Only Pretty, Positive & Patriotic Pictures, Please

Some readers in Tucson, Arizona are upset about their local paper running a front page picture of Iraqis celebrating on a downed U.S. helicopter.

Music teacher Donna Miller called the Star "unpatriotic.''

Mary Beth Davis of Oro Valley said the photo was "infuriating and in poor taste.''

Bart M. Filaseta called it "too big . . . it's demoralizing to the public.''

Estelle Cangeme insisted that "The staged photo of Iraqi 'civilians' . . . confirms our suspicions concerning the news media being biased.''

Kenneth Cohen said the decision showed the Star's political bent. "It's utterly a disgrace . . . to show gloating Iraqis.''

Norma Luciano of Sun City Vistoso asked that the Star print something more positive. "The picture is so depressing.''

Sorry, Norma Luciano of Sun City Vistoso, but war is depressing. And it should make up upchuck your corn flakes all over the morning paper. But we really haven't seen those strong pictures yet.

Ty Burr writes in the Boston Globe that we should be able see the horrible images of real war.

You will probably see pictures there that will offend you. This is as it should be. To quote Susan Sontag in her remarkably prescient new book ''Regarding the Pain of Others'': ''Let the atrocious images haunt us. Even if they are only tokens, and cannot possibly encompass most of the reality to which they refer, they still perform a vital function. The images say: This is what human beings are capable of doing - may volunteer to do, enthusiastically, self-righteously. Don't forget.''

Refreshing

This afternoon I turned off the war in favor of house cleaning, picture editing, MASH reruns and local new stories. Even check out the opening day baseball. Never a baseball fan, I found myself excited about the lively spring tradition and a bit down in the mouth about the beating the Cubs gave the Mets. May even take up baseball for the rest of Lent. The skill, passion and pure pleasure of the game were uplifting.

But a while ago I checked the wires again, mostly looking for news of the missing Newsday journalists. No joy. Damn.

And I had a good chuckle over the gossip about "celebrity television journalist" Geraldo Rivera and Peter Arnett's busy day of career change.

Now I am watching a war round-up news hour with Peter Jennings on ABC. It is far better than the rolling talk on the cable channels. And it is more balanced and the writing is better as well.

So, an hour with Peter Jennings and I have a grip on the day's war happenings. And before bed I will check the wires again and look for news on the missing journalists.

Sorry, Folks

All you wedding guests looking here for pictures from Kevin & Maureen's wedding, sorry...but due to computer problems I cannot post any of them today. Again, sorry. But soon, soon.

Play Ball...to keep warm

Bloody hell, today is opening day at Shea and it is 32 degrees outside.

NBC Fires Arnett

NBC has fired journalist Peter Arnett for telling Iraqi TV he thinks the first U.S.-Brit war plan failed.

Painfully Slow

Five hours after an AP story named Cpl. Michael Curtin, 21, of Howell, NJ as killed in action during a suicide attack in Iraq, his hometown newspaper still has nothing about his death posted on their web site. The Asbury Park Press, "The Jersey Shore's News Source," doesn't seem too quick on the web with breaking news about a local boy but they do have a nice American flag in their masthead. Hopefully, Cpl. Curtin's death will be page one in tomorrow's print edition.

Cpl. Michael Curtin, 21, Howell, N.J.

Curtin, of the Army's 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, was among four U.S. soldiers killed in the suicide bomber attack on an Army checkpoint north of the Iraqi city of Najaf, an Army spokesman at Fort Monmouth said Sunday.

A taxi stopped close to a roadblock Saturday morning and the driver waved for help. When soldiers from approached the car, it exploded, killing the driver, Curtin and three other soldiers from Curtin's division, Army officials said.

The Army informed Curtin's family of his death Saturday evening. The parents, Michael and Joan Curtin, requested their privacy but released a statement through the fort.

"He was fighting for our freedom, which we should never take for granted. He was a hero in our eyes. Our hearts and prayers go out to the other servicemen who were killed and their families," the statement said.

The Howell High School graduate joined the Army in May 2001 and went through basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., where he also graduated from the Army's paratrooper training school. He was deployed to Kuwait on Jan. 25.

The Star-Ledger of Newark does the AP story up on their site.

The People On The Lists

U.S. troop casualties from the war. The list of names below are confirmed from family members or the military.

