You will now see flag draped coffins on the news

[Gunny]

They are going to lift the ban that makes the war dead invisible.

You ******* idiot, how about the war dead are invisible when sooper dooper news sources prioritize running a story about Bill Clinton's dog over the soldiers that died in Afghanistan that day ........

Maybe you should stop taking drugs.

You probably need to start taking some.

 

[Gunny]

There is only ONE reason this was stopped under Bush.

To keep the American people from thinking about these peoples sacrafice.

Wrong. Ghouls like you were trying to politicize it. THAT is why it was stopped.

 

[Gunny]

What a bunch of specious bullshit. You know damned good and well the only point of showing coffins is to weaken the will of the US to maintain its resolve in the fight.


They have always been allowed to be photographed in past wars.

You are right they Bush people wanted them out of sight so that people didnt have to really think of the dead as ......well....... dead.

Again wrong. No one has not been allowed to photograph them. They have not been allowed to show them in the media, and that has been a common practice since the Civil War.

Del is being too nice. Reprehensible is too nice a word for you.

 

[Gunny]

They have been denied the honor they have always had in war.

why?

They were returning home and we were NOT allowed to see them return.

Why?

What a bunch of specious bullshit. You know damned good and well the only point of showing coffins is to weaken the will of the US to maintain its resolve in the fight.

And may I remind you:

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. --- John Stuart Mill

If your will for war is weakened by a photo your will for war is to weak already..

Right. Newsflash. Propaganda works. See the Vietnam War if you need evidence.

 

[Gunny]

DB , what the hell do you think Bush thought was more important?

He didnt want people to stop supporting a war because it wasnt worth the sacrafice of our people.

It was a war for oil profits and you fell for it.

The worst part is many of our bravest gave their all and were not saluted by the American people when they came home, they came home in secret so Bush could keep the dying going.

 

[Gunny]

DB , what the hell do you think Bush thought was more important?

He didnt want people to stop supporting a war because it wasnt worth the sacrafice of our people.

It was a war for oil profits and you fell for it.

The worst part is many of our bravest gave their all and were not saluted by the American people when they came home, they came home in secret so Bush could keep the dying going.

And since you have so many opinions on this subject, when was it that you served? Were you worried your body might not be paraded through the streets if you died in battle? I know that wasn't something that I thought about.

Oh shit. Now you've done it. This is where she tells you all her cousins, brothers and housepets are Marines.

 

[Gunny]

They have to have the permission from the Families, I see big lawsuits abound if any news organization over steps their bounds on this one.

They do not have to have the family's permission.

 

[KittenKoder]

Damn Gunny, got the AK out this morning I see ...

 

[bk1983]

They have to have the permission from the Families, I see big lawsuits abound if any news organization over steps their bounds on this one.

They do not have to have the family's permission.

"If the family of one of the fallen says that they do not want media coverage ... then that will be the decision. There will be no media decision. If they say that's OK with them, then it will be available," Gates told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

They have to have the permission from the Families, I see big lawsuits abound if any news organization over steps their bounds on this one.

They do not have to have the family's permission.

"If the family of one of the fallen says that they do not want media coverage ... then that will be the decision. There will be no media decision. If they say that's OK with them, then it will be available," Gates told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.

Ya cause the Press is gonna ask when coffins come in. Sure thing.

 

[KittenKoder]

They have to have the permission from the Families, I see big lawsuits abound if any news organization over steps their bounds on this one.

They do not have to have the family's permission.

"If the family of one of the fallen says that they do not want media coverage ... then that will be the decision. There will be no media decision. If they say that's OK with them, then it will be available," Gates told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.

What about the dead soldiers wishes?

 

[bk1983]

They do not have to have the family's permission.

"If the family of one of the fallen says that they do not want media coverage ... then that will be the decision. There will be no media decision. If they say that's OK with them, then it will be available," Gates told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.

Ya cause the Press is gonna ask when coffins come in. Sure thing.

