Let’s see if this becomes a story now that Miss Sarah’s on top of it:
Many of us join Secretary Gates in condemning the Associated Press for its heartless and selfish decision to turn its back on the wishes of a grieving family in order to exploit the tragic death of a true American hero.
Lance Corporal Joshua ‘Bernie’ Bernard was a selfless young American who sacrificed everything for our freedom.
Shame on the AP for purposely adding to the grieving family’s pain. Ignoring the family’s wishes by publishing a sacred image of their loved one proved a despicable and heartless act by the AP. The family said they didn’t want the photo published. AP, you did it anyway, and you know it was an evil thing to do.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Bernard family. Words can not adequately express our sorrow and appreciation for your sacrifice. We will never forget your Marine or his fallen comrades.
May God bless the Bernard family.
-Sarah Palin
Good on Sarah. First of all, it’s fantastic that a figure of her political stature — that is, someone who can bring this to people’s attention, unlike bland old Robert Gates — has spoken up in support of the family, but I’m also probably not going to be alone in noticing the word evil. And I like it a lot. Morals aren’t some “religious” thing, and they apply to real-life situations that have to do with suffering and can/should dichotomies. Uncontroversial, to be sure, but a nice message from the former governor.
September 7th, 2009 at 1:00 am
I don’t normally defend the MSM but I actually did see a lot of discussion about this on several news sites. Even Yahoo had it as a main story on its home page, which is actually where I heard about it first. Mostly stories about the ethics of AP writing the story and its affiliate papers printing it. Some editors defended their decision to print the photo as part of the media’s responsibility to tell the whole story, while a few courageously recognized that printing the actual picture wasn’t necessary.
September 7th, 2009 at 1:01 am
Well, of course you would want the picture hidden. Heaven forbid the public realizes that war is all not freedom and glory, and I can’t help but wonder if it upsets you as well to see the realities of the policies you support.
I support the AP. The public needs to be reminded of the real cost and consequences of war.
September 7th, 2009 at 1:12 am
Well, of course you would want the picture hidden. Heaven forbid the public realizes that war is all not freedom and glory, and I can’t help but wonder if it upsets you as well to see the realities of the policies you support. I support the AP. The public needs to be reminded of the real cost and consequences of war.
Do you lefties actually think that we aren’t aware of the fact that War Is Hell?
The difference is that the left thinks that nothing is worth fighting or dying for, which is a tragic little mindset.
September 7th, 2009 at 1:19 am
It sure seems like many neoconservatives try to heavily sanitize war.
As for the second point, that’s not true. I support(ed) the war in Afghanistan. One of the very few just wars, in my opinion. I still think pictures such as this one should be released.
September 7th, 2009 at 1:37 am
The American people are smart enough to understand that war involves killing people and blowing things up. We don’t need the nanny Democrat-Media Complex (DMC) to remind us. Thank you very much for your condescending liberal attitude. It is but one reason why conservatives now outnumber liberals in all fifty states, a fact that the DMC has mostly declined to report.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203550604574358953782324812.html
- JP
September 7th, 2009 at 1:46 am
Part of Gates letter to the AP.
“Out of respect for his family’s wishes, I ask you in the strongest of terms to reconsider your decision. I do not make this request lightly. In one of my first public statements as Secretary of Defense, I stated that the media should not be treated as the enemy, and made it a point to thank journalists for revealing problems that need to be fixed – as was the case with Walter Reed.”
“I cannot imagine the pain and suffering Lance Corporal Bernard’s death has caused his family. Why your organization would purposefully defy the family’s wishes knowing full well that it will lead to yet more anguish is beyond me. Your lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling. The issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right – but judgment and common decency.”
I wouldn’t say Gates was bland, Alex. And, a lot of people have spoken out against the publishing of the photo.
Palin has her own issue with exploiting fallen soldiers, as seen in her farewell speech.
September 7th, 2009 at 1:52 am
Palin has her own issue with exploiting fallen soldiers, as seen in her farewell speech.
What she was driving at, obviously, was that in honor of the memory of the people who die protecting the right to freedom of the press, the media should do a better job. Which, let’s be serious: they should. Whether it comes from the lips of Palin, Romney, or Rudy, it’s true.
Gates’ letter was wonderful, actually. And well-argued, too. But Gates himself doesn’t have Sarah’s star power.
September 7th, 2009 at 2:16 am
7. I agree with you, I just thought it was awkward and a little too convenient when she used recently fallen soldiers from Alaska to set up her slam at the media. It just didn’t come across as very respectful, but her larger point was true.
Yes, Gates does not have Palin’s star power. I agree with her statement too.
