NEWS: Footage of Dead U.S Soldier Investigated..

Wow anniejhops, way to go to ruin a thread.
As to the topic on hand, 4 more marines dead today, 21 the 2 days before... the insurgency really isn't letting up and quite frankly is an unwinnable situation for the US forces, I say get your troops out of there within a year. The country will likely collapse into civil war, with either an extreme religious type or dictatorship for governance rising to power hence why saddam came to power in the first place...its just that kinda country.
Oh and the above situation would happen whether the troops stayed in Iraq for a year or 100 years, so save your loses and get em out now IMO.

Maybe I approach this differently. There is too much effort to sanitize this war from the Americans. We don't show the coffins out of respect, we possibly ban videos like this out of respect.

You know what, we voted our current president into office. He had chosen to take us into this war on what most have to agree is shaky ground. I think you should see this and the coffins. This is the price for this war.

Agree with the war or not, this is what it cost. If you can't handle the price you should not have bought the war. The Nick Berg beheading was everywhere, and from that people started to think differently. I hate this poor soldier had to die, I hate that he gave his life but he did, I honor him by keeping his death in my memory. I wrote the check that paid for that death.

Now that I think about it, This is no different than posting a link to a porno video, the pleasure factor and the explicit graphics are no different in this situation actually..

Originally posted by XPhiles
Now that I think about it, This is no different than posting a link to a porno video, the pleasure factor and the explicit graphics are no different in this situation actually..

This is worlds apart from posting a "porno-link" ! I am not posting this for excitement, I am posting this for information. If anyone finds anything I post to be of any sort of sexual excitement, then I would seriously suggest therapy.

Other than that, please look at the evidence and stories reported with an open mind. Thank you.

the only way to dny ignorance is to accept the truth.while this is disturbing to censor it would be dnying the truth,if the real horrors of war would be known maybe it would end faster.i feel for all killed in this useless war.

Originally posted by phoenixhasrisin


This is worlds apart from posting a "porno-link" ! I am not posting this for excitement, I am posting this for information. If anyone finds anything I post to be of any sort of sexual excitement, then I would seriously suggest therapy.

Other than that, please look at the evidence and stories reported with an open mind. Thank you.

I'm not saying this is a porno lol... Those who make this kind of video are the ones who are gaining the pleasure, as like a porno of some movie star caught on tape. The insurgents praise those with pleasure by those who post it....

Nor am I saying all this is wrong... what can be wrong to me, can be right to you. I comprehend that. I'm just comparing something like a pen to a pencil...

mixed emotions on this. I respect the right and the freedom to know, but perhaps a memorial page could also be set up to honor the fallen with dignity? Maybe visitors could light candles?

Although it might serve the purposes of the terrorists to sensationalize any death, the people might need to see for themselves the reality of war.

If its any consolation to me, its that he didn't look like he suffered, he died instantly. He looked peaceful.

I stated elswhere that the closer my walk with the Lord gets, the more temptation the devil throws at me and believe me, I'm teetering.

There are no rules in love and war. Is it any wonder we always fall in and out of them? I don't have any loss of love for any... but what I do have is an overwhelming pity. For us all. We are so pathetic, our nature is so ingrained with hatred and malice towards others that is it any wonder we can't get along? Man... get it together already
There is only one God, and that God IS WITHIN US ALL. We are all the same, nothing more, nothing less. Life should be filled with joy, and yet others make it a living hell.
God help us.
I pray for the souls of the fallen, and offer my sincerest condolences. Take pride that your sons and daughters serve with dignity and honor even if the other side doesn't treat them with the same due.

And take comfort that the Lord hears our cries of anguish and hasn't forgotten us... He won't let this go on much longer.

Its a shame all cannot see the type of people we fight, in this light, How quickly they would stop defending these savages, and vote to wipe them off the face of this earth.

My hate for these people has grown even more.

[edit on 5-8-2005 by C0le]

If you don't want your kids watching violent, or sexually explicit TV programs, change or lock the channel. By the same token, the video in this story was linked with a graphic content warning. If you don't want to see it, don't click the link, simple. If the admin decide to pull the link, then they will do so. Until then, if the image of this poor soldier can convince just five people of the stupidity and the deception of this invasion, then I say good.

