CBS Refuses to Show American's Murder.

RATHERBIASED.COM UPDATE
May 12, 2004

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CBS Refuses to Show American's Murder.
<http://ratherbiased.com/news/content/view/84/2/>

--After playing a pivotal role as the first to broadcast photographs of Iraqi prisoner abuse which U.S. military officials feared would lead to death of Americans overseas, CBS News has declined to show the beheading of an American civilian in an apparent retaliation for the Iraqi images.

The decision--made first by the staff of the CBS Evening News, including managing editor Dan Rather--now an official news division policy, came on the same night that the network announced it was going to air footage of an American casually talking about killing Iraqi prisoners on tonight's 60 Minutes II program.

CBS's choice to not air the decapitation Nick Berg provoked much outrage from its viewers, who faulted the network for igniting a global firestorm over American misconduct while declining to show the murderous actions of America's enemies.

"After watching it [...] I can see why the media does not want you to see it," said a poster at FreeRepublic.com, a conservative bulletin board site whose members deluged the CBS's switchboards with hundreds of calls Tuesday evening."It would instantly turn public opinion in favor of a fast and furious escalation of the effort in Iraq."

The official explanation given by network officials late yesterday was that CBS could not broadcast the clip in its entirety due to Federal Communications Commission regulations against indecency, but that excuse rings hollow considering the fact that news programs are given considerable latitude by the FCC.

In fact, gruesome and barbaric images, while certainly uncommon network fare, have been shown by CBS and other networks a number of times over the years.

During the Vietnam War, for instance, CBS aired extremely graphic pictures of a U.S. allied South Vietnamese soldier shooting a Vietcong officer in the head. CBS even produced a special report on the event, complete with a play-by-play narration from correspondent John Lawrence.

Other graphic and offensive images which have been broadcast by CBS and other American networks include footage of a burned and naked Vietnamese girl running away from American napalm and the infamous Rodney King beating. NBC has twice (1997 and 1999) broadcasted the uncensored versions of the 1993 Holocaust film Schindler's List, complete with ghastly imagery and full female nudity.

The FCC declined to take action against the networks for any of the above broadcasts. Nor would it have succeeded had it attempted to because they each had redeeming news and political value.

Should CBS have shown the film of Berg's murder in its entirety? We won't claim to answer that. But it should at the very least show a blurred version of the clip, complete with a strong warning beforehand. It certainly led the way in showing blurred images of naked Iraqi prisoners being humiliated by some American troops.

CBS stood for Americans' right to know the horrors of Vietnam, it ought to do so for the horrors of the war on terrorism--on both sides.

These are images that CBS has an obligation to air, especially if its broadcast of Iraqi prisoner abuse did contribute to Berg's death.

N.B.: We are providing a link to the video of Berg's murder for a short time. See the end of the online version of this article for a link to the clip. We strongly advise against allowing children to view it.

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'60 Minutes II' Airs More Footage From Iraq's Prisons.
<http://ratherbiased.com/news/content/view/85/2/>

--After stirring worldwide controversy with their broadcast of images of American soldiers humiliating Iraqi prisoners, Dan Rather and his 60 Minutes II colleagues are airing a followup report of a U.S. soldier's video diary in which she proclaims not to care about mistreating or killing Iraqi prisoners under her charge. The report will air tonight at 8 pm eastern.

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Copying Koppel?
<http://ratherbiased.com/news/content/view/83/2/>

--In a move reminiscent of ABC's Nightline, the CBS Evening News has begun airing a "nightly salute" to American military personnel killed in battle. But Dan Rather and company have apparently learned from ABC in at least one area: they will not be excluding soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

ABC, of course, was heavily criticized for leaving out casualties in the Afghan theater during an April 30 Nightline devoted entirely to listing war dead.

Interestingly enough, Tom Bettag, the executive producer of Nightline who originally came up with the idea of the ABC special worked at CBS for many years producing the Evening News.

