I’m not sure how many Iraqis have ever heard The Who’s old war-horse “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” but you can rest assured they know the tune. Contrast that with the millions of Americans (all of whom have heard the song at least one billion times each; I have the proof right here) who have expressed shock over the nature of the Abu Ghraib prison horrors, and it’s clear they never once got The Who’s simple message: When it comes to abusing power, the name of the abuser matters not a whit to the abusees.

The cacophonous condemnation, both by Americans and everyone else on the planet, of the heinous treatment of Iraqi detainees by U.S. Army reservists is wholly well directed. But when Americans then clench up and insist that these despicable deeds are anomalous and “not something that Americans do,” they display ignorance both of their own history and human nature. Because, wouldn’t you know it, it’s Americans in those photos taken at Abu Ghraib who, sure enough, are doing exactly those very things that Americans don’t do. Same as the old boss.

To many Americans, we are somehow supposed to be above it all, because our country is God’s gift to the world, the bright, unwavering beacon of liberty that unselfishly, wearily, repeatedly attempts to show all other nations the Right Way to live. These same Americans then wonder, slack-jawed, why we’re globally reviled and other peoples rebel when we kill a few thousand of them and destroy their countries to make them more like us. To top it off, we are shocked, shocked we tell you, when “un-American” images like those from Abu Ghraib appear.

Except that that sort of behavior is as American as, say, mass extermination of indigenous peoples, slavery, and lynchings—and that’s just on the domestic side of the ledger. You want pictures? Plenty of them exist depicting whole towns of folks who’ve just finished torturing and lynching fellow Americans, photos showing smiling families—including children brought along for this most American of pastimes—posing next to their dead, contorted victims, a bloodthirsty ritual that occurred for decades.

Despite these evil deeds performed by Americans, we aren’t inherently evil. We are, however, inherently human. Americans’ self-righteousness stems from our false belief in the manifest destiny of the United States and automatically blinds us to our deeply-flawed humanity and the terrible things of which any of us are capable. So Saddam Hussein’s infamous torture chambers and rape rooms are in use once again, only this time under the auspices of good old Uncle Sam. Meet the new boss.

There’s an entire universe of difference between ideals and idealism, and Americans have always been lousy at separating the two. Are liberty, civil rights, and democracy things worth striving, even dying, for? Absolutely. Has America’s government always put these values first in every action it takes? That’s obviously a rhetorical question. Yet, far too many Americans continue to believe the myth, preventing them from engaging in the only activity that will help us propel this nation forward in the proper direction and quit messing with other peoples’ lives: honest, critical self-analysis of who we are and just what it is we do and why we do it. Too many of us fail to understand a basic, yet profoundly important, principle: Our nation is not judged on what we claim it to be, but on what it actually does.

The outcry over the now-infamous killing and subsequent desecration of American “private contractors” in Fallujah—in reality, four mercenaries making lots of money off other people’s misery--demonstrates just how arrogant and disconnected we are. It was a gruesome, horrifying event, to be sure. But judging from the reaction in this country, one would think that the war had just started. Just what the hell do Americans think has been done to thousands of fellow human beings from day one of this wretched lunacy, fully financed by our current and future tax dollars? Is it the hanging of bodies from a bridge that sparked the outrage? It’s excruciating for the families to see, without a doubt, but the slain are no less deceased. What about the similar pain of thousands of Iraqi families? Somehow, that’s not as important. No, the furor really stems from the fact that those four people were AMERICANS, and nobody but nobody, does that to Americans. Of course, the natural American response has followed: Retaliation with overwhelming, amazingly disproportionate firepower to show the sub-human vermin who’s boss, killing several hundred Iraqis (including more than a few civilians), displacing thousands, and decimating homes and personal property in the process. (The recent beheading of American Nick Berg ensures an encore performance.) Who couldn’t love us now? But if I’m a surviving Iraqi relative, I certainly know my loved one is just as dead whether killed by a Hussein henchman or an American missile. Same as the old boss.

Or how about Rush Limbaugh’s amazing (even for him) statements likening the Abu Ghraib events to "a college fraternity prank that stacked up naked men" (it sounds like Rush had quite the time while attending university) and “blowing off steam”? As much as I can’t stand Limbaugh, one thing is certain: He’s not stupid. So that means he has finally just flipped out (narcotics withdrawal can be awfully tough). I’ll go out on a very short limb here and assume his reaction would have been a smidge different had the nationalities in those photos been reversed. But, since it’s an American holding the leash, it’s OK, because it’s all in the intent, you see. Too bad Iraqis have such a hard time grasping nuances. We don’t get fooled again.

