May 10, 2004
Iraqi Horror Picture Show
Worse before it gets better? Define better...
Word is out that there are some three discs chock full of pictures of mistreatment of Iraqis in Abu Ghraib prison. Donald Rumsfled alluded to the presence of these photos, described as more graphic than the existing photos, when he remarked it would get "worse before it gets better".
At some point, a point we've already passed, more viewing just becomes salacious. The repeated replay of the same Barrel O' Iraqis has transitioned past informative to the prurient and exploitative. We are aware of the photos, their content - and they can be put away now.
Releasing more photos is likely a continued exercise in the same vein. We know what they contain - and seeing these pictures once was enough. As inappropriate as the acts depicted are, one has to ask -
Who thought taking pictures was a good idea?
Who thought posing with naked Iraqis was a good idea? Photos convey what it was like to be someplace you are not. Who wants to convey what it was like to sodomize an Iraqi detainee with a chemical lamp?
Just like being there? No thanks...
Posted by MEC2 at May 10, 2004 04:10 PM