By Jennifer J. Foster
Posted 04/06 at 10:35 AM
(0)
Comments
Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers of Hopewell, Va., won the Bronze Star for his actions in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
On Saturday, he was killed in an IED attack in Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense.
Myers was a brave warrior in life, setting an example of bravery and excellence for his fellow fighters and building a legacy of which his family can be proud.
On Sunday and in death, Myers remained a leader, becoming the first servicemember whose return to Dover, Del., was covered by the media since the Pentagon instituted a ban on such coverage in 1991.
From FoxNews.com:
An eight-member military team wearing white gloves and camouflage battle fatigues carried the remains of a soldier killed overseas off a U.S. jet in a ceremony witnessed Sunday by the media and family members .
It marked the first time media members were allowed at such a Dover Air Force Base ceremony since an 18-year ban on news coverage of returning war dead was lifted.
The remains of 30-year-old Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers of Hopewell, Virginia, were solemnly taken off the plane on a clear, cool night in Delaware.
The ceremony under the yellowish haze of airport floodlights took about 20 minutes with Myers’ wife and other family members in attendance.
I have struggled with my position on media coverage of returning war dead. I understand the point of those who say a blanket ban serves to simply cover up the true cost of war. There is no substitute for the impact of visual images, especially in a situation like this. (If you doubt it, watch the video coverage of Myers’s return—and the reaction of one particular servicewoman (at 1:36), who stood stock-still in the cold with tears streaming down her face.)
But that power is precisely why I have hesitated to cheer the opening of these ceremonies to the media. Just as easily as the images can and do illustrate the enormity of our soldiers’ sacrifice, so can they also be used for inappropriate and untoward purposes—manipulating public opinion, stoking political fires and reducing the ultimate cost to a mere symbol.
I guess that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has done the best he could in trying to find a middle ground between these extremes. By leaving the decisions to the families, the Department takes itself out of the position of control.
I just hope that the rest of the country receives these images with the same honor and solemnity they documented.
It is a debt we owe to Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers—and all the rest of the men and women who have given and will give their lives for this country.
By Jennifer J. Foster
Posted 04/03 at 12:18 PM
(0)
Comments
On the eve of the 41st anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., LIFE has released never-before-seen pictures of the aftermath of the shooting.
The pictures are extraordinary for their documentation of the ordinary things that were either left behind—King’s neatly packed suitcase, complete with pajamas, toiletries and a book—or had to go on in the wake of the horrible events of that day—the cleanup of King’s blood from the balcony walk.
The photos also capture the paralyzing grief that overwhelmed King’s associates as they sat in shock in his hotel room after murder took their leader away.
The images are a stark reminder of the events of April 4, 1968; in retrospect, their harshness serves almost as a harbinger of the bloody summer that would follow.
By Jennifer J. Foster
Posted 04/02 at 11:29 PM
(0)
Comments
Following up on my previous post—yep, legal eagles expecting a big indictment of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich were (pardon the pun) right on the money.
From CNN:
Impeached former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was arrested in December on charges of conspiracy and fraud, was indicted Thursday on 16 felony counts by a federal grand jury, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
The 19-count indictment charges Blagojevich and some of his closest aides and advisers with a wide-ranging “scheme to deprive the people of Illinois of honest government,“ according to a statement by the attorney’s office.
Blagojevich, 52, faces charges including racketeering, conspiracy, wire fraud and making false statements to investigators, according to the release. Three counts in the indictment are against the aides and advisers.
Blago said in a written statement—
SIDEBAR: What? No poetry? I feel so cheated!! END SIDEBAR
—that he is “saddened and hurt but I am not surprised by the indictment. I am innocent. I now will fight in the courts to clear my name.“
And, by the way, he really was at Disney World, hanging out by the pool when a cameraman tracked him down.
The man who was nearly ubiquitous on television for the six weeks between his arrest and his impeachment wasn’t loving the camera this time.
In the WESH video, the ex-governor was sitting near a pool at the resort. “I’m enjoying Disney World with my kids and I don’t think you’re supposed to be here,“ said Blagojevich, after his wife attempted to shield him from the camera. “I’m happy to talk to you at the appropriate time.“
A man who identified himself only as “someone who knows who he is” then blocked the camera.
Speaking of that media blitz, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) makes no secret of his wish that Blago will keep a low profile as he awaits his day in court.
“We can only hope the former governor will not view this indictment as a green light for another publicity tour,“ he said. “Rod Blagojevich deserves his day in court, but the people of Illinois deserve a break.“
Yeah, plus, you know, they don’t want to be seen with him, and he’s always reminding everyone that he’s a Democrat and stuff.
By Jennifer J. Foster
Posted 04/02 at 01:14 PM
(0)
Comments
There’s news on the Rod Blagojevich front.
A massive indictment against the former Illinois governor could be imminent, according to political and legal pundits who are watching the case. The Associated Press reports that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who is handling the case, has until Tuesday to get an indictment, and today is believed to be the last day the grand jury meets before then.
From the AP:
Fitzgerald could ask Chief Judge James F. Holderman of U.S. District Court for another deadline extension. But all signs point to an imminent indictment against the 52-year-old impeached governor, who denies any wrongdoing.
“We’re just hours away from a massive pay-to-play indictment against Gov. Blagojevich and possibly others,“ former federal prosecutor Patrick M. Collins said Tuesday while unveiling recommendations from a state reform commission launched in response to the scandal.
Meanwhile, what is Blago doing?
Well, true to Blago form, he’s living in his own little world.
OVERCAFFINATED TELEVISION ANNOUNCER: Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich!! You could be just hours away from being named in one of the most comprehensive federal corruption indictments against an elected official in American history!! What are YOU going to do next?
BLAGO (smiling, excited): I’m going to Disney World!!
No, seriously; Blago and his family apparently really are at Disney. The AP says “a hotel operator at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. connected a phone call to a room booked under Blagojevich. It went straight to voicemail.“
You can’t make this stuff up.
By Jennifer J. Foster
Posted 04/02 at 11:56 AM
(1)
Comments
From FoxNews.com:
The U.S. Justice Department filed a motion Wednesday to drop its case against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, who was convicted of seven felony counts of corruption last fall.
Attorney General Eric Holder decided to abandon the case due to prosecutorial misconduct—one Justice Department source called the stunning turnaround a “black eye” on the department and the FBI.
Stevens basked in the news, on one hand expressing satisfaction that his name had ultimately been cleared, as he had always believed it would be, but on the other expressing dismay that the news didn’t come before he lost his Senate seat to former Anchorage mayor Mark Begich.
Over on Flashpoint, my friend and fellow blogger Brian LeCompte has some fun drawing a comparison between Stevens and another disgraced-politician-turned-convicted-felon who has alleged that prosecutorial misconduct led to his wrongful conviction: Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.
Even though Stevens is a Republican and Siegelman is a Democrat, the latter still awaits that vindicating call from the Justice Department.
Maybe they’re still working on it.
