The Best Offense Is a Good Prevent Defense

You knew that the Pentagon prevents photographers from taking pictures of those flag-draped caskets at Dover Air Force Base. But did you know that surviving family members of the dead soldiers are also banned from coffin-photography? (Link via the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press' Behind the Homefront weblog.)

Comments

[Kid Handsome]

Ridiculous. It's one thing to argue that the press might exploit these returns, quite another to deny photos to parents.

[dhex]

don't you people know there's a war going on?
[ps kerry would be worse]
[pps torture rules]

[SPD]

Perhaps their rationale is that the press would harrass the parents until they agreed to hand over the photos for exploitation in the national LJRM (that's short for Liberal, Jew-Run Media, for those of you not named BillyRay).

Besides, it would be morally wrong for a major institution to exploit tragedy to further its own agenda -- at least, that's what President "September 11, September 11, September 11... are you crying yet?" Bush says.

[G. W. Bush]

Taking pictures of caskets makes you part of the Culture of Death. Preventing those pictures makes me part of the Culture of Life.

[Copper]

What harm could it do if she took pictures of her son while his casket was being loaded off the plane? Have her sign a statement that those pictures will not be used for media propaganda and only for a keepsake for her memorial to her son.

[Happy Jack]

What harm could it do

Curve your spine,
Warp your mind,
And lose the war for the Allies

[Nothing Gets Past Us!]

It took a mere fourteen years after this policy was enacted for the rapier wit of the Rapid Snark Response Force at H'n'R to be unsheathed. Be proud, fellows, for you are the Minute Men of the new millenium.

[saw-whet]

Cooper, And where would she submit that statement to? Oh yeah, forgot. The Department of Homeland Propaganda. That's right!

[SPD]

Dear Nothing,

Oh yeah, well... let me get back to you in 2019 with a really clever response!

[Swami]

"What harm could it do if she took pictures of her son while his casket was being loaded off the plane? Have her sign a statement that those pictures will not be used for media propaganda and only for a keepsake for her memorial to her son."

Why is showing photos of dead American soldiers propaganda? It is the truth. The fascist tendicies of the Republicans and Bush are really shocking. I have no respect for anyone who supports this administration or voted for Bush in 2004. There really is no comparison to this criminal Administration in US history.

[court]

So Dick Cheney created a ghastly policy. Why am I not surprised?

[Rick Barton]

When the government is prosecuting a needless war based on neocon lies, pulling outrages like this must seem like no big deal to them.

[The Real Bill]

You know Rick, freeing people from a tyrannical dictator really isn't a bad thing (especially if it's done by volunteers, not military slaves, er, conscripts). Unfortunately, the assholes in charge of the liberation have priorities other than liberty.

[Rick Barton]

The Real Bill,

I think that people being liberated from a tyrannical dictator is wonderful thing. It is not, however, sufficient cause to force American taxpayers support a war even if the soldiers from the US are not military slaves. Only a defense against a *real* threat is sufficient cause.

In the case of the Iraq war, for folks who think that the pain of being conned by the neocons about WMD is mitigated somewhat by overthrowing Sadam, I would ask them: How confident they are that in 2, 5, 10 or 15 years, that Sadam's tyranny won't be replaced by another? And if they are not so confident, then how can the loss of 1,500 American lives and billions of dollars possibly be justified?

I agree with you that, the neocons who foisted this war on us and prosecuted it have priorities other than the liberty of the Iraqis. That was just one of their excuses.

[saw-whet]

"...freeing people from a tyrannical dictator really isn't a bad thing..."

The Real Bill - That's the whole point.

Rick Barton - Keep on kicking Rick. Love your posts.

[Rick Barton]

saw-whet,

Thank you, I appreciate it.