...was the headline on the paper this morning.

since the begining of the war the Bush administration has been adament about not releasing photos of our nations fallen. But a contract worker took 361 images of caskets being loaded into a cargo plane for transport home. Her and her husband were fired. After photos were posted on the internet the Pentagon reluctantly released the pictures to the press. It definently struck a chord in my heart actually seeing this. But what I can't understand is why the administration has been so against this while at the same time using the pictures of 9-11 victims in his campaign commercials.

On another note former Arizona Cardinals safety Patrick Tillman was killed in an ambush attack in Iraq. This is a great example of someone who gave up a profesional football career to join a bigger cause that he believed in.
Tillman, age 27 was not above himself and refused interviews concerning his actions in things he believed bigger than the NFL.
From the bottom of the heart I give the Tillman family the deepest sympathy including his brother who still serves in Iraq. And also to the rest of our men and women in our armed forces I salute you and hope for a safe return some day.

before todays "debates" begin let's all take a moment to remember our serviceman for their hard and courageous work whether we agree with the war or not becasue they need it.

There has been a long standing policy at the Pentagon to not release photos of the dead out of respect for the families. Not George's idea...If you work there and violate the rules you get fired...Pretty simple...not a secret plot to screw over the whole world. Personally I think it is a dumb rule but then again the pictures have been misused for petty partisan bickering which I guess is good reason not to allow them.

SPACE SHUTTLE DEAD MIXED WITH IRAQ CASUALTIES ON THE INTERNET
Fri Apr 23 2004 16:08:25 ET

WASHINGTON POST, REUTERS, CNN, AP RUN PHOTOS OF SPACE SHUTTLE COFFINS -- AS IRAQ WAR DEAD! ... AFTER INTERNET MIX-UP: Russ Kick of thememoryhole.org filed a Freedom of Information Act requesting 'all photographs showing caskets (or other devices) containing the remains of US military personnel at Dover AFB. This would include, but not be limited to, caskets arriving, caskets departing, and any funerary rites/rituals being performed. The timeframe for these photos is from 01 February 2003 to the present.'

But Kick appears to have assumed all the photos given to him were of the WAR ON TERROR/IRAQ dead!

On Thursday NASA claimed more than 70 photos featured in Kick's war dead -- were photos of Space Shuttle Columbia's crew! The shuttle blew up on 2/1/03.

'An initial review of the images featured on the Internet site http://www.thememoryhole.org shows that more than 18 rows of images from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware are actually photographs of honors rendered to Columbia's seven astronauts,' NASA said.

CNN aired space shuttle coffins as Iraq dead from thememoryhole.org. The Washington Post printed a shuttle dead photo on page A10. [The paper is planning a correction on Saturday, sources tell DRUDGE.]


Reuters is also distributing a photo of the Columbia crew remains.

AP has a screen grab of the first page of photos - all of which are of Columbia crew remains. AP titles the image as 'A page from the Memory Hole.org's homepage shows photographs of American war dead arriving at Dover Air Force, the nation's largest military mortuary, Thursday, April 22, 2004.'

It is not clear if other media outlets are currently featuring space shuttle coffins in their rotations.

Developing...

TThis is an awful rule, but it is not a Bush rule. It preceded his administration. If I recall correctly it was a Clinton rule.

There is no way a photo of a row of coffins violates anyone’s privacy. What it did for me was two things: It made me so sad for the loss of so many young lives and so proud of those wonderful young men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

I think Bush should immediately repeal this rule that makes it look like we are not proud of our war dead. And I think he will not. One of the freedoms these soldiers fought for was freedom of the press. How ironic.

Dave I feel the same way....I guess if my son was coming home in a flag draped coffin I wouldn't want to see it on the front page of the paper with a story calling the war wrong and the soldiers baby killers and stuff like that.

It does strike you though to see the coffins. Hits home as far as what the real ramifications of war are.

Yes, it was Bush, Sr., during the first Gulf War. It's really got nothing to do with respect for the families; that's just what they want you to believe. The policy was enacted to keep public sentiment under control and not fuel the anti-war protests like there were during Vietnam.

From the Pentagon's strategic viewpoint the policy is paramount, however, it has no place in a free democratic society.

The rulle goes back to WWII with modifications since.