Wednesday, December 15, 2004

Abuse of Detainees Was NOT an Aberration : ACLU

Detainee Abuse by Marines Is Detailed (washingtonpost.com):

I've said it several times and provided links to stories, here, here, and here. Abu Ghraib was not "an isolated incident" perpetrated by "a few bad apples." To think so is either 1] to be terminally naive, or 2] to think that "patriotism" is akin to idolatry, and we must not say anything critical ("negativism") to appease the "god."

Which brings us to another choice of alternative conclusions. If, in fact, the abuse that we've seen at Abu Ghraib is not an isolated incident (and mounting evidence tells us that it is not), then there are two other compelling possible explanations: 1] There was an organized, systematic, and concerted effort to use abuse or torture as a tool to gain information, or 2] This is what happens to good people when put into an intrinsically immoral situation.

Either way, this administration should be held accountable.

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