The more I hear about the furor over Ted Koppel reading the names of over 700 dead service men and women, the angrier I get. What the hell? The idea that this is some sort of message meant to smear the President is absolutely ridiculous. ArenÂ’t these the same folks that were in a panic over the (very highly publicized) death of Pat Tillman? Not that I am attempting to diminish his death in any way; but donÂ’t the less famous troops deserve to be recognized and honored for their service and sacrifice? Every one of those people is Pat Tillman to somebody. Each one of them has friends and family that grieve for them. This is simply censorship at its absolute worst.

I think most people already have an opinion one way or the other on the war in Iraq. I know my personal opinion changes every day, with or without casualties on the nightly news. I don’t need some sort of “TV Nanny” to lord over what I can and cannot watch. As if we don’t know that service people are being killed every day!

I believe that it is crucially important that the people in the US are made uncomfortable by the images and names they see on TV. We need to be reminded of the truth and horror of war and the ripple effect it has on everyone. Please donÂ’t take this as anti-war rhetoric. I firmly believe that war is necessary in some circumstances. But it is never clean and pretty.

So—whether you see this broadcast as propaganda or truth, please take a moment to think about the soldiers overseas. It is far too easy to focus on the start of the baseball season, the heat wave in Southern California, or Michael Jackson’s legal troubles. I, for one, will be making a point to watch and remember.

Posted by: Ensie at 07:17 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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