Does CBS owe an apology to families of civilian contractors?

The US civilian contractors whose bodies were desecrated in Iraq deserved better than the coverage they received from CBS.

Writing an open letter to CBS anchor Dan Rather in the American Thinker, Douglas Hanson asks for an apology.

It’s worth quoting Mr. Hanson at some length:

‘You reportedly said, ‘What drives American civilians to risk death in Iraq? In this economy, it may be, for some, the only job they can find,’ while the screen displayed the heading ‘Risking Death’ over a video of people standing in a job application line.

‘The so-called news segment which followed painted contractors in Iraq as perennial losers who are so desperate that they would ‘risk anything for a decent paycheck,’ as your colleague Bob McNamara put it. You, Managing Editor Dan Rather, have slandered all Americans who voluntarily contribute their skills to dangerous missions around the world, be they in or out of uniform.

‘I’ll leave the facts and figures of the true employment picture in the US to others. They have already debunked your theories about risk-taking and unemployment.  I will simply state that the true nature of these contractors puts them head and shoulders over news anchors.

‘Mr. Rather, these men and women are all volunteers who have a strong desire to contribute their professional skills, learned over many years, to a noble mission of liberating people from tyranny, and securing a future of freedom and democracy, while protecting America from terrorism.’