A co-worker has a picture of her brothers squad on her desk...

[TN al]

...in the picture the soldiers are holding weapons trained on Iraqis with hoods over their heads. The Iraqis are holding signs in favor of Americans and against Saddam. I don't remember exacly what the signs say but I do remember that they can be construed in a humiliating way. The setting was outdoors almost like a courtyard. She said that the Iraqis in the pictures were actually their own interpreters and the pictures were staged. I believe her.

Question: What if anything should I do?

[aquart]

1. If she still hasn't taken the picture off her desk

Warn her to warn her brother to destroy the pictures. And hope no one has sent a print to the media.

[rfranklin]

2. Gee, what if someone were to requisition that photo...

and it turned up in a newspaper?

[alcuno]

4. You shouldn't encourage people to destroy evidence.

That in itself can be a crime. You can't say you didn't know it was a crime if that's why you're doing it. The woman should simply be encouraged to get that picture off of her desk... for obvious reasons.

[whatelseisnew]

16. Indeed, also unwise not to present this subject as a hypothetical

if this were a sting operation, say, it could be construed as entrapment.

I will assume that there was no 'intent' in duer's responses that advocate tampering , i don't think they are aware of what they are
doning by making these suggestions

I am going to alert this whole thread

[troublemaker]

35. Assuming her story is true

that the pix were staged, they are not evidence of anything an can be destroyed.

[Renew Deal]

5. Don't destroy them.

Give them to the public. Let the people decide.

[TN al]

7. I warned her to do that when it showed up 7 months ago.

She treated me like an idiot. It is a very cliqueish workplace. The clique was there and backed her up. She is also so right wing that she has run away with her hands over her ears when other co-workers are talking about the poor job * is doing.

[Renew Deal]

10. Do the right thing and scan it. Go in today if you can.

[Bjornsdotter]

13. She's Proud of this??

Hi,

Well if she's so proud of this picture and sees nothing wrong with it...I'm sure she'll lend it to you so you can scan it and send it to the press.

Cheers,
Kim

[TN al]

14. Actually, yes she has always been proud of it...

...Just remember, we don't make up the stupidy, selfishness, and ignorance of Freepers. They really do act that way.

[Renew Deal]

3. Scan it

and give it to the press. Give it to the NY Daily News, Seattle Times? NYT, USA today, Keith Olberman. Don't just let it fly. Try to post it here too.

[whatelseisnew]

8. that's the best idea

[Catt03]

6. Tell her to use some common sense

and take it home.

Why would anyone have a picture like that on their desk in their office?

[TN al]

12. Since you put it that way let me elaborate...

...We are both teachers. The principal is of the same mindset she is.(read earlier post describing her) and I expect that mindset goes all of the way to the director of schools.

[leesa]

17. She's a teacher and she thinks having that on her desk is appropriate?

Yikes! Is this a public school?

[TN al]

21. Its a public alternative school

[alcuno]

23. Oh my God! A school is a school. That needs to come down now!

I am a teacher and the thought that someone in a school would have that out on their desk is absolutely horrifying.

Tell her to take it down or you will go to the administration. Simple. Tell her you have thought about it and if you want, prayed about it, and it needs to come down.

[TN al]

27. Read my earlier post...

...her mindset is in the majority and goes all the way up to the administration. The principal was recently sent some paperwork from the RNC to start him off on his road to pioneer status. He is quite proud of it.

[alcuno]

31. As a teacher, you have an obligation to go on record with your concerns.

I am a teacher and also an officer in our union. It's not personal, but I believe that you have an obligation to be on record with your administrator about this. Bugs take off real fast when the lights are turned on.

Do you have a professional organization? Anyone you can talk to there? If you simply cannot bring it up to anyone who can do anything about it, there's always the anonymous letter to the principal/School Board routine. Must be done carefully.

I wish I was down there, because if this was one of my members, I'd be in her classroom and take care of it - quick.

[TN al]

36. Going on record would only jeopardize my job...

...with no expectation of anything being done. As I said in a different post:Remember, this is the south.

[alcuno]

38. You might be surprised at how quickly admins turn when it's their

behind in the sling. But if you can't, you can't. What about your professional organization?

Consider the anonymous letter routine. She's in a classroom and lots of people could have seen it. Send a letter to the local paper. There are lots of people in your state. Get someone else to write it and you have "Plausible deniability."

[Lars39]

18. She's a TEACHER and has that on her DESK? Where kids can see it?

[Renew Deal]

19. You could always find another teaching job.

If you had to. But this is too important to leave behind.

[Fleshdancer]

9. what is it with taking pictures of this crap???

Why in the world would she think having something like that on her desk is acceptable? Of course, another way to get your point across would be to print out all the other photos that have come out recently and add them to her desk collection of insanity. Would that be too mean?

on edit: after reading some of the other responses, I'm deleting my advice of telling her to destroy it. I didn't think about the possible consequences of encouraging someone to destroy evidence. Now I would just inform her of the possible consequences of taking and displaying evidence of war crimes. You probably already did that, but do it as much as you need in order for your conscience to be clear.

[Renew Deal]

11. Why do you want it destroyed?

Why do you want to protect potential criminals. The poster should get a copy of them. The people need to see it.

[Fleshdancer]

15. I just edited my post after reading your first msg on that point

It honestly didn't occur to me when I first wrote it. Then after I posted, I read the new messages, agreed with your point, and edited my original post. :)

I'm constantly a work in progress.

