I don’t write about Iraq issues very often because I often find that I just don’t have the words to adequately express how I feel about the whole situation, and because there are some many other voices out there that address it better than I could. I do want to take a moment today to offer my deepest condolences to the family of Nick Berg. May you all someday find peace and healing, and may no other family ever have to deal with the horrors that have been visited on you.
I’d also like to take a moment to address Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe, who according to news accounts and transcripts seems to think that the real problem in Iraq is “so many humanitarian do-gooders” who are hampering our efforts to properly question prisoners by “looking for human rights violations” all over the place. Senator, I can appreciate that a civilized country has to occasionally engage in the rape and torture of mostly innocent noncombatants in order to further the aims of peace and democracy, and I recognize you as a worthy spokesman for those efforts. If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you’d clarify something for me, which is what the appropriate amount of rape and torture is. Obviously, you believe that having seven prison guards engage in rape and torture is within the bounds of acceptable behavior, but I need to understand how much is too much. It would also help to know if the quality of the confessions that we extract from these mostly innocent detainees has any effect on your answer. Thanks very much.
(I refer you to Josh Marshall, among many others, for more on Sen. Inhofe.)
If I ought not to be one of those “humanitarian do-gooders”, what should I be? The inverse seems to be “inhuman evil-doer”…which, I am sure, Inhofe would not approve of, either. Perhaps I need to see the flag draped coffins, hear the names of the fallen read to me on nightline, and yes, see the grisly photos…ALL of them, in order to do my duty as a citizen and determine for myself what I support and what I believe. They used to teach that sort of thing in my old civics classes. Now, Left and right are polarized, the east and the west are pointing fingers at the morality of the other while engaging in immoralities themselves. It seems to be a very Jerry Sringer world that wer are devolving to. Thank You Charles Kuffner for allowing this post. My condolences also to All the very human victims in this unfolding tragedy as well, those who have been victims, and those that will be victims.
Moral relativism sucks ass.
Something is either right or wrong. What anybody else has done in a similar situation doesn’t change that a whit.
It’s a finger pointing Jerry Springer match because there is no leadership. Denial and constant brushing of any trace of morals off the admin’s backs. The leadership is making this OK, and I wonder how long principles and respect for such things as the human rights we enjoy and take for granted in the USA have been neglected and abused, in an institutionally acceptable nature (and soon to be popularly acceptable), in an institution as large as our Military. So, I want some leaders to really look again at the sad shape of things: http://www.spunmurky.org Spun Murky.