About the Berg video

[IJ]

For us to make intelligent choices at the polls, and guide the whole path of our nation advisedly, we have to know what kind of people we are dealing with in our administration and we have to know why half the world hates us. For that to happen, the pictures of our mistreatment (haven't seen any of torture and none remotely comparable to the Berg video) at Iraqi prisons MUST be published and MUST be viewed.

BushCo isn't happy those photos were published; of course, before they were, they had kept a neat lid on the entire problem and done zilch about it. Suits them great!

They also wanted photos of american casualties (not ground up, mind you, just flag draped coffins) censored to avoid bad publicity. On the other hand, images of atrocities and flag draped coffins from 9/11 are ok, as long as they are part of a media campaign to scare americans into voting for the "war president."

The discussion over these photos is crucial to our democracy and if it were to end under political pressure, we'd be better off moving to China. At least the political scene is improving there.

[Dana Sheets]

Decency is one of the oldest debates.

If you visit some pacific island nations such as Sap, Yap, and Saipan, you'll see men and women walking around town barechested. In that community, the top half of a woman is not considered anything that should be covered. Often in warmer climates the cultural norms around exposed skin and genitals are very different than those of cooler climate. Then there's that whole puritanism and judeo/christian heritage thing thrown into the mix for us.

Public hangings only stopped a few decades ago. We still allow people (albeit only a few) to witness our modern "humane" executions.

While it's a slippery slope - I'd say the actions of those soliders is on the same continuum of the Nazi soliders during WWII. How far will people go and hide behind the defense of "following orders."?

One thing that I think is important is that many of the soliders implicated at this point are reservists - which means they don't have as extensive training as regulars. This, to me, highlights a major deficiency in the training for these folks - that they would so readily abandon their own personal belief systems in the face of orders.

[HALFORD E. JONES]

What about the water cure/torture indugled in by Americans in the Philippines during the so-called Philippine Insurrection? Of course, Filipinos also did some of the same to Americans. Read the history of the American Occupation of the Philippines when you have time. Thanks! Have to dash now. Halford

[HALFORD E. JONES]

I read recently that three children were found in Baltimore, Maryland,with their heads cut off: decaptitated!

[Bill Glasheen]

The Maryland incident is a domestic dispute turned ugly. Allegedly husband has killed the three kids, and wife is "missing."

Often in cases like these, we find that there are severe mental problems. In any case, that man will do some serious time - IF his life is spared.

- Bill

[RACastanet]

Ian said: 'On the other hand, images of atrocities and flag draped coffins from 9/11 are ok'

How about the press and news showing photos of the splattered Americans that dove out of the WTC to escape the flames? How about the crushed remains dug out of the rubble? How about the piles of unidentifiable human flesh of those Americans pulverized when the jets hit the buildings or the ground? How about the raw footage of the maimed and horribly burned as they were being removed from the Pentagon?

No, the press would never show the reality of what the terrorists did to Americans... it might upset the left wing! Phooey. If the Amercan public saw these images they would be screaming for the terrorists heads on a stick. As part of the 'hardening process' the Marines have shared some up close and personal videos and pics with me. I showed Bill one so he knows the level of evil that our warriors are fighting... it makes the Berg video look like a party. If this country was not so damned PC they would see things that would truly improve our focus.

Bill said: 'It's worth noting that there are political agendas in the press. Images sent home to TV sets during the Vietnam War were very powerful, and affected the outcome.'

This is 100% true. The US Military crushed the NVA in the 1968 TET offensive. We had turned the tide. However, as an NVA general later stated, the US press was his best friend. The US population was convinced that TET was a NVA victory, and with the public opinion so swayed, the slide downward began.

So, how many of you out there knew that the TET offensive was a military disaster for the NVA and the VC? I doubt that anyone had a clue. Thank you Jane Fonda...

Rich