CBS and Dan Rather should be held accountable (Warning: Graphic photos down thread)

[jg0510]

I posted the following message on the CBS message board yesterday and also sent the same message to Fox News' Bill O'Reilly. If you agree with my message, I would appreciate it if you would forward this e-mail to others in your address book. I believe this is very important and a "grass roots" effort may be the only way to force Dan Rather, CBS, and others to accept the responsibility of their careless and destructive actions:

"I think all American citizens should be outraged at CBS for making the "abuse" pictures public. CBS has done serious damage to the relationship between the US and the Middle East and has endangered our soldiers in Iraq. This is a matter that the Army should have handled internally and privately. 60 Minutes II and Dan Rather should be answering why they choose to jeopardize the security of our soldiers and our relationship with foreign countries for their "big story"."

Since I wrote this yesterday, a US citizen working in Iraq was beheaded in retaliation. If this story had not been made public by CBS, it is doubtful this atrocity would have happened. It is time for CBS be held accountable and should appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee to explain why they have compromised the safety of Americans and our foreign policy.

Thank you for passing this information to other concerned citizens.

[jg0510]

Everyone should accept responsibility for their own actions. The Iraqi thugs are responsible for Nick Bergs' death. I never said they wouldn't have done this without the CBS/Dan Rather reporting. But CBS/Dan Rather have given them an opportunity to use this as an excuse to justify their actions to the rest of the Middle East and to damage our foreign relations with the rest of the world.

[Barlowmaker]

Who made you the arbiter of the images we need to see, hour after hour and day after day, to keep up our resolve against the terrorists and their enablers?

You're a porn merchant.

[Rebelbase]

Breaking a story and beating into the ground until its pavement are two entirely different things.

What happens in the Armed forces is our business, short of National Security issues. We should be ashamed of American Soldiers acting as those depraved troops did. They should be kicked in the ass, courts martial and sent to Leavenworth for 20 years. That should be the end of story.

But running it into the ground causes problems and that is equally the fault of the media and liberal politicos who get face time telling their "moral outrage" to the cameras.

The Jihaddis are assassins. Trying to justify their actions based on what we do is like trying to understand a drunken Ted Kennedy....you can't do it. Everything they do has no rhyme or reason in our world. The are vicious, evil beasts with no morality from a culture that rewards murder of the infidel.

[Americanwolf]

Please explain your porn merchant comment. I can not understand how posting the pics out here for people to see of their own free will equals being a porn merchant? he is not pushing it onto children like MTV with the sex and other references on open airwaves. yes this site is free access, but not designed to push this imagery. and all are given fair warning of content. unlike the above mentioned channel an others of its ilk. I am trying to understand where you are coming from with your comment..

[Barlowmaker]

Why don't you click on Diogenesis' name, check his "In Forum" activity, and you tell me if he's not engaged in wanton exploitation of this young man's death.

[Americanwolf]

To make sure that I am understanding your indirect answer here, you are making the comparison that because he is posting these in forums for people to view of their own free will It equates to the Larry Flints and Hugh Hefner's of the world that profit off of illicit photos. you have a choice here you do not have to look at these photos.

[Barlowmaker]

You are too dense to get it.

This guy has posted the same collage of Nick Berg and the guys hanging from the bridge he did on post 5 onto NINE different threads. It's pornographic ... violent porno ... in its intent and manipulation.

Keep moving along.

[GrandEagle]

The sad part is I'll be criticized for this, but the truth is a war of total annihilation is what is needed.
No criticism here. slight disagreement, but no criticism.
My only comment would be that I believe it would be enough to show that we are willing and able to do just that, but if they behave, out of the kindness of our hearts, we will let those who will live peacefully continue to live.
While we started out pretty good, we have not displayed to them that we are willing to make a sheet of glass (sand and extreme heat) out of the area. I'm afraid that the PC guys have sneaked in and now have influence on how the war is executed.

[Americanwolf]

1.)Why the personal attack? "Your to dense to get it" ?
2.) I understand that he posted it on several other links in these forums. They are disturbing and they are disgusting and vile and violent. But I would rather view this an know what I am facing in the real world outside our borders than live in the shell that the media here in the USA would like us to believe. In as much as it is the intent and manipulation that you claim that is your opinion and I respect that.. which is less then you have shown for me, but I also state that if that is the case, then Nightline reading the names of the IRAQ war dead was manipulation of those soldiers names and memories, and the prison abuse pictures that 60 minutes has run and are going to run again are the same.

and why the keep moving along... I am trying to engage in a discussion of understanding.

