UPDATED (3/31/09) Defense Secretary Gates has revised the policy on photography of flag-draped caskets at Dover Air Base. Read the Stars and Stripes report and then post your comments at the end of this column.
***
The issue of whether the Pentagon should lift an 18-year ban on granting the news media access to visually record the return of flag-draped caskets at Dover Air Base in Delaware is back in the media spotlight.
On Feb. 15, the New York Times published a thoughtful analysis, and the Washington Post examined the issue on Feb. 17 in a front-page article. Other news outlets have also taken up the matter. And here's a column offering journalists guidance on "How to Handle Photos of Flag-Draped Coffins," from the Poynter Institute, a journalism education institution.
The catalyst for this renewed interest was CNN’s Ed Henry, who asked President Barack Obama at his first prime-time White House press conference if he would overturn the ban “so the American people can see the full human cost of war.”
The president said his new administration would revisit the policy but that he would await recommendations before deciding.
Supporters of the ban say it helps protect the privacy of the fallen and their families and hinders the exploitation of their deaths for political purposes.
Some critics say the ban is not about privacy but politics, sparing the public – and the government – a vivid and powerful reminder of war’s pain and loss. Others, including some families of the fallen, believe that showing the military’s reverence for their dead on the final journey home honors their memories and should be seen by the public in whose name they died. Still others believe decisions should be left to the families.
Stripes readers are among the most directly and personally affected by this policy, whether it remains intact, is modified, or is overturned. You should have your say before any decision is made. I invite your comments here.
Battle brews over 1st Amendment on the battlefield
Comment moved to relevant post: Battle brews over 1st Amendment on the battlefield
-- Stars and Stripes web staff
Thank you for giving me the
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my concerns.
air purifiers ratings
air purifiers
room air purifier
to see or not to see
justice is really blind. blinded by lighting or hail i do not know,yet we choose not to listen either. why oh why must we live under the freedom of speech?i get a harrasement scere all around me because i hold up my flag with pride and honor it.my american flag.still i have to run in my own hometown this is unacceptable.
justice is blnd so are the people.....?
just because a fallen angel does not have the wings it came with it does not mean that we should show everyone whom they are but we should acknowledge with great honor the people involved in the crime that put them to rest in earth.maybe just maybe they will be curioouse of whom they betrayed or looked down on, when they fell to be with us.I THINK THAT THEY SHOULD BE HONORED AND WITH GREAT DIGNITY BE REMEMBERED EVERYDAY UNTILL I NO LONGER FIND TERROR IN PEOPLES EYES OR GUILT AND NO MORE TEARS FROM THE SOUL.PROUDLY I WAIT UNTILL MY COMRADS GET HOME UNTILL THEN THE FLAG STAYS PUT AND I DO TOO. SO, TO ALL A FAIR FIGHT AND A FAIR WAR WE ARE IN THE UNITED STATED AMERICANOS NOT ANYWHERE ELSE.I LOVE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCECED AND THE DEMOCRACY OF THE FOUNDERS FOR PEACE AND LIBERTY AS EQUALS NOT MIND SLAVES.TOO MANY OF THEM PUT US DOWN AND CAUSE THIS LIFE TO FEEL WORTHLESS.WORDS OF A SURVIVOR AT WAR WITH THE UNCIVILIZED MEXICAN AND THEN ON HALF THE OTHERS DO NOT KNOW I AM MEXICAN MY GANG IS MY MUSIC IN ME.......STAR SP BANNER MY SIGN OF GOD COMBINED WITH OTHERS MAKED ME FEEL TRIUMPHHANT....VICTORIOUS....RED WHITE BLUE AND COLOR GAS OF COLORLESS HOLLY FLAG....
Paying Real Respect
The debate as to whether we should or should not take photographs of the flag draped coffins of Americas fallen heroes seems to me to be confused. It is confused; firstly, by what constitutes real respect for the dead, and secondly, by our definition of patriotism?
The Pentagon argues that the photographs may be misused by the Left and those who oppose America’s wars, but it could be argued, and just as forcefully, that NOT taking photographs of coffins containing Americas heroes, is likewise an insult to the dead. It’s nice of the Pentagon to do our moral thinking for us. So what is or is not showing due respect for the dead, is not as clear cut as the Pentagon, (and people like Mr. Cheney), would have us believe.
The second point concerns patriotism. In Mr. Prendergast’s article, there was an attached article in which I encountered the word “anti-patriot”. Now I have met many patriots and many people who are not patriotic. But, I must say I have never met one single “anti-patriot”. Is this hypothetical creature something like anti-matter? And this garbage is supposedly coming from American journalists!
But sadly real patriotism has got nothing to do with this, with the Pentagon’s and Cheney’s cheapened version. Real patriotism means: “defending one’s county against its government”. It has nothing to do with revenge for real or imagined acts of terrorism. Cheap patriotism, or patriotism light, pushed by the American media, only sells well because of the anti-intellectualism that currently pervades America. Real patriotism requires a deep understanding (I would almost say love) of your countries history. Sometimes through suffering, either your own or an appreciation of others suffering, comes a kind of understanding, wisdom almost, that informs and enriches our lives and makes us that much more human.
So the fact that we are having this discussion over flag draped coffins; is itself a kind of indictment on American society. The Pentagon doesn’t want photographs that reveal the reality of war; President Obama has lifted that, well partially, so we now have this pseudo-moral debate enmeshed within the guise of patriotism. It seems that the real problems and issues that face America; have been replaced by pseudo-issues. It is part of what Chris Hedges calls the “theater of politics”, the hollowing out of our democratic system and a rule through image and presentation.
Your article is really good.
Your article is really good. I think it will work upon what you want. And I will spread it to all.
Free Mp3 Songs
politics.which rules the world.
The word "Politics" comes from the Greek word ????? ("polis") meaning city-state. The Greek word ????????? "Politikos" describes anything concerning the state or city affairs. In Latin, this was "politicus" and in French "politique". Thus it became "politics" in Middle English (see the Concise Oxford Dictionary). The most perfect example of the Greek city-state is Athens.
Apex Professionals LLC
Information technology improvements.
In recent decades widespread incorporation of ICTs into many tiers of business, political processes and everyday life has caused fundamental restructuring of the global economy. ICTs have increased international interconnectedness and sped up the process of globalization. They have been instrumental in the information revolution, facilitating the transition from industrial economies, driven by the manufacturing sector, to knowledge economies.
Combat Arms Hacks
The right of humans.
There are numerous different theoretical distinctions in accordance with which rights may be classified. Not all sources support both sides of every distinction listed here, e.g. Jeremy Bentham denied the existence of natural rights, holding all rights to be of a legal character, and Ayn Rand denied the existence of group rights, holding all rights to be of an individual character.
Presentation Skills
Stripes.
Stripes currently holds a 88% "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert in his Chicago Sun-Times review praised it as "an anarchic slob movie, a celebration of all that is irreverent, reckless, foolhardy, undisciplined, and occasionally scatological. It's a lot of fun".
Affiliate Program Management
Security Resources
It is the dream of a every country to have a high security resources and to have high powerful weapons.With those things they would be able to be as a powerful country in the modern world which is highly needed to be with out others pointing outs.
cheap hotels