Bush Exploits Photo of Dead Bodies, But Not Soldiers Coffins

[Katie]

Bush Exploits Photo of Dead Bodies, Despite Ban


As the nation headed for war last year, President Bush "clamped down" on the media, extending and expanding a controversial policy that banned reporters from photographing flag-draped caskets of soldiers killed in combat 1. The White House said the policy was enforced to "spare the feelings of military families." 2 Yet, in the very first television advertisement of his 2004 campaign, the president has blanketed the nation's airwaves with an image of "firefighters carrying a flag-draped body" from the 9/11 wreckage at Ground Zero 3.

The hypocrisy of preventing Americans from receiving a "reminder of the toll of war" at the very same time the president exploits an image of a dead body for his own political gain has caused an outrage among victims' families 4. Chris Burke, whose brother Tom died in the attacks, said, "Using my dead friends and my dead brother for political expediency is dead wrong. It's wrong, it's bad taste and an insult to the 3,000 people who died on Sept. 11." 5

http://www.misleader.org/daily_mislead/Read.asp?fn=df03052004.html

[alcuno]

1. I wonder if there isn't a quote of * saying that firefighters and police

officers were on the front lines on the war on terror. It sounds really familiar to me.

[Katie]

4. alcuno

you're right! Something about our firemen and cops being our 1st responders in the "war on terror" I'm going to try and find it.

[alcuno]

7. Here's something on the WH website.

1/22/04 - Looks like it's part of his stump speech. It's probably in the SOTU speech from last year or the year before. Didn't he have a police officer who was in the Trade Towers there?

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040122-6.html

"I want to thank the law enforcement and first responders who are here with us. Thank you for wearing the uniform that says clearly you're willing to dedicate your lives to make your community a safer place. (Applause.) Thank you for being on the front line of securing our homeland. I appreciate your service."

[still_one]

2. The real problem is

that he won't testify before the 9/11 commission in an open forum.

He will do it with one person in a closed session, and Rice does not even have to appear

[Katie]

5. still_one if he exploits 9/11 he should be made to testify before

the 9/11 commisson, thats one of the major complaints of the families.

[stepnw1f]

3. How Absolutely Sick and...

devoid of humanity. These Neo-cons are Sociopaths. They really must lack compassion.

[David Zephyr]

6. Brilliant Observation and Worth Comparison.

This went on my e-mail broadcast list for the day!

Thanks, Katie.

What a perfect point made here.

[Deja Q]

8. President Pig* really is despicable...

What else can be said? He's disgusting, wasteful, and quite the hypocrite. I'm amazed that even 30% of the population still adores the boob, let alone the 45% he's got in the polls. x( :eyes:

[David Zephyr]

9. Kicking This Story Up Because of the Hypocrisy in Bush's Double Standard

:kick:

[RedSock]

10. molesting the dead

Jimmy Breslin is pissed!

http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/nyc-bres0306,0,5341970,print.column?coll=ny-news-columnists

"In his first campaign commercial, George Bush reached down and molested the dead. ...

"George W. Bush acts like he's entitled to treat the remains of a dead man like a souvenir. Now he shows a commercial with dead bodies, or body parts, covered with an American flag being taken through the smoke and flames of the world trade center attack. It caused people who had lost family members in the attack to complain about using the dead or parts thereof being used for a politician's gain.

""Bush is afraid to let us see the dead being brought back from Iraq," one fire fighter said yesterday."

.......