Saturday, April 24, 2004

Gotta love this title:

Flak for U.S. as Military Uniform Teddies Head to Iraq

I imagine every brave, All-American boy would be proud to head into battle wearing see-thru Kevlar:



Unfortunately, it's not as good as it sounds:
A row erupted today over a project to send Iraqi children teddy bears made out of old military uniforms.

Servicemen at the US airbase RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk have been making the soft toys out of scraps of discarded old uniforms.

But peace campaigners have criticised the move saying it is insensitive and that the use of camouflage could traumatise Iraqi children.

Annie Wimbush, of Suffolk 4 Peace, said that camouflage material was a powerful symbol of the military which could trigger a traumatic response in a child.

“When I first heard about it I was quite stunned. I thought it was either incredible naivety or wilful insensitivity,” she said.

The therapist from Bury St. Edmunds said: “I am concerned that thousands of children in Iraq are suffering from trauma and trauma is triggered by memories and associations.

“What good is a teddy made out of camouflage material going to do for a traumatised child in Iraq. If the air men at RAF Lakenheath really wanted to help they could not do better than send medical aid,” she said.

She said it was another example of American insensitivity.

“It’s as if they live in a bubble and are quite separate from the consequences of their presence in Iraq.

“They may be well meaning but they don’t seem to understand what the victims of a war zone require,” she said.

I wonder how a "Tickle Me Osama" plush would sell in NYC?
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