It’s also mind-bending to hear Americans, the alleged creators and utmost defenders of human rights, claim the reservists at Abu Ghraib were “just following orders.” Do the Nuremberg trials ring a bell? The world didn’t buy the Nazis’ feeble rationalizations for crimes against humanity then, and the judges’ guilty verdicts were clear: Soldiers have a duty not to follow orders that are clearly inhumane. Every American responsible for the Abu Ghraib savageries and those committed elsewhere, from the rankest grunt to the highest officer, should receive the severest punishment possible. But talk about hypocrisy: Far more righties than lefties have supported the Iraq debacle from the beginning, and one of the things on which conservatives incessantly harp and for which they ridicule their political opposites for (falsely) not supporting is “personal responsibility,” a principle from which they are now apparently retreating, led by their incoherent cheerleader Limbaugh, in a flat-out run. Same as the old boss.

Another justification for the Americans’ criminal actions at Abu Ghraib is that their behavior pales in comparison to that of Hussein’s regime. Is this now how far down the scale we’ve slid, using Hussein’s barbarism as a measuring stick for our own actions? As long as we’re engaged in such surreal conversation, then, is it too gratuitous to remark here that when it came to Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, it was Hussein, rather then Bush, who was telling the truth? And still Americans remain mystified as to why other governments are so reluctant to help us out with our little mess in Iraq. We don’t get fooled again.

I’ll wager Hussein is having quite a chuckle to himself (that is, if he’s overheard the clamor through the panties on his head). He merits zero sympathy, but the irony is pretty thick (a trait shared by plenty of administration skulls). Phony rationales for the invasion of Iraq have been substituted often enough to fill an over-sized scorecard, but the ones that were last penciled in declare that the war was necessary to democratize Iraq and oust Hussein so there would be no more mass graves, torture chambers, and rape rooms.

Whoops. That democracy thing is a little hard to iron out when one’s country is occupied and in flames. We’ve covered the torture chambers and rape rooms. So we’re left to ask: Just how many dead Iraqis does it take to fill “mass graves”? If it’s ten thousand or so, the mark has been attained, and to use a favorite Bush term, we’ve hit the trifecta. Meet the new boss.

As noted earlier, Iraqis—and the rest of the world, for that matter—have no trouble recognizing the same old song; it’s Americans who take the prize for not understanding the lyrics. If Americans really want their country to be respected for sincerely manifesting the truly honorable ideals set forth by its founders 228 years ago, then it’s time to honestly face the music.

Mark - What a ridiculous article you’ve posted here:

>>>The cacophonous condemnation, both by Americans and everyone else on the planet, of the heinous treatment of Iraqi detainees by U.S. Army reservists is wholly well directed.

These are terrorists Mark -- not nice kids from next door.

>>>To many Americans, we are somehow supposed to be above it all,

Most Americans are above it all. I’m not sure about the whiney liberal anti-war protesters though (they smell bad).

>>>Despite these evil deeds performed by Americans, we aren’t inherently evil. We are, however, inherently human. Americans’ self-righteousness stems from our false belief in the manifest destiny of the United States and automatically blinds us to our deeply-flawed humanity and the terrible things of which any of us are capable. So Saddam Hussein’s infamous torture chambers and rape rooms are in use once again, only this time under the auspices of good old Uncle Sam. Meet the new boss.

Mark - You are an asshole. That’s the only possible conclusion from reading the above paragraph. You sir, are a major asshole. A flaming asshole.

>>>There’s an entire universe of difference between ideals and idealism, and Americans have always been lousy at separating the two. Are liberty, civil rights, and democracy things worth striving, even dying, for? Absolutely. Has America’s government always put these values first in every action it takes? That’s obviously a rhetorical question. Yet, far too many Americans continue to believe the myth, preventing them from engaging in the only activity that will help us propel this nation forward in the proper direction and quit messing with other peoples’ lives: honest, critical self-analysis of who we are and just what it is we do and why we do it. Too many of us fail to understand a basic, yet profoundly important, principle: Our nation is not judged on what we claim it to be, but on what it actually does.

So in your peanut brain, America is a bad guy. Mark pack up your belongings and move to Yemen where you belong. Get your sorry ass out of here Mark. Just go.

>>>The outcry over the now-infamous killing and subsequent desecration of American “private contractors” in Fallujah—in reality, four mercenaries making lots of money off other people’s misery--demonstrates just how arrogant and disconnected we are.

No, it proves that you are indeed a major fucking flaming asshole Mark. Making a comment like that puts you in the slime category. You are an asshole Mark. Move to Yemen now. Can I come over and help you pack??

>>>Of course, the natural American response has followed: Retaliation with overwhelming, amazingly disproportionate firepower to show the sub-human vermin who’s boss

Fucking A Mark, Fucking A -- those vermin do need to get the message and we do need to send it. What we don’t need would be sniveling enemy sympathizers like you who are a discredit to your own country.

