Why is there so much Anti-American sentiment overseas and in the Middle East? Why do the terrorists hate us? Is it for our freedom? Or could it be for the way that they view our treatment of their countries? Might it have something to do with our attitudes towards how we treat POWs?
Yes, good ol’ Rush Limbaugh started this particular craze, and it’s moved on to other Neo-Con sites as well. There are points to be made:
1. Enemy combatants are, in my view, bad. I know they’d sooner see us dead than anything else. I know we have medics kind enough to treat them even after they’ve injured themselves in the course of trying to kill our soldiers. So, yes. Bad men (and now women) deserve to be locked away and punished. (Please note that punishment is not equal to torture – a debate for another day)
2. Why does our Red Media get so upset when they discover Middle Eastern vendors selling merchandise that celebrates Osama bin Laden or 9/11?
3. We should be taking the high road! We should raise the bar. We should treat our prisoners better than their own countries do (see WWII for an example). We should find positive ways to rally around the troops, something other than invoking cultural hatred and misunderstanding. And for God’s sake, something other than an endorsement for a shady interrogation camp that’s in possible violation of several codes of conduct.
We can win the war. We will win the war. How we do it will set the stage for future generations. If done properly, it could be the last time in a long time that something like this will have to happen. If done in a ham-handed, unilateral, self-serving manner, then the war may only be a prelude to future disaster.
OOoooo I vote prelude to future disaster. Yep, confident in this one We are.