Thursday, May 05, 2011

I concur

I'm wrestling with the release of the image of Dead bin Laden, it's a close call. But ultimately I'm siding with the rationale put forth here:

The main argument for releasing a photograph of the punctured scalp of our enemy is that it will provide proof that bin Laden really is dead. In other words, seeing is believing. But does anyone really believe that any more? Believing is believing. People who want, or need, to believe that bin Laden wasn’t shot dead will have no difficulty believing that a picture of his cadaver is a fake, a simple propaganda trick. The release of Obama’s long-form birth certificate didn’t put an end to birtherism, so why would the release of bin Laden’s autopsy video put an end to deatherism? And why does the White House care to appease the holders of such delusions?


I've seen some people put forth the notion, if you favored the release of the Abu Ghraib pics how can you be against the release of the bin Laden pics?

Well, one -- people needed to see in order to believe that ultimately we as a nation allowed torture, without the pictures there would have been no reason to own it, to stop it. The same with the results of dead civilians we, or others have killed, the pictures are powerful BECAUSE of the damage, they humanize inhumanity. That is not a gift bin Laden deserves, any more than dead Hitler. Mussolini hanging dead, beaten, shot and otherwise abused and bloated at a Milan gas station made him more sympathetic when he did not deserve it, not less. Same with the Ceaușescus.

We don't need to see his corpse to own the notion that we killed the guy primarily responsible for a terrorist act to come to grips with the need for it.

Yes, we see gruesome images all the time -- but I for one, find it hard to picture Kennedy without the Zapruder film in my head; it's hard to picture Martin Luther King without him laying in a pool of blood on the walkway of the Lorraine Motel. Those are tragic images of great humans, or at least a hell of a lot closer than Osama -- I don't need another image seared into my brain to put bin Laden up with those two in my memory bank, he doesn't deserve it.

I suppose this seems somewhat naive to some -- the picture will almost certainly come up one way or another -- but fuck 'em I don't need it to affirm my feelings, justify shit, shock me about war, or masturbate to (see your average FoxNews viewer or host).

7 comments:

StonyPillow said...

If there's a choice between what's good for the country and what they want, for any reason no matter how small, the country loses.

The anti-American right. Get down with the sickness.

donnah said...

I agree that the graphic photos should not be released for exactly the reasons you stated. Those who don't believe that he was killed won't believe the photos, either. These people exist only to hate Obama and whatever he does.

My hope is that he doesn't take this decision back and show the pictures later. He has stated his decision and he needs to stand by it. The American public doesn't need to see gory video of sensitive military special ops actions. I'm tired of all the posturing by the Teabaggers and Conservatards. Obama carried out a promise that Bush walked away from, it's that simple.

DanF said...

And it's not as if had Obama chosen to release the photos, that the tea-tards wouldn't have decried it as irresponsible. Haters gotta hate.

pansypoo said...

the rite demands it too much.

Anonymous said...

oh yeah, Obama saying we "don't need to spike the football" like w. did in his swagger on the aircraft carrier complete with the banner mission accomplished. Clearly 5000 American lives later, it wasn't.
Now that shows the difference in Class folks, in this society hungering for class warfare.
vox

Anonymous said...

Do you honestly believe for one minute that the fucktards that want Obama to fail (that would be the wingnuts and Al Quaida) would be convinced by seeing the photos?

Hell no, they wouldn't be convinced if you let them cornhole the actual body.

I don't give a shit one way or the other so I will defer to the administration.

moeman said...

Have GWB 'release' and discuss them. It'll help him get over Obama's victory lap.