OT: Their Photos Tell the Story

[Guest guest]

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/newyork/columnists/ny-nybres303605595dec30,0\

,1839774.column?coll=ny-ny-columnists

http://tinyurl.com/yw3gs

Extract:

Steve Zelfers, the photo editor, said, " You stare at the photos and

see the cost of the war. " [CORRECTION: Steve Elfers is photo editor of

the Army Times. His last name was misspelled in a column by Jimmy

Breslin yesterday. Pg. A02 Q 12/31/03]

The complaint about the military holding back pictures is one part of

the attempt to make you as unaware as possible that soldiers are dying

in Iraq. They have this Bremer who stands in his jacket, shirt and tie

and talks about the new Iraqi government that we have set up.

He doesn't seem to know about death.

He doesn't know that every time we try to put our democracy into one of

these totalitarian countries, the scum comes to the top. They have been

living elsewhere and rush back to lick American boots and get positions

in the great new government.

The government folds and the imams take over.

And the dead are brought back here almost furtively. There are no

ceremonies or pictures of caskets at Dover, Del., air base, where the

dead are brought. " You don't want to upset the families, " Bush

said. That the people might be slightly disturbed already by the death

doesn't seem to register.

The wounded are flown into Washington at night. There are 5,000 of them

and for a long time you never heard of soldiers who have no arms and

legs. Then the singer Cher went into Walter Hospital and came out

and gave a report that was so compelling she should walk away with a

Pulitzer Prize.

Finally, a couple of television stations and a newspaper here and there

began to cover these things. There are miles to go.

For now, Cher, on one day, and the Army Times for the whole year, have

served the nation as it should be served.

[Guest guest]

BETH SORRY I WROTE IN DIGEST THAT TOUGHT IT WAS YOU THAT WAS THINKING OF LEAVING.....BRENDA PLEASE PLEASE STAY WITH US, YOUR FAMILY, AND FAMILY JUST SOMETIMES DISAGREE BUT DOES NOT CHANGE THE LOVE WE HAVE FOR EACH OTHER. I LOVE WHAT YOU SENT TO DIGEST AND SUPPORT YOU, WRITE ME

LOVE

JOANN

Re: OT: Their Photos Tell the Story

, I hope you will reconsider, you are a valuable member of the group and we will all be poorer if you leave. Rajiv has extended an apology. Please stay?

beth