My brother wants to talk about the media

My brother thinks that we should discuss the issue of the embedded photographer being allowed to film the shooting of the wounded Iraqi in the mosque in Fallujah. Possible ways to approach this issue include the following:

• Should reporters and photographers be embedded with troops?
• Should the military censor what reports or images are transmitted?
• We know that some news reports from the front lines are censored--did this one slip by, or did the U.S. military find it acceptable to air publicly?
• If you object to the film being shown, why? Does the violence offend you? Do you not want your children to see it? Are you concerned that it will further inflame anti-U.S. sentiments? Something else?
• The scope of the two incidents is of course widely divergent--I want to make that point loud and clear. But IF you think the Marine did something wrong, and object to showing the film footage because you don't want American servicemen shown in a bad light, can you make some comments about My Lai?
• If you have read Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five you are aware of the absurdity in war of sanctioning the killing of thousands of "bad guys"(or the civilians who live in the same country with them), then executing one of your own soldiers for a supposed-breach of good military conduct (in Slaughterhouse Five, stealing a teapot). What do we make of it being laudatory to kill an enemy soldier at 10:44:08, but a barbaric act at 10:52:15? Combat soldiers out there: is it possible to turn on and off the adrenaline and combat mentality that quickly?

Okay, brother, let's hear from you.

Want to hear what a former Seal says about this subject? Check out his blog: http://www.froggyruminations.blogspot.com/