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Monday, May 28, 2007
Stealing the good names of the dead
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lawmakers in Arizona are considering, and should approve, legislation that would outlaw the commercial use of the names of those who died in service to the country without the permission of their families. The legislation was prompted by the sale of anti-war tee shirts bearing the names and photos of those who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Two other states, Oklahoma and Louisiana, have enacted similar laws and two more, Texas and Florida, have legislation awaiting a governor’s signature. The Arizona legislaiton was filed in response to the sale of tee shirts that list the names of the dead, along with such slogans as”Bush Lied — They Died” and “Support Our Remaining Troops — Bring the Rest Home Alive.”
Most of those who die in service to their country are young. Had they lived to old age, their life’s work and accomplishments and the lives they brought into the world or touched would stand as testament to its meaning. But because they answered the country’s call and made the supreme sacrifice, it is left to others, to those who knew them and to those who loved them, to tell their story.
As one who served in another unpopular war, it offends me deeply that their names or photos would be seized for a use and purpose they most likely would not have approved of in life. Not only do they lose their lives, but they lose, too, the right not to have their names and images corrupted into a campaign aimed at undermining public support for the war in which they served — and in which their buddies still serve.
Anti-war activists love to “honor” the dead by offering their names to make an anti-war statement. In a news context, it’s objectionable. When commercialized, it’s stealing something precious. It shouldn’t be allowed without the family’s permission.
“My son was not duped into going to war,” Margy Bons, a Phoenix-area mother whose son, Marine Sgt. Michael Marzano, was killed by a bomb in 2005, told the Associated Press. “I’m angry that somebody can use somebody else’s name for their political beliefs without permission.”
There oughta be a law…
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