Grief For War Dead Shrouds Casket Photo Ban

[sabra]

Source: ABC News

Military Families Want Sons' and Daughters' Stories Told, But Privacy Respected

<snip>

Military Families Support Lifting Ban

Military families say that they support lifting the ban, as long as their individual wishes are respected and the issue does not get further politicized.

Military Families United, which represents about 60,000 such families, has asked the Obama administration to consult their group before shaping public policy. So far, they have had no response.

"If there needs to be a change, it should be up to family members to decide," said President John Ellsworth. "Those who are affected should make that call."

"Some want to show honor and want to be able to share their hero with America," he told ABCNews.com. "Others would rather hold it a little closer."



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6891970&page=1

[Captain Hilts]

1. It's up to them. It's their issue. nt

[w8liftinglady]

2. I agree.I don't want the photos exploited.

[Captain Hilts]

3. You always take a risk when you trust the press. Especially with the Internet now. nt

[hendo]

4. yup, it would be far too easy for the press to exploit the pictures

I am not sure whre I sit on this. Part of me says they should follow the family's wishes, but at the same time the government does have a good, solid reason for the current regulation.

[Captain Hilts]

5. Same here. I don't trust the press either on the right or left with this. nt

[Lorien]

How? We're talking about photos of flag draped coffins

not photos of mangled bodies.

[StarryNite]

10. Exactly!

And it's time the American public gets to see what this war is doing. A picture is worth a thousand words. There's been far too much secrecy during the last 8 years. Obama was supposed to be about change, now he needs to prove it.

[hack89]

19. Its how the pictures would be used

many families don't want pictures of their loved ones caskets being used for political purposes (either left or right wing).

[hendo]

13. We never know how it could be misconstrued. NT

[No Elephants]

17. What is the legitimate interest of the government apart from the wishes of the family?

[SpiralHawk]

6. Rip off the shrouds of Republicon propaganda coverup

The chickenhawk republicons like Bush, Cheney, Lott, Gingrich, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Beck, and Hannity never wanted to show honor to our sons and daughters in uniform -- because it reminded people of how shameful the chickenhawk republicons are with their lies and war profiteering.

Show some respect. Honor the fallen. Shroud the republicon chickenhawks and their overpaid propaganda corps.

[w8liftinglady]

7. Now,bear in mind-i have come out publicly in defense of banning this policy

However,I DO think the servicemember's family has the right to refuse publication.Even if it's "just a flag-draped casket"

[SpiralHawk]

11. I'm all for honoring the wishes of the families

That's for sure. But with their permission, America should be able to see and to honor our sons and daughters who have fallen in service to the nation.

The Republicon policy of disrepect -- hiding the evidence -- was shameful, occult, and completely without honor.

[L0oniX]

8. We wouldn't be in a war if people actually saw the human damage and death on tv every day.

[Thothmes]

18. Oh Contrair

During the middle sixties, the flag draped coffins returned to this country at the rated of dozens a week. Plenty of photos of them being off loade. Use to see them on the evening news. It took six more years to end the war.

[L0oniX]

21. True about how long it took back then but now we don't have to wait a week...

before we can see the dead children and mothers bodies on tv.

[Thothmes]

22. Time late does not make it any less horrible

but that is not the point. It went on for years. The sight of flag draped coffins at the rate of a couple a week will not do anything to end the war.
Remember from this point on every flag draped coffin is the responsibility of this administration.

[Spazito]

9. It should be the family's decision and on a 'case-by-case' basis...

As stated by Ellsworth, "Those who are affected should make that call".

[Skittles]

15. Americans are affected when they don't see the result of war

[babydollhead]

12. kick

[Spurt]

14. Dead or alive.

When live hero's show up they are endlessly celebrated under blazing spotlights, eg Captain "Sully" and crew just last month. And rightly so.

Therefore when a hero returns dead why should they be hidden from view and barely mentioned? IMHO it is quite insulting.

Of course their return should be respectful in tone and presentation, but we must all honour them openly rather than shuffle them through the back door under false cover.

I find it repugnant that their final journey is so lonely.
I served a very long time ago and back then a fallen soldiers return was indeed a very special occasion. While appropriately solemn of course, there was nothing secretive at all. Nor should there be.

[No Elephants]

16. It is a matter of balancing the interest of society in free speech with the

interest of the survivor's in privacy. Lift the blanket ban and let each family decide as to its fallen hero.

The idea that you don't make information available simply because you don't trust the press is VERY dangerous to America and a very slippery slope. Deal with the media in other ways, not by hiding information, regardless of the wishes of the survivors.

Face it, the media is what it it because we pay more to know who Jennifer Anniston is dating than we pay to know what our government is doing.

[Mari333]

20. people have needed a reality check from the beginning

arghhh!!! the war was sanitized!! every moment of it, made to look like a fucking football game on TV...nothing was shown, not the dead mangled civilians not the dead soldiers...not the caskets..nothing...and they should have ALL been shown..the truth!! this denial state that americans are in is appalling ...appalling...from the beginning, people needed to see the whole thing..goddamned media and goddamned bush and cheney and their goddamned sanitized fucking occupation..! My stepson and nephew saw their friends in PIECES, why the fuck shouldnt we? a little wake up call! this war wouldnt have lasted one more day if the truth had been shown on TV and in the papers...
just pisses me off to no end to this day.