Why doesn't the public know more
about the fallen soldiers and their families? Partly it's because
there is little or no media coverage which helps keep the public from
knowing the 'real cost' of the war. Paul Fusco pulls back the
curtain in this photo essay..
A War without casualties? A war where only the evil get hurt? As much
as we would like to believe this, such an idea does not exist. War
produces casualties and destroys lives. Since the beginning of the
Iraqi war the government has consistently tried to divert media
attention both visually and factually. An obvious example of that
effort was closing Dover Air Force Base to the press so we cannot see
rows of flag-draped coffins ready to be shipped to grieving families.
As increasing numbers of families grieve in the small towns of America,
Paul Fusco shows us the bitter truth associated with the intolerable
loss and pain from this war.
About:
In November 2003 Magnum photographer Paul Fusco began
his essay on the funerals of the soldiers killed in Iraq. From the
first funeral, military officers confronted media saying the families
didn’t want the coverage. Fusco was never allowed to speak to the
families.
Jean Full Of Schmidt
posted by Jane at firedoglake
Jean
Schmidt, who defeated Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett for her seat in
Ohio, shut down the House of Representatives by challenging the courage
of decorated Vietnam War veteran Jack Murtha, saying "cowards cut and
run." The place exploded. It was probably everybody pulling out their
Blackberries and Googling Jean Schmidt's war record, where they no
doubt found her history as the head of Cincinnati Right to Life.
Presumably if Murtha's combat experience had been blowing up local
Planned Parenthood clinics, that would have qualified.
The
fiery, emotional debate climaxed when Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio, the
most junior member of the House, told of a phone call she received from
a Marine colonel.
"He asked me to send Congress a message - stay
the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message -
that cowards cut and run, Marines never do," Schmidt said.
Democrats booed and shouted her down - causing the House to come to a standstill.
Rep.
Harold Ford, D-Tenn., charged across the chamber's center aisle
screaming that it was an uncalled for personal attack. "You guys are
pathetic. Pathetic," yelled Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass.
And her little dog Toto, too.
Update 2:ThinkProgress has the video. Really, you should see it. The minute she steps up there you can just feel she's itching to make trouble.
re Schmidt's withdrawal - after the chaos erupted when she was speaking
and the sound was but for quite a while, when they came back, the first
order of business was permission for her to withdraw her remarks which
was granted followed by Hag herself doing a little "gosh, I was not
referring to any of my esteemed colleagues" dance.
IMHO - Dems should not have let her get away with that - sorry but they really need to learn how to play harder than this.
It gets worse: House Republicans request ethics probe (sub.req.) of Murtha.
The
good thing about the GOP attack on Murtha is that they are going to
totally alienate, once and for all, all the Yellow Dog Democrats,
moderate Republicans and Independents.
Murtha just finished his comments on Tweety by saying that the people
are way out in front of the pols "People come up to me and say they
agree while the members say they need to think about it." He concluded
by saying the repub motion distorted his view by calling for pullout
with no plan and that they were reprehensible.
That's how a real dem talks - perhaps some others would like to take lessons?
UPDATE 3: But an unanswered question remains, who is this Colonel Danny Bubp, and
why does his opinion matter so much to Ms. Schmidt? One would assume
that he would possess at least as much military experience as the man
he essentially termed a coward, in response to the Congressman's call
for the troops in Iraq to return home within six months.
Well,
we do know that Colonel Bubp is an Ohio state representative, in fact,
from a district contained within Ohio's 2nd Congressional district,
which Ms. Schmidt won in a special election earlier this year. And how
did he win that seat for the first time in 2004?
Nearly thirty
years in the Marines, and Col. Bubp missed every single military
engagement? Southeast Asia? Beirut? Grenada? Panama? Gulf War? The
Balkans? Somolia? He even missed embassy service in Paris!
But
that hasn't stopped Col. Bubp from attacking the character of decorated
veterans like Cong Murtha. Col. Budp campaigned for Schmidt in her race
against Iraq veteran Paul Hackett in the special election.
A War without casualties? A war where only the evil get hurt? As much
as we would like to believe this, such an idea does not exist. War
produces casualties and destroys lives. Since the beginning of the
Iraqi war the government has consistently tried to divert media
attention both visually and factually. An obvious example of that
effort was closing Dover Air Force Base to the press so we cannot see
rows of flag-draped coffins ready to be shipped to grieving families. 