Deaths:

Marine Staff Sgt. James Cawley, 41, Layton, Utah, combat
Army Cpl. Michael Curtin, 23, Howell, N.J., suicide attack
Army Pfc. Diego Fernando Rincon, 19, Conyers, Ga., suicide attack
Army Pfc. Michael Russell Creighton Weldon, 20, Conyers, Ga., suicide attack
Marine Lance Cpl. William W. White, 24, New York City, vehicle accident
Army Sgt. Eugene Williams, 24, Highland, N.Y, suicide attack
Army Sgt. Roderic A. Solomon , 32, Fayetteville, N.C., vehicle accident
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Menusa, 33, Tracy, Calif., combat
Marine Lance Cpl. Jesus A. Suarez Del Solar, 20, Escondido, Calif., combat
Marine Maj. Kevin G. Nave, 36, White Lake Township, Mich., vehicle accident
Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone, 40, Boise, Idaho, grenade attack
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Michael Vann Johnson Jr., 25, Little Rock, Ark., combat
Marine Cpl. Evan James, 20, La Harpe, Ill., drowned in canal
Marine Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus, 29, Davenport, Iowa, drowned in canal
Army Spc. Gregory P. Sanders, 19, Hobart, Ind., combat
Army Spc. Jamaal R. Addison, 22, Roswell, Ga., combat
Marine Sgt. Michael E. Bitz, 31, Ventura, Calif., combat
Marine Lance Cpl. Brian Rory Buesing, 20, Cedar Key, Fla., combat
Marine Lance Cpl. David K. Fribley, 26, Fort Myers, Fla., combat
Marine Cpl. Jose A. Garibay, 21, Costa Mesa, Calif., combat
Marine Cpl. Jorge A. Gonzalez, 20, Los Angeles, combat
Army Pfc. Howard Johnson II, 21, Mobile, Ala., combat
Marine Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Jordan, 42, Enfield, Conn., combat
Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick R. Nixon, 21, Gallatin, Tenn., combat
Marine 2nd Lt. Frederick E. Pokorney Jr., 31, Tonopah, Nev., combat
Marine Cpl. Randal Kent Rosacker, 21, San Diego, combat
Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas J. Slocum, 22, Thornton, Colo., combat
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael J. Williams, 31, Yuma, Ariz.
Navy Lt. Thomas Mullen Adams, 27, La Mesa, Calif., helicopter collision
Marine Lance Cpl. Eric J. Orlowski, 26, Buffalo, N.Y., machine gun accident
Army Capt. Christopher Scott Seifert, 27, Easton, Pa., grenade attack
Army Reserve Spc. Brandon S. Tobler, 19, Portland, Ore., vehicle accident
Marine Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, Waterville, Maine, helicopter crash
Marine Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, St. Anne, Ill., helicopter crash
Marine 2nd Lt. Therrel S. Childers, 30, Harrison County, Miss., combat
Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, 22, Los Angeles, combat
Marine Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, Houston, helicopter crash
Marine Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Waters-Bey, 29, Baltimore, helicopter crash
Marine Sgt. Nicolas M. Hodson, 22, Smithville, Mo., vehicle accident
Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas A. Blair, 24, Broken Arrow, Okla., combat

CAPTURED:

Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ronald D. Young Jr., 26, Lithia Springs, Ga.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 David S. Williams, 30, Orlando, Fla.
Army Spc. Edgar Hernandez, 21, Mission, Texas
Army Spc. Joseph Hudson, 23, Alamogordo, N.M.
Army Spc. Shoshana Johnson, 30, Fort Bliss, Texas
Army Pfc. Patrick Miller, 23, Park City, Kan.
Army Sgt. James Riley, 31, Pennsauken, N.J.

MISSING:

Army Sgt. Edward J. Anguiano, 24, Brownsville, Texas.
Marine Pfc. Tamario D. Burkett, 21, Buffalo, N.Y.
Marine Cpl. Kemaphoom A. Chanawongse, 22, Waterford, Conn.
Marine Lance Cpl. Donald J. Cline, Jr., 21, Sparks, Nev.
Army Master Sgt. Robert J. Dowdy, 38, Cleveland
Army Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, 18, El Paso, Texas
Marine Pvt. Jonathan L. Gifford, 30, Decatur, Ill.
Marine Pvt. Nolen R. Hutchings, 19, Boiling Springs, S.C.
Army Spc. James Kiehl, 22, Comfort, Texas
Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, 19, Palestine, W.Va.
Marine Pfc. Francisco A. MartinezFlores, 21, Los Angeles
Army Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, 35, El Paso, Texas
Marine Staff Sgt. Donald C. May, Jr., 31, Richmond, Va.
Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick T. O'Day, 20, Sonoma, Calif.
Marine Sgt. Fernando Padilla-Ramirez, 26, Yuma, Ariz.
Army Pfc. Lori Piestewa, 22, Tuba City, Ariz.
Army Pvt. Brandon Sloan, 19, Bedford Heights, Ohio
Army Sgt. Donald Walters, 33, Salem, Ore.

Kid from Jersey Shore Killed in Iraq

TRENTON -- A corporal from New Jersey was among four U.S. soldiers killed in a suicide bomber's attack on an Army checkpoint, an Army spokesman at Fort Monmouth said Sunday.

Base spokesman Henry Kearny identified the soldier as Cpl. Michael E. Curtin, 23, of Howell.

