How SHOULD we Honor Our War Dead?
The conservatives protested the Koppel program last Friday, and the Sinclair Group pulled the program off the air, all for Koppel reading the names out loud and showing the picture of each man or woman killed in the line of duty. The closest I've found to a similar honoring of the Dead is at the web site of a publisher specializing in newspapers for servicemen,
www.militarycity.com. Yes, all along during the war in Iraq the paper which can be found in every United States Base Exchange in the world.
I spent the afternoon reading the list of our war dead. It is moving to see the ranks, ages, hometowns and pictures of the soldiers. I was particularly moved at four casualties on the 23rd and 24th of April of this year. All men are from Arkansas, and an internet friend of mine nicknamed Emerald Eagle had told me of these men she knew who had died. As much as I like Emerald Eagle, it was not until I ran across their names on this list that I fully appreciated that community's, and our, loss.
Go here for the list of the dead: US Soldiers Who Died in Iraq. Remember, this is in a conservative publication. The Republican spin machine only wants to make sure to suppress publication of dead soldiers when they are read aloud by ABC, or when pictures of coffins are taken by contracted employees. Evidently they approved of this message.
This story enrages me, but I am also solemn and nearly praying for these lost souls. I need a more heartwarming image, so I thought I'd leave you with one, this one from Army Times:
At the mention of Karl Rove's name it is recommended that you spit three times.