[Barlowmaker]

Sorry for the personal stuff last post, but this exploitation of Nick Berg and the users of this forum bothers me.

People DO NOT have a choice to view those images. In six of the eight threads Diogenesis posted those images, there were no graphic content disclaimers. The ninth post was pulled. In NONE of the cases did Diogenesis himself give any forewarning of the graphic and unsettling images he was forcing upon the forum.

In the short time I've been on FR, I have always been struck how this forum member slipped horribly graphic images (usually of the guys hanging from the bridge) into threads without warning or particular context.

This goes beyond "never forget". It's a pummelling for some prurient or cynical political (IMO Anti-Arab) purpose.

[Americanwolf]

Ok well at least I understand where you are coming from. As for the disclaimer about the graphic images warning. That is between Diogenesis and the webmasters or whom ever is responsible for postings on this site. And if there is no oversight for that then it is the communities (i.e. all freepers) responsibility to govern this. and i have seen several other posters ask him as of late to post a disclaimer. whether it was his intent or a lapse of judgment on his part it don't think is serves the ends to which you want to achieve by label him a porn merchant (IMO). I will leave the commentary at this. I respect but disagree with your assessment that this goes toward creating anti-arab sentiment. there are those who are I am sure anti Arab and latch on to this, but there are those of that also see this as an act again humanity and civilization itself. you have your opinion I have mine. that is America ain't it great. (IMO there are many other thing like the stunning lack of condemnation of this action from the Islam/Arab world that furthers anti-Arab sentiment.)

[Barlowmaker]

Make it TEN THREADS and counting.

No graphic imagery warning on that one either. This individual has decided that everyone using Free Republic is going to see Nick Berg beheaded.

[Michael.SF.]

I believe those are GoLightly's words

Indeed they were and my post was directed at him, I simply copied you in on it, although it was not clear.

Things are going well on my end and hope they are for you, as well.

Looks like this thread here may get a little interesting, especially after I respond to the comments that GoLightly made.

[Michael.SF.]

Someone needs to begin a list of companies & their contact information.

That sounds like a great plan. I nominate you.

Any seconds?

[Americanwolf]

I will make this simple then... it is a free republic.. all have the choice to view or not to view regardless of warnings or not. in as much as you feel it is vile for him to post it you or anyone is not the arbitor of telling me or anyone else what we can or should or should not view. what you are doing is no different the trying to censor through outrage. if the images disturb you that much avoid free republic, but don't think that just because you are outraged at this and feel that his is trying to manipulate the images for "political agenda" that this outrage should be shared by all. people view things differently and to state and impose your view that this is wrong in your eyes you do not give you fellow people here on the free republic the credit that they think for themselves. I am not here as defense for what diogenesis does on free republic... I am here for myself and those that agree with me to state that no one should tell me what I can or cannot see or what I should or shouldn't be outraged at. I suggest you be your own conscience and try not to be the conscience for the rest of America.

[Michael.SF.]

He (Dan Rather) has made war on our country. His (Rather's)goal was to break the American people's will to do what is needed to be done.

Far be it for me to defend Dan Rather, but when I read a statement, such as that above, I have to say something.

That statement is about as asinine as I have ever read here on Free Republic. It's absurdity can only be compared with some of the rantings of the lunatic fringe we see at places like DU and other extremist websites.

I never watch Rather, he is a pompous liberal ass. But your comments are absurd.

[Dave S]

If you watched the hearings yesterday you would have heard that the "abuses" reported by the ICRC conserned overcrowding and our not releasing prisioners fast enough

Sorry didnt see it. I have a day job.

[jonno]

Sad bump...

[Barlowmaker]

Yeah, well I wasn't addressing YOU originally, was I?

[TaxRelief]

I for one appreciate the service Diogenesis performs for Freerepublic.com and for conservatives everywhere.

These photographs of horrors are critical to our understanding of the abuses that are tolerated in Iraq.

Keep it up Dio; Never change!