Release of grisly Hussein photos assailed - proof or pornography?

[dArKeR]

Are they proof, or are they pornography?

The images of Saddam Hussein's infamous sons, their faces bloodied and mutilated by the torrent of U.S. bullets and rockets that ended their lives on Tuesday, were released by the White House yesterday and transmitted around the world, over and over again, by eager news media.

While U.S. President George W. Bush and other Washington officials defended the release of the photos yesterday as a necessary proof of success and resolve, others saw it as distasteful gloating, and some pointed out that it was exactly the sort of lurid display that the White House had condemned in the recent past.

When Arabic television networks broadcast photos of dead U.S. soldiers during the Iraq war this year, they were strongly criticized by the White House for overstepping the bounds of decency and violating human rights.

Despite the controversy, media outlets around the world did not hesitate to make use of the photos, which showed the head and shoulders of Uday and Qusay Hussein, their faces bloody, bruised, bloated and twisted. Uday appears to have suffered a wound through the mouth, which some U.S. officials said may have been self-inflicted. CNN showed the images for hours, drawing criticism from some journalists, as did the Arabic satellite stations Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya.

For many Arabs, the photos of the brothers' heads carry a strong historical resonance.

http://theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030724.wiraq0724_3/BNStory/International/

I can't believe almost all Internet sources have dropped the fact that Saddam's 14 year old grandson was shot and killed when the soldiers entered the house! Who controls the news?

Justice: Evidence; Warrant; Arrest; Trial; Judgement.

Our pResident is INSANE. Our media is INSANE.

http://darkerxdarker.tripod.com/

[muchacho]

1. Trophies

Like the many heads of destroyed animals on a trophy hunters wall, the testosterone poisoned like to show off his conquests.

Our government are using the Husseins as trophies of it's might and rightousness. It's the result of a deranged and ill-fated foreign policy of agression and domination.

This has nothing to do with justice.

[glarius]

2. Never thought of it like that but I think you're right about the trophies!

Especially when I think of how Dumbya strutted and crowed yesterday when he told of their deaths!

[dbt]

8. Oh, he LIKES death

That's the only time his reptile face shows any trace of emotion. Think back to his Texas Governor days when he would talk about executions: (pursing lips and mocking) "please...don't...kill...me"

May the true rewards and benefits of this war come back to George W. Bush in their full measure.

:freak:
dbt

[Wonder]

10. Blood lust

very inspiring...Looks like Hunter Thompson's gotten into the act. If still among us I wonder what zappa might have to say.

[noonwitch]

3. I understand the need to show the photos in Iraq

But did they have to show them here? All the people who were concerned about the frank sexual discussions on the news during Clinton's impeachment aren't concerned with the images of dead men, killed violently? I would rather explain the blow job to my kids than the dead bodies.

I don't have a problem with our soldiers killing these guys, since they were allegedly shooting at the soldiers, but does our government and media need to take such pleasure in violence? It is sad that these two individuals killed so many and it may be just that they are dead, but to take such pleasure in their deaths just makes it look like we are just as bad as they were.

[muchacho]

4. Macho state

One of our national peculiarites how squeemish we are about sex, yet we can view acts of violence without a peep.

Piles of dead non-Americans will hardly raise a protest, but an exposed tit has people furiously tapping out their emails to the editors.

[Wonder]

11. I think this was Flint's point.

If I didn't feel that SOME of the pornography trade was a form of slavery. Not all but a percentage, I would agree with him wholeheartedly. S&M Snuff and Child porn aside, I would much perfert to see photo's of people having sex than graphic carnage anyday.

[diamond14]

14. Iraq has no electricity to watch TV or run computers...do you really

believe that bush* is just showing these photos to Iraqis ???

we just bombed their cities back into the dark ages...there are no jobs, no money to buy cable, no cable, no TVs after your house is bombed...little working electrical power....

this "dead head" display by bush* is a tropy show....for Americans, and a warning for other muslim countries...

reminds me of the horse head in the guy's bed on the original Godfather movie...