Taking the pictures and recording video is one thing, in order for the media to broadcast the video or photos they will need the permission of the families.

 

[bk1983]

They do not have to have the family's permission.

"If the family of one of the fallen says that they do not want media coverage ... then that will be the decision. There will be no media decision. If they say that's OK with them, then it will be available," Gates told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.

What about the dead soldiers wishes?

Well until we start communicating with the dead, I think the family is as close to the soldiers wishes as we can get.

 

[KittenKoder]

"If the family of one of the fallen says that they do not want media coverage ... then that will be the decision. There will be no media decision. If they say that's OK with them, then it will be available," Gates told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.

What about the dead soldiers wishes?

Well until we start communicating with the dead, I think the family is as close to the soldiers wishes as we can get.

This is why they shouldn't be shown at all in the media, unless they left it in a will there is no way to know if they want to. Anyone who dies deserves the right to rest in peace, just because they are soldiers though everyone has to use them as political pawns ... so again, what about the dead soldiers wishes?

 

[bk1983]

What about the dead soldiers wishes?

Well until we start communicating with the dead, I think the family is as close to the soldiers wishes as we can get.

This is why they shouldn't be shown at all in the media, unless they left it in a will there is no way to know if they want to. Anyone who dies deserves the right to rest in peace, just because they are soldiers though everyone has to use them as political pawns ... so again, what about the dead soldiers wishes?

The problem is, some soldiers and their families see it as an honor for their fallen one's sacrifice to be reported in the media. They do not want the sacrifices of their loved ones to be hidden from view. Of course we do not live in a perfect world where one solution fits all, but what about the dead soldier who wanted their photos of their funeral on the news? Are we respecting their wishes by having an all out media ban?

That is why the families I believe are the ones to look to. After all who do you leave in charge of making your funeral arrangements? Whether it be buried in the ground, or having your ashes scattered in the seas, you trust your family to fulfill your wishes. That is why the families should be given the same discretion when it comes to the media coverage, if they want privacy to grieve they can have it. If they wish for the media to cover the funeral then so be it. Remember the families of fallen soldiers are also victims in the war.

All too often, the sacrifices of our military are hidden from view," Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "The sight of flag-draped coffins is, and should be, a sobering reminder to all Americans of the ultimate sacrifice our troops have made and the high price of our freedom."

Media Can Photograph War Dead

 

[KittenKoder]

If people have to see images to think about the statistics, then they don't really care about the statistics enough to be informed.

 

[bk1983]

If people have to see images to think about the statistics, then they don't really care about the statistics enough to be informed.

Well I am a combat veteran, been to Iraq in 2005 and going to Kuwait later on this year. And I support my family having the right to make a decision on whether or not to allow photographs if something happens to me.

 

[KittenKoder]

If people have to see images to think about the statistics, then they don't really care about the statistics enough to be informed.

Well I am a combat veteran, been to Iraq in 2005 and going to Kuwait later on this year. And I support my family having the right to make a decision on whether or not to allow photographs if something happens to me.

Then leave a will that states that, problem solved.

 

[bk1983]

If people have to see images to think about the statistics, then they don't really care about the statistics enough to be informed.

Well I am a combat veteran, been to Iraq in 2005 and going to Kuwait later on this year. And I support my family having the right to make a decision on whether or not to allow photographs if something happens to me.

Then leave a will that states that, problem solved.

I said I support my family having the right to make the decision, thankfully the government agrees and has chosen to step aside in this matter. No will is needed, my family understands my wishes well.

 

[DiveCon]

Wow! The speculation is amazing and humorous at the same time.

It boils down to this: preserving the dignity of our fallen warriors. For some families, it means not showing the pictures of their loved ones and for others, it's the exact opposite: to not show the pictures is to ignore their sacrifices.

What I approve of is that it's up to the families. I think this is much more reasonable than a simple ban across the board or a simple lifting of the ban across the board.

so, if i understand you, you would not allow any photos of the coffins until they have been released to the custody of the families, is that it?