Rather's program aired its first segment Monday night.

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Consumption Junction has it over on their website, the whole thing, not edited at all.

I can't watch it though. Some things are better left unwatched.

Going to email CBS.

I emailed CBS Evening News the following:

"Just once why don't you serve America's interests instead of your own perverted agenda? SHOW the brutal murders of Americans by the Iraqui "insurgents". You were quick to show the "prison abuse" photos. Apparently your organization feels the deaths of more Americans will generate more news?"

I saw it and it is truly horrific. My first emotion was shock. My second, almost immediate, emotion was pure white hot rage!

I would not hesitate for a nanosecond to extract retribution on those who committed this heinous act.

If you can view that video and not feel rage towards our enemy then I feel sorry for you. This is no longer about whether we should be in Iraq or not. This is about Good vs. Evil. This is about US vs. those that would see us subjugated to Allah or dead.

I ask forgiveness for feeling this way but I would not lose any sleep over the death of men, women, and children via any means available. I only wish I were able to help deliver that death.

I have truly lost any trace of my humanity towards man. My soul is empty and I no longer view Islam or Muslims as anything other than targets.

Watch the video. You'll understand

PS: Dan Rather is a FUCKING PUSSY!!!!

PSS: Those stupid stupid American prison guards are equally culpable for the death of Nick Berg. I hope they can sleep at night. I couldn't.

"I no longer view Islam or Muslims as anything other than targets."

And yet you said I was insane when I was saying "10,000 to 1 for 9/11" Remember? I have viewed the Islamic world with utter contempt since 9/11 and will never change my stance.

My friends reaction was the same as yours. First he was shocked and may have cried, then he got completly angry.

some of us take longer than others....

All I can say.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Jumper69:
some of us take longer than others....

All I can say.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You are more reasonable than I am, hence the delay. One thing good about having "questionable" sanity is the ability to form opinions without the restraint of "fairness" or "reason". There's no gray here for me, it's as black and white as an Oreo cookie.

Little to no press

Fox isn't showing the unedited video either? They refuse to show hooded terrorists reading a 10 page propaganda statement? Gosh I'm just gonna hafta blast those wimps real good right on my blog! [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img]

<font color="#000002" size="1">[ May 12, 2004 11:07 PM: Message edited by: LanDroid ]</font>

I guess this is good, but every video link I've seen blacks out before they show them killing him.

Go to Consumption Junction, it is over there. However do not go to that site while at work as it does contain alot of X-rated material.

Quote:

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Originally posted by LanDroid:
Fox isn't showing the unedited video either? They refuse to show hooded terrorists reading a 10 page propaganda statement? Gosh I'm just gonna hafta blast those wimps real good right on my blog! [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img]

<font color="#000002"><font size="1">[ May 12, 2004 11:07 PM: Message edited by: LanDroid ]</font></font>

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">as I said, Go fuck yourself

Still ignoring your own advice?

For what it's worth, I'm beginning to wonder if this isn't deja vu all over again. GL and the Civil War crowd (like Trav) would know more about it than I, but if memory serves, the Civil War was really the first major conflict to actually be photographed (am I thinking of a photographer named Brady?) And pictures, unlike paintings, don't glamorize it. The ugliness of the Civil War was captured in a lot of those photographs.

I wonder if the internet and mass media isn't doing to the same thing here. I mean, as tragic as all of these things are, they aren't new by any means. My dad was stationed in Libya in the 1950s, and he saw his first decapitation there. And his second. And his third. And so on (not of Americans, but of criminals, or at least alleged criminals). Atrocities have occurred in all wars, they will continue. Only in the past we couldn't link to them in real time.

Again, I'm not trying to justify what happened, it is terrible to be sure, but people are so worked up over it, and it's happened before (and will happen again).

Lew

Sometimes you need to stop being so rational, it let's the air out of the balloons I send up.

