On PfC Lincle and the rest of this royal mess

[nadinbrzezinski]

First off all of you STOP and think, not trying to justify her but they are trying very hard to hang out to dry six mostly low ranking soldiers....

I sugest all read Hannah Arendt's "the Banality of Evil."

After that any of Jay Lifton's books on the SS.

Then Vanhagen's "Hitler's Willing Executioners."

Then find the experiments made in the fifties, in particular the Stanford Experiment, and the other on authority.

After that ask yourselves, if you came from a small town (or large one for that matter) and you are put in similar situation... would you be an extraordinary individual (the one who reported it to the chain and started the ball rolling), or the ordinalry individual who will use the Nuremberg Defense (which is NO DEFENSE?)

Now this came to be because of a culture that allowed for this to happen and Rumsfeld's declaration that Prisoners were not subject to the Geneva Convention, which is "antiguated" is where all this starts... and continues with the CiC, who'se apology came today because it is getting hot.

So think will you be that exraordinary individual in similar circimstances or just extraordinarily ordinary?

By the way, some about my past. As a Red Cross Medic I have been honored at seeing much that I will take to the grave with me, about the horrors that humans can do to others. I have written reports to those above me, after listening to people who have faced torture, sexual and otherwise... and I have taken care of victims of the worst of physical torture in the back of my ambulance, one of whom died in my care.

Worst of this, is... I will take their names and faces with me to the grave... as I cannot tell you more details than this.

One thing in common, this is a culture that is allowed to flourish

It is said, evil flourishes when men and women of good conscience refuse to speak out. Time that we all speak out... with even more force and with a stronger voice.

[brokensymmetry]

1. Great post.

And you ask a good question. History shows that the extraordinary individual is rare.

[bhunt70]

2. I like this post.

I understand what you are sayingI don't absolve these people for what they did, but this...

"After that ask yourselves, if you came from a small town (or large one for that matter) and you are put in similar situation... would you be an extraordinary individual (the one who reported it to the chain and started the ball rolling), or the ordinalry individual who will use the Nuremberg Defense (which is NO DEFENSE?)"

sums up my feelings on the matter...

[roguevalley]

3. This better not be all low level. Rumsfeld bears the ultimate

responsibility but Bush won't cut him loose. Of course,
that is his achilles heel.