Damned if you do............

OK, it is quite apparent that at least 50% of our fellow Americans just don't seem to "get it" when it comes to understanding just what it is that makes being American so special, something we have come to expect others to aspire to. The recent rash of bad behaviors by our troops over in Iraq are perfect examples of violations of principles we hold dear, exactly the same principles that were so baldly violated back during the Vietnam war. We EXPECT our enemies, namely those who hold no values that get in the way of their aims, to commit atrocities during the course of conflict, but in order to adhere to a higher calling, a standard of conduct that is required in order to claim to wear the white hats, we Americans must restrain those natural tendencies to lower ourselves to the level of those we consider inhuman, even as they test us by their refusal to play by the rules, for failure to do so lowers us to their level and makes us no better than them.

I keep hearing how this "war on terrorism" requires a different approach, a relaxation of the rules of combat, in order to defeat an enemy that fights from the shadows and can only be considered evil. Well, then, where may I ask does it stop, this dunning down of honor, of principle, of being able to sleep at night knowing you allowed yourself to abandon the principles you swore an oath to protect? Can you tell me with a straight face that your following orders that violated the Geneva Conventions were no different than those orders that were so faithfully followed by the average Nazi soldier during World War Two? Can you look a fellow warrior in the eye and declare yourself justified in committing cold blooded murder, because one of your buddies died having to drive a humvee down a road littered with IED's? That's no different than killing a Great White Shark because your buddy decided to dive into the water with one and became dinner for his troubles.

We also are trying desperately to justify this strange version of justice that Dubya, in all his dubious wisdom, has crafted and applied to insurgents and terrorists, by virtue of the fact that they can't afford and don't apply much necessity to uniforms. I am not saying that a goodly number of these pathological criminals should be regarded the status of "warrior" as is subscribed in the Geneva Conventions, but there is a damn good reason the international community came up with these rules as regards to warfare. So, think about it, one can either be judged a "warrior", based on what he does, how he does it, and what he's doing it for, or you can judge him a common criminal, no different than the serial killer, the violent racist skinhead berserker, or the mad dog maniac who slaughters a whole family. You either charge them with a crime, or you don't. You can't have your justice and ignore it too, at your convenience.

Now, it is quite obvious that we have a new generation of mad dogs running around the world committing the worst atrocities imaginable, and we call them terrorists. These individuals do not hide their identities, they proclaim from their hidden cesspools of shelter what their intentions are, and they make no pretense whatsoever of obeying any rules of decency. These individuals by virtue of there own declarations paint bright red, humongous targets on their chest and dare us to score a bulls eye. It's an invitation we have no problem accepting, and the rules in this case are simple; you hunt them down and kill them. They have already abandoned any pretense of deserving of any special treatment under any rule of warfare, totally voluntarily and of their own volition. No need to waste a good jury on deliberating their guilt or sentence. What more can a moral society ask for?

Well, apparently, this particular leader we happen to have been saddled with under questionable circumstances is to damn lazy to and to simple minded to understand that this special consideration does not apply to everyone that hates us and takes a shot at us. The arab guy walking down the street at about the same time that a marine patrol is ambushed or an IED has gone off shouldn't have to be resigned to the fact that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. It should be a given that there was SOME evidence that he had something to do with this crime before someone pounced on him and hauled his ass of to Gitmo and held him there for years without even charging him with anything. Yes, it is quite possible that he had something to do with it, but then again, so does the average American caught in the vicinity of a criminal act, but that does not justify assumptions that rob a person of due process, not here, not ANY where. And what if it just so happens that this person whom we hauled off to hell because he was " walking while Iraqi" DIDN'T have anything to do with the crime? What have we done? Number one, we didn't get another terrorist or insurgent off the street. Number two, we just earned one more reason for the average Iraqi to hate our guts. Number three, a clear cut violation of internationally recognized human rights was committed by none other than the nation that was most famous for protecting human rights. The damage done by this "easy-button" method of dealing with enemies does us as much harm to us as it does our enemies.

This country has to stand for SOMETHING. If we continue to change the rules as we go along, applying them differently to one group as opposed to another, ignoring the principles laid down by our founding fathers, then we risk becoming the very people we claim to be holding the line against. Perhaps the qualities that are possessed by individuals who wish to lead include an allergy to having to rule according to the rule of law. And perhaps we have to reassess what kind of qualities we desire in our elected leaders. I honestly do not think that fully half the people in this country are so brain dead that they can't understand the corrosive effects that blind patriotism can have on the rights that we hold so dear, but sometimes it's hard not to think that perhaps to many people in this country are too comfortable in their comfort and righteousness, and need a real wake-up call. Let's just hope they wake up before we all find ourselves staring down the barrels of the guns of our own gestapo.