[dArKeR]

5. You guys better save the stories reporting about the grandson

because I don't see any but 1.

Uday, Qusay, Mustafa, 14, and a bodyguard were armed with AK-47 rifles and had barricaded themselves in on the second floor.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=29&art_id=qw1059105241281B252&set_id=1

[UTUSN]

6. The Wingnuts Are Orgasming and Fundraising

It's not a matter of "convincing" anybody. The wingnuts are GETTING OFF to the nekkid bodies. The top tier of donors to Shrub will get a peek under the loin cloth.

The real questions were:

1) Let's see, there were a total of FOUR (4) firing back?

2) against a whole phalanx of forces armed complete with missiles on down?

3) and this was a "fierce battle" that lasted SIX (6) hours?

[gratuitous]

7. More Republican Pornography

Put it on the shelf with HUAC, McCarthy, Watergate, the Starr Report, and Election 2000. The boxed set will come out this Christmas for the knuckle-dragger on your list who has absolutely nothing, but votes for Republicans because they'll repeal the estate tax.

I wonder how many folks gloating over the death photos felt the same way about the Dale Earnhardt autopsy report? That is, were in favor of full disclosure?

[Bucky__Badger]

9. the displaying of these photos is BARBARIC, pure and simple

I do not know all of the reasons Rove had these photos displayed, but I do know that to do so is truly one of the more barbaric things I have EVER seen.

I don't agree with publishing them in Iraq, but can at least follow the reasoning for doing so. But, I ask, WHAT GOOD CAN POSSIBLY COME FROM SHOWING THEM HERE? We are truly devolving as a country. Bloodlust and violence. It's ok to show truly grisly and ghoulish photos of two dead men, evil as they may have been, but Ashcroft has to cover up the breasts of a woman in A PIECE OF ART???

What is it with this crowd? How can one who claims to be Christian do this? I am ASHAMED of this.

[not systems]

12. pornography of death

I think this is government trafficking in
the pornography of death.

I am wondering if any religious leader will
speak out about this.

It seems to be well outside the bounds of
common decency.

When this is justified by pointing at different
needs and values of the Iraqi people I can
only think this is being done for domestic and
global air play not only Iraq.

Why is what I wonder?

[nuxvomica]

13. This is more dehumanizing the enemy

I heard Wolfowitz on Lehrer refer to them as "creatures" on the same day that Bloomberg, showing considerable class, spoke of two tragic deaths at City Hall.
Jon Stewart on last night's DS wondered why the pictures ever needed to be shown domestically considering that we were never in danger from these guys.

The whole Bush death cult makes you wonder about the Wellstone tragedy, not to mention 9/11. I expect the skulls of Uday and Qusay will be painted and put on display somewhere in the Skull and Bones temple.

[rocktivity]

15. Neither proof nor pornography, but PR

This is supposed to justify everything that's been done and every lie that's been told--that is, it's supposed to literally be the next best thing! But nobody's buying into it, and they're running scared!

rocknation

[Tansy_Gold]

16. lampshades

Perhaps I just have a sick personality, but the mere mention of "trophies" made me think back to the Nazi who had lampshades made of the tanned skin of concentration camp victims.

We learned -- eventually -- that the story of Jessican Lynch holding off her attackers for hours was a lie, and I suspect that there is a substantial measure of fabrication in the story of the Hussein brothers' stand-off with the U.S. forces.

In this internet age, no matter how discreetly the photos may have been released, it was inevitable that they'd make their way around to the U.S., Yahoo!, and everywhere else. If not planned that way (yeah, right), those who released the photos either had to have known what the end result would be or, if they didn't, they're damned stupid. Both descriptions equally apply to this entire administration.

Drooling blood-thirsty ghouls, every last one of them.

Tansy Gold, who thinks that if there were ways to get lots of bullets into that house there was probably at least one way to get some tear gas, and therefore believes the "termination" of these people was always the objective, the only objective. Dead men, after all, tell no tales.

[Spazito]

17. For your perusal, some comments from Canadians re release of photos...

from CBC news site.

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/07/25/response_bodies030725