[Mr. Mojo]

There would've been no scandal whatsoever if the soldiers immediately executed these terrorists - something they should've done, after the appropriate interogations of course - instead of messing around with acts of "humiliation" and "degredation" for the cameras.

[Monty22]

I like your line of thinking.

[CatoRenasci]

The soldiers who did this, regardless of their intentions, have done truly serious harm to the United States. While I don't know all of the facts and circumstances, I'm inclinde to think all of them need to be reduced in rank to E-1, forfeit all pay and allwances, and spend several years in Leavenworth at hard labor to be followed by dishonorable dischanges. And that won't begin to adequately punish them for the harm they have caused America.

[MACVSOG68]

There would've been no scandal whatsoever if the soldiers immediately executed these terrorists - something they should've done, after the appropriate interogations of course

Yes, that would certainly have put us on the moral highground....

[Esther Ruth]

These discussions remind me of the scene in Patriot w Mel Gibson where after he and his sons go after the Brits for killing his other son, he totally looses it and has so much rage in him because of how the Brits provoked him w their injustice - that he gets just a wee bit to violent. It happens but it does not make Benjamin Martin evil - it makes him a human being who wanted nothing to do w this war, was pushed into it and is very overwhelmed w the emotions that are forced on him, while having to deal with the contents of war, which are murdering the bad guys.

[Almondjoy]

Hmm are we sure these guys are terrorists? What if they are former soliders? What if they are guerillas? Of course we all know there are parts of Al-Qadea and other terrorist organizations there. But former Bathist party members that choose to shoot and kill only U.S. soliders are the resistance. Lest you forget the rules of war.

Regardless of the "humilation" they suffered this pales in comparison to what Saddam did... just not everyone has the common sense needed to apply truth to the situation.

However the "humilation" that they were put through is no excuse.. whether they were soften up.. whether they were told to do this.. it doesn't matter.. eveyrone invovled should pay the price for this idiotcy.

If we want to claim the moral absoulte in this war.. and believe me we all do.. then we have to act like it. Not resort to acting like animals.

[Eva]

I think that you got that backwards the acts of humiliation and degradation were done before the interrogations, in an effort to soften the resolves of men who were once willing to die to kill others. The outrage is that the guards ENJOYED what they were doing and photographed it. It is the photographed enjoyment that makes the treatment barbarous, not the specific acts. The prisoners and their supporters are guilty of much more barbaric acts.

[Dead Dog]

From what I understand, this humiliation was part of the information extraction process. It wasn't about sadistic fun, the jailers were operationg under direction from other agencies.