Last night I watched the documentary "Standard Operating Procedure" which chronicled the horrendous mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Grab prisons in 2003-2004. To my way of thinking this is a documentary that should be required viewing for every citizen of the United States of America, especially that blowhard mouth piece of the Republican party "Fat Bastard".
Much has been made of the recent allegations of water boarding as torture, but water boarding is just the nasty tip of a much uglier ice berg.
The documentary shows graphic photo evidence that there were at least two Iraqis that were murdered- beaten to death at the prison by agents of the United States government. We are shown photos of one of the bodies being put on ice and then zipped up in a body bag and stored in a cell until it can be slipped out under the cover of darkness when it begins to smell.
Why President Obama is trying to suppress all the truths is beyond my comprehension. As usual, the politicians of this country mouth one thing (transparency and accountability) and then lie and attempt to cover up the ugly truth.
I have a "Bush is a war criminal" sticker on my vehicle that I have had to replace as it was ripped off by some great patriot -- I have been roundly criticized as being unamerican for displaying it. But the allegation of that sticker speaks the real truth: Bush, Cheney, Rumsfelt are all thugs with no regard for international law.
In the "Standard Operating Procedure" documentary, Rumsfelt visits Abu Gra, takes as cursory tour of one of Saddam's torture chambers and then says he is not interested in seeing anything further.
Soldiers who testify in the documentary tell of cleaning up cells and unchaining prisoners just long enough for the Red Cross to conduct inspections to create the illusion that the rules of the Geneva Convention are being adhered to and as soon as Red Cross inspections are concluded, it's back to business as usual.
And who takes the rap? The bottom of the pecking order, of course. The only American soldiers given jail time are those with a rank of sergeant or less. The one good general, General Janice Kapinski, who tries to bring the evils into the light, is summarily dismissed - relieved of her command.
Unfortunately, that seems to be the "template" for most aspects of American society. We need look no farther than the handling of former Superintendent Bill Klaus whose arrogance is rewarded with monies that were to be a part of the stimulus package for Eau Claire Schools - instead of going to teachers who deserve it!
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