[Peace-discuss] Casualty posters

[Alfred Kagan]

As one of those in opposition to Randall's project, let me try to 
answer his questions.

As Randall states, placing more value on the lives of US soldiers 
than Iraqi civilians in indeed morally reprehensible.  I think we 
should not buy into this idea in any way.  In fact, it should be our 
job to make sure that the kind of thinking that happened during the 
Vietnam War does not happen again. People still say that 58,000 died 
in Viet Nam.  No, it was certainly over one million people.  It is 
our job to focus on the death and wounding of thousands of Iraqis, 
not a few hundred invaders.

Whether or not we have a legal right to display the posters of the US 
military dead is besides the point.  Rather what would be the 
consequences of doing so? Since the first person to die was from 
Illinois, it is quite possible that the family will find out that we 
are using this poster. . It is also likely that the family will be 
pro-war and will be very upset.  That could lead to very bad 
publicity for us as well as provoke the pro-war demonstrators. The 
pro-war people are organized and will take every opportunity to try 
to discredit us. We should not underestimate their resources.

On the other hand, it is unlikely that anyone will get angry if we 
display the posters of dead or hurt Iraqi civilians.  In fact, I 
think this is the best concrete evidence of the immediate affect of 
the war.  This might get a few people in the middle to wake up.

Sure, doing anything will upset some people.  Effective organizing 
means limiting the upset to what will build the movement.  I don't 
think this meets that criteria.

I would rather not see AWARE's name on Randall's posters.
-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu