America's Sin Draws Reproach From The World
By Gregory J. Rummo (05/11/04)
THE MACABRE IMAGES from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq are appalling. As more and more Americans scratch their heads and wonder aloud, “What were we thinking?” I am wondering myself: Could it be that our expectations were higher than they should have been given the circumstances?
Soldiers are, after all human beings and prisons are places notorious for abuse by those in charge even here in our own country where there’s not the added enmity fueled by the actions of virtually every inmate having attempted to kill their captors in the street with live ammunition.
An opinion column entitled “Prisoner Abuse Comes as No Surprise,” appearing May 10 on the website of the University of Irvine, California made the point that, “American correctional facilities and prisons also exhibit a trend of prisoner abuse and humiliation. Most recently, prior to the public stir concerning the prison conditions in Iraq under U.S. operation, allegations have surfaced in California regarding the mistreatment of juveniles under the supervision of the California Department of the Youth Authority…”
Notwithstanding reports of sporadic prison abuse here in America, we should have realized that on the world stage where we were under the intense scrutiny of many who hate us—and I am not even talking about the Arab world—there was no margin for error.
What makes Americans different, or more accurately what should make us different is our culture; rooted in a democratic form of government, the cherished principles of liberty and equality, a belief in certain unalienable rights being of a Divine origin, the rule of law and the Judeo-Christian ethic undergirding it all.
That’s why it’s news when photos of American GIs abusing Iraqi prisoners appeared. America’s high standards for conduct create high expectations. A country that claims to have a stake on the moral high ground had better demonstrate it by its actions.
But our behavior was egregious, exhibiting a flagrant disregard for the principles we say we cherish. Instead of being blameless and above reproach, we now must endure ignominy. Before accusing the media of hypocrisy for its feeding frenzy on this story, let us admit that we are the ones who are the hypocrites.
Having said that, I think we all would do well to gain some perspective by stepping back and reminding ourselves of several things.
It appears that it was a dozen soldiers involved out of a force of almost a quarter of a million. It is ludicrous to assume such actions are rife throughout the military and misguided to issue a blanket condemnation to include every person up the chain of command in the Bush administration.
Secondly, while our traditions and beliefs can be endued by our institutions, they must be embraced by individuals. Even in an intense environment such as the military where basic training drills both principles and procedures into soldiers until becoming reflexive, the best expectations are for a statistically high number of candidates to turn out right.
Those under authority must be willing to submit to their superiors and follow the rules. It takes but a few rebels to tarnish an image or cause enormous damage.
Remember Asan Akbar? Here was another soldier whose actions shocked us all. Described as having an “attitude problem,” this member of the 101st Airborne rolled grenades into three tents of sleeping officers last year in Kuwait, killing two and wounding 14 others. In the ensuing confusion, Akbar then fired his weapon as the wounded soldiers fled.
Solomon wrote in Proverbs, “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people.” The reputation of the U.S. has been damaged because of the conduct of a few. And while the world heaps reproach on us for our failure to live up to our own high ideals, it is up to us to appeal to those same high ideals to ensure that justice prevails, hopefully restoring our reputation in the process.
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