http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/ar...TICLE_ID=38254
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
Saying comments about the death of Pat Tillman had become "disruptive," an anti-globalist website linked to Teresa Heinz Kerry has removed a hate-filled thread assaulting the memory of the ex-NFL player who became an Army Ranger.
The Portland, Ore., branch of the Independent Media Center originally ran the headline "Dumb Jock Killed in Afghanistan" above a story by the Washington Post about Tillman's death last week in a firefight with militia forces in Afghanistan.
The website was filled with comments affirming the headline, and adding others.
One suggested an alternative headline, " … or, how about, 'privileged millionaire, blinded by nationalist mythology, pisses away the good life.'"
Another suggestion: "'Citizen of empire allows ignorance to cause him to die for imperialism' or maybe ... Capitalist chooses to kill innocents instead of cashing check."
Commenting on the article's reference to a "brave American," a reader replied: "'brave'???? for going over to Afghanistan completely uninvited and slaughtering brown-skinned people with advanced weaponry?"
Another said: "Tillman chose to go to Afghanistan. He's partially reponsible [sic] for the deaths of hundreds, maybe thousands of Afghan civilians. No need to feel sorry for him, other than feeling bad that he was brainwashed into serving as a grunt."
Tillman has been lauded by many Americans, including President Bush, as a hero for walking away from a $3.6 million contract in the prime of his football career to join units serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In the wake of news coverage by WorldNetDaily and talk-radio shows across the U.S., the Independent Media Center has removed both the original news article and the subsequent thread containing the opinions.
The website has now posted a new discussion about Tillman, stating the previous opinions would no longer be viewable:
As evidenced by a lot of posts and comments, many people in the broader community have wished to have a discussion about Pat Tillman and whether or not being a soldier is a noble pursuit. Here in the local Portland community we are dealing with the very serious issues of police violence and the accountability to that violence. Though it is awesome to see many people across the country participating in indymedia as posters and commentors, the number and nature of the posts about the Pat Tillman article has become disruptive. They have basically just been a re-hash of, "He's a hero" vs. "No, he's not."
A further clarification states, "This move is purely practical. When 100 people are shouting in a room about a topic and all trying to be heard, no one will be heard. ... It is only about the shear [sic] number of postings and comments, not their content."
The site is also redirecting the original thread concerning Tillman to another location, providing an explanation about its service of "open publishing."
"Indymedia relies on the people who post to present their information in a thorough, honest, accurate manner, but has no control over what people post," the page explains. "After an article has been posted, it can be removed from the Newswire and placed in the compost bin."
Reactions to the website's decision to yank the controversial thread are now being posted on the new Tillman discussion page, some of which include:
I think it was a mistake to remove the article, since now I only have the most hateful comments to go on. And I have no choice but to associate these vile comments with Indymedia, since I have no way of knowing they weren't in lockstep with the original article. Flushing articles down the memory hole can backfire.
I also think it is censorship, imposed by this website not because they found anything in the original postings reprehensible, but instead because of the negative attention that was focused on the website.
Isn't it nice that you can sit in front of your computer and post nasty remarks about the people that provide you with the freedom that you take for granted? Isn't it wonderful that you have enough freedom to insult the people that fight and die for your right to call them baby killers? I also have freedom. I have the freedom to call all of you misguided idiots. I have the freedom to tell you to be ashamed of yourselves.
The nonprofit Tides Foundation, heavily financed by Teresa Heinz Kerry, contributed $5,000 to the Washington, D.C. branch of the Independent Media Center, according to its 2001/2002 annual report [pdf].
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You guys haven't changed much since the 60's.
I guess John McCain deserved being tortured too.