Dignity and democracy

As of today in Iraq, 2,475 soldiers have given their lives and another 18,000 have been wounded, many thousand returning home with debilitating mental and physical disabilities. But while the body count comes up reguarly on the news (although with decreasing frequency), viewers are often "spared" the sight of our war casualties.

In stark contrast, Vietnam was a bloodbath of media coverage, with the grave images of war leading to a popular backlash and American withdrawal (a withdrawal that, incidentally, did not lead to the domino-like collapse of neighboring countries to communism - more on that later). But Iraq is different, with most news agencies not even bothering to publish pictures, even when they have them. Ironically, this reluctance to publish comes amid strong demand for the fare when it is available, via "The War Tapes" or "Baghdad ER."

So what's the right thing to do? The problem is that while the death of a soldier is individually a very private and sancrosanct event, the death of soldier(s) is a very public and political issue. In a democratic society, we the people ultimately hold the responsibility for the war and the soldiers who die. Are we better off insulated from the graphic images or would it be more responsible to present American citizens with a pictorial consequence of their Election Day choices?