The Never Ending Nightmare

Posted By Blackfive

Abu Ghraib. Just like every other MilBlogger, I've written about my belief that the book should be thrown at those responsible in the chain of command as well as the ones who committed the crimes. I believe that I mentioned that said book should be thrown over-handed, fast pitch style...

What's nightmarish about this is that, while the media does have a responsibility to uncover and report the issues concerning the prison, the media is also using that responsibility to shape the news towards their own skewed view of the world. Nick Berg's death only suits their needs when they can get an anti-Bush quote out of a grieving father who's political views are well known.

I asked and still wonder, "Where the hell is the outrage over Arab prison abuses?"

Glenn Reynolds linked to a prison abuse story in France.

And now, the media is going to cover the Arab summit with baited breath, awaiting the condemnation of the Abu Ghraib scandal while prisons in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc. ad nausem, are the worst in the world in terms of human rights violations.

Here's a taste of what's to come, courtesy of the New York Freakin' Times:

Arab Meeting Expected to Produce Mostly Criticism of U.S.
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR
Published: May 22, 2004

TUNIS, May 21 - Arab leaders gathering for a summit meeting on Saturday and Sunday in this North African capital are expected to issue a collective criticism of the United States for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners and what they view as the anemic American effort toward ending the Arab-Israeli conflict.
<...>
"It will be difficult for America to promote democratic change, given the great failure in Iraq," said Wahid Abdel Maguid, an Egyptian political analyst at Al Ahram Center for Strategic Studies. "The model doesn't exist, plus the U.S. doesn't have the moral credibility that it used to have to impose its will on other countries."

A draft version of the final communiqué sharply censures the United States for the mistreatment of Iraqi inmates at Abu Ghraib prison and elsewhere.

"The Arab leaders strongly condemn the inhumane and immoral crimes and practices committed by the occupation forces against the Iraqi detainees in the prisons and demand that the perpetrators of these crimes be tried," the draft document reads in part. It also calls for an effective United Nations role in ending the occupation of Iraq...

It's almost laughable that we are going to see our media take this B.S. lecture from the world's despots about prison abuses and throw it in our faces over the next few news cycles. Would they have sought out and openly punished the violators? Would they have apologized?

I must point out that we had better retain our "moral credibility". Imagine what would happen to the world if our country, with all of our resources, were as morally bankrupt as, say, Saudi Arabia or Egypt or Syria...

What would happen to the world if we, like them, didn't give a rat's ass about moral credibility?

Think of that while you read and hear about the Arab League's outrageous indignation over Abu Ghraib.

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The Never Ending Nightmare

Abu Ghraib. Just like every other MilBlogger, I've written about my belief that the book should be thrown at those responsible in the chain of command as well as the ones who committed the crimes. I believe that I mentioned that said book should be thrown over-handed, fast pitch style...

What's nightmarish about this is that, while the media does have a responsibility to uncover and report the issues concerning the prison, the media is also using that responsibility to shape the news towards their own skewed view of the world. Nick Berg's death only suits their needs when they can get an anti-Bush quote out of a grieving father who's political views are well known.

I asked and still wonder, "Where the hell is the outrage over Arab prison abuses?"

Glenn Reynolds linked to a prison abuse story in France.

And now, the media is going to cover the Arab summit with baited breath, awaiting the condemnation of the Abu Ghraib scandal while prisons in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc. ad nausem, are the worst in the world in terms of human rights violations.

Here's a taste of what's to come, courtesy of the New York Freakin' Times:

Arab Meeting Expected to Produce Mostly Criticism of U.S.
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR
Published: May 22, 2004

TUNIS, May 21 - Arab leaders gathering for a summit meeting on Saturday and Sunday in this North African capital are expected to issue a collective criticism of the United States for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners and what they view as the anemic American effort toward ending the Arab-Israeli conflict.
<...>
"It will be difficult for America to promote democratic change, given the great failure in Iraq," said Wahid Abdel Maguid, an Egyptian political analyst at Al Ahram Center for Strategic Studies. "The model doesn't exist, plus the U.S. doesn't have the moral credibility that it used to have to impose its will on other countries."

A draft version of the final communiqué sharply censures the United States for the mistreatment of Iraqi inmates at Abu Ghraib prison and elsewhere.

"The Arab leaders strongly condemn the inhumane and immoral crimes and practices committed by the occupation forces against the Iraqi detainees in the prisons and demand that the perpetrators of these crimes be tried," the draft document reads in part. It also calls for an effective United Nations role in ending the occupation of Iraq...

It's almost laughable that we are going to see our media take this B.S. lecture from the world's despots about prison abuses and throw it in our faces over the next few news cycles. Would they have sought out and openly punished the violators? Would they have apologized?

I must point out that we had better retain our "moral credibility". Imagine what would happen to the world if our country, with all of our resources, were as morally bankrupt as, say, Saudi Arabia or Egypt or Syria...

What would happen to the world if we, like them, didn't give a rat's ass about moral credibility?

Think of that while you read and hear about the Arab League's outrageous indignation over Abu Ghraib.

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» Today, I may find time... from Welcome to Castle Argghhh! The Home Of One Of Jonah's Military Guys.
To bloviate a bit about these... but first, another linkfest. Matt weighs in on Abu Ghraib, again, since the media won't turn down any of the volume. He also takes a shot at the Air Force. Not like that's hard... [Read More]