>>It’s also mind-bending to hear Americans, the alleged creators and utmost defenders of human rights, claim the reservists at Abu Ghraib were “just following orders.”

Abu Ghraib isn’t a big deal in the overall war against terrorism Mark. It’s a very minor and forgettable incident that was unfortunate but not a big deal except in the mind of a few left wing morons.

You're abusing your freedom in this country, you simply don't deserve to have been born in a country that treats it's citizens with dignity.

So fuck off out of it and come back when you've learnt a little about the ways of the world.

Yes, I've also always felt, as you two have so more-than-ably demonstrated, that if I can't debate intelligently or rationally, juvenile name-calling and the ridiculously unclever, fatigued "love it or leave it" cliche run very close seconds.

As for your assertion, Lefty, that the detainees are terrorists, the U.S. military itself estimated that 60% of those folks at Abu Ghraib were/are innocent of any wrong-doing, and the estimate from the Red Cross is, I believe, 80-90%. But, I know--those are facts, doggone it, which do have a very inconvenient way of getting in the way of unthinking, uninformed rants, your obvious "specialty."

You can't debate intelligently Mark. That's far beyond your abilities.

There is nothing juvenile about inviting you to get your sorry ass out of America for good. Most of us are sick and tired of people like you who don't appreciate being a part of the greatest country on earth. It you don't like it then please leave it. That's not a cliche - that's a serious invitation for you to get your butt out of here. I'm not kidding when I say that I'd like to come over and help you pack. I really would enjoy seeing you off on your one-way trip to Yemen or some similar destination.

Abu Ghraib is not the big story of the war in Iraq just as Iran Contra was not the big story of the Reagan years. What you're trying to do Mark is pump up the Abu Ghraib story and make a bigger deal out of it than it deserves to be. A few young soldiers were out of line there, that's all. America's detractors, you included, want to seize on that and magnify it. Your outrage would better be directed at those Islamic terrorists who are cutting off the heads of innocent people.

The biggest story of the Iraq war is that Saddam and his two sons are out of power and that the country is on the road to Democracy.

All the other liberal bullshit about Abu Ghraib, Halliburton, Oil, etc. is just that -- bullshit.

“You can't debate intelligently Mark. That's far beyond your abilities”

This is called an ad hominem fallacy: When sources or logic can’t be used, the “debater” tries to undercut his/her opponent’s arguments with personal attacks.

“There is nothing juvenile about inviting you to get your sorry ass out of America for good. Most of us are sick and tired of people like you who don't appreciate being a part of the greatest country on earth. It you don't like it then please leave it. That's not a cliche - that's a serious invitation for you to get your butt out of here. I'm not kidding when I say that I'd like to come over and help you pack. I really would enjoy seeing you off on your one-way trip to Yemen or some similar destination."

Actually, this is incredibly juvenile. Instead of maturely debating points about which you disagree, you direct your opponent to leave the country. A little severe, don’t you think? Also, it conveys outright contempt for those who are exercising their First Amendment rights, the employment of which is just about as American as it gets.

You generalize greatly with the “most of us” bit. How do you know? Have you conducted polls?

Re “the greatest country on earth”: You state this as if it were fact. If so, you’d better have reams of data to back this up. If this is just your opinion, fine.

You also make a hugely incorrect assumption when you imply I don’t like my country: I love my country and that for which it stands; if I didn’t, I wouldn’t spend hours writing, posting, and responding--especially to my critics--in an effort to encourage intelligent debate, and to also inform folks about what I see as problems with America that need to be addressed so it truly can become the country so many of us want it to be. If I didn’t care about or disliked America, I’d go and do something decidedly less patriotic than what I do, like wasting hours watching TV or mindlessly shopping.

“Abu Ghraib is not the big story of the war in Iraq just as Iran Contra was not the big story of the Reagan years. What you're trying to do Mark is pump up the Abu Ghraib story and make a bigger deal out of it than it deserves to be. A few young soldiers were out of line there, that's all. America's detractors, you included, want to seize on that and magnify it. Your outrage would better be directed at those Islamic terrorists who are cutting off the heads of innocent people.”

Apparently, you missed the whole point of the piece, which is that Americans are human beings with flaws just like all other human beings, and are capable of doing the same despicable things as are all other human beings. Another major point is that Americans, because they see themselves as somehow a superior class of people and often act that way by sanctioning their government’s actions, set themselves up for a big fall in the eyes of the world when the shit does hit the fan, which it inevitably does. You may not think so, but we’re all in this together, and if we ever are going to get a leg up on the actual monsters who do want to harm us, then we’re going to need all the help we can get from the rest of the global community. That’s a lot easier to do if we haven’t pissed everybody off in the meantime.

“A few young soldiers were out of line there, that's all.”

