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Saturday, May 1, 2004
Before we all get too excited about the "torture and rape and sexual humiliation" of Iraqi prisoners by the US military, the Medium Lobster would like to make a few general notes about what is of course a terrible discovery but is not to be blown out of proportion.
- The activities that occurred at Abu Ghuraib prison are not to be compared to those of Saddam Hussein's rape rooms and torture chambers. After all, those were rape rooms and torture chambers. These were merely rooms in which rape occurred, and chambers in which individuals were tortured. - In war, atrocities will happen, as dew on the grass in the morning, or flower blossoms in the spring. The dew gathers. The buds open. The atrocities bloom. It is all according to the mysterious, ever-unfolding cycle of life - a cycle too vast and complex for mere mortals to comprehend. - These were isolated incidents, and the behavior of these prison guards should in no way reflect upon the military superiors who endorsed and promoted such behavior. This is because atrocities are supervenient on subordinates, but not on command structures. Those with greater learning will understand. As another enlightened being has noted, the true tragedy of this revelation is its impediment to the War For Civilization, as it has made the Arab world "drunk with rage," and in so doing perhaps eliminated any potential for peaceful resolution to the Middle East conflict. Here within the higher spheres, where the dangerously intoxicating qualities of rage are understood, we heartily support efforts such as the President's nuclear development program as the last chance of maintaining international sanity and order.
posted by the Medium Lobster at 1:50 PM
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