Stars and Stripes could cease publication on Sept. 30 without DoD funding, lawmakers warn

[douglas9]

Stars and Stripes, the U.S. military’s editorially independent newspaper, could be shuttered at the end of the month and disappear altogether early next year, according to a letter sent Wednesday from 15 senators to Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

The Pentagon acknowledged in February that it had eliminated all funding for Stars and Stripes – roughly $15.5 million – from its Fiscal 2021 budget request. Esper later told reporters the department needed to invest money meant to fund Stars and Stripes “into higher-priority issues.”

(Disclosure: This reporter worked for Stars and Stripes from August 2005 until December 2011).

Currently, the Defense Department plans to cease publication of Stars and Stripes on Sept. 30 and dissolve the organization by Jan. 31, 2021, according to the 15 senators, who asked Esper to keep funding Stars and Stripes while lawmakers work to restore the newspaper’s funding.

“Stars and Stripes is an essential part of our nation's freedom of the press that serves the very population charged with defending that freedom,” the senators wrote. “Therefore, we respectfully request that you rescind your decision to discontinue support for Stars and Stripes and that you reinstate the funding necessary for it to continue operations.”


https://taskandpurpose.com/news/senators-esper-stars-and-stripes-funding

[secondwind]

1. Bastards, all of them.

[Phoenix61]

2. Just in case there were was military

active duty/dependents/retirees who might possibly vote for Twitler. It’s like he’s deliberately pissing off parts of his base.

[douglas9]

3. Twitler (Urban Dictionary)

Twitler

A fascist twit who overuses their Twitter, who uses it for the sole purpose to get attention and sooth their own ego and to indoctrinate the foolish. Synomous with The Orange Snowflake, a.k.a Orange Mussolini, a.ka. Cheeto-faced ferret wearing Shitgibbon, a.k.a Donald J. Trump.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Twitler

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

4. When I was on active duty, Stars & Stripes was the only news I got from the U.S.

That was pre-personal computers, pre-cell phone, pre-internet, pre-world-wide-web, pre-MSNBC, pre-Twitter, pre-DU. The only other source was the newsreel before the movie at the theater.

Given the vast array of news sources today, and the shrunken ranks of the today's military, is Stars and Stripes still relevant? Still essential?

[douglas9]

6. Stars and Stripes (newspaper)

Stars and Stripes is an American military newspaper that focuses and reports on matters concerning the members of the United States Armed Forces. It operates from inside the Department of Defense, but is editorially separate from it, and its First Amendment protection is safeguarded by the United States Congress, to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests, regularly reports. As well as a website, Stars and Stripes publishes four daily print editions for the military service members serving overseas; these European, Middle Eastern, Japanese, and South Korean editions are also available as free downloads in electronic format, and there are also seven digital editions.[1] The newspaper has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stars_and_Stripes_(newspaper)

[Alacritous Crier]

5. Everything Trump touches...

GOTV!