There is "No Bravery" in the Abu Gharib photos.

[demgurl]

I came to this country many years ago. I moved here, in part, because it offered such hope. (I had dual citizenship) I had always thought well of this country.

Nothing changed my mind about how great life here would be. My Mom's stories of murders never deterred me. She had lived down here and spoke of high crime rates. I was raised in a place where, to this day, they still feel no need to lock their doors.

When I was younger (maybe 8 or 9) I watched as my Mom packed for a trip to Europe. She stitched a Canadian flag to her backpack and tried to explain the politics of world hate of the US to a child. This did not have an effect on me. I moved here and have loved it.

Today I look at these Abu Gharib photos. I have seen the ones that have come before and I will look at any that are released in the future. I do not get off on blood and gore. I wince when I see men with marks over their bodies. I sit and imagine how the word 'rapeist' came to be on one man's leg. Had our military forced him to commit acts and then wrote that on his leg mocking him?

I continue to look at these photos because no matter how sad it makes me, I owe it to my fellow man to know what is being done to him. I owe it to my children to see these and speak up so that they can have a clean legacy as an American citizen. I force myself to view the photos because even if I did not look at them the atrocities would still go on. By not looking I am shrugging off a great responsibility I have to my fellow man. If people tell me such acts are going on it will not make them stop if I choose to remain in the dark. I look at these photos because I must.

If you have not heard James Blunts song "No Bravery" you should listen to it. It describes so much of what is going on and it is as sad as my soul feels inside right now.

I came to this country because of all the promise it held. Today some of their actions only hold shame for me.

James Blunt - No Bravery Lyrics
There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
Tears drying on their face.
He has been here.
Brothers lie in shallow graves.
Fathers lost without a trace.
A nation blind to their disgrace,
Since he's been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.

Houses burnt beyond repair.
The smell of death is in the air.
A woman weeping in despair says,
He has been here.
Tracer lighting up the sky.
It's another families' turn to die.
A child afraid to even cry out says,
He has been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.

There are children standing here,
Arms outstretched into the sky,
But no one asks the question why,
He has been here.
Old men kneel and accept their fate.
Wives and daughters cut and raped.
A generation drenched in hate.
Yes, he has been here.

And I see no bravery,
No bravery in your eyes anymore.
Only sadness.

[countryjake]

1. I thought of that song as I looked at the Abu Ghraib photos, also.

I'd just received these in my email before I came to DU to find the pictures:


"No Bravery"

Billy Pilgrim's flash animation -
http://news.globalfreepress.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-3431

Ava's flash animation from peacetakescourage.com -
http://ptc.cf.huffingtonpost.com/animations/bravery.html

[w8liftinglady]

4. listen to the song and look at the pictures...

what a disgrace.

[countryjake]

5. It's cryin' time!

[demgurl]

7. countryjake, thanks for the links. eom

[countryjake]

11. You're very welcome!

I must have listened to this song a hundred times now, since I opened my email this morning.

Thank you for such a moving post!

[w8liftinglady]

2. a link to the song/video

http://nobravery.cf.huffingtonpost.com/
very sad

[demgurl]

9. Thank you, lady. eom

[NNN0LHI]

3. Liberating Iraqis can be messy - Heir Donald Rumsfeld n/t

[alstephenson]

6. No Bravery.......

I can't get this song or the vivid images out of my mind. Very powerful and disturbing, and so very, very sad.

[demgurl]

10. The first time I heard the song

was in connection to the Iraqi Videos. The situation and the song make me sad.

[suffragette]

8. No bravery. Just hate and fear, fear and hate.

Thank you for sharing your feelings so eloquently on this.
I look at the pictures and words fail me.
I just end up with fragments:
Pain
Horror
Stop

I share your reasons for needing to look, to bear witness to this brutality and to shout, "No more."
Thank you again for expressing that so well.