Lawmakers Are Stunned By New Images of Abuse

Washington Post ^ | 051304 | By Charles Babington

[Lijahsbubbe]

Terrorists are stupid. If they really wanted attention, they should have put underwear over Nick Berg's head.

[McGavin999]

Did they also show them the video of the beheading?

[Jank]

Does anyone remember the teenage girls, hazing on the news,
a few months ago. They beat the other girls with animal
waste and intestines? So far that seems a bit rougher than
panties on ones head.

[HiTech RedNeck]

New images of abuse... what, the sawing off of Berg's head?

oh.

[Torie]

And your relevance to my point is exactly what? Indeed, the letter if anything brings home my point. What was done in those prisons had the potential to put the guys in the trenches further at risk, a potential that has now been realized. The letter writer had no truck for went on in that prison, and the issue at hand, is accountability, which is an exercise that will be undertaken, and is being undertaken. You may wish that nobody higher up than that rather pathetic head-case female brigadier general should bear any blame. I wish that too. I simply don't believe that that is the case. What one wishes, is often not what one gets.

[TheLion]

There is something very bizarre about congress critters watching these pictures and videos....totally out of context and no one knowing what the hell is going on.

How do we know the prisoners weren't masturbating to flaunt it in the face of our women? I have seen this before in that part of the world.

[Burkeman1]

I have relatives who have medal because of their "service" under fire. And they also know of what you speak- utter depravity among troops. We didn't even know about my Great Uncle's Silver Star till he died. He didn't think much of it.

[CasearianDaoist]

In a real war where you are taking tens of thousands of casualties and the outcome of prevailing in the military sense is in question one will find things like this and worse. Regetablle" Disappointing? Yes, but not worth all of this handwringing. There is not an active field or operational officer in the entire military that has faced this sort of war. When they do some of these notions will seem a bit quaint, believe you me. The difference is that once apon a time we would handle it internally and the "loyal opposition" would be just that. We have forgotten what war is about. If you expect in even of war of this small scale that there would not be seven or so malefactors you have a rather pollyannish view of war and of men.

Should this conflict truly broadened to a major war, if we take a nuclear hit or find ourselves facing the Chinese, this incident as regrettable as it is will be placed in the proper perspective.

I know you mean well and I do not mean to insult you but it comes off to me as a bit sanctimonious and self righteous. I would not go around speaking for for all combat vets if I were you, you might find that there are difference of opinions on this, particularly among older ones. Save you outrage for the traitors in the Democratic party, what they are doing is radically more dangerous to the troops and to the nation than these jokers in this prison.

[television is just wrong]

I'm stunned at the lack of reaction to Nick Berg's beheading, and the continued shockwave of "abuse photos". It is like they are watching porno flicks or something.

[TheLion]

I tuned in NPR a few times today while I was driving about just to hear what they were saying.....you guessed it. They just couldn't control their shame over this abuse issue.

[Torie]

Your post is fair. But I am not pretending to speak for anyone but myself, and I am not a vet, for the record. But I am very angry at our failure to live up to our ideals, and angrier still, that some guys in the field will die over this affair. The troops in the trenches were needlessly put at risk. That is not only beyond the pale, but execrable and evil. The American military deserves that this be extirpated root and branch, and that there be a full accounting. And they will be. And I suspect many heads will roll. And that is right and just. But it will not balance the books. The books will remain in the red, and the stain will not be cleansed. The damned spot cannot be offed. But we can learn from it. I trust we will.

[FreeReign]

Yes, but it is our institutions that are designed to prevent the depravity from surfacing, and to punish it severely when it does. Our institutions broke down in this instance and whatever the reason needs to get fixed..

An instance of one of our institutions breaking down? Okay, let's put it on the list of things that need fixin'.

I've got it down here on my list at number 998, okay? And let's give it the appropriate amount of attention that a number 998 on a list of broken things, should get.

Fix the problem, sure. But the attention to this is blown all out of proportion.

[wideminded]

"It certainly was so far unbecoming of what we expect from American soldiers," Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) said.

Spoken like anyone who has never seen a day of service.

I checked and you're right.

[FreeReign]

And that is right and just. But it will not balance the books. The books will remain in the red, and the stain will not be cleansed. The damned spot cannot be offed. But we can learn from it. I trust we will.

Torie, you sound writhen, tonight.

[Torie]

I had to look that one up. I just love it when I am exposed to a new word, and you used this one well.

SYLLABICATION: writh·en 
PRONUNCIATION:   rthn 
VERB: Archaic A past participle of writhe.  
ADJECTIVE: Twisted; contorted. 

You may be right. I will leave that to others to judge. I call them as I see them. I don't always get it right. Anyone who claims they do, is a charleton.

[CasearianDaoist]

The books will remain in the red

Well again I think that you are overreacting - I think that is not really true at all. It is a quite minor incident and very soon the only people that will be chiming in about will be the hard Left. You are being quite melodramatic here, IMO. As for "living up to our ideals" all I can say if you expect everyone to live up to "our ideals" or that if some bad apple fails to "live up to our ideals" that means the we have collectively failed to do so then all I can say is that you and I have a rather different notion of what our "ideals" are about, not to mention what society is about. We have lawbreakers in civilian life - does that mean that we collectively "fail our ideals?"

In history people will scratch their heads over the concern given this incident. The Euros (I am talking about the Dutch and the Germans) could not even get out of their barracks to protect civilians and at least 2,000 of them died. You do not seem very upset about this. I think that you exaggerate this.

Does it make it harder for the troops in the end? That is an open question. It may intimidate more people for all we know. What does make it harder is the reaction to this by the left. It give the opposition the notion that they can turn this into another Vietnam. That </I. is what is dangerous.

Luckily the American population see the whole thing for what it is.

[bvw]

Deadly Abuse by "Free Trade": June 3 and 4, 1989, China.

[Torie]

I think the stain went higher up then most here. I think many here are trying to spin this puppy away. But of course, our system as a whole is not impeached, because we will set it right. In that sense, our ideals will be yet again be put out there for all to see, and it will set the standard for others to try to match, and almost none will. I did not mean to suggest that the indictment was of our society and our values as a whole, and you were right to call me on it, and give me a chance to further elaborate my remarks, for which I thank you.

[PhiKapMom]

Stuff it! I am no nazi and neither are the troops that did this. That is straight out of the Kennedy mouth! Guess you have been a guard in a prison that houses the worst of the worst of the Iraqi's and would like to hold their hands?

This is a war -- Hitler killed millions of people so your comments about Nazis are way over the top. Your post reads like it is straight out of the RAT jargon.

Excuse me but beheading a innocent American is much worse then anything done to these people. Pictures should never have been taken IMO, but then a reserve SP unit should never have been assigned to this prison of lowlifes either or be under a lady general.

Personally people like you have made me switch to the side of a lot of people who think this is way overblown and was already being handled by the military -- there was never any need for these pictures to seen period.

Guess you think that the guards should have asked politely for information?

Give me a break!