US contractor fired for military coffin photo

[directfiesta]

" land of the free " ....

WASHINGTON - A US contractor and her husband have been fired after her photograph of 20 flag-draped coffins of US soldiers going home from Iraq was published in violation of military rules.

"I lost my job and they let my husband go as well," Tami Silicio, who loaded US military cargo at Kuwait International Airport for a US company, told Reuters in an email response to questions.

The Pentagon tightly restricts publication of photographs of coffins with the remains of US soldiers and has forbidden journalists from taking pictures at Dover Air Force Base, the first stop for the bodies of US soldiers being sent home.

The military says the policy is in place to protect the privacy of families of those killed, but critics have said the rules are aimed at sanitising the war for the public.

The Seattle Times printed Silicio's photograph last weekend and again on Thursday. The picture shows soldiers tending to 20 coffins completely covered with American flags on April 7 inside a military cargo plane at the Kuwait airport.

Silicio, who was raised in the Seattle area, was not paid by the newspaper for the picture, which a friend in the United States, Amy Katz, passed on to the newspaper. Katz said she had since found an agent to sell the photograph.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/latestnews...bsection=world

[AndrewKanuck]

I can't recall the last time the US was truely the "land of the free".

[JFK]

Wasnt there a similar incident not that long ago ?

[sperbonzo]

Those rules have ALWAYS been in place. What does the "land of the free" thing refer to? There are laws and rules about everything......but not nearly as many as some countries.

What's your point? This is just cheap polical hay that you're making. This guy certainly knew the rules.....he broke them....he got fired. There are lots of companies that prohibit all kinds of activities for various reasons....if you break those rules, you can lose your job. Big F#^*ing deal.

[zzgundamnzz]

They broke rules pertaining to there job. Any other company would of fired them too

[Tanker]

the site they are on is www.thememoryhole.com

[jennym]

Originally posted by sperbonzo
Those rules have ALWAYS been in place. What does the "land of the free" thing refer to? There are laws and rules about everything......but not nearly as many as some countries.

What's your point? This is just cheap polical hay that you're making. This guy certainly knew the rules.....he broke them....he got fired. There are lots of companies that prohibit all kinds of activities for various reasons....if you break those rules, you can lose your job. Big F#^*ing deal.

[directfiesta]

Originally posted by sperbonzo
Those rules have ALWAYS been in place. What does the "land of the free" thing refer to? There are laws and rules about everything......but not nearly as many as some countries.

Sure:

BUSH FINALLY DECIDES TO ACT ON IRAQ CASUALTIES
Media Coverage of Returning Coffins No Longer Allowed

Since the end of the Vietnam War, presidents have worried that their military actions would lose support once the public glimpsed the remains of U.S. soldiers arriving at air bases in flag-draped caskets.

To this problem, the Bush administration has found a simple solution: It has ended the public dissemination of such images by banning news coverage and photography of dead soldiers' homecomings on all military bases.

[Manowar]

Why does the war need to be "sanitised" for the public, when they watch gore in movies all day every day

[Rich]

Originally posted by sperbonzo

Those rules have ALWAYS been in place.

Actually no, this is the first time in history that the media has not been allowed to show pictures of dead soldiers returning home. So you're right, if by right we meant 100% wrong.

Originally posted by sperbonzo
What does the "land of the free" thing refer to? There are laws and rules about everything......but not nearly as many as some countries.

lol, if you can't see the stupidity in that comment then I feel sorry for you. So Iraq under Saddam Hussein was also the land of the free because the Iraqi people had more freedom than the Saudi's? Please at least think before you start typing.

[Rich]

Originally posted by Manowar
Why does the war need to be "sanitised" for the public, when they watch gore in movies all day every day

Because Bush is trying to get re-elected before people realize how terrible a job he's doing. If you think he's fucking up now, wait until he stops worrying about polls.

[marcu5]

once he doesnt have to worry about being re-elected, i'll offically be nervous as a us citizen.

[Webby]

sperbonzo:

What does the "land of the free" thing refer to? There are laws and rules about everything......but not nearly as many as some countries.

The "land of the free" is claimed to be the US. Out of all western countries there is no question the US has more laws/rules than any which makes a mockery of that "land of the free" verbal.

[sperbonzo]

Originally posted by Webby
sperbonzo:



The "land of the free" is claimed to be the US. Out of all western countries there is no question the US has more laws/rules than any which makes a mockery of that "land of the free" verbal.

Whatever you say.....But through my life I have lived in South Africa, Brazil, Venuzuela, the UK, Holland, and Hong Kong, and have traved pretty extensively through quite a few other countries, and I have to tell you that I COMPLETELY disagree with your opnion.

Now, perhaps you have certain pet peeves with certain areas of legistlation in the US, and it is a fact that there are certain things in some countries that are more "free" than the U.S. but in terms of overal freedoms from goverment interference in most areas of life, business, oportunities, etc..., I have found the US to be FAR less restrictive.

[Fletch XXX]

"some people risk to employ,
some people live to destroy me,
either way they die. They die."

[DarkJedi]

Serves the bitch right. She's on the taxpayers dime and pissed off the govt customer.

[Melvin the Dude]

Flag-draped coffins are shown inside a cargo plane April 7 at Kuwait International Airport, in a photograph published Sunday. The photographer said she hoped the image would help families understand the care with which fallen soldiers are returned home.

[Webby]

sperbonzo:

We all have an opinion :-) I can't think of any western country that has .. pretty unlimited powers of search and seizure - that belonged to South Africa years back.

When you have your foreign mail opened without fail every day by the USPS, there is a "little" problem :-) (And that was before any 9/11 stuff).

Try telling a US cop to piss off and see what happens :-) (Assuming you feel you "need" to do this!!).

The only countries outside the "western" world that have this level of "intrusion" are place like Venezula (at this moment) and some others.

I agree tho that the US was not always like this and it has progressively got worse lately.

[Webby]

Just as another indicator... I know of two airlines, but possibly more following - who wish to kill some routes to the US and set up hubs in other countries. The main reason is they have complied with some extra rules lately - but can't be bothered with the hassle and the volume of customer complaints. Many of the customers never actually wanted to land in the US anyway and were on route elsewhere.

I'm sure US people will, in the end be the deciders in what "they" want as opposed to others "taking care of them". Tho some of this is clearly for the common good.