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Paul Johnson beheaded. Photos posted on internet

American hostage Paul Johnson was beheaded today. I thank the Drudge Report for making the photos public (click on the link to see the other photos).

Unfortunately, the photos probably won’t be shown on the regular news media, even though the news media has no problem showing over and over again the photos from the Abu Ghraib prison. As we know, there was a media blackout with regards to the pictures of the Nick Berg beheading.

The newsbabe on MSNBC said today that the “pictures are far too graphic to be shown on television.”

The photo displayed here may be disgusting and repugnant, but you should see what our enemies have done to our fellow citizen. If the actions of the terrorists are too horrible to even look at, what does it say about what our policies should be towards them?

I suspect that if the Saudi Arabian authorities catch the terrorists, the terrorists may wish they were in Abu Ghraib instead of in Saudi custody. What the Saudis will do to them is far worse than what we did to the Abu Ghraib prisoners.

Paul Johnson was a 49 year old civilian employee working in Saudi Arabia. The Associated Press had the following to say about him:

UPDATE

I've posted more detailed thoughts on this beheading in the following post: Paul Johnson beheading: was it justified? (The answer, of course, is "no.")

Also, I have some brief thoughts about the propriety of posting the photo of Paul Johnson: Saudi justice is swift.

posted Friday, June 18, 2004