3 years. And a ‘dishonourable discharge’. That’s all she’s got. 3 years. After that, she’ll be out. And a nation will rest assured that they’ve fulfilled their obligation to the protection of Human Rights. Well, maybe not the entire nation…, just it’s upholders of law.
Sometimes there’s so much anger that I tire myself just thinking about how to let it out. I do not want to start imagining how those closer home to the issue feel.
During the trial, Lynndie England apologized for the pictures, but blamed her then boyfriend and father of her son, Pvt. Charles Graner, calling him the ‘ringleader’, and saying she did it to ‘please him’, referring to photos of her holding a naked masked detainee by a dog leash, posing before a pyramid of naked detainees, and pointing to their genitals, cigarette dangling from her mouth. England’s defense maintained that ‘officers in charge at Abu Ghraib failed to control the guards, creating stressful conditions that disoriented England and led her to take part in the mistreatment’ . An expert defense witness also stated that England should be punished lightly because of the ‘poisonous environment’ that existed at Abu Ghraib. She was convicted of 6 charges, carrying a max sentence of 9years in jail. She got away with 3 . Graner along with some others, was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison last year. These are the soldiers. The officers, however received ‘administrative punishment’. Not one went to trial.
She’s part of the last batch of soldiers being tried for physical abuse at Abu Ghraib. Soon the chapter will close, the world will forget. Almost the world. For it will be seared forever in the memory of a nation that cannot forget. A nation that is bursting with outrage now. Outrage at the hypocracy, the double standards, and much worse, the utter helplessness. For them, it will be a never ending cycle of outrage, utter helplessness and cynicism.
This is it – the curse of our millenium - that we live in a world that is so unipolar that nobody, but one, counts anymore. Changing benchmarks, anbiguous criteria, we’re seeing it all. And there’s definitely much much more to come. Why maintain this farce of being a champion of Human Rights, though? So many Iraqis languish in Guantanamo Bay, on the basis of mere ‘suspicion’, and Lynndie England gets 3 years in a classic case of blatant hypocracy in the name of justice. Whatever it means to them.
It’s strange how I, not very long ago, safely ensconced in my home, far far removed from situations of these hues, could dispassionately pass harsh judgement on issues such as terrorism, religious fanatacism, even violence. Now, I don’t have an opinion. My eyes are slowly opening to the other side and its going to take me a while to figure out if there really is a difference between black and white. Or if they are in reality, merely different names for the same colour?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Hello, hello.
Since you sweetly stepped into my blog, I thought I should see where you came from.
Very nice visuals: the pink is very warms-me-to-the-chortles-of-my-heart.
And as for Pfc England and the whole ugliness around her, and not just around HER, but around the whole deal, well, I really think that as a matter of fact, the world WON'T forget.I mean the world outside the Americas. Not for a long time, not ever.
Some things are just too infuriatingly wrong to be ever forgotten. And now we can get into the whole scathing "Why we hate America" [read primarily as Bush-whacking] but, no. And when I say 'we', I think I speak for a huge percentage of this side of the Atlantic divide.
Yadda yadda yadda. SO, anyway, many lucks for your GREs.
Have funs. Don't lose THAT.
Stay angry and do not ever give up. I still rage at the unfairness and primitive tribalism that still exists and fuels still this ever shrinking world.
Great post.
Great sentiments.
And bang on the nail with its passionate content.
Staying angry is passion and also haumanity.
I knew the people there, the innocents, cause I spend a good number of years long ago, eating and sleeping with them.
Outragious to think that a group of people are prisioners in their own country which they rightfully own, by a group of tyrants.
Nice lines of rage
THe point being? that she should have been let go because the govt there doesnt have the balls to pull up the ppl who originally planned this? Yes. And No, I should think.
agreed, justice systems are flawed but the Pvt in this case is not up for light punishment because she did wht she did at the behest of her boyfriend. What she did is enough grounds for prosecution.
WHat i DO find sickening is that she's been singled out. THat her bf/ superior and all the others singled out are being protected by the army and she's the fall guy. You know, in the end, most army trials are a thinly disguised attempt at applyying justice. You hardly ever see the real felon get convicted unless of course its a case like Mr Hussein.
and as an offside: what happ to the GRE?
pulchritude? Wow. thts a mouthful. Cant we just say beauty?
You do realise you have increased my distaste for the GRE even more now...
Blogrolling you.
Post a Comment