Michael Yon's latest is not for the faint of heart

Michael Yon's latest dispatch is up. It is named Bless the Beast and the Children.

This dispatch is not for the faint of heart. In words and photos Michael once again brings us the reality of the enemy we are fighting. It is not pretty and they are brutal. I have to wonder why Michael's dispatch is not the lead item on every newscast. It is horrific and have we in genteel society simply become unwilling to face the evil in our midst? Are we so adverse to confrontation that simply ignoring or wishing away the Islamic fascists we can magically make this terror go away? Do we think that because it is happening half a world away that it can't come here?

We go through our day to day lives and never give a second thought to what could be. If we joined in one voice and screamed from the rooftops as loudly as we do about Abu Gharib and Gitmo about the atrocities being committed in the name of a most unholy god could we knock it down and diminish it? This dispatch from Michael shows the true face of barbarism and if you read it and see the pictures and are not moved to throw everything you have in the effort to purge this evil from the face of the world I would then question your humanity.

Those are harsh words but unless we awake from our slumber and quit providing cover for these animals they will continue to ravage the countryside, wherever they are.

Here are words from the Carpenters' song of the same title.

Bless the beasts and the children
for in this world they have no voice
they have no choice
Bless the beasts and the children
for the world can never be, the world they see
Light their way when the darkness surrounds them
give them love, let it shine all around them
Bless the beasts and the children
give them shelter from a storm, keep them safe, keep them warm
Light their way when the darkness surrounds them
give them love, let it shine all around them
Bless the beasts and the children
give them shelter from a storm, keep them safe, keep them warm

UPDATE: Why haven't you heard about this in your newspaper or on the network news? Michael Yon wants to know too. He is giving them permission to use his story as long as he gets the credit, which is just right.

On this question of media selectivity, the blogosphere has become incensed that big media mostly ignored the murders, especially given that there are reporters currently in Baqubah. Newsbusters and countless others are on it. More disturbing to many bloggers is that major mainstream players were busted (again) by Pajamas Media just days ago for reporting outright fabrications of a “massacre” that never occurred.
Although I can’t answer to the cause of the problem, I humbly offer permission to media outlets to republish excerpts of the dispatch or the dispatch in its entirety, including my photographs from the story (if used as they are in the dispatch) at no cost during the month of July 2007. I only ask that the site receive proper attribution and that any publication taking me up on the offer email the website with the details.