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When, years ago, I first heard about the Geneva Convention, I thought it sounded absurd. Marquis of Queensbury rules for an enterprise — war — that is all about killing and maiming, but no hitting below the belt?
Then, upon further consideration, I realized it was merely a way to safeguard one’s own members of the military. The idea was if you didn’t torture the enemy when you captured their soldiers, the other side wouldn’t torture yours.
Obviously I have been thinking about this because of the recent doings at Abu Ghraib. As I write this, much of the so-called civilized world is calling for Donald Rumsfeld’s head on a spike. It strikes me as an extremely clumsy way to attack President Bush, but, let’s face it – the Democrats would use the Northridge earthquake or the sinking of the Maine if they could only figure out a way to do it.
It seems to me that what the Iraqi prisoners were forced to endure was basically humiliation, not brutality. For another thing, Iraq never signed on to the Geneva Convention. For yet another, the rules were intended to cover the military, people in uniform, not insurgents, and certainly not terrorists. Besides, as soon as the facts became known, way back in January, the military establishment moved quickly to arrest and punish the American soldiers responsible for the misconduct.
And, finally, we know how these people have treated not only our captured soldiers, but civilian contractors. Or have we so quickly forgotten the burned cadavers hanging from the bridge while the killers danced around, celebrating the slaughter?
Was what happened at the Iraqi prison a bad thing? Yes, but mainly because it was rotten public relations. I will frankly admit it bothers me very little that these punks were humiliated; my real concern is that it embarrassed America and members of America’s military.
However, it was certainly not the god-awful tragedy that some politicians and far too many media types have made it out to be. The truth is, when I first saw the photos, if I hadn’t been alerted, I might have thought I was looking at a bunch of college freshmen going through a hazing ritual, about to become toga-wearing members of a Greek fraternity.
The fact of the matter is that far worse things happen to far nicer people in American prisons every day of the week, and none of these outraged hypocrites say boo about it. But, then, of course there’s no way to tie those infractions to the White House, so why would they bother?
Editor’s note: The sensational new edition of WND’s monthly Whistleblower magazine,”THE PARTY OF TREASON,” rips the veneer of civility and compassion off the Democratic Party and reveals how the party of Truman and Kennedy has been transformed into “the enemy within.”
