Hate the Message? Attack The Messenger!

In From the Cold published its second in a three part series that examines the mistakes that led to the nuclear mishap at Minot. You can read the second installment here. We had previously looked at the first article. The Spooks have done a wonderful job dealing with a difficult topic objectively, attempting to get to the source of the problems that led to the incident occurring, not weighing too much blame on system or people, rather highlighting how both contributed as a process.

It would appear however, that such responsible approaches don't sit well with the Air Force, who has apparently blocked In From the Cold from DoD computers. While the Spooks respect such a decision, I tend to think selective restrictions based entirely on what amounts to professional evaluation and criticism raises red flags. What can possibly be gained by blocking one of the only Air Force blogs with high numbers of daily visits in the US? What is it with Air Force PR these days?

Looks to me like a case of being personally offended by the message, and taking it out on the messengers.

Hell we rarely hold back our own criticism of the Navy, particularly the Royal Navy or MoD, how long before we get the blacklist? I've observed the Navy tends to handle bloggers with wisdom, they engage them in discussions instead of treat them as the enemy. Once again, the Air Force could do well to learn from the other services, and would be wise to stop treating everyone outside the Air Force as the enemy.

Perhaps that would have been a more interesting topic for their last leadership forum. Just saying.