Opinion

Just who are the good guys?

Friday, May 7, 2004

We have always craved certainty in an uncertain world. We have all craved clarity in an unclear world. We have all craved justice in an unjust world. The revelations recently made public about the actions of some American troops serving in Iraq has stood certainty, clarity and justice on its ear. Photographs of torture, barbarism and humiliation inflicted on Iraqi detainees by some American soldiers has once again demonstrated man's inhumanity towards man.

If you haven't seen the photos, you should. Pictures of a soldier holding a leash tied around a man's neck in an Iraqi prison. The prisoner is naked, grimacing and lying on the floor.

Other photographs are of naked prisoners sprawled on top of one another while our soldiers stand around them.

Another of a naked man with a dark hood over his head, handcuffed to a bunk bed, his arms spread so wide that his back is arched. A pair of women's underwear covers his head and face.

Pictures showing crude simulations of sex among soldiers.

Shots of a cow being skinned and gutted and soldiers posing with its severed head.

Dozens of pictures of a cat's severed head.

Photographs showing wounded men and dead bodies.

In one, a dead man is lying in the back of a truck; his shirt, face and left arm are covered in blood. His right arm is missing.

Another photograph shows a dead body, gray and decomposing. A young soldier is leaning over the corpse, smiling broadly and giving the "thumbs-up" sign.

And another picture shows a young woman lifting her shirt, exposing her breasts. She is wearing a white prisoner's band with numbers on her wrist. (msnbc.msn.com)

The actions shown in the photographs have been condemned by practically everyone, including U.S. military commanders, Donald Rumsfeld, President Bush and leaders around the world. Nowhere has the condemnation been as swift or as severe as it has been in other Middle Eastern countries where many see the photos as proof that the situation in Iraq is one of occupation as well as degradation of a culture and a religion.

Army Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba said in a report that the pictures provide further visual evidence of the chaos and unprofessionalism at the prison and that "numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses were inflicted on detainees."

How in the world did we get to this point? This has been the major topic of conversation practically everywhere I've been this week. Some people attempt to excuse the behavior by saying that only a few were involved (that we know about so far) or that this kind of behavior has always occurred in war but it hasn't been as easy to document it pictorially as it is now, and some others even say that we're giving them a little dose of their own medicine.

Well, we can't give those kinds of doses if we intend to maintain our position as a world leader. We can't behave like everyone else behaves. We're supposed to set the standard for the rest of the world to live by, not be like the rest of the world. If we are, then where is our mandate to lead the free world to begin with? My folks always taught me that two wrongs never make a right. We can't fall into that kind of wrong-headed thinking and expect to ever again win the allegiance of other countries in support of our policies and our actions.

There is a direct parallel here between these kinds of atrocities and the success or failure of a relationship. As Congressman Tom Osborn gave the commencement address (Friday) at McCook Community College, he talked to the graduates about the qualities of integrity, of doing the right thing whether you think anyone will ever find out or not.

In a relationship, if your partner begins to lie to you, then there is always a hint of doubt in your mind about everything your partner will ever again say because, if they've lied to you once, what's to keep them from lying again? If our soldiers are committing these kinds of barbaric acts, what's to keep them from continuing to occur? And how do we know this isn't just the tip of the iceberg; that there are many more examples of these behaviors that we just don't know about?

I don't know what we do. Will an apology change anyone's mind about us? Will a complete, thorough, and objective investigation show the rest of the world that we will not tolerate such behavior? It's too soon to tell. My sense is that incalculable damage has been done, not only to our mission, but to our reputation as a country. I think it will be a long time in healing.

As I looked at those photos, it reminded me of videos I have shown my classes of common criminals in the United States, videotaping themselves as they break the law, damage and destroy property, and cause personal injury or death to others. These criminals are nothing other than common street thugs.

Unfortunately, so are the soldiers who committed these acts. Not only have they delivered a blow to the integrity of their command and the integrity of their country, they have placed the 150,000 American troops in Iraq at a higher level of personal jeopardy than ever before.

The wrongdoers should be dealt with swiftly and severely and everything that can be done, must be done to prevent this from happening again.

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