RE: [Leica] Dover USAF base photography & military funerals.

[Daniel Ridings <daniel.ridings@muspro.uio.no>]

> My thoughts on this subject may not count for much in this group,

But they do, Kit. They do.

>
> People who serve in our military deserved to be honored. To me, that
> means that their lives should be taken seriously, before, during and
> after they are sent into any conflict.

I grew up with them. The military should honor the military. It's part of
their code.

Having sounded hardhearted, might I add that my greatest wish was that
they never went there and never had to come home this way.

> where it belongs. The people who are responsible for sending those
> people into conflict should be held accountable for having done so, and
> if no one sees the truth of what has occurred--and that may mean images
> of caskets, or body bags, or the kinds of images we witnessed on
> television during Vietnam--then that is what should be seen.

I agree whole-heartedly. I got burned for pointing out the stream of body
bags that was to follow way back in January. My remarks were worded in
such a way that they were taken offensively. To me, body bags are very
very offensive and all those who argued for and supported this insane act
of aggression are responsible for the body bags.


> I don't think a single person on this list would argue for an insensitive
> display of anyone's suffering, be it the soldier, or her or his family.

I hope you're right.

> It is all too easy to forget who these people are, that they exist, and
> that there is a disproportionate preponderance of minority and lower
> income people in the military. They come from a class of people who are
> generally voiceless and powerless in this society, and too easily become
> the pawns of the powerful, who would rather keep the images of those who
> may well be dying in vain, or for whatever reason, away from the
> populace.

Nothing to add ... I just refrained from taking this out of my reply
because it deserves to be seen again.

> If photographing caskets helps bring wars to an end, then that is what
> needs to be done. If photographs of wounded and massacred soldiers in
> Iraq and elsewhere can bring a war to an end, then that is what should
> be done. For too long the powers that be have manipulated the lives of
> the powerless, mostly for selfish reasons. If a photographer can make
> one small contribution to bringing that inanity to an end, then more
> power to her. Or him.

The best thing ... no more caskets, no more pictures of them ... go back
to the UN, hat in hand, head bowed down and say "Sorry, we messed up. Help
us." Send Rumsfeld.


Daniel

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