Personally I don't care to see it. It's out there for those who want to. But of course our media is goign to exploit the prison abuse as much as possible.

Kind a related here: This is an excerpt from one of the liberal sites I lurk on.

Quote:

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I'm not sure what video they're watching, but the one I watched continued on from the one Yahoo posted. I checked it frame by frame, and it is definitely a continuation.

Unless at some point there was editing done when the camera man moved in too close at one point, and was blurry....he was alive.

The video I watched over 15 times in it's entirety, and certain times, repeated frames

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">What kind of person would watch this repeatedly and freeze frames? I guess she is looking for the "right wing" conspiracy....but this truely a sick person.

What kind of sick person watches that frame-by-frame? The same sick weirdos who were so elated with themselves when Christian Laettner hit that shot. No disrespect, but talk about a guy I wouldn't mind if something bad happened to....

Jumper

Quote:

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Originally posted by Jumper69:
I ask forgiveness for feeling this way but I would not lose any sleep over the death of men, women, and children via any means available. I only wish I were able to help deliver that death.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You don't know how much it saddens me to see you kneejerking into the kind of "kill em all and ask questions later" mentality that so seperates Seagull from his potential to be human.

I would think you, of all people, would know that the men, women and children of Iraq are not the "enemy" any more than those working in the WTC that fateful day were the enemies of bin Laden.

Pina

(Oh, by the way. Hi, everyone!)

Pina-

I wish it was the real you. I'd say welcome back, don't be a stranger. Dissenting voices CAN be heard here. Lan has been taking some heat lately, but he holds his own. I kinda get tired of JDF's bullying, but I mean, it's all good.

Then again, since I know you're not you, you're an alter...

Hey Lew, no ip matches the one he is posting with, so while he may not be Pina, it isn't anyone that has posted here recently.

I suspect however that it is infact Pina, as Pina original login was:
Member Status: Senior Hostboard Member
Member Number: 38256
Registered: April 12, 2001
Posts: 1381
Member Rated: (Votes: 4)
Email Address: [email protected]

Most likely forgot his password for his login...

Oh, it's the real me alright. Just misplaced my login info for a bit but found it this morn so it's all good.

Just thought I'd stop back to see how the uberconservative brain trust that's worked so hard to lower the curve here was handling the imminent unraveling of their sockpuppet prez and his supporting hand and fingers.

Don't know that I'll be able to stop in on a regular basis but who knows.

Well, if this is the real Pina, he'll have no trouble telling me what his first ship was when he got out of Boot Camp.....

Hey Lew

As you prolly know I didn't go straight from Boot to my first shipboard assignment, there was a bit of school first. When I did get orders to my first non-training command I ended up in Norfolk, VA, and reported onboard the USS D.D. Eisenhower, CVN69 one day prior to it's commissioning ceremony.

That was an easy one. You could have asked a harder one like what's the origin and history of my user name. Though I'm not sure if you were around when I had more fun than should be allowed going toe to toe with Cincinnati's #1 fool and race card distributor. (He still making an ass of himself?)

Pi?a

Quote:

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Originally posted by Pina Bombastic:
Jumper

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Jumper69:
I ask forgiveness for feeling this way but I would not lose any sleep over the death of men, women, and children via any means available. I only wish I were able to help deliver that death.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You don't know how much it saddens me to see you kneejerking into the kind of "kill em all and ask questions later" mentality that so seperates Seagull from his potential to be human.

</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Always a pleasure to see commentary from the leftist brain <s>fart</s> trust. Oh BTW, I'm a Moderator now Pina. Seeing your comments will be a good test of my self-control.

Pina, it is very difficult for me to see the wanton destruction and indiscriminate killings of our men and women in uniform and not want to exact some kind of retribution.

While I may not actually desire to kill women and children, I was honest in my statement that I will not lose sleep over their deaths.

GL either has one hell of a memory, or that's the real Pina. I believe the latter, so I say welcome back, don't be a stranger.