The Omega Letter Intelligence Digest

Vol: 32 Issue: 3 - Monday, May 03, 2004

Throwing Gas on the Fire
by Jack Kinsella

For the most part, the most effective members of the enemy's propaganda
team have been, wittingly or unwittingly, American politicians and
reporters.

After all, without the enthusiastic efforts of the Anybody But Bush lobby,
how would al-Qaeda get its message out?

Consider, for a second, America as if it were a family.  Every family in
America has its dirty laundry; something that the whole family knows but
doesn't talk about in public.

Imagine if your deepest, darkest family secret made the headlines of your
community newspaper?  Over and over, week after week?  Now imagine the
most mean-spirited, unkind person you know -- the last person you'd want
to know the secret in the first place, and THAT is the one writing about
you.

In essence, that is the situation America finds itself in. We call it
'democracy', and we celebrate our freedom of the press as its cornerstone.
Now we return, for a moment, to our family analogy.  Why aren't YOU the
one composing newspaper articles about your own family secrets?

The answer is obvious.  Although every family might have its darker side,
Crazy Uncle Phil doesn't define the whole family.  If all anybody talked
about was Crazy Uncle Phil, nobody would know about saintly Aunt Hortense,
or all the good things that make your family special to you.

The revelation of US soldiers abusing Iraqi POW's is easily the darkest
'secret' that the American family has had 'outed' in a decade or more.

But don't take my word for it.  Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., Delaware
Democrat, called the photographs and the abuse depicted "the single most
significant undermining act that's occurred in a decade in that region of
the world in terms of our standing."

Sen. Carl Levin, Michigan Democrat, said the incident should be
investigated at every level of the military before the political situation
worsens.  Then he proceeded to make the political situation worse.

"These are despicable practices, which just fuel the hatred and the wrath
of those who oppose us. And they've got to be investigated promptly at all
levels,"  Levin said on CNN's "Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer."

"And it's got to be credible, that investigation, because the people in
the world must understand that when this kind of action is perpetrated by
an American soldier, that it's not going to be tolerated," Levin said,
leaving the door open a crack for future charges of a military coverup.

"It says to the Arab world exactly the opposite of the message we want to
be sending. You know - that we want to provide you with the opportunity to
have democracy, to rule yourself, to have freedom," North Carolina
Democrat John Edwards said on the same program. "Instead, what they're
seeing are these photographs over and over and over."

And hearing about them, over and over.  Note who says what -- it is very
revealing.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, said he has "total confidence"
that military commanders will prosecute American soldiers if charges are
warranted.

"Misbehavior within the American military, there's a procedure for
handling it. We have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior," Mr.
McConnell said on "Fox News Sunday."

Republican John McCain pointed out on ABC's "This Week" that the shameful
incident should be, "counterbalanced by the millions of acts of kindness
and generosity and sacrifices that American soldiers have made in Iraq for
the Iraqi people."

But it isn't.  Well, at least it isn't something that anybody will hear
about from America's political left or the mainstream press.

Assessment:

I left a question hanging earlier.  Why aren't YOU the one exposing your
family's dark side?  It isn't like it's against the law.  You are as free
as anybody else is.  Even if you upset your family, hey,  whether they
talk to you or not, you are still family.  So what stops you?

Common sense. You have to live in that town.  You have to work with other
people.  You need to be part of the community in order to function in it,
and it is much easier to function if you come from a highly respected
family than if you come from what is euphemistically called 'the wrong
side of the tracks.'

In no way am I defending the soldiers who violated America's trust and
committed these atrocities.  But only an idiot would seek to ruin
themselves just to see their name in print.

You needn't take my word for it -- I have it on the highest Authority.

"Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his
folly." (Proverbs  13:16)

The story shames us all, but the publicity it is getting serves no one's
purpose except the enemy's. The conduct of those soldiers is no more
representative of our military than Crazy Uncle Phil represents your whole
family. Senators Levin, Edwards and Biden know that as well as Senators
McCain and McConnell do.

"He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth
gifts shall live." (Proverbs  15:27)