In war, people die, and it isn't pretty like in the movies. As has been the case with every "war" since WWII, we have been sheltered from bloody reality. We don't see the wounded, the maimed, the burnt, the dead, the innocents caught in the conflict. We don't see the thousands of young men coming home who will never walk again, or see again, or who will have to live out their lives with a burn mask on their face. We don't see the mothers beating their own faces for letting their children go off to die in a war for oil. All we see on our ridiculously controlled propaganda media are the statues being pulled down and Bush's smirking calls to "bring it on!". If you support the conquest and pillaging of Iraq, yet you don't like seeing death, then tough, you are a hypocrite. Have the balls to stand by your convictions and deal with the consequences and the guilt, or wake up and realize that we have been lied to and people are dying in pain every day because of it. Maybe if we saw images like this on our televisions every day, there would be less vicariously sycophantic, neo-con wannabes in the world, and less soldier fanboys whose true motivation for violence is weak-hearted fear.

i watched it. it made me sick..............seeing the fallen marine was tragic.....just gut wrenching........but seeing them cut off his dog tags and then proudly display all the contents of his gear..............was just disgusting.......just beyond disgusting.

it only served to strengthen my support of our troops.

we don't see video like that here in america. maybe we SHOULD see it......remind all of us what those men and women are doing over there....and that some of them ARE losing their lives.

everything we see here is so sanitized and censored. we see video of IRAQI's dead.....video from Israel will show an Israeli or Palestenian dead..........or Afghanistan.....a dead Afghani............but we very very very rarely see one of our own ........... maybe its time we do see it.

i don't know.



angie

Originally posted by keybored
mixed emotions on this. I respect the right and the freedom to know, but perhaps a memorial page could also be set up to honor the fallen with dignity? Maybe visitors could light candles?

What is it with this lighting candles crap the only thing that does is drive up the profits of the candle manufacturers. I understand that some churches maintain an area for the lighting of a candle in memory before services. I am not talking about that. I do not mean anything against keyboard and agree with the majority of keyboard's post. I am just sick and tired of every time something happens and people are killed the news is full of video and pictures of people lighting candles!!!

In World War II U.S. casualties were not allowed to be shown in either print or film. If you were showing film or pictures of U.S. wounded they could not be disfigured and had to be smiling. The technical term for this is propaganda.

Anybody watch the CBS Evening News? Two or three times during the broadcast they will flash the photo and name of a U.S. casualty. Look at the date of death on these. Several of them will be months or years ago. This is propaganda as well. CBS wants people to believe either there are multiple casualties every day or that there are so many casualties that they have a backlog in showing their pictures.

I haven't viewed the posted video for the simple reason that I don't care to. I do not believe that it should be removed. I don't even feel that there should be a warning posted that it is too graphic. I agree that small children say 10 years old and under shouldn't see things like this. Anybody older should be required to see things like this. By censoring things like this video are we trying to honor the memory of the soldier in the video or are we trying to keep the illusion that this war is happening over there and it doesn't affect me.

If someone is in favor of this war or if they are against it I really do not care. That is your view and opinion. One thing that I have noticed is that both sides say that they are not against and support the troops fighting the war. Really? Lighting candles may look cute on TV but has anyone done anything else? Ever call a VA Hospital and ask if they needed any volunteers to help out? Ever find that you had a bunch of paperback books and jigsaw puzzles you want to get rid of? Donate them to a VA Hospital Library. Got a teenage kid looking for something to do? Call a local Reserve or National Guard center and ask if you could cut grass or babysit for the family of a deployed member.

Sorry if I pulled out a soapbox, but I am sick and tired of people just lighting candles.

Everyone should be able to view this footage if they so choose, there is ample warning that it is graphic, I think it said 3 times that it was very graphic and that you should only watch it if you were ok with it, to demand that the link be removed is shallow. It is nothing more than information. To deny information to people is very wrong, nothing should be hidden. As others have said, if American's don't like seeing their soldiers dead, don't be there in the first place.

JIMC5499

Eloquent and spot on! Flags and bugles disguise the horror of a soldier's death; politicians talk of honor and glory for their own benefit.

