The Weeks Review

Beware, Dear Friends, Beware

As we continue our trudge through the "Iraqi Abuse Scandal" that the media and the liberals seem to be indefatigable in discussing, I bid you to remember a few salient points.

This same group, who is aghast at out troops' "demeaning" and "humiliating" treatment of prisoners remained silent as the previous regime raped, mutilated and murdered their own citizens. Many of these same people decry our actions against Iraq, even as the mass graves of hundreds of thousands are being exhumed.

The very "Arab world" that is enraged by these incidents also sat idly by while Saddam exterminated Kurds in specific and Iraqi citizens in general. They continue to be silent as these atrocities are inflicted upon their fellow Arabs and they cheer when innocent Jews are murdered at random. Those who fan the anti-American flames as a response to these incidents are those who have a great deal to lose in a free and open Iraq. This small group of American morons have played directly into the hands of our enemies.

Understand, the people in this prison were there for a reason. They weren't just innocent people dragged out of their homes indescriminantly. They were insurgents, being interrogated for the specific purpose of deceasing the level of violence that continues to kill not only Americans, but Iraqis as well.

Certainly, none of this justifies the abusive treatment which we are discussing. We are better people than has been exhibited by these deviants. The fact that we are better people is evidenced by the fact that the day after the pictures and the abuse became known in the upper command structure, an investigation was launched and a press release was issued. This happened in January, nearly four months before these pictures surfaced in the press. There was no attempt to hide the fact that these incidents occurred, on the contrary, the Pentagon was quite forthcoming about the situation. Neither Congress, nor the press showed any interest in the situation until the pictures surfaced, and now they insinuate that there was a "cover-up."

I think it important, as we wade through this muck, to keep some things perspective, to examine the sources of the righteous indignation and what is in it for them. The press and the Democrats are using these incidents as a political weapon against the President and his administration specifically, as well as the war in Iraq in general. The net effect will be a tarring of our efforts and a diminishment of the reputations of our military.

We have seen this all before. The actions of a few in Vietnam and the constant focus of their aberrant and abhorrent behavior resulted in a reputation of "baby killers" for literally millions of honorable members of our military. We slinked out of Vietnam with our tails between our legs, the vacuum led to the extermination of millions in Southeast Asia and veterans were spat upon by their fellow citizens.

Those who would use the reputation of our military, or the lives of foreign citizens as pawns in order to achieve their own ends, whether they be the press or politicians, deserve nothing but our scorn.