Two AmericaBlog posts considered together create a very indictable picture of our Pentagon, and perhaps the need for holy water and crosses:
Torture Scandal: Pentagon Has Two Choices
NY Times covers "gore for porn" scandal
Two amazing Pentagon stories about legal investigations are released on one day. One worthy of investigation, the other determined within hours to not be. How do they do it!?
Remember the snuff pictures for porn gambit wherein US soldiers got free access to a website featuring naked folks, naked soldiers, dead or alive, for posting pictures of blown away Iraqis? In apparent violation of various regulations pertaining to US service men and women?
NYT Article: Army Investigates Photos of Iraqi War Dead on Web.
Today, the Pentagon was told to investigate it. Quick! Apparently, they took 'quick' very seriously. After several hours of intense scrutiny, looking over it's brocade lined shoulders, the Pentagon doesn't find anything actionable here, and today indicated they won't be pursuing any legal charges.
Presumably, they found no violations of Article 34 of the Geneva Convention. (Respect for remains of dead.) Nor were Article 133 of Uniform Code of Military Justice infractions deemed worthy of consideration. (Conduct unbecoming of an ...) So everything is cherry, almost.
Ok, so they will, however, be seriously looking into possible disciplinary options--real soon now--nope, they didn't discuss time frame at all.
Editor & Publisher article:
Pentagon Probing Reports of U.S. Soldiers Posting Gruesome Photos from Iraq at Web site.
Seriously...oh, wait, this is the very same administration that doesn't believe The Geneva Convention thing applies in the War on Terror. These rules are obviously only for battling other Christians, not for whacking at and knocking off evil, demon-scum towel-headed haji.
But, the Pentagon did find something heinous and deadly serious to deal with. Remember that 82nd Airborne officer Fishback, testifying as a whistleblower regarding illegal torture of detainees, and that all his subordinates backed him up? The one who indicated his Pentagon superiors directing the torture quite possibly could be at fault? The Pentagon is definitely going to investigate, looks like they are eager to nail ...him...and his backers.
Officer Criticizes Detainee Abuse Inquiry
How did the Pentagon inspire such confidence that officer Fishback bothered to try and get some reform to happen? How much courage did Fishback have knowing how this Pentagon deals with officers stepping off message and out of line?
Whatever it is this Pentagon wants to get to the bottom of, it doesn't appear to be the truth. Smells like Rumsfield is all over this stuff.
Fishback is about to be made into legal smoked red herring for daring to embarrass the Pentagon, while the porn trading dog taggers are free to keep on posting with impunity and the Pentagon doesn't feel any there's a single legal matter of shame or embarrassment.
Summing up, this Family Values administration can't tolerate the appearance of officer honesty and transparency about a real problem with torture, but has no problems with viewing rank and file perversity and snuff picture making as merely an item worthy of disciplinary review. The Pentagon must be possessed because this sort of devilry is so insane.