( The data above can be seen in the full report here: http://www.jihadunspun.net/articles/08212002-Casualty.Report/casualty02.html )

Following the Vietnam War, American Presidents realized that it was important to limit American body bags in order to sustain public support. Presidents increasingly relied on "alternative" means of fighting wars as one strategy, e.g., proxy wars, like Nicaragua and Afghanistan in the 1980s.

Alas, when proxy wars are not possible, the media must be controlled -- directly or indirectly -- in order to deal with the potential backlash in American public opinion. This is what we see in our war in Afghanistan.

Executives at CNN and other media outlets are on record as saying it would be morbid to report on civilian casualties (gee, I guess journalism only counts for reports on what's happening with the local zoo). God forbid the American media grows a spine and embraces investigative journalism again. God forbid that they dare report how many Americans have been killed.

In today's political culture, the media is more than happy to investigate on were a President's third leg has been, but sustained coverage of the true scandals, regardless of party, are marginalized. If that doesn't change, the American empire will go the way of Rome.

Regardless of whether or not you support the war, the point of this article is to underscore that you should support the notion that the American media should report and investigate. Sadly, many Americans no longer believe this. If you're not among that group, get off your duff and write a letter to the editor and/or producer.