NYTimes: Downtown Jersey City is Hip

Is there anything more hip than The New York Times writing about how hip your neighborhood is? I have no idea. But the Times had a big splash about Downtown Jersey City in today's New Jersey section.

I don't know about it, really. It's great that the new, local joints got a free plug in the Times but I still can't find MY local pub in the nabe, that place that just feels perfect. Maybe it will now open soon since we made the Times.

Back to the War

This evening I returned to blogging with a few jokes. But there was no joy in returning to the war on tv after a brilliant, joyous, mostly war-free day on the Jersey Shore.

Back in the flat in Jersey City, the laptop and the tv light up, connect to the world and the war floods into the bedroom once again.

Straight away, I went looking for news about friends Moises Saman and Matthew McAllester. They are the Newsday staffers in Baghdad who haven't been heard from since last Monday. Their newspaper thinks the Iraqi government may have them. And the families of both journalists have asked the Rev. Jesse Jackson to help locate the lads and secure their release.

Old pal Vincent Laforet, a NY Times staff shooter stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln, sent me this good thought about Moises:

Hey Jim - let's hope Moises is stuck somewhere with a case of some type of alcohol. I'm thinking good thoughts for him and Matthew.

I am thinking good thoughts for them as well. All the time.

Looking through the wires I was happy to see that some other missing journalists have been heard from.

But then there was that Brit tv journo killed in a freak fall from a hotel roof in northern Iraq. And a couple Israeli journalists are claiming that U.S. troops have been mistreating reporters.

Need A Laugh...

When Amy Langfield and I asked if anyone had heard any good war jokes lately during our man-on-42nd-Street interviews last week only one chap had a joke to share.

My old pal Mike Markowitz found a few more:

What is the Iraqi air force motto? I came, I saw, Iran.

Have you heard about the new Iraqi air force exercise program? Each morning you raise your hands above your head . . . and leave them there.

What's the five-day forecast for Baghdad?
Two days.

What do Miss Muffet and Saddam Hussein have in common?
They both have Kurds in their way.

What is the best Iraqi job?
Foreign ambassador.

Did you hear that it is twice as easy to train Iraqi fighter pilots? You only have to teach them to take off.

How do you play Iraqi bingo?
B-52 ... F-16 ... B-52

What is Iraq's national bird?
Duck.

What do Saddam Hussein and General Custer have in common?
They both want to know where the heck those Tomahawks are coming from!

Why does the Iraqi navy have glass bottom boats?
So they can see their air force.

More Journalists MIA

ROME - Seven Italian journalists in Iraq fell out of contact with their offices Friday after being stopped at an Iraqi checkpoint in the southern city of Basra, reports said.

Posted by Jim at 03:55 PM

More Than Prayers

Newsday has asked the Vatican and the Red Cross for help in finding their missing journalists.

War Shooter Tells of Escape

My old pal Chris Hondros tells his old newspaper about his narrow escape last weekend while on assignment in Iraq.

"Out of nowhere, a team of people jump out, spraying us to hell with automatic weapon fire," Hondros said.

Drunks, Not Terrorists

(1010 WINS) (NEW YORK) Police shut down the Williamsburg Bridge for about 2½ hours on Friday morning after bridge workers spotted three intoxicated men in a restricted area, officials said.

"They were just sitting around drinking, so there was no threat," (Mayor)Bloomberg said.

"I Was Sure I Was Dead"

Newsweek's Scott Johnson gives a first-person account of being ambushed.

With The Leathernecks

Getty Images photographer Joe Raedle has been taking amazing pictures as he travels with U.S. Marines from Task Force Tarawa in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. Take a look at his work and more at Getty Images News.

Shooting the War

Another news photographer has been listed as MIA in Iraq. Freelance photographer Molly Bingham was last heard from in Baghdad last Saturday.

And Newsday correspondent Matthew McAllester and photographer Moises Saman are still missing.

There is a dispatch from Moises on PDN this week, and one from another friend, Vince Laforet from the NY Times who is aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

From Moises:

A couple of photographers got their cameras smashed, and one got his camera thrown out from the roof of the hotel. All the photogs that got their equipment confiscated got it back the next day. It is extremely difficult to move freely since the drivers and minders are registered with the Ministry of Information and will not take you anywhere without the ministry consent."

PDNewswire has more news about photographers from the front.

Magnum’s Luc Delahaye, Getty’s Chris Hondros and Tim Fadek of Polaris were nearly killed after taking a wrong turn 30 miles south of Baghdad. JP Pappis of Polaris says the three had left the slow-moving U.S. military convoy they had been traveling with in an attempt to catch up with a faster one ahead. After being ambushed and pelted with machine gunfire from Iraqi forces, two of their cars were disabled. Fadek and Hondros quickly leapt into a third car driven by Delahaye, and the journalists sped away with the Iraqis in pursuit. After hiding their car and fleeing across the desert on foot, they were able to use a sat phone to notify colleagues of their position. Newsweek reporter Scott Johnson, who was traveling with the photographers, was tracked down by Marines first. The others were missing for several hours, until the U.S. military rescued them the next morning. Pappis says the military planned to fly the journalists back to Kuwait City, out of harm’s way.