Are you completely ignoring, then, the ever-burgeoning paper trail—hard evidence, in other words—that Abu Ghraib is FAR from an isolated incident, that in fact the administration has sought and received much legal advice on how to systematically torture people? Did you even read “Torture(d) Logic”? Or did you just see the title and start capping away? I’ve listed some of the documentation of which I speak in the column, in case you’d like to check it out.

“The biggest story of the Iraq war is that Saddam and his two sons are out of power and that the country is on the road to Democracy.”

Setting aside for the moment that it will be years, if ever, before anyone truly knows whether Iraq is “on the road to democracy,” I certainly would strongly disagree with you when you say that this is “the biggest story of the Iraq war.” To me, the hands-down winner is that the president outright lied to the American people and the world about his reasons for attacking Iraq. This does not bother you?

“All the other liberal bullshit about Abu Ghraib, Halliburton, Oil, etc. is just that -- bullshit.”

The Abu Ghraib abuses, Halliburton’s overcharges and Dick Cheney’s slimy association with the company, and the fact that Iraq sits on the world’s second-largest oil reserves are not some “liberal bullshit”; these are called “facts.” If you paid more attention to them, it may help you to escape the angry, knee-jerk reaction mode in which you are seemingly currently engaged.

You're whole pathetic Lefty rant leaves me with zero respect for you.

When (if!) you grow up you'll understand what I mean.

Right now, the adults are in charge.

"You're (sic) whole pathetic Lefty rant leaves me with zero respect for you."

Now, is that "Lefty rant" as in an outburst typical of the individual who leaves comments under the moniker "Lefty"? Because if that's how you mean it, thoughts contained within my essay would seem very atypical of remarks I would associate as emanating from this person, and given your obvious political bent, your (not "you're") analogy would be nonsensical.

Or is it "Lefty rant" as in you are referring to my liberal-leaning sentiments? Because, if that's the case, then that is the second misused/misspelled word within your sentence (the "L" should not be capitalized), and thus, not a very literate example of communication. Better luck next time.

...Mark, what you hear are the squeals of the brainless as they are forced to face the reality of their inadequacy while writhing in the crushing grip of reason...

It is probably not unlike the final, futile sounds emitted by the last of the dinosaurs.

As smart as you think you are, you're views of the world are sadly immature. Maybe someday you'll grow up, maybe.

Grow up enough to say witty, adult things like: "Mark, you've got shit for brains"?

Gee, I can't wait.

correcting peoples grammar.

It's perfectly acceptable to profanely insult people, misconstrue their views, cast aspersions, insist they leave the country, and engage in good old-fashioned red-baiting, but when it comes to correcting grammar --well, that's just crossing the line. OK, I guess it's good to know where the boundaries are.

By the way, that's "people's."

...too fuckin' funny...


...Blarney, wanna try again?

correcting it. You're such a pedant. So, are you a Marxist Kollij Perfesser, I bet you are!!!

He so retarded
(how retarded is he?)
When he shits he needs to work it out with a pencil.

I must remember to use your bon mot the next time I hold a dinner party.

We're witnessing the well-deserved implosion of the totally corrupt socialist donkey party.

Be careful not sink with them...they have another 4 years of rough waters ahead, as adults still hold the center despite their raging against the machine.

They say that you don't want to know how sausage is made, or how interrogations are conducted.

The facts are often hard to swallow.

In a democracy, we need to be able to handle the truth. The truth is, during war, we kill people, torture them, and increase racism. At both spiritual and concrete levels, every war is a big step backward for democracy, and a big step forward for nationalist fascism.

Every invasion we conduct is a big step forward for imperialism, domination, and oppression.

This was is being conducted in the name of a greater good, but, almost everyone realizes (I hope) that the means and the ends are at odds. The longer a war goes on, the less good we become.

"At both spiritual and concrete levels, every war is a big step backward for democracy, and a big step forward for nationalist fascism."

Gee, that's funny.

It was war that ended

slavery
fascism
communism and
despotic rule.

As for "spritual levels" try preaching to the turbans hacking off the heads of defenselss civilians.

Islam is a defective civilization.
It can't cooexist with superior civilizations and will therefore 'grow up' or be destroyed.

Let not moral relativism poison yet another mental well.

...with all your blathering about 'defective civilizations", whatever the fuck THAT means outside of delusional wingnutworld, seems like you own moral perspective could use a little re-evaluating...

..."lemme see; it would be immoral to judge another entire civilization as 'defective', unless of course you are a member of a superior civilization, then it is OK"

...fuck, if that don't demonstate that the puddle you call your "mental well" hasn't already been poisoned by this shining example of 'moral relativism", I don't know what does...

...republican hypocrite...whadda surprise...(*yawn*)