File talk:Apache-killing-Iraq.ogv

Featured picture
GREAT JOB GUYS! -

Should this really be a featured picture? The video is one of the most chilling things I've seen, and whether or not it shows in bare the abuses of the US troops is irrelevant. Calling this "one of the finest images on the English Wikipedia" and displaying it on the main page goes a bit far. Fair play that it should be on this site, but featuring this is like displaying Chechclear (which I have only heard of, thank God) in order to show up Russias' excesses. It's just too far. Things like this shouldn't be so easily thrown around, and I wish I hadn't seen it.218.215.6.199 (talk) 23:56, 5 October 2008 (UTC)
 * I'm the editor who nominated this for featured picture and I share some of your misgivings about running it on the site's main page. Allow me to clarify a few things, please, because I was concerned about how to give a balanced presentation in such a short caption (I did not write this caption).  First, the image is not a political statement of any sort.  Wikipedia has over a hundred images that pertain to military history; I've nominated many of them.  But if we limited ourselves to recruitment posters, portraits of generals, and hundred-year-old photographs we wouldn't give the full picture.  As a United States veteran of the Global War on Terrorism I watched this and thought of the many armed watches I stood through the night where something like this might have happened but didn't.  Servicemembers have protocols and standing orders to follow, and it isn't always entirely clear how to give a report in a developing situation.  This is the toughest and most disturbing image I've ever put up for featured picture status, and thank you for having an intelligent reaction to it.  I watched it for a month before I nominated this; it wasn't easy.  Durova Charge! 01:26, 6 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Clarified. Thank you for responding. Seneillion (talk) 09:43, 9 October 2008 (UTC)