Ban on covering war dead lifted

At last, the Obama administration has reversed an outrageous policy that was put in place 18 years ago by the elder Bush.

During the '91 Gulf War, the senior Bush instituted a ban on news coverage of returning war dead. The ban was introduced for government propaganda purposes - namely, to keep public support for the war from eroding. Frankly, it amounted to government censorship.

By reversing this policy, families now have a choice of whether the media may cover ceremonies at Dover Air Force Base, the American entry point for military personnel who are killed abroad. If a family doesn't want the ceremony covered, then it won't be covered. But it will be their decision.

For 18 years, war casualties were politicized by the ban. Dead soldiers and their families were treated with disrespect just to save face for our political "leaders." Worse, the government misled the public for years about the intent of this policy.

Now this outrage is coming to an end.

(Source: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/05/us/AP-Pentagon-War-Dead.html)