And I just found this Editor & Publisher piece on the dangers of being an "unembedded" journalist covering the war.

More Dangerous Than They Report

[Memo from Newsday editor Tony Marro]

Subject: Message from Tony Marro about Iraq

Dear Colleagues:

As most of you know, we've not had any direct contact with Matt McAllester or Moises Saman, our staffers in Baghdad, since Monday afternoon, our time. What we've been told by other journalists in Baghdad is that late Monday night or early Tuesday morning they, along with a number of other journalists -- we're not sure of the number -- apparently were told that they were being expelled from the country.

We have not been able to have any direct communication since then with either them or with the Iraqi authorities. From what we've been able to piece together from other reporters and photographers in Baghdad, the individuals in the group were told they were being expelled because they had inappropriate or expired visas. We don't know what the situation was with the others, but in the case of Matt and Moises they originally had
entered with limited visas, but then had been officially accredited as visiting journalists by the Iraqi Ministry of Information.

So far as we know, they are not under formal detention, but have been told that they and the others would be taken overland to the border -- it was not clear whether it was to be Jordan or Syria -- accompanied by two officials from the information ministry and then expelled from the country.

We're all very concerned, of course, and are doing everything we can to try to get more information. One journalist who had been rounded up with that group and then allowed to return to the hotel apparently told colleagues that the group was being well treated, and was expected to leave Baghdad this morning. But it's not clear at this point whether the expulsion in fact has taken place.

Tony Marro

(Via Romenesko)

Matt Welch was kind enough to send me this info so I wouldn't read it in the morning papers. No matter how you get it, it sucks. I don't know Matthew McAllester well but first met him in Yugoslavia during the U.S. Kosovo-inspired bombing. He is one hell of a guy and a great reporter. And Moises is a friend, a brilliant photog and one of our good buddies in the NYC photo crowd. Lord, I hope they are ok.

There is a wire story about them too.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two journalists working for the U.S. newspaper Newsday in Baghdad have not been heard from for two days, after Iraqi officials rounded up several foreign-based journalists for expulsion from the country, the daily said on Wednesday.

DAMN!

Last night I meet an editor from a news wire. Over a few beers I heard some really scary stories about a few photogs covering Iraq. They were ambushed, cars shot up, hiding in the desert and finally rescued by the U.S. military. Details to come when I find them.

But I had no idea how bad it was out there. War is always a dangerous story to cover but Iraq sounds like hell.

My thoughts and prayers with them.

Non-Citizen Soldiers

My old pal Welch has some fine posts about the non-citizen Marines from California who were killed in Iraq. And the Philly Daily News has the details about the New Zealand-born James Riley from New Jersey who is now a POW in Iraq.

The Philly paper doesn't say whether or not Riley is a citizen. The O.C Register and USAToday stories Welch linked to about the non-citizens killed in Iraq fail to mention if these boys will be granted posthumous U.S. citizenship. Let's hope that the Bush Administration does so quickly and without drama.

Twenty-nine Irish non-citizen in the U.S. military killed in the Korean War are still waiting for American citizenship. Ray O'Hanlon reported in last week's Irish Echo that they are close to becoming U.S. citizens 50 years after their deaths.

That recognition will soon come in the form of posthumous U.S. citizenship. But citizenship for the dead Irish has not come easily. A 25-year campaign has only now reached its near successful conclusion. President Bush signed the necessary legislation into law last November. The legislation, crafted by a group of congressmen and senators from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York, was contained in a Justice Department appropriations bill. What now remains is for the necessary paperwork to be completed and submitted to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, the successor to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

The stories of the Irishmen sound so similar to those of the California Latinos killed in Iraq last week. They all deserve to be citizens of the country for which they fought and died.

Patrick "Paddy Joe" Lavin came from the village of Arigna in County Leitrim, Ireland to America at the age of 15. Below is a bit of Paddy Joe's story, but it could be the tale of any of the non-citizens in the U.S. military fighting in Iraq today.

He moved to the Bronx, lived with his uncle and aunt, graduated from high school and, as his uncle had warned, was drafted into the army at age 18.

Paddy Joe opted for the Army Medical Corps. He was killed only a few days before the Korean armistice was signed in July 1953.

In a release from headquarters of the 7th Infantry Division on Oct. 12, 1953, it was stated that PFC Patrick J. Lavin, had "distinguished himself by heroic achievement" near Sokkogae, Korea, on July 19, 1953.

