldiers to tell their stories. They will rightly argue about their boss' decision to cut off their access to experiments with diet Coke and Mentos, and (in the words of miliblogger Blackfive) "most companies here in the US ban MySpace as a productivity issue because you should be working, not seeing how cool you are with your ten new 'friends'."
So, if you find yourself in one of those Internet cafes in the middle of the desert and you have a minute to share with us your own feelings on the matter, or your workaround to get the latest Beyonce video form MTV.