TresSugar

YouTube Video of Fort Bragg Gets Results

CitizenSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:00:18 -0700

We've been focused on the ills of YouTube lately, but here's one story where the website was used for good instead of evil. Army dad Edward Frawley paid a welcome home visit on his 22-year-old son - just returning from a tour of duty with the 82nd Airborne Division in the mountains of Afghanistan - and he was shocked to see the deplorable conditions of his son's barracks at Fort Bragg, NC.

In our high-tech age when we want to send a grievance we don't have to wait for a carrier pigeon - and Frawley didn't. He put together this thoughtfully narrated 10 minute video telling the story of his son and showing the conditions, which included moldy walls, a bathroom that looked flooded with sewage, uncapped sewage pipes and peeling paint.

In just a few days, Senator Elizabeth Dole of NC had declared the condition of the barracks “wholly unacceptable and it must be immediately corrected.” She contacted the Army secretary and just three days after the YouTube clip was posted, the Army responded to the claims. Repairs are under way, and the creative response seems to have spurred action.

Is this a happy ending, or a story highlighting a bigger problem? Are you surprised to see this dad had to take matters to the court of YouTube?

Picture It: Hugs For Heroes

CitizenSugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:01:47 -0700

Family and friends welcome members of XVIII Airborne Corps at Pope Air Force Base in Fort Bragg, NC. This weekend, about 200 soldiers returned following a 15-month deployment in Iraq.

View 5 Photos ›

Source

Front Page: Faster Iraq Pullout, Militants Invade Base in Afghanistan, Scramble for Jobs Kills 12

CitizenSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:57:37 -0700

Faster Iraq Pullout:
The withdrawal of combat forces from Iraq beginning in September could be increased under new considerations by the Bush administration, a quicker plan than expected only months ago. The plan for additional troop withdrawals is a striking contrast to the surge in troops during the darkest part of the war in 2006 and 2007, and might lead to an additional 50,000 troops coming home. While the withdrawals will allow more moments like this, captured yesterday at Fort Bragg, the troops are needed for a more pressing concern in Afghanistan. Casualties in Afghanistan we greater than Iraq in May and June, a trend that is continuing this month.

Militants Invade Base in Afghanistan:
More than 100 insurgents invaded a US post in north-eastern Afghanistan yesterday sparking hours of fighting and leaving nine US troops dead. Using rocket propelled grenades and homemade mortars to bombard the base, they attacked the base from several sides near the border with Pakistan. The attack led to one of the single worst losses of life for foreign troops since operations began in 2001.
Scramble for Jobs Kills 12:
A recruitment drive for the Nigerian Immigration Service has left at least 12 dead after a stampede, when recruiters closed a gate to the government building where candidates were to sit an aptitude test. More than 130,000 candidates applied for 1,260 jobs in a country where there are few good employment prospects for the thousands of college graduates each year. The government jobs that caused the panic are prized for their regular salaries and good benefits.

Source

Girl Seeks Rape Justice on YouTube: Too Much Sharing?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:45:08 -0700

It's a grim addition to the court of YouTube: a Florida 16-year-old who says she's a victim in a rape case that's gone unprosecuted by the Orange County state attorney's office is airing her plea for justice on the video-sharing site.

In the video, she says, "Hi, my name is Crystal . . . I need some help. I didn't want to do it this way, but it's the only way I know that's going to work, that someone out there in the world is gonna listen to me. "The prosecutor wrote in her case file since Crystal was "a mere 1 month away" from turning 16, when it would be "legal to give consent," her case would not be prosecuted. Florida law states that a 15-year-old cannot give consent to sex. To see the danger behind this use of technology, read more.

Though the trend of turning to YouTube as a forum of last resort is growing, the founder of the organization RAINN says this is troubling. He says "A rape survivor's intention may be to reach out, and we encourage that, but this is a dangerous way to do it." If potential savior could see the plea for help, so could the original attacker. Some online confessions of rape include names, photos, and hometowns. The public information could give perpetrators a chance to find them or gain more satisfaction.

Though we've recently seen a video on YouTube inspire results at Fort Bragg, how much sharing is too much? Do you think it's important to expose the role of the justice system in this case? Are victims putting themselves more in danger?