"Private Lavin, an aidman, was moving forward with his comrades when he noticed a casualty lying in the midst of intense fire and in dire need of immediate medical attention," the army report said.

"Completely disregarding his own personal safety, Private Lavin voluntarily proceeded to the fire-swept area where his wounded comrade lie. As Private Lavin moved through the open terrain and neared the stricken man, he was caught in the burst of a hostile round and mortally wounded. The heroic actions of Private Lavin reflect great credit on himself and the military service," the report concluded.

Credit enough for a Bronze Star, but not for U.S. citizenship.

Lavin was buried in St. Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx. It would have been his dearest wish to rest forever in America, Helen Lavin said.

"He loved America from the day he arrived and at last the day is nearly here for us to honor Paddy Joe with citizenship," she said.

Posted by Jim at 12:46 AM | Comments (1)

Man on the Street: A Few War Questions

What’s your average man, woman and child on the street think about the war? We talked to a few of them today on 42nd Street just off Times Square. (Sadly, only one had a good war joke. Maybe we should have used the “Survivor” question about Cheney, Saddam, Chirac, Bush and Blitzer.) Pictures by Jim Lowney and text by Amy Langfield.

Name: Sarah.

Where are you from? Colorado.

How long will the war last? A couple weeks.

Do you think Saddam will use weapons of mass destruction? Yes, I think he’ll try.

What do you think of the anti-war protesters? They have a right to their own opinions.

Where are you getting your news about the war? ABC.

Do you think the media is doing a good job covering the war?Yes, I do.

Have you heard any good war jokes lately? No.

Name: Paul Beaton

Where are you from? Glasgow, Scotland

How long will the war last? A couple months.

Do you think Saddam will use weapons of mass destruction? Yes.

What do you think of the anti-war protesters? I agree with them.

Where are you getting your news about the war? BBC, generally.

Do you think the media is doing a good job covering the war? Yes.

Have you heard any good war jokes lately? No.

Name: Tim.

Where are you from? New York.

How long will the war last? I haven’t been keeping up with the blow-by-blow.

Do you think Saddam will use weapons of mass destruction? It’s a fear. Which way would I bet? I think it’s a last resort – if he’s even alive.

What do you think of the anti-war protesters? Lamest bunch I’ve ever seen in my life. I mean they walk around on their cell phones: “Oh yeah, I’ll meet you at the candlelight vigil.” It was all a big social thing. They make me sick.

Where are you getting your news about the war? I scan the first few (newspaper) pages – of whatever I find. I scan the Internet, MSNBC. I don’t watch TV.

Do you think the media is doing a good job covering the war?Yeah, I mean, they’re right there if you want to see anything.

Have you heard any good war jokes lately? I heard one on the radio: They’re changing all the Wal-Marts and Kmarts in Iraq to Targets.

Name: Jose

Where are you from? Manhattan

How long will the war last? I haven’t got the foggiest idea. Though I hope it’s not like the Vietnam War.

Do you think Saddam will use weapons of mass destruction? Probably, if they get close enough to push him to it.

What do you think of the anti-war protesters? Frankly everyone’s entitled to their point of view. I don’t agree with them.

Where are you getting your news about the war? Mostly from newspapers and TV – FOX 5 and the New York Post.

Do you think the media is doing a good job covering the war? I think they’re doing too good a job covering the war. Some things should be left unsaid.

Have you heard any good war jokes lately? No, not really.

Name: Jose Fernandez

Where are you from? New York City

How long will the war last? Judging by what’s going on now, I have no idea.

Do you think Saddam will use weapons of mass destruction? That’s most definite.

What do you think of the anti-war protesters? Well, their voice should be heard. But on the other hand, (it makes us conscious) … we’ll be thinking about what’s going on at home and we won’t do our job and that’s what gets the soldiers killed sometimes.

Where are you getting your news about the war? CNN

Do you think the media is doing a good job covering the war? They’re doing a good job. But they should be doing a better job of letting people know what’s going on with our troops.

Have you heard any good war jokes lately? (smiles) Not really. We haven’t been on the funny track lately. (Because of the soldiers killed) we haven’t been joking that much lately.

Name: Sam Hart (age 11)

Where are you from? Maryland

How long will the war last? I don’t know.

Do you think Saddam will use weapons of mass destruction? Not against us, but against others.

What do you think of the anti-war protesters? They’re good. (Makes thumbs up sign.)

Where are you getting your news about the war? CNN and the Washington Post.

Do you think the media is doing a good job covering the war? I don’t know. I don’t have anything to compare it to.

Have you heard any good war jokes lately? No.

Name: Doreen Diaz

Where are you from? Queens

How long will the war last? I have no idea.

Do you think Saddam will use weapons of mass destruction? Yes, I think so.

What do you think of the anti-war protesters? I don’t know.