You’ve taken to calling Palin Miss Sarah, so I assume you are warming up on the Cuda.
September 7th, 2009 at 2:31 am
You’ve taken to calling Palin Miss Sarah, so I assume you are warming up on the Cuda.
If “warming up” means “decided to back off of her a bit,” sure. But my only rationale for supporting her remains what it was: the potential for a Giuliani vice-presidency.
September 7th, 2009 at 2:51 am
9. That would be a pathetic state of affairs for Rudy. He would make a damn fine president, 1000 times better than Palin.
September 7th, 2009 at 2:52 am
Also, you’re scenario assumes Palin can win a general – which is looking pretty impossible at this point.
September 7th, 2009 at 3:06 am
I think Palin is exploiting this, I dont trust her motives anymore…
no way around it, the horrors of war.
I can only hope by seeing this it will wake people from their slumber.
September 7th, 2009 at 3:06 am
10 – Yes, but who else would pick him? Romney? Huckabee? No way.
Only Palin needs the kind of contrast Rudy can provide.
This is assuming that Rudy does not run and proceeds to endorse Sarah.
September 7th, 2009 at 3:07 am
Oh, man. The lefties seem to think that the AP has done some grand mission.
The left is so wrapped up in its own delusions about what right-wingers think about war that they really, honestly believe that we aren’t aware that War Is Hell.
We realize it, Kos Kids — but we happen to think that Islamic fascism is something worth fighting. Not because we feel like it — but because it has declared war on our country.
September 7th, 2009 at 3:21 am
Alex K,
AP should have been more sensitive and followed the wishes of the the brave Corporal’s family by not printing the picture. I always thought since WW1 that it was a long standing sign of respect not to show photo’s of wounded American soldiers.
The story has been reported on for the last two days, so why is Palin deciding to enter the fray now? Where was she 2 days ago.
Palin’s Face Book entry was meant to inflame emotions, and I don’t think this is the proper time or the proper subject for her to pick a fight with anybody. This is a TRAGIC story and perhaps Palin is being just as insensitive as AP. Out of RESPECT for the family, she should have left paragraph TWO and FOUR out and written it as a message of solidarity and comfort to the family.
She used the words exploit, heartless, selfish, shame, purposely, despicable, heartless, and evil hoping the media would pick up on how the AP was exploiting this. The more I typed the more ticked off at Palin I got.
September 7th, 2009 at 3:40 am
So, why is Palin doing this… Isn’t she exploiting the story by drawing attention it?
September 7th, 2009 at 3:57 am
I agree with ex Gov Palin but how long is she going to hide behind her keyboard sounding off?
September 7th, 2009 at 4:48 am
She is such a simpleton.
Tasteless. Sure. Evil? Absolutely not.
FYI, they’re fighting for our security and self-determination, not our freedom. And if they were, surely publishing war pictures is a clear freedom of speech/press issue.
Her logic eats itself, as it always does.
September 7th, 2009 at 7:10 am
17. Heath. It’s not her writing it. She’s got a ghost twitter and facebooker, bought and paid for by the henry higgins wanna be, murdock. (who is a piller of family values).
September 7th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Governor Palin on the way to the Presidency! This was a very adept move to get behind this issue. She seems to be ahead of the curve on each issue that gets debated – she is controlling the debate.
September 7th, 2009 at 9:12 am
JA. yea, ahead of the curve 2 days late. Guess she did not get the Murdock memo that her ghost facebooker would be writing for her again.
September 7th, 2009 at 11:27 am
13. Alex, those are my thoughts too.
September 7th, 2009 at 11:36 am
I think we should save our economy and bomb everyone. Seriously. We have only one industry left in America and that is bombing the heck out of places. We need a Pres. that has the balls to start nuking China, Syria, Pakistan, Iraq, Canada, Japan, and anybody else who even looks at us. Kill everyone. Forget books in schools as we are falling way behind in the child soldier creation industry. If we arm every man women and child with some serious fire power think how the economy will boom. We won’t even have to farm as we can just turn all the corpses into Wendy’s meals.
September 7th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
You can have all the pictures of your pictures of sons and daughters who went to war, killed, and mutilated into pieces just to show the REAL COST OF WAR. That’s your choice.
But the Bernard family doesn’t want their beloved son’s photos shown.
WHAT AP DID WAS AN OUTRIGHT EVIL. PERIOD.
September 7th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I don’t like it, because the idea most folks like the AP want to push is that war isn’t worth it.
To quote Mill:
“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.”
A society not willing to fight for anything, isn’t much of a society at all. It’s bound to end up swept into history.