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Why Abu Ghraib Matters
FrontPageMagazine.com ^ | 5/24/04 | Tammy Bruce

Posted on 05/24/2004 2:29:15 AM PDT by kattracks

I was struck by how shocked members of the Senate were upon viewing additional pictures of the undisciplined, unprincipled freaks masquerading as members of our military at Abu Ghraib prison.

Keep in mind, according to reports from the Senators themselves, most of the additional pictures were of our soldiers having sex with each other– male soldiers having sex with female soldiers, that is.

Senators such as Feinstein and Campbell expressed absolute shock at the pictures they saw. I’m shocked at how out-of-touch our Senators seem to be when it comes to the nature of what happened at Abu Ghraib.

Now don’t get me wrong – I believe when it comes to Al-Qaida leadership and operatives, anything goes. I don’t care if you put women’s underwear on their heads, or frankly, even pull out a few fingernails of those responsible for mass murder, to unmask their continuing plans for the genocide of civilized peoples.

It’s called “torture lite,” it works, and I’m all for whatever it takes to get information, and yes, to punish and annihilate terrorist leadership around the world.

That said – I consider the vast majority of what happened at Abu Ghraib to be hazing – nothing more, nothing less. For weeks, all of us have been shouted at by the liberal media about how awful the events were, how having a man stripped naked in front of a woman was “torture,” how making a prisoner wear women’s underwear was “horrific,” and the most recent “charge” of forcing men to wear maxi-pads.

Ah, the horror of it all! I hear that the next stage of the abuse is to make the Iraqis read Ms. Magazine. Heck, that would be torture for anyone! Combine that with forcing them to watch Lifetime Television (the Network-of-Horrible-Things-Are-Going-To-Happen-To-You-Because-You’re-A-Woman) and I’m sure we’d have the location of bin Laden in an hour.

From what I could glean from our shocked, just shocked Senators, it seems as though they have never realized that the pornography industry is one of the biggest industries in the world; that we have raised now two generations of men (and women) with graphic, obscene images which have made degrading behavior “sexy,” “normal” and “exciting.”

For the Senators who do not know, or have not cared to think about it, the growing scourge of pornography relies on the degradation and humiliation of women, the usual subject involved. What a perfect tool to implement in war!

And, dear Senators, how dare you be so shocked and surprised that those who appear to have been the most depraved, the most abusive, seem to have been as obsessed about recording not only the sexual humiliation of their victims, but to participate in it and wallowing in their own sexual subjugation as well.

Through modern culture each of us is being conditioned to accept, promote and reward the worst in ourselves. The amazing and hopeful news in all of this is that most Americans still reject this plan of Leftists in control of social view of ourselves.

Film, television and even radio have gone further and further into a pit of mindless violence, loveless sex and degrading discussion. Finally, we’re demanding the FCC do something about it, but that won’t erase the decades of increasing depravity throughout all mediums of entertainment.

It is worth remembering, we are the greatest nation on Earth specifically because acts which are tantamount to hazing are surprising, and unacceptable, to most people.

In our efforts to maintain our perspective here, yes, we have promised Democracy to the people of Iraq. What Democracy and freedom brings is the rule of law – not perfection, but a way to deal with the imperfect, and even the depraved, among us.

As of this writing, Army Sgt. Charles A. Graner, Jr., one of the soldiers court martialed, seems to have defined his defense. His lawyer appeared on one of the many news programs last week and explained that Sgt. Graner was ordered to do the things he did by a superior, someone he could only identify as “Big Steve.” Who Big Steve was he did not know. And oddly, neither does Sgt. Graner.

This from a man, as USA Today reported, who has at least three protective orders granted against him by the courts at the request of an ex-wife who in court documents alleges Graner doing everything to her ranging from physical violence to videotaping her surreptitiously.

Sounds like something the Abu Ghraib prisoners are familiar with. With that background, it shouldn’t be so surprising that soldiers charged have claimed Graner was the ringleader of the abuse. And as most of us now know, Lynddie England, the most prominently pictured woman involved, is Graner’s “girlfriend” and pregnant with his child.

Of course, the blame game has started with a vengeance. No one, absolutely no one in this morbid game is willing to take responsibility for what has happened. That is, except for Donald Rumsfeld and George W. Bush, neither of whom have anything to do with the absurdity of the situation, but two decent men who are trying to do the right thing.

Instead, all those involved on the ground, ranging from Brig General Karpinksi, to PFC England, insist it was someone else, some other person. We have “Big Steve.” I’m sure at some point we’ll also get the surprise appearance of the Abominable Snowman shouting orders at people, or the Grinch, of the Cat in the Hat, or perhaps it’s been Larry Flint.

In addition to the scourge of pornography, the lack of personal responsibility at first seems mind-boggling, but is not so surprising. We have all been inundated with a Leftist culture that drills into us that judgment is verboten; that standards of behavior are oppressive; that expecting more from people is racist, sexist or homophobic.

The Left has been obsessed with creating a culture that tells people nothing that happens to them is their fault. We see this reinforced all the time within our Injustice System.

I detail in my book The Death of Right and Wrong, judges and juries freeing murderers because they’re “victims of a racist society” or fighting against the oppressor. Women who murder their children are set free because they are victims of “the cult of motherhood.”

Nihilism and moral relativism has its grip on so many, and yet the good news is, the extraordinary news is, that so few in the military display the immorality the Left feeds on.

