RIGHT TO THE CHIN

why do you publish such photos?

When you see photos like this, you are forced to deal with the reality of the situation. Hopefully it will cause an emotional response, and make people think about things in a grander scale than the nightly news and daily newspapers do. For all our technology and access to information, we all seem to be less informed.

.... because he's not afraid to draw attention to what's really going on here.

I had successfully avoided seeing the pictures since they had been published...

I never had any belief that the war was something that would have a clear victor. Even Ted Kennedy is calling Iraq George Bush's Vietnam. I thought we had learned our lesson the first time?

And we are, unfortunately, less informed here. The news that gets shown overseas is uncut and brutually honest, especially in places like Ireland and England, where the feeds come in as the news is happening, blood, terror, and all. I hadn't realized that we are fed in large part what "they" (whoever "they" are) want us to see. It's a bit like radio, actually.

So what's to be done?

Images such as these can underscore the gravity of the world's problems if given the proper context. But as much as it may pain us to see photos like this, there are those whose hearts are so seared that they enjoy seeing such things. An image's impact may be measured by the way in which the audience chooses to respond. As Bill wrote, "Look at the kids' smiling faces, and direct your anger towards those who teach them to see such joy in the midst of such abomination." It is for this reason that I believe that Bill has not misused these photos by posting them. He has given them a context that illustrates heart-felt "wrongness."

To boil it down, perhaps we should ask: After having seen these images, how are we to respond on a personal level? What can we do against evil in our own lives? What can we do to combat evil in the world?

Just some thoughts.

So what if "even Ted Kennedy is calling Iraq George Bush's Vietnam"????... Ted Kennedy's opinion is not exactly one we should be setting up as gospel. In fact, to even attempt a comparison of this situation to Vietnam is Sophomoric at best.

Don't fall into the temptation of glorifying something that is simply a fact of life. Let's not lose sight of the fact that protecting the lives of others can be a dangerous business.... We are a nation at war, and casualties are inevitable. The military understands that, most rational people understand that, and furthermore, this President understands that... and because of him, there are now thousands of FREE people in Iraq who no longer have to fear random stonings, rape rooms, and other such atrocities that were commonplace before. Obviously, (as shown in the pictures) there are still horrible things going on over there, but we're doing our best to stop it, and I for one applaud the men and women who are willing to risk everything to see this through to the end....

I'm so SICK AND TIRED of people accusing Bush of being the bloodthirsty cowboy who's only out for oil and carnage. That's the most irresponsible, uninformed tripe I've ever heard, and is probably the best evidence that we have an uninformed public. For some reason, we simply to refuse any reality except the one on MTV. Pathetic....

THIS man took the information he had (information that was as old as his daddy's administration and Bill Clinton's too, for you liberals out there)and acted his conscience... I wonder if any of us would have had the guts to do the same.... or would we still be hat-in-hand to France begging for permission...?