Monday, May 16, 2005

The book is mightier than the sword

I find it ironic that the Whitehouse has chosen to jump so quickly into the fray over the "alleged" Koran flushing incident at Guantanamo. Where were they when it was an issue of abusing actual prisoners, actual living flesh desecrated? They were busy burying the story in secrecy for as long as they actually could. Now, with no photos and nothing thing to lose they are defending a holy book more vehemently than they defended people. The message from the Whitehouse is "Torture good - book flushing bad".

Yes I know the Koran is a holy book, and the story caused rioting and deaths in Afghanistan, but seriously do you have any doubts that US guards at Guantanamo would even bat an eye before flushing, burning or pissing on the Koran? Do you really have any doubts that now they are no longer officially allowed to humiliate their prisoners in naked pyramids and forced sexual acts, that if they thought that for one second they could get what they wanted with a mere book - that they would treat it with any respect whatsoever? Of course not.

Like I said I think the only reason the Whitehouse has been quick to jump in is because no one ever thought a guard flushing the Koran was photo worthy for the folks back home - "Look mum, there's me flushing the Koran while the prison breaks down and tells me everything about his non-combatant training camp". For that reason I feel confident in saying "alleged" because I feel sure that one time or the other it happened just it never became a Kodak moment to prove it. Newsweek almost certainly had some anonymous tipoffs that it actually happened, but without anyone willing to step forward and admit to it they had to back down and eat some humble pie or risk being labeled un-American and un-Patriotic by hordes of zealous red-staters who would turn to flushing Newsweek instead of the Koran.

Meanwhile the Whitehouse is putting on a "holier than thou" act pretending as if maybe it would stand by and watch a few "bad actors" torture prisoners but no way would it allow religious persecution. But what happens, I ask you, if stories come back that over in "I-raq" they are busy burning and flushing the Bible? Is that cause for rioting here? Will brown skinned folks be dragged off the streets and beaten by irate right wing religious fanatics? Will we declare war on them all over again to find stockpiles of bibles of mass destruction?

Really its all pretty dumb to me. The Whitehouse should have just 'fessed up because sooner or later someone is going to spill the beans. They should admit they have no clue about Islam and they should send all those prisoners back home. Seriously. Just how long can we justify keeping them locked up indefinitely because they hate America and have expressed ill will against us. Or would the Whitehouse have us go to Afghanistan and seize every single America hating rioter and lock them up indefinitely too? And ditto at home - sure we've already got over 2 million of our own locked up, about half for crimes not much worse than getting bored of America to the point where it was preferable to check out of it on drugs, why not add a few more to the penal melting pot?

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