Pentagon Twofer - snuff snuff for porn & kill officer career

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.

•  so illegal brutal

  is considered legal tender. this is so disgusting. it's stories like this that makes you want to turn to a war supporter and say: can you explain how this is "preserving our freedom"?

  by Miss Devore on Wed Sep 28, 2005 at 02:59:19 PM PDT

  •  That's What They Want Freedom To Do

    Freedom to kill for gratification. Shock and awe, yeehaw. That's what they've been saying, it's what they mean, and they've proven it over and over again. Time to stop being shocked. Time to stop thinking they will hit a wall of shame and reverse course. Time to realize it is up to us, not them.

    by NewDirection on Wed Sep 28, 2005 at 03:30:54 PM PDT

•  I guess the Patriot Act...

  ...doesn't apply to investigating Americans whose actions could and probably will incite terror attacks the world over.

  It allows them to see your library records, conduct clandestine searches and go on just about any fishing expedition they want.

  But somehow some activity that was very likely the work of elements of our own military and will be seen all over the Arab world and no-doubt be used to recruit more terrorists does not merit a serious inquiry?

  We are living in very strange times.

  In that spirit, today on the Muse:
  "Bush Names Retired Plumber Treasury Secretary"

  by The Eyewitness Muse on Wed Sep 28, 2005 at 03:17:07 PM PDT

  •  You're Assuming The War on Terror or Whatever

    Is meant to be won.
    Why would it be?
    It's their license to party, kill, and leave us and our kids the bill.

    by NewDirection on Wed Sep 28, 2005 at 03:32:11 PM PDT

  •  That's the sad part.

    People having any sort of ethical standards or religion find this repulsive.  I can't imagine how this terrible disrespect of Islamic bodies will be received. Well, Islamic groups do know it and are pressing for something to be done.  Wonder when they'll no longer be viewed as fussy towel-heads and treated seriously.

    Plus, factor in that our troops are now using Israeli made bullets to do the snuffing ...whatever good will 'capital' we've managed to scrape up with Arabic peoples, in spite of all the negatives, in the last few years is probably totally smoked now.  Karen Hugh's frosty reception in Turkey was probably a big clue stick meeting the thick administration noggin.

    Of course, the morale and trustworthiness of our own troops isn't helped by the Pentagon turning on officers and their subordinates who dare to be whistleblowers.  How many military are sitting on major powder keg stories out of fear of just this sort of vengeful persecution of those daring to reveal the truth?  What confidence will this instill in the citizens of occupied countries where these officers serve?  This sort of military urge to eat it's own truthtellers works against us as a nation and our role in the world, as well as those daring to speak truth to power.  It's endangering our missions abroad.

    The centripetal forces of corruption, callousness, crime, addiction, torture and bankruptcy fostered by the RNC threatens us all to the core, in the homeland and abroad.  We can't let this go on like this for it is surely our undoing.  We must show the most vigorous oppostion we can to retake our homeland back from these usurpers.  We must end this insanity now.

    by antirove on Wed Sep 28, 2005 at 04:26:14 PM PDT

•  Times cover, huh?

  That'll change the dynamic pretty quick. Let's round up Condi and Perle and Kissinger and Powell and Rumsfeld and Myers and Myer's daughter and get their views on the subject while we're at it. I like the idea of having conservatives defend the inhuman behavior of our soldiers. Was this shit foreseen in the Rapture?

  by mrblifil on Wed Sep 28, 2005 at 03:32:10 PM PDT