"The Culture of Life" at Abu Ghraib

Though it was overshadowed by the tagteam headlines of the Schiavo post-mortem and the Pope Deathwatch, this little nugget still found its way into Friday's San Francisco Chronicle. Janis Karpinski, the disgraced Brigadier General who oversaw operations at Abu Ghraib prison until the scandal broke, claims that the buck didn't (and shouldn't) stop with her. And almost as an afterthought, she suggests that conditions at Abu Ghraib haven't changed. The last two paragraphs are atonishing:

Her worry is that bad things continue to happen at Abu Ghraib, she said, referring to quiet, worried e-mails she receives from soldiers stationed there.

"If I were to guess, I would bet they have been told, 'Don't bring a camera anywhere near this place.' ... But I believe it's still going on," she said. "I don't think it's changed. ... They've just become better at keeping the rest of the story from the world."

If she wants to be celebrated for her honesty, Karpinski will have to make more than a public mea culpa.  And it's not enough to allude to "bad things" and "quiet, worried" emails. She'll need to use her bully pulpit to bring the bullies in this administration to justice. If she truly believes that torture is still policy at Abu Ghraib, she should turn over any evidence she has.

So, I've got an idea. Why don't we put pressure on Karpinski to release those emails to the press? Or why not subpoena those emails for one of the numerous torture lawsuits now making their way through the legal system?

And for anyone in the Bay Area: why not demand that Karpinski release the emails to the public when she's feted at the Commonwealth Club this coming Friday?

Comments

[Mom]

I'm sending this info to activists I know in SF, one of whom will most likely be going to the meeting.

On another note, is anyone as sick as I am of how the media is glossing over the Pope's harmful actions and inactions during his tenure? How about the millions of women and children who are impacted by the persistent ignorant policies regarding birth control, resulting in human misery and poverty? Women are still perceived as second class human beings who are not worthy to lead as ministers, even despite the lack of qualified, healthy, non-molesting male priests.

The glut of glorification of this Pope's life is as blind and one-sided as what the world experienced on Ronald Reagan's passing.

[Mom]

Brilliant use of christ-like photos.