Shame of the Nation

It's strange isn't it? American and British soldiers were initially sent to Iraq to find the mysterious weapons of mass destruction and to take down the brutal leader Saddam Hussein. No significant evidence of WMDs have been found. However, the tyrant is done. That's a good thing, but are Iraqis any safer? Recent pictures taken by British and American soldiers show that any insolent Iraqis have all kinds of fun to look forward to: no right to an attorney of any kind, indefinite detainment, cruel and unusual torture by their captors, and a complete lack of regard for the Geneva Convention. Apparently, it's true, there is no law in war. The US has fallen silent on several UN committees, the prisoners at Guantanamo will probably never get a just trial, and the rest of the captives who are still in Iraq will probably die in prison as a result of excessive torture. Isn't torture something we were trying to save the Iraqis from? I'm getting confused now. A British tabloid, the Daily Mirror printed some photos of torture last week that are being heavily disputed. Okay, I'll accept that those photos have been faked, but what about the other ones? There are plenty of photos supplied by American troops. This isn't about what nation's soldiers are responsible, this is about the military command losing sight of why they're there. It's about a complete lack of regard for human rights and the Geneva Convention. There really are laws in war. Seriously. Here's a fun example of a statement from the Geneva Convention in 1949: "To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever...Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment." So...parading naked prisoners around on leashes or making them lie on the floor naked and bound together probably violates that particular part of the Convention. You can read all of it right here, courtesy of the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, which is a division of the UN. The US is currently ignoring the UN, by the way.

What does all of this come from? I understand the outrage and personal anger that stems from the 9-11 attacks, but does that justify all of this? On a simpler level, do the soldiers act this way because it's just so easy? The last 20 years or so of mass media has provided a serious culture of violence. Violent crime in this country gets stranger and stranger every day, and it's not because people are getting weirder, it's just what they grew up with. I'm not blaming TV, I'm not blaming anyone, really, because the whole thing is just too complicated. What concerns me is that these soldiers don't seem to think they're doing anything wrong. They are not untouchable. The Iraqi men they torture and urinate on and the women they're raping were not personally responsible for acts of terrorism against this country. In fact, any real terrorists are hunted down (mostly) by intelligence concerns like the CIA or special forces. Do the British and US soldiers know that? Are they just torturing people because they like it? What's going on?

Here's a relevant article from the Guardian.

*NOTE: I want to add that my friend Mark is in the Army. He felt that he needed to join to get some discipline and to get his life together. I've been talking to him through email. A month ago, his unit was in the United Arab Emirates. He said they were getting ready for a month-long mission in Iraq. He told me that most of his fellow soldiers have no idea why they're in the Middle East, including himself. All they want is to come home.

Disturbed to be an American