Where are you getting your news about the war? The Internet – The Phillipine Star

Do you think the media is doing a good job covering the war? Yeah.

Have you heard any good war jokes lately? No.

Name: Rochelle.

Where are you from? Brooklyn.

How long will the war last? No idea. I hope it’s over fast.

Do you think Saddam will use weapons of mass destruction? I think if he had ‘em, he’ll use ‘em – gas, poison.

What do you think of the anti-war protesters? I went to Washington, but now that it’s started, I’m not going to protest. (I agree with some of them, but) I think they’re misinformed on some points. I don’t want the war. I didn’t vote for this president. … I think now that the war started, they need to choose different avenues.

Where are you getting your news about the war? Everywhere. You can’t get away from it now. I listen to it on the radio in the morning on 1010 WINS. In the middle of my programs, it comes on. Before, I used to seek it out, but now it won’t let me go.

Do you think the media is doing a good job covering the war? Yeah, considering it’s a play-by-play. I guess they are.

Have you heard any good war jokes lately? No. My friends and I try not to talk about the war.

The First of the American Dead Are Named

Names released by the Defense Department of U.S. troops killed during military action in the war against Iraq:

Marines killed Friday in helicopter crash in Kuwait:

_ Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, of Bloomington, Ill.

_ Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, of Houston.

_ Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Waters-Bey, 29, of Baltimore.

_ Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, of Waterville, Maine.

Marines killed in action in Iraq:

_ 2nd Lt. Therrel S. Childers, 30, of Harrison County, Miss., killed Friday.

_ Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, 22, of Los Angeles, killed Friday.

Navy officer killed Saturday in collision of two British helicopters:

_ Lt. Thomas Mullen Adams, 27, of La Mesa, Calif.

Army officer killed Saturday in grenade attack at camp in Kuwait:

_ Capt. Christopher Scott Seifert, 27.

Marine officer killed in Iraq when machine gun accidentally discharged. Day uncertain:

_ Lance Cpl. Eric J. Orlowski, 26, of Buffalo, N.Y.

Marine officer killed in vehicle accident in Iraq. Day uncertain:

_ Sgt. Nicolas M. Hodson, 22, of Smithville, Mo.

Posted by Jim at 11:18 PM

Sanding Cat and Dogs

The Iraqi weather reports on New York tv and radio are oddly normal now. But if you are commuting to Baghdad Tuesday, be ready for a sandy journey.

A Little War Justice

Former Croatian army general gets 12 years in prison for masterminding the slayings of Serb civilians.

Now, Children...

BERLIN (AP) -- The U.S.-German clash over war in Iraq has filtered down to Murfreesboro, Tenn., where a high school has canceled precisely the kind of student exchange that is supposed to promote mutual understanding.

Posted by Jim at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)

Serbs Remember Getting Bombed

Serbs mark forth anniversary of American air strikes.

A Clean Picture

American tv news still won't show the tape of U.S. POWs and KIAs, and dead Iraqi soldiers seem to be faceless, too. With the reports of so many dead and wounded, it seems strange there are so few pictures of blood, bodies and death for the public to digest. This is not a political position. War is ugly, brutal, bloody, haunting and gruesome.

''The pictures were disgusting,'' said Army Lt. Gen. John Abizaid of the Central Command of the POW/KIA tape made by the Iraqis.

Of course, he's right.

On The Homefront

Meanwhile, things aren't looking that good at home for those losing their homes.

DOBRZE!

Polish special forces are part of the attack in Iraq. No joke about it.

Newsday in Baghdad

Newsday's coverage from Baghdad is truly worth a look. And not just because their guys there are old pals of mine. Matthew McAllester's words and Moises Saman's pictures are simply brilliant.

Body Count Up, Stocks Down

The Street doesn't like casualties.

Waving the Flag on Page One

My old pal Welch gives us a few words on journo "experts" upset about newspapers putting the stars and stripes in their mastheads.

Yesterday, I noitced a few Gannett papers on the Jersey Shore had huge American flags in their mastheads. It doesn't really bother me except that it doesn't look that good.

A Thurderstorm of War News

The war news today is rolling in like a violent summer thunderstorm: American troops killed, wounded and taken prison, a British war plane shot down by “friendly fire,” an ITN reporter killed, two of his crew still missing, an insane U.S. G.I. tossing grenades into officers’ tents, killing one and wounding a dozen. And the skies over Baghdad are once again red and black with fire and smoke after another quick, powerful, pinpoint bombardment.

It is almost impossible to take it all in on this beautiful, sunny spring day in Jersey City. And the Oscars are on tv tonight? It is really hard to care about who wins best key grip or whatever. And of course we will have to listen to actors give their two cents on the war. Can’t wait to hear their educated insight. The NY Daily News has a two-page feature in today’s sports section giving us athletes’ thoughts on the war. I don’t get it. But then again, I’m not much of a sports fan. Though News legend Bill Gallo—a fine cartoonist, sports writer, columnist and WWII combat vet—has a nice piece mixing war and sports.

