Something bothers me about a foolish assumption I keep hearing. Many Democrats but also Republicans, including Olympia Snow of Maine and Bob Dole, have declared that we know the soldiers who perpetrated the abuses against Iraqis were following orders because these reservists couldn’t have thought of the various humiliations themselves.
P-lease. Go to any college fraternity or sorority in the country during hazings; go the bathroom in a tough high school (not my old high school, but I’ve heard). Forget that, go to domestic prisons and jails. These declarations assume that “ordinary” folks (the frequent use of “reservists” condescendingly implies simpletons from Iowa or some other vowel-starting state) couldn’t come up with the torments we’ve seen because (1) they’re too decent and (2) they’re not clever enough. That’s how I read the comments, anyway.
The abuses may very well have been ordered. But the images of the abuses themselves don’t prove that or, the way I see it, even imply it. In any given population, there’s a number of people capable of deep sociopathic behavior (not the same as saying there’s a number of sociopaths) — especially when put in groups. The abuses were so sloppy and pointless, as far as interrogation methods go, it actually seems to suggest that the plans for them (to whatever extent they existed) didn’t go very far up. I saw Lyndie England interviewed and she claims her actions were ordered by soldiers of “higher rank.” Now, England is a private first class. I’m not an expert on military rank, but wouldn’t anyone be of higher rank than her? Gene I think you’re higher rank than she is. Obviously a handful (small or large) of soldiers were involved and probably were a grab-bag of ranks. An aside: she seemed to me barely coherent.
That’s not to say there weren’t orders from above — or the equivalent through neglect or poisoned atmosphere. But the pictures aren’t evidence in themselves for that point.
Oh, a related gripe. All the talk of how the humiliation was specifically mortifying to Muslims. Hm. Maybe. But again — humiliation, hazing, are pretty similar here, aren’t they? I mean, would the same soldiers, if they wanted to humiliate Americans, have overdressed them in heavy clothes? Not to make light of it, I just think it’s a projection.
Wow, a heavy first post. Gene, I’ll have to listen to that O’Reilly interview. I saw him talking about it on his show and he persuaded me he was sandbagged. But I didn’t hear the actual NPR interview. I think I have some thoughts on TV commercials and comics, too. Am on a slow computer because I’m visiting my family. Where are all the other ex-roommates?
