Army Secretary Asks for Probe of Firing (re: blackout of media coverage of war dead)

[UpInArms]

Source: Washington Post

Army Secretary Pete Geren has asked his staff for an internal review to examine the Army's firing last month of Gina Gray, the former public affairs director of Arlington National Cemetery who had worked to restore media coverage of military funerals.

<snip>

The Washington Post reported on Gray's firing yesterday. After assuming her director position three months ago, Gray discovered that cemetery officials were trying to impose new media restrictions on funerals of Iraq war dead, despite families of the fallen having granted permission for coverage.

Gray believed the new restrictions were wrong and were not supported by Army regulations, The Post reported. But she was demoted six weeks after The Post first reported on her attempts to restore news coverage, and she was fired on June 27.

"Had I not put my foot down, had I just gone along with it and not said regulations were being violated, I'm sure I'd still be there," Gray told The Post, calling her firing retaliatory. "It's about doing the right thing."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/11/AR2008071102767.html

[Robb]

1. Not a true soldier alive wouldn't back her

Not to mark and remember the fallen is to dishonor them.

[SpiralHawk]

12. ...And that's what republicons are all about...ignoring the dead soldiers

so that the rest of America is not reminded what the republicon lies and deceptions aound Iran have caused to happen: massive, meaningless failure -- soaring oil profits for republicon oil cronies.

Do not be a republicon. Honor our soldiers. Honor our veterans. And for Heaven's Sake, publicaly honor our sons and daughters who have died in uniform.

[Joe Chi Minh]

13. Don't say anything about the Republicans. They talk a great fight.

Sting like a butterfly and fly like buckshot.

[barbtries]

2. all of the war should be covered fully

not just the bombs bursting in air. the maimed babies, the closed caskets, the crying bereaved. but then of course the viewing public would start to realize what war is, what war creates: death and destruction. then the viewing public might want to end war. then the greedy warmongers might have to settle for a few less million or billion dollars in their cash account. they might have to explore other industries besides war.

i've heard of parents trying to shelter their children from the ills of the world. but this business of the government and the complicit media sheltering the populace from reality is beyond sense. reality cannot be dealt with if it is not perceived. something's gotta give.

[awoke_in_2003]

4. Yep. The war pigs learned that lesson

during the Viet Nam war. Another thing that could kill this war is the draft- but that is another lesson learned.

[AndyTiedye]

9. No, It Wouldn't

A draft wouldn't stop the war, it would give ** the cannon fodder to expand it.
Just like Vietnam.

[awoke_in_2003]

10. The draft

played a big part in encouraging the HUGE demonstrations against the war. We could use another march on washington.

on edit: I went to your website. Mind if I steal your clansman on fire jpg?

[AndyTiedye]

11. But They Could Not Have Kept That War Going for 10 Years With Only Volunteers

The draft prolonged the war, and allowed them to expand it into Cambodia.
Once they ended the draft, they had to end the war within a couple of years (the length of the forced enlistment).

Same here. If they had the draft, they'd be in Iran already.
Once they have the authority, they can always draft more people any time they want to invade another country.

Sure there'd be more protests, but so what? The MSM wouldn't cover them!

[jwirr]

5. I agree - Vietnam coverage was not fun but it reminded us daily that

war is not to be taken lightly. People die.

[Overseas]

3. Wish probe would cover the blackout of TV news about war dead also.

The whole Republican principle of restricting media coverage of our war dead should be challenged. That's no free press. It has always seemed so unfair. But the Republicans really work hard to control their propaganda.

[truedelphi]

6. As a reporter who devoted one article to partial listing

Of Iraq's fallen soldiers for that month, I received
immediate threats from at least one organization that promised to swift boat me.

Unfortunately for them, they never spelled my name correctly (after the inital missive.)

And since they assigned me both a wrong first and last name, their campaign against me went nowhere.

It makes you realize how far we have fallen as a nation.
In WWII, the last war wherein we had a clear victory,
the media let it be known that soldiers wanted to come home. That people were dying and being wounded.

In this day and age, should anyone attempt to write a song like "I'll be home for Christmas" the song would be blacklisted (though still played on independent media.)

After all, true Americans LOVE war, death and fighting on for nothing for the next 100 years.

[FutureDemocrat]

7. Thank you Ms. Gray, for fighting and sacrificing for the 1st Amendment

If only I would have a chance such as that.

[90-percent]

8. If more people.....

If more people of power and responsibility "did the right thing" this White House would be in solitary confinement IN A WEEK!

The worker bees can't do that so much because they need a wage to put food on their families, but these upper people don't work for money, they just work for the fun of it!

It's not a tragedy like it is for the nation of whiners that are one paycheck away from homelessness.

Gina Grey is a patriot and a principled human being. Sad that her type make up .01% of the ruling class.

-90% Jimmy