Posted on 02/18/2009 9:01:09 AM PST by lakeprincess
Veterans groups are adamant -- the flag-draped caskets of fallen troops should not be turned into yet another photo op.
Both the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars on Tuesday condemned a proposal to lift restrictions that now prevent the press from photographing caskets as they arrive home from wars overseas.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I just hope they are listened to. I will not hold my breath however.
Never knew there was a law against that.
This jerk will insult and harm the soldiers any way he can.
I bet he’ll allow photos against the wishes of the GOLD STAR families wishes.
If so then it is time to start demeaning any and ALL dem politicians and this assclown in particular.
The media refuses to show any of the thousands of dead people from the 9-11 attacks “out of respect” for the families but disrespects our troops at every turn.
What do the parents, siblings, spouses, children, & SO’s say?
I would think that their voices are more important
I look for Obama to be using the coffins as a desk for the signing ceremony when he guts the Military and recalls all remaining troops from conflict.
I just find the whole casket/photo thing very very odd. And for me it has nothing even to do with a Vet, it goes beyond that. It’s just straight out an invasion of privacy to any family. An increadibly private and painful moment, and there’s some stranger butting their nose in snapping shots, potentially making money off your dead loved one.
Rude and a complete and absolute lack of class.
An interesting point. I don’t think there was a law against it, per se, as that would probably technically violate the First Amendment. However, I think a “rule” was put in place by the (first) Bush administration that “requested” photographers not be permitted to take photographs of such events. No one fought the request in court however, because while such parties may have won such litigation in legal court, the court of public opinion (PR) would have gone against them.
Apparently some photographs surfaced in 2004 of such an event, taken by a private contractor (not an actual news reporter or photographer). They appeared in the Seattle Times with no punishment for it, but given the uproar it generated in the public, no paper dared try it again.
Hopefully the statements by the VFW and American Legion keep such negative public opinion alive.
Probably right.
Zero in increasing the troop strength 50 percent in Afghanistan will reap a “rich” harvest of potential photo ops. Zero, the moron, will reap more unintended consequences. Some folks think Bamy is smart. I think that he is actually stupid -—most pimps are.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is called simply common decency. That is why we don’t publish photos of our fallen hero’s, it is the decent thing to do in honor of their memory.
And either we are a society that claims to be decent and do decent things; or, we are not.
God Bless America! And God Bless our Troops!
I sat next to a 747 courier pilot on an overseas trip (I was bumped to 1st class and he was “going to work”) and he said that the best thing the gov’t did was to courier the bodies in the darkness of night into Dover. No cameras. No chance for them to be exploited. He was one of the pilots.
Yes.
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