[Toucano]

20. I am suspicious of the "staged" claim.

Why would their translators allow themselves to be humiliated?

Seems suspect to me.

[TN al]

22. The soldiers are playing more to the camera...

...then they are concerned with the Iraqis. The unit is not one that would hold POWs for any length of time. Probably only hold ones who walked up to surrender directly to them. And I am guessing that being a translator may carry with it some vestige of prestige and they may not want to do anything to jeopardize that position. Although I admit that it may also paint concentric circles on your back. I, at least, am satisfied that the picture was staged.

[alcuno]

24. It doesn't matter.

You may think you get it, but kids should not be exposed to this kind of stuff in ANY school.

[alcuno]

28. And another thing. It's never okay to point a weapon at someone.

I hear this from the kids at school all the time, "We were just playing." I had a boy in my class who lost his spleen after they were "just playing" on the field at lunch. I had a girl taken unconscious to the hospital after she let some boy cut off her breathing because they were "just playing."

Is the military being run AND followed by morons over there? Are people so lacking in judgment that they can't see how idiotic their actions AND defenses are? What is wrong with people?

[kiahzero]

25. No offense, but didn't you think the ones that started all this

were fakes as well?

Perhaps you are giving the US military too much benefit of the doubt.

[TN al]

29. No offense taken...

...and you are right I did think they were fake at first.

If I were to obtain this picture it would have to be through subterfuge and it could easily be traced back to me.
We live in a a small southern town where she is a life long resident and I am a new-comer with a northern accent. Where do you think this might end?

[kiahzero]

30. Does she know you don't like the picture?

If not, a little social engineering is all you need to get a copy, methinks.

[TN al]

34. She knows...

...I told her in front of others when she first got it that it was an unwise photograph. I am the only one in the school who spoke up against it. Remember, this is the south.

[w13rd0]

26. The soldiers in the torture photos...

...didn't look all that concerned that their hooded victims would rise up against them either. Claims that it was a "staged" photo op are dubious. I'd scan it and send it in. Insist that the woman be fired for exposing children to that. That's just wrong on so many levels.

[VolcanoJen]

32. SCAN IT. Scan it quickly. Scan it TODAY.

TN, is there any way you could go in to work, grab that photo and scan it? This is truly in the public interest, and after you scan it, you might want to contact a reputable reporter at your local newspaper.

May I also say that your workplace sounds quite awful? I would be dismayed if any of my coworkers proudly displayed such a disgusting photograph on their desk. :-(

[ScreamingMeemie]

33. Copy it and send it to every news outlet you can. I am sure this

coworker thinks she is a wonderful patriot, doing a wonderfully patriotic thing. What a shock it will be when she looks outside her little cocoon of sympathizers and sees the rest of our outrage.

[SuffragetteSal]

37. My first reaction would be

to tell you are deeply offended and distrubed by such a photo in the workplace and that if she doesn't remove it, it will be reported to the H.R. department or even the media.

[Catherine Vincent]

39. Are you making this up and pulling our legs?

[TN al]

42. I am reporting everything as it happened

Only a freeper would find this amusing

[seabeyond]

40. and she proudly has it on her desk

this is the rampant disrespect we american or all humanity has for one another. everytime i went into your friends office i would look at disdain towards that picture. that is sad. she has no better homorable picture she can gaze at of her brother thru out her day

[philosophie_en_rose]

41. Steal it. Scan it. Report it.

Anonymously, if you have to. If they are "fake," then the military or whomever will fall over themselves to prove it.

[TNMOM]

43. Take it to the media

Scan it, and send it to the New York Times. It's evidence.

[Nazgul35]

44. let the parents know...

along with the ACLU....

This kind of crap has got to stop....

Even if it is a fake, ti is showing the dehumanizing of human beings...not quite why I pay taxes...

Hell, let a Dem state rep know about it on the QT...maybe if they drop in and see the thing sitting there, they can get these people's asses in a sling...

[TryingToWarnYou]

45. Ok, dont take this the wrong way...

but, why did you post this question if you are unable or unwiling to do anything about it?

Either you stand for your principles or you dont. Its obvious to me that this person with the picture has taken their stand and actually has a way to influence the children she deals with.

If you believe this picture to be wrong, then do something about it. If you are not willing to do anything about it, then why are you concerned?

Bottom line, scan it. Take a picture of the desk with the photograph on it. Use a camera with FILM, not digital so that if the picture disappears later, you can prove it was there to some degree. If you have a camera that imprints the date and time on the film, even better.

This is not about whether the picture was staged or not. These are people we are supposed to be there to help. That especially means those we have taken prisoner. Nobody should be subjected to abuse or torture. Make a stand.

[FreeToLeave]

46. What should you do?

I'd call CBS and Sixty Minutes to come in and film it. The more exposure we can give to the bush abuses in Iraq the better it is for Kerry.

[malachibk]

47. "Good for Kerry?"

What does that mean? How can publishing another photo that will incite ire across the world, lead to more acts of terror and end more American lives be "good" for anyone?

This is NOT an issue of the campaign race. It's an issue about what it means to be an American and how the rest of the world sees us.

We have been disgraced and will pay for it, definitely in Iraq and, God forbid, here on US soil. Just think of those US POW's they already have.