By counterpoint, the real story of Abu Ghraib is that our military, in its greatness and commitment to free people around the world, instills in 99.9 percent of its men and women in uniform the maturity, discipline and love of country which seems to help erase the depraved elements the Left has drilled into our young people now for decades.

We can choose to focus on the few who represent the worst, or we can remember that ours is a military that will not only save the world from itself and the Islamist-Fascists who dream of death and destruction. We can remember it is an American institution which creates “greatest generations,” not by accident, but by training, principles, love of country, and for most, love of God.


Tammy Bruce is a Fox News Channel Contributor and author of The Death of Right and Wrong.


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: iraqipow; tammybruce

1 posted on 05/24/2004 2:29:15 AM PDT by kattracks
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To: kattracks
Posted two days ago over here: Why Abu Ghraib Matters (Tammy Bruce).

--Boot Hill

2 posted on 05/24/2004 2:35:17 AM PDT by Boot Hill (America...thy hand shall be upon the neck of thine enemies.)
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To: kattracks

Whoa! Tammy Bruce became a conservative? She certainly sounds like one in this article.


3 posted on 05/24/2004 2:38:57 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
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To: Boot Hill
Great article! But I do have one small wish bone to pick with the writer:

"What Democracy and freedom brings is the rule of law – not perfection, but a way to deal with the imperfect, and even the depraved, among us."

Er, democracy brings a guillotine for the rich. The 'rule of law' is only virtuous when there are nonpartisan decisions on judicial appointments and occasional impeachments and removals from the bench by elected legislators in a republic.
4 posted on 05/24/2004 3:06:02 AM PDT by Arthur Wildfire! March (God bless Rush, using liberal amounts of shampoo, just to make it fair.)
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To: kattracks

There seems to be an issue here that is being slighted. What would have happened if we would not have had female soldiers put into the mix. I doubt we would have had pictures of two male soldiers having sex with each other. Having females in the service, in almost any situation, creates problems, which I would argue are totally unnecessary.

Please forgive the dinosaur poop stains on this response.


5 posted on 05/24/2004 3:31:39 AM PDT by David Isaac
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To: kattracks

Fox should post a listing of the Senate members who were in the Senate during the trial of impeachment for Clinton and who, of course, are there now. Then post on one side of their respective names if they viewed the material that Shippers provided them pursuant to his Congressional mandate and post on the other side if they viewed a bunch of phots of naked men. Ask them for an explanation if they viewed the latter but not the former.


6 posted on 05/24/2004 4:02:25 AM PDT by MarkT
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To: kattracks
Instead, all those involved on the ground, ranging from Brig General Karpinksi, to PFC England, insist it was someone else, some other person...

Ms. It's-Not-My-Fault Karpinksi was pretty tough doling out the punishment to senior ranking individuals under her command when a subordinate assigned to them accidentally discharged  his weapon during a vehicle dismount:

(from the Taguba report)

LTC Dale Burtyk, Commander, 400th MP Battalion

CPT Damaris Morales, Commander, 770th MP Company

CSM Edward Stotts, Command Sergeant Major, 400th MP Battalion

 1SG Carlos Villanueva, First Sergeant, 770th MP Company


7 posted on 05/24/2004 4:42:29 AM PDT by Chief_Joe (From where the sun now sits, I will fight on -FOREVER!)
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To: MarkT
Fox should post a listing of the Senate members who were in the Senate during the trial of impeachment for Clinton and who, of course, are there now. Then post on one side of their respective names if they viewed the material that Shippers provided them pursuant to his Congressional mandate and post on the other side if they viewed a bunch of phots of naked men. Ask them for an explanation if they viewed the latter but not the former.

And they should also explain why it is "Much ado about nothing", when a Commander-in-Chief engages in raunchy, illicit sex in the Oval Office, but it is a "Sickening disgrace" when soldiers in a war zone (where they may be killed) commit the same type acts.

8 posted on 05/24/2004 5:10:57 AM PDT by trebb (Ain't God good . . .)
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To: kattracks; Boot Hill

Excellent article. Well worth reposting.


9 posted on 05/24/2004 5:21:44 AM PDT by sauropod (Paleo-cons make better lovers)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
On some things. She is still a lesbian and I believe she is still "pro-choice."

It's a shame she is a lesbian. I find her to be one attractive lady.

10 posted on 05/24/2004 5:22:57 AM PDT by sauropod (Paleo-cons make better lovers)
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To: David Isaac
"Please forgive the dinosaur poop stains on this response."

???

11 posted on 05/24/2004 5:24:05 AM PDT by sauropod (Paleo-cons make better lovers)
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To: sauropod
Re #10

So she is more like Camille Paglia.

12 posted on 05/24/2004 5:27:07 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
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To: TigerLikesRooster

yes.


13 posted on 05/24/2004 5:27:56 AM PDT by sauropod (Paleo-cons make better lovers)
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To: sauropod
"Well worth reposting."

But...but...Oh heck, you're right.

--Boot Hill

14 posted on 05/24/2004 5:28:59 AM PDT by Boot Hill (America...thy hand shall be upon the neck of thine enemies.)
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To: Boot Hill

I thought I was wrong once, but i was mistaken ;-)


15 posted on 05/24/2004 5:31:13 AM PDT by sauropod (Paleo-cons make better lovers)
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To: kattracks

16 posted on 05/24/2004 12:21:38 PM PDT by OESY
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