Where does this hatred of the American flag come from?

The flag has always been a symbol to be respected and those that would burn it, trample on it, or be offended by it are people that I really don’t understand. The behavior and attitudes of this ilk are misguided by ignorance of what the flag actually represents.

The American flag stands for freedom, liberty and everything good about this country. Poor political leadership that renders bad decisions should not be blamed on Old Glory. The angst of the offended should be directed toward these decision makers and not the symbol of hope for millions around the world. My mind is unable to conjure up even a remote thought process that would lead me to be offended by our flag.

For those Gravity Fitness Club members that are offended by the American flag hanging in there, be assured that it also represents the freedom of not having to be a member of this club and you are free to choose another one to join. The flag is staying. Isn’t America great!

All flag-haters that are offended by the Stars and Strips your countries call you – North Korea, Cuba, Iran, Libya, Syria…

What ensued was controversy over releasing and distributing this photograph. It was released over strong objections of Lance Corporal Bernard’s father and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. There was absolutely nothing to be positively gained from displaying this image.

“What it does is show — in a very unequivocal and direct fashion — the real consequences of war, involving in this case a U.S. Marine. And that becomes very personal and very direct in some way, because we have a name, we have a home town, we have a shared nationality and we have, to a certain extent, a shared culture and some common values.”

“The decision we came to was that — as a journalistic imperative — the need to tell this story overrode some of the other considerations.” Of course, we appreciate the anguish of the family of this marine. Of course, we appreciate the sacrifice that he made for his country. At the same time, there’s a compelling reason to show the real effects of this war. Sanitizing does everyone a disservice, in my view. Limiting casualty counts to numbers and names and nothing else; that’s a very incomplete picture of what’s going on.”
~Santiago Lyon, the director of photography at the A.P.

What’s next? Should the news media incorporate into a news report the graphic photo images of an entire family killed in a drunk-driving vehicle accident. Would this not show the real consequences of drunk driving? Is it not a “journalistic imperative” to show the mangled bodies and twisted wreckage in order to reveal the reality of driving while intoxicated?

“We thought the value of that image was to show the complexity, the sacrifice and the brutality of the war.”
~John Daniszewski, AP senior managing editor

How about photos of innocent murder victims that show the complexity and brutality of senseless murder?

Why not? Because it is simply not appropriate or neccessary. It does not dignify the deceased or bring comfort to the family nor does it improve or enhance the story. A good writer should be able to convey the story without the graphic images.

“There was no question that the photo had news value. But we also were very aware the family wished for the picture not to be seen. That created a difficult choice between our job to document the war and our respect for the suffering of the corporal’s family.”
~John Daniszewski, AP senior managing editor

As the father of a Marine that was wounded by a rocket propelled grenade in Fallujah, Iraq I know the anguish of that notification phone call. What I don’t know is the actual grief and heartache of losing a son. I am in full agreement with the father of Lcpl Bernard not wanting the picture of his dying son distributed throughout the world for the lame reasons offered by the Associated Press editors.

If there was so much turmoil within the AP hierarchy whether or not to release this photograph then the wishes of the family should have been the overriding and determining factor.