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Abu Ghraib Wasn't "Horror"
May 31, 2004
The media are riding the Abu Ghraib story "like a Triple Crown winner," although as atrocities go, it ranks fairly low. So says military officer K.B. James in a letter to The Tacoma News-Tribune. Here's an excerpt, but read the whole thing. As a military officer, I can assure you that no one is angrier over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners than members of the U.S. military....However, the media are riding this story like it is a triple crown winner. Every few days we dish out a few more repulsive pictures - the more sensational, the better. And if the pictures aren't sensational enough, the headlines are, such as Friday's News Tribune headline - "New prison horrors." When you utilize phrases like that, where do you go if it gets worse? Posted by Matt Rosenberg at May 31, 2004 08:46 AM Trackback Pings TrackBack URL for this entry: Comments:
RIGHT ON ! The atrocities committed in places like the Congo are much, much worse than these. Posted by: Lorna at May 31, 2004 11:01 AMWhile I agree with Lorna, that attrocities commited in other conflicts or by other nations were worse, I don't believe that comparing them makes our soldiers any less wrong for what they did. (I would like to see someone look into the actions of the U.N. peacekeepers in the Congo as I mentioned in other blogs. Maybe if Africa had more oil... ) I've explained it to my family this way: Those soldiers are in an environment of stress that few of us can comprehend. Every second of every day there is an enemy near, waiting for a chance to kill them. You think that the loss of a soldier carries weight over here? (no disrespect to the families of the fallen) The people that were next to the fallen, close friends of the fallen in the same service, have a pain and anger that most can't understand. While I do not condone their behavior, I understand the need to lash out at someone, which, until yesterday when he was captured, was trying to kill me. I also believe that most of those photos were staged, and not accurate... made more for souvenirs than anything else. War is a horrible business and it causes damage to the psyche. There were men in another conflict not long ago that made necklaces out of ears. I think that the media is riding this for a market share, because sensationalism sells. (as Mr. James has expressed)There may be a deeper agenda, politically driven, but I'm not much of a conspiracy theorist. I wonder how many 10 year olds are going to end up with post-traumatic stress syndrome because the media is telling/showing us too much? As well as twisting the facts with over-dramatization. Before you throw a stone at the "barbarian" American soldiers in that prison.... Imagine this: Post a comment
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