Of course it is a brilliant thing that the little details of life move along happily during such a serious time. While bartending tonight, I plan to have one tv tuned to CNN, one showing sports and the Oscars will be on the other. Now that’s American television.

My beautiful friend Angela and I took a few hours off from watching the war last night to try and get into the spirit of the Oscars. Turns out that we haven’t seen most of the films up for awards. So, we dropped twenty bucks for two tickets to “Gangs of New York.” What an amazing disappointment. Old Marty Scorsese took almost three hours not to tell a story well. And the historical inaccuracies made it almost unbearable to watch. Thanks be to God for Daniel Day-Lewis. He was insanely brilliant as Billy the Butcher.

But now back to the battle to rid Iraq of the Butcher of Baghdad.

"Friendly Fire" Kills TV Reporter

British TV news reporter Terry Lloyd is believed to have been killed in southern Iraq.

More Journos Hit

The U.S. military reports that three journalists have been wounded or killed in southern Iraq. (via Drudge)

The Dead & The Missing

The first journalist died in Iraq today and a Brit tv crew is missing.

WOW

"Shock and Awe" indeed.

When Everyone Sounds Like Darth Vader

Veteran New York newspaperman Jim Dwyer gives us a view of life in a gas mask from Camp New Jersey.

Photo Coverage Improves

Corbis is offering some amazing pictures of Baghdad targets taking hits while Reuters has a good mix of pix on yahoo.

TIME Spikes Pic Lab

Film is going the way of glass negatives... OK, that really isn't news but this is.

NEW YORK–Time Inc. will close its photo lab June 30, laying off 22 workers.

Ireland's Neutrality

The Dáil is today debating a Government motion approving the continued use of Shannon by aircraft carrying US military personnel to and from the Gulf region.

Who Stayed

PDNewswire offers a solid report today on photogs still in Iraq.

According to Iraq’s Information Ministry, the number of foreign journalists in Baghdad was 300 as of March 17, down from 450 the week before. But only an estimated 150 journalists are expected to actually be in Baghdad during the bombing -- still a significantly higher number than during the first Gulf War.

And...

On Monday, The New York Times ordered photographer Tyler Hicks and reporter John Burns to leave Baghdad immediately, but the pair was unable to leave and remained in the capital as of Thursday afternoon. "We ordered them to leave on Monday, but because of bureacratic difficulties and concerns for the safety on the roads, they have remained in Baghdad," says Times spokesperson Catherine Mathis. "We're still looking for a way to get them out."

Hiding in Hungary?

Speaking of the Budapest Business Journal, I just found this there.

Many Friends In The Field

Jaysus, there are so many friends covering this war. Every time I visit a site, I see another name of an old pal. Just noticed a multi-media piece out of northern Kuwait by Travis Fox. I hired Travis to replace me on the Budapest Business Journal in 1997. After about a year there, he was smart enouhg to give up business photography and get himself a digital video camera. He is an adward-winning master cameraman, editor and producer. His work on the WashPost site is worth a look. Can't wait to see more of his work out of Kuwait and, hopefully soon, Iraq.

Traffic Mess

A few hundred anti-war protesters, cops, rain and the normal evening rush-hour traffic are making a mess in Times Square, reports Fox5 tv news. Well, the protesters are supposed to be gone out of there by the Broadway showtime.

The Job

Despite reading about the real fear and threat of covering the war, like Hampton Sides' piece in this week's New Yorker, part of me desires to be over there in Baghdad, Northern Iraq or Kuwait at the moment. Though I have seen a bit of combat elsewhere, I have never covered American troops in action. But for a variety of reasons, I had to sit this one out.

I missed covering the first Gulf War as well. I'll never forget exactly what I was doing that moment in 1991 when CNN reported that the U.S. has begun bombing Baghdad. I was pouring a screwdriver for an Irishman in a Hoboken bar that used to be a decent joint for cops and local reporters. It was maddening, being a newsman and working as a barman when the big story broke. But I did my bit to cover my little part of the story earlier that day. As a staff shooter on the late, great Hudson Dispatch I photographed anti-war protesters on the steps of Jersey City City Hall. My picture made the bottom of page one the next day under the massive, simple headline, WAR!

So, as I sit safe and sound on the beautiful but rainy Jersey Shore today, my thoughts are with my friends and colleagues who are doing a difficult job in dangerous places. Thanks be to God for this blog deal. At least I can help spread the word about their work.

Tony Pierce's Lovely Protest

This is the best anti-war protest I have seen yet.

BBC Reporters' Log

Ken, thanks for the BBC news blog from the field.

Northern Kuwait :: Hilary Andersson :: 1922GMT

We do not know how many of these missiles were Scuds - some of them were smaller missiles.

