John Derbyshire on Abu Ghraib

Too disgusting for words:

1. The Abu Ghraib “scandal”: Good. Kick one for me. But bad discipline in the military (taking the pictures, I mean). Let’s have a couple of courts martial for appearance’s sake. Maximum sentence: 30 days CB.

2. The US press blowing up the Abu Ghraib business: Fury at these lefty jounalists doing down America. They just want to re-live the glory days of Vietnam, when they brought down a president they hated. (PS: They hated him because he was an anticommunist, while they themselves tought communism was just fine.)

3. GWB apologizing to some barbarian chieftain for Abu Ghraib: Disgust. Correct approach: “Mind if we film some footage in YOUR jails?”

4. Revelations about sexual hanky panky in US armed forces: Outrage. I want to see someone cashiered — a general, at least. This is no way for soldiers to behave when on active service. Gross, unpardonable violation of military ethics. Whose damn fool idea was it to mix men and women in the same units?

Well, No. 4 isn’t as disgusting as the others. But this list confirms my long-standing opinion that Derbyshire, despite some good commentary he’s written about China, is deranged. I wish he’d go through recent newspaper columns from hawk columnists like David Brooks and George Will and see how horrified they are over the Abu Ghraib revelations, and how they are now questioning the Bush administration’s ability to win this war.

So much for this being a publicity stunt conceived by “lefty journalists.”

(Link via Pandagon.)

The Discussion: 3 Comments

Derbyshire is always a hoot.

Just between the two of us and the world. I think his No. 4 ‘beef’ to be equally beyond the pale.

… “I want to see someone cashiered—a general at least.”

Me? I’d be happy with the culprit(s) in jail. The ‘generals’ can line up behind them.

… “Whose damn fool idea was it to mix men and women in the same units?”

I don’t know, perhaps … women?

May 13, 2004 @ 11:38 am | Comment

Bush’s comment is worth more attention: “That’s not the way we do things in America.”

Funny, I thought it was — the thought of being incarcerated in an American jail in America doesn’t sound any more appealing to me than an American jail in Iraq, or any other jail for that matter. Didn’t Amnesty International say that at least they were allowed in to the jails in Libya to have a look around?

Instapuppy of course sees this line of argument as being irrelevant: “Torturing prisoners of war is no big deal, since we already torture regular domestic inmates!”

Well, that’s okay then!

(different commenter from the Michael above, incidentally)

May 13, 2004 @ 8:22 pm | Comment

Lets pull our men and women home. When they are safely tucked back in the States, Lets nuke those terror thriving bastards.

May 15, 2004 @ 11:18 pm | Comment

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