Sunday, May 16, 2004
‘Interrogation and Counter-Resistance Policy, issued Oct. 12,’ Part II: No pity for the prison-guard grunts in Iraq. They were quite a crew. But, please, don’t tell me it was the actions of a ‘few.’ The NYT and Seymour Hersh weigh in today with Higher Up stories. But WaPo, which has another documented story today on a very specific case, pretty much established the higher-up link a week ago. The question is how higher up is higher up. ... Still say follow the photos. Private England apparently identified some military intelligence officers in photos. What were they doing there? Where were the photos and videos kept? In the grunts’ tents? In a flimsy box within a closet that investigators just happened to stumble upon? ... Those dismissing this scandal, ie the Armchair General Pundits, say that Americans’ revulsion and demand for justice mitigates, to a degree, the tragedy. They’re right. It does. But not if there’s kangaroo-court justice that covers up most of the truth. If that happens, we’ll suffer a double whammy propaganda setback. ...
‘Most Europeans themselves, or their parents and grandparents ...’: Re Europe’s alleged new ‘Iraq generation,’ Reader JL from Maine writes:
“Most Europeans themselves, or their parents and grandparents, collaborated and sometimes sympathized with the Nazis or the Communists, sometimes both, and they know very well that it was the US that often saved them from themselves -- as recently as in Kosovo. Having that knowledge about oneself must be demoralizing. One way to appease that guilt is to say, ‘well, others do it too, so we're not so bad.’ That explains why Europeans are so vehement in their opposition to Israel and so generous to the Palestinians. Just a couple of generations ago, many, maybe most, Europeans were complicit in the near extermination of Jews. What an opportunity it is, then, to regain one's moral stature by criticizing Jews for seeming to act the same way towards Palestinians.
“Never the less, the fact that critics are guilty hypocrites does not excuse the US or Israel or anyone from legitimate criticism of their actions. Indeed, the beheading of Nick Berg has saved Rumsfeld by exposing the nature of our adversaries.”
‘Most Europeans themselves, or their parents and grandparents ...’: Re Europe’s alleged new ‘Iraq generation,’ Reader JL from Maine writes:
“Most Europeans themselves, or their parents and grandparents, collaborated and sometimes sympathized with the Nazis or the Communists, sometimes both, and they know very well that it was the US that often saved them from themselves -- as recently as in Kosovo. Having that knowledge about oneself must be demoralizing. One way to appease that guilt is to say, ‘well, others do it too, so we're not so bad.’ That explains why Europeans are so vehement in their opposition to Israel and so generous to the Palestinians. Just a couple of generations ago, many, maybe most, Europeans were complicit in the near extermination of Jews. What an opportunity it is, then, to regain one's moral stature by criticizing Jews for seeming to act the same way towards Palestinians.
“Never the less, the fact that critics are guilty hypocrites does not excuse the US or Israel or anyone from legitimate criticism of their actions. Indeed, the beheading of Nick Berg has saved Rumsfeld by exposing the nature of our adversaries.”
