Pictures of Caskets

[tw]

The George Jr administration is hyping nonsense about pictures of flag draped caskets. Why? Ted Koppel was quite blunt about this tonight. The ban was created because George Sr was upset when Gulf War caskets were removed, live, from a plane as he was airing a news conference.

If those caskets were Columbia astronuts, then it is Ok to take a picture? But then Koppel finishes his "Last Thought' with a damning video closing. He replays a George Jr campaign video that shows Iraq war caskets draped in the American flag.

Double standard. Why is it wrong to take and publish pictures of caskets from the Iraq invasion - and yet it is right for George Jr to put those same pictures in his presidental campaign advertisement? Yes Koppel was rather blunt when he started his "Last Thought" about this flag draped casket pictures as something really quite trivial.

TedKoppel was right on the money. Honor our dead. Let their caskets and honor guard be shown live and in pictures as they arrive home. George Jr is so ashamed of those good dead men; therefore George Jr hides behind nonsensical political spin. Banning pictures of their caskets is wrong, blemishes their supreme sacrifice, and is only for the greater good of George Jr - and his self serving agenda.

[xoxoxoBruce]

By George, I think your right, TW.
Why hide the real cost of war? Any war.

[elSicomoro]

I think it gives us a real visualization of the cost of war. We know it's costing kabillions of dollars and that soldiers are dying...now it's in our faces.

Just as in the other thread on this topic, I think they should stop censoring footage of our troops in action over there. What we mostly get to see looks pretty abstract, and doesn't bring the reality of the war home to us. I have a friend who was a tank commander in the first wave of the invasion in the first Gulf War. He told me about alot of things that were never shown on film back here in the States. I also agree that the heroism of our soldiers gets over looked because the Bush administration wants everything to look all clean and tidy. I guess I have a real problem with a president who has never seen combat happily sending our boys off to fight and then covering up the reality of what our soldiers in Iraq are facing.

[tw]

Lets not forget the most damning part of that Ted Koppel 'Last Thought'. George Jr even put those flag draped casket pictures in his TV campaign advertisement - but reporters cannot display them on TV or in the newspapers?

Originally posted by tw
Why is it wrong to take and publish pictures of caskets from the Iraq invasion - and yet it is right for George Jr to put those same pictures in his presidental campaign advertisement?

Ted Koppel was unusually blunt about this. So blunt that he even stated an opinion about this 'flag draped casket - no pictures permitted' nonsense.

[Elspode]

Originally posted by tw
Why is it wrong to take and publish pictures of caskets from the Iraq invasion - and yet it is right for George Jr to put those same pictures in his presidental campaign advertisement?

Well, that's simple, silly...it is right to do it in a GWB campaign ad because someone thought it would help him somehow. If we just saw it as news, someone might put a negative spin on it, and that wouldn't help him at all. This way, it is spoon-fed to us in a healthy, moral context which is deemed to be suitable for our fragile minds and morals to digest.

Summary: Flag-draped coffins in GWB campaign commercial = GOOD.

Flag-draped coffin on news programs that GWB does not control = BAD

[Undertoad]

The flag-draped coffins in Bush's commercial were from 9/11 (an already-public event) and not from Iraq (a private event awaiting the families).

Also noticed: CNN plays the video of the still images that were published over and over and over again, multiple days of the non-story punditry question, until they are the flag-draped-coffin channel, all coffins all the time. In the name of "journalism". Fox refuses to show them, also in the name of "journalism".

[Happy Monkey]

Iraq is a public event.

[wolf]

You started out correct and then strayed ...

"Casket" is the correct term here.

A "Coffin" is oddly-shaped box (8 sides seen from overhead, plus top and bottom making a 10 sided solid), popularlized by Count Dracula and by Old West coffin-makers who have them ready to be filled in Clint Eastwood "Man with No Name" movies.

(My neighbor is a funeral director. Oh, and another little funeral director tidbit ... "Milk expires. People die.")

[Happy Monkey]

I think you mean 6-sided, for 8 sides total.

[Beestie]

Use stronger nails next time!

[wolf]

Whatever. I can't count ...

[xoxoxoBruce]

"Milk expires. People die."

They both rot.

[tw]

Originally posted by Undertoad
Fox refuses to show them, also in the name of "journalism".

This is suppose to tell us something? Fox News also does not report a massive demonstration in Washington against extremist conservative opinions forced upon the majority. They fail to report it because the demonstration is contrary to Fox News purpose - to promote a political agenda. Therefore anything that Fox News does or does not show has significance? Of course not. Fox News was mentioned in a desperate attempt to post a reply.

Yes, Fox News has as much credibility as Pravada - another news service that had same purpose. What Fox News chooses to show or not show only represents political rhetoric; has nothing to do with credibile and responsbile news.

Maybe Fox News should take up the name Pravada - which means "truth" in Russian. That way, Fox News would be better understood. In the meantime, what Fox News does has no significance to this discusson - other than to say what their political leaders order everyone to believe.

Who has far more credibility? Fox News or Ted Koppel? The latter said George Jr will even put those flagged draped caskets in his Presidental campaign ads. Ted Koppel showed that ad. What does Fox News do? Avoid criticizing the president they exist to promote.

[Elspode]

Originally posted by Undertoad
The flag-draped coffins in Bush's commercial were from 9/11 (an already-public event) and not from Iraq (a private event awaiting the families).

I thought the whole concept was to be sensitive to the families? What makes the need to be sensitive to the families of 9-11 less pressing than the need to be sensitive to the families of dead soldiers?

I don't think a hair will split that thinly...