This issue was red hot a couple years ago at the height of the anti-war protests…

I very much disdain the legal implications that Soldiers – like all government employees – are public figures and therefore do not have the same rights to privacy and protections that private citizens do. The idea that I have no control over my name, image, or the ability for my family to do the same in the event of my passing infuriates me.

I understand and sympathize with this mother who has lost a child. It must be horrible to have your grief running parallel to a famous person or coincide with any event that makes you remember. In total seriousness, the death of Michael Jackson is always going to be linked to the death of her son. That the media coverage is effervescent can only delay her journey through the grieving process.

However, I do think this is an important watershed. The media and the forces who oppose the military in general, the war in particular, have moved on from using dead Soldiers as endorsements for their cause. While I understand her pain, I’m also reassured that her son’s name and image aren’t being used for purposes he may not have endorsed.

In other words, I would rather there be too little coverage than too much of the wrong kind.