Photographs and video show what really happened. I also don't have any intention of viewing the gruesome footage; I don't believe any noble cause motivated the current carnage in Iraq, and the images of dead and dying Americans and Iraqi's is just sickening. My disgust is directed not at this story or its poster (I think credit is certianly due), but toward the those responsible, and they all hold high office. Hopefully something akin to the Nuremberg trials will see to them - that's the kind of footage I will watch.

Originally posted by JIMC5499
Lighting candles may look cute on TV but has anyone done anything else? Ever call a VA Hospital and ask if they needed any volunteers to help out? Ever find that you had a bunch of paperback books and jigsaw puzzles you want to get rid of? Donate them to a VA Hospital Library. Got a teenage kid looking for something to do? Call a local Reserve or National Guard center and ask if you could cut grass or babysit for the family of a deployed member.

That is a great point, and some great examples of how people can really support their troops. It's really sad now-a-days how everyone expects instant gratification in everything they do. Supporting the troops is fine as long as all you have to do is buy a yellow ribbon, and chant "support our troops".


I am going to take your advice as well, and donate some time, and what not. I have a large V.A hospital in my City and I know they are having problems, they could probably use the help. Pacifist and soldiers usually do not make the best of friends, so I can honestly say that I never thought of anything like that. Thank's

Jimc5499, read my post again and explain how a web page memorial could benefit (real) candle sales. In cyberland, there ARE memorials setup to pay ones respect. I didn't think it was that outrageous a proposal.

I don't hold anything against anyone since we all look at things the way we see them, but perhaps instead of trying to pick each others posts apart we could try to understand the view trying to be expressed?

In your reply to my post you called the idea of lighting candles (on a web page memorial) "crap" and I can't for the life of me see why anyone would even take issue with it. Perhaps you missed the point and regardless, you are entitled to your opinion. Maybe I wasn't even clear about the kind of memorial I saw befitting however, should I have needed to spell it out on this format? I took it as a given that it was on-line. My apologies if I wasn't coherent in my thoughts or if I was unable to convey what I intended.

Where did this video come from? Was it another Al Jazeerah "exclusive"?

Or a link of jihadunspun.com?

Originally posted by nativeokie
Maybe I approach this differently. There is too much effort to sanitize this war from the Americans. We don't show the coffins out of respect, we possibly ban videos like this out of respect.

You know what, we voted our current president into office. He had chosen to take us into this war on what most have to agree is shaky ground. I think you should see this and the coffins. This is the price for this war.

Agree with the war or not, this is what it cost. If you can't handle the price you should not have bought the war. The Nick Berg beheading was everywhere, and from that people started to think differently. I hate this poor soldier had to die, I hate that he gave his life but he did, I honor him by keeping his death in my memory. I wrote the check that paid for that death.

Well said, nativeokie.......and I support Phoenix's wish to bring this to our attention. It hurts and saddens, but does strengthen my support for the troops, in that it brings to my realization what they go through.

Should we not know what the politicians are really doing, what they are 'getting us in for' when they calmly commit us to more of the same? I fear their current course may bring this to our very doorsteps.

[edit on 5-8-2005 by frayed1]

Keyboard

I specifically said that I have no problem with your post and agreed with most of it. I didn't mean to say anything against your webpage idea and I apologize if you took it that way. I may not have stated the point that I wanted to make clearly enough.

The son of a co-worker was killed in Iraq a few months ago and the majority of our company attended the funeral. Down the street anti-war group held what they called a "Memorial Service" and stood around yelling "Stop the war", "Get us out of Iraq" and "Bush must go", but as soon a one of the TV news vans showed up with a camers crew out came the candles. The news crew filmed the protesters and the funeral procession. Guess what ended up getting shown on the news. Right now I have a built in bias toward the media and candles.

Jim, I can appreciate where you are coming from. Its the media that sways public opinion in all things, love or war. In that, the more I think of it, how else to bring home the reality of this war than maybe representing each wasted life as a single candle? Don't you think by numbers alone this would be making its own statement? Who could look at thousands of candles representative of a life and not feel something?
Anyway, just a thought on my part. Perhaps not all that great a thought either since it would boil down to a score card.
It still would be nice to do something to honor our fallen though.

Has anyone noticed that this video has practically vanished from off the web. Even the Iraqi insurgent website does not have it up anymore?

[edit on 7-8-2005 by phoenixhasrisin]