Thanks for the kind words, Ken. And I can't stand that Aaron Brown either.

Still in Baghdad

According to the picture, my pal Tyler Hicks was in still in Baghdad late Wednesday local time. I doubt he was able to leave the country after snapping that pic. And his Times colleague John Burns is still reporting from Baghdad. Looking forward to seeing some fine work from Tyler soon.

Another friend, NY Times staff shooter Vincent Laforet, has a slide show posted full of pictures from Aboard the Abraham Lincoln.

Getting The Picture

The front page of washingtonpost.com has a solid AFP picture of the strike damage in Baghdad. The Post's Camera Works is always a good place to see some fine photojournalism.

Also check out this place for recent images.

Still The First Day

Wake up, wipe the sleep from your eyes, start sipping the coffee as you light the day's first Marlboro and get back to watcing the war. And it isn't even 24-hours old yet.

It seems like much has been happening since you went to sleep. The night skies over Baghdad are lit up again. And there is the ground combat that you didn't think would happen so soon.

My photog friend Mario Tama is at Camp Fox in Kuwait with U.S. Marines and has sent pictures back to the Getty Images News picture desk. On Getty Images News there is a good visual take of today around the world: Kuwait, Gaza, DoD handouts, European protests and the NY trading floor.

It is good to see one of msnbc's top headlines a positive refugee story.

Msnbc seems to be doing a fine, quick job as usual. And as Amy Langfield mentioned this morning, The NY Times on the web seems to have been ready for all this and beefed up its efforts. And hell, they have gotten much quicker, too.

Two fronts to start

First light in the East brings more American bang-bang.

Our Man in Baghdad

John F. Burns of The New York Times reports on the morning rush hour in Baghdad a couple hours after the bombing.

WAR

The attack has begun. Echoing Matt Welch: Good Luck, Troops. May Victory be Swift and death be small.

Film still does the job

My old pal Matt asked if I got some niffy new digital camera in order to post new pix here. Nope, Matt, I am still shooting film with a couple of old Nikons but I did pick up a great neg scanner cheap. And this afternoon I visited the Mecca of Photography on 9th Ave to stock up on Fuji 400 just in case the war comes to us again. I need to pick up some duct tape too, but that is only for my cameras.

Tick, Tick, Tick...

While running around a buzzing Manhattan today, the city seemed to be racing at normal speed but you could feel the fear. As I went underground to ride the subway, there was the fear speaking in the back of the mind. What if an attack comes and I end up trapped in a crowded tin can under Lexington Ave? On a happier note, barring terrorism, my old buddy Pete Donohue reports that riding the NYC subways has become less of a drag.

Bayonne Ready for War

My reporter friend Ron Leir reports in today's Jersey Journal that Bayonne has a "war room" and is ready for action.

Covering the War

A reporter and photographer for The New York Times also experienced difficulties in leaving, said Catherine Mathis, a spokeswoman for the newspaper.

I believe the NYT reporter is the great John F. Burns and the photog is my good friend Tyler Hicks. This is a long ways away from Tyler and I running around Kosovo together.

If that's what they want, I hope they make it out in time. Many other photo friends, including Spencer Platt, Mario Tama and Chris Hondros, are waiting in Kuwait ready to roll into Iraq with the troops. These are the folks that are going to be providing us with much fine photojournalism from this war. They are all fine war photographers and great drinking buddies. Can't wait to buy them a round in Toad Hall when it is all over.

Make sure to visit Getty Images News Services for excellent photojournalism.

Heating Up

The local news radio station gave us the New York weather this morning, then the weather in southern Iraq.

A Great Green Escape

My friend Amy thinks I was suffering today from yesterday's Saint Patrick's Day celebrations. She is correct, but happily a hangover was not involved this morning. March 17th this year simply was a long, full, Beautiful day which ended with yours truly serving drinks and refusing drunks at one of Hoboken's finest Irish pubs.

Many wonderful thoughts about the parade and the day are swirling in me head, especially the fact that I escaped from war, GWB and cable tv news for a full day and felt happy, and worry-free...But more on the fine New York Irish day once I recover from bartending on St. Paddy's Day.

And more to come on the war, and the worry and fear we are feeling.

Remembering The Bravest

Members of the FDNY carry 343 American flags, one for each of the Bravest who died on September 11th, in yesterday's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Manhattan.

The Mighty March Up Fifth Ave

The NYPD Emerald Society Pipe Band.

Beannachtai na Feile Padraig

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Check out Gaels on film.

Well, I am off to Manhattan to drink Guinness, listen to fine trad and be Irish.

"Go n-ithe an cat thú is go n-ithe an diabhal an cat." Or in English, "May the cat eat you and the devil eat the cat."

Greetings From Jersey City

Hello. I'm Jim Lowney and welcome to my blog. Hey, Ken and Matt, finally.