" think Doug, Kim, and a number of our frequent posters to this and other threads have been around this forum long enough that we shoudl all know what they mean."

That assumption is a big mistake.

As to whether not providing links to the photos is censorship--hey people, there is a difference between intentionally ignoring, benignly neglecting, and actively censoring. I do hope everyone here realizes anyone with decent internet access can view anything currently making the rounds online.

Some of the photographs and videos are authentic and did need to be viewed by Americans (like the prisoner abuse photos released thus far). Some photos/videos don't need to be viewed but will be because of the pornographic titillation factors involved (like the beheading photos and videos). Finally, some just needs to be ignored, like the doctored military porn/rape photos linked to in another thread, that is nothing more than recycled porn updated with the "Iraqi prisoner abuse" factor to extend it's internet shelf life.

We need to be vigilant, discerning and discriminating about what is valid, and what is sensationalized right now, because we are being bombarded with images: some are propaganda, some are legitimate news, and some are opportunistic sadism and pornography.

The prison abuse scandal is one we needed to learn about to shine the light into the darkness of what too many of our troops were becoming in Iraq, to prevent the situation from worsening, and hopefully prevent future atrocities. Most Americans would have ignored the stories about prisoner abuse if not for the photographic evidence, IMO. So it was essential that they be released, and that we look critically at them.