Abu Is Back

Obama's refusal to release more photos of abuse from Abu Ghraib has set the "leftish" folks to either ranting or waxing philosophically or just linking to one another with a reader ragbag of comments which always turn into personal attacks by keyboard warriors who do not know one another but can type words like asshole and troll.

Saw the usual and predictable torture/abuse stories today on Antiwar, PI, Commiedreams, the UK Telegraph, and the ever trusty NYT.

Consensus seems to be that the abuse/torture at Abu Ghraib was rampant, wanton, and no one was held accountable. Actually, a few were punished with prison terms, bad conduct or dishonorable discharges, reduction in rank, fines, etc.: Lynndie England, Michael Smith, Charles Graner, Sabrina Harman, Janis Karpinski lost a bird, Ivan L. Fredrick, Armin J. Cruz, and others.

I know, I know, we want to see Bush and Cheney blood but that isn't going to happen - so the next best thing for the "left" is to continue to fan flames with demands for more torture porn.

I notice most of the recent articles cite Maj. General Antonio Taguba. Be careful Tony, when the "left" embraces you it can be the kiss of death. They embraced Brig. General Janis Karpinski as she claimed she took the Abu fall for BushCo - poor woman. Never mind that the much quoted by the "left," Mr. Taguba, stated in the now famous leaked Article 15-6 Investigation of 800th Military Police Brigade that Karpinski:

"During the course of this investigation I conducted a lengthy interview with BG Karpinski that lasted over four hours, and is included verbatim in the investigation Annexes. BG Karpinski was extremely emotional during much of her testimony. What I found particularly disturbing in her testimony was her complete unwillingness to either understand or accept that many of the problems inherent in the 800th MP Brigade were caused or exacerbated by poor leadership and the refusal of her command to both establish and enforce basic standards and principles among its soldiers."

Or that Taguba also states more than once "Throughout the investigation, we observed many individual Soldiers and some subordinate units under the 800th MP Brigade that overcame significant obstacles, persevered in extremely poor conditions, and upheld the Army Values. We discovered numerous examples of Soldiers and Sailors taking the initiative in the absence of leadership and accomplishing their assigned tasks."

I venture to wager that most of the folks passing around the renewed chant for more torture photos have not read the above Article 15-6 by Taguba.

The "left" also welcomed former Bushista Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez, in fact he was tagged the Democrats General after he saw the light. Taguba came to believe that Lt. General Sanchez ... and some of the generals assigned to the military headquarters in Baghdad had extensive knowledge of the abuse of prisoners in Abu Ghraib ... Taguba was aware that in the fall of 2003—when much of the abuse took place—Sanchez routinely visited the prison, and witnessed at least one interrogation. According to Taguba, “Sanchez knew exactly what was going on.”

Seldom, if ever, does the "left" quote Taguba when he says things like "The M.P.s, were being literally exploited by the military interrogators. My view is that those kids"—even the soldiers in the photographs—"were poorly led, not trained, and had not been given any standard operating procedures on how they should guard the detainees."

Their leadership at the time being Janis and Ricardo - who became new best friends of the "left" blogosphere.

(Hmm was the "left" trying for another Ellsberg leak?) In the NYT oped above the author, as so many before him have stated: "Six months later, in April 2004, when the Harman and Graner photographs were leaked to the press, they shocked the world’s conscience."

What conscious world would that be? Anyone who claims their conscience was shocked is either a liar or a useful idiot. Tell me you were disappointed, discouraged, saddened to see our troops degrading and tormenting prisoners - but don't tell me your conscience was shocked (unless you have spent your life cloistered with no contact to the outside world).

If you glimpse any media at all you cannot possibly be shocked by what man does to man, parent does to child, or complete strangers on stranger, random and planned acts of ghastly perversion or brutal indifference in entertainment/news/music/art - 24/7 porno-violence. Don't tell me your conscience was "shocked" by a pyramid of naked males with a soldier giving a thumbs-up, or shocked at naked men with panties on their head, or of dogs growling at or biting a prisoner. Or a hooded man standing on a crate with a bag on his head. And yes, even of rape, a rape Sy Hersh eternally spins as a child but is age 15-16 according to Taguba's report. Yet here at home the "left" have insured that the rapist of a 5-year-old child will typically receive a wrist slap and counseling, soon to be released back into the community with the ACLU fighting for his right to privacy, and crime TV has fodder for more graphic episodes.

Taguba seems to be what most of the troops are: Honorable and decent. Don't let the "left" adopt you Antonio - you will have to denounce the entire Imperialist Army as murdering torturing capitalist swine, which you served loyally for 35 years, and when they're done - they will dump you faster than they did Mama Sheehan (I feel sad for Cindy, her latest crowd draw was 20).

P.S. Also sir, you might not want to repeat what you said in the New Yorker, that "The stress of combat is not an excuse," because the "left" consider such remarks are rightwing code talk for personal responsibility, and the "left" uses "stress" as an excuse for a lot of criminal shit.