War
August 9, 2008
Dear NYTimes,
I see the Times has a Home Section, an Arts Section, a Sports Section, a Dining In and Out Section. All that can polish even an erudite mind and it may appeal to younger readers who, raised in the US in the last 30 years, know nothing significant about history, why things are as they are.
Today, the one very real promise from both political parties is: Perpetual War. It's a good bet.
So, I want a War Section. Ideally, it would run every day with, say, one page per continent. Granted, the other sections run but once a week but war, after all, is a daily event. I'd settle for a weekly if it included good maps, indications of vital resources like oil, water, and natural gas; descriptions of the warring parties with lines of battle, sully lines, grand strategies, strategies, and tactics---and who is winning at what cost. Count the dead and wounded too.
To perk interest, you might include a spy-vs-spy section laying out expenditures for intelligence operations (we know they all lie, but a good guess would do), disinformation campaigns, covert operations, etc. The purchase of some old Don Martin cartoons might be wise. Everyone likes a spy story.
War coverage will sell papers.
Sincerely,
Dr Rich Gibson
Emeritus Professor
San Diego State University