Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Prisoner Abuse – A Band of Thugs?
Of all those horrible pictures of prisoner abuse, one particular photo keeps coming back to my mind:
A group of eight soldiers “working” prisoners in a broad, well-lighted corridor; the two in the foreground are heavily-built and not-so-young soldiers wearing gloves and concentrating on the task in hand. They do not seem to enjoy what they are doing. A third is taking pictures. Others are evidently going about their business proficiently. There is no urgency in the air. Everything has an air of professionalism about it. No juvenile hooligans horsing around! A job to be done and documented!
This is not a case of a few sick kids having some sick fun!
This is not a band of thugs in Burundi!
This is the American Army.
Regardless of what many angry people are saying, I firmly believe that this is alien to American society, culture and sense of decency. But how could they do it so openly?
They could not do that on their own…a small, isolated regiment.
They could not do that on their own.
A group of eight soldiers “working” prisoners in a broad, well-lighted corridor; the two in the foreground are heavily-built and not-so-young soldiers wearing gloves and concentrating on the task in hand. They do not seem to enjoy what they are doing. A third is taking pictures. Others are evidently going about their business proficiently. There is no urgency in the air. Everything has an air of professionalism about it. No juvenile hooligans horsing around! A job to be done and documented!
This is not a case of a few sick kids having some sick fun!
This is not a band of thugs in Burundi!
This is the American Army.
Regardless of what many angry people are saying, I firmly believe that this is alien to American society, culture and sense of decency. But how could they do it so openly?
They could not do that on their own…a small, isolated regiment.
They could not do that on their own.
# posted by Abu Khaleel @ 12:49 PM 
