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America's Sin Draws
Reproach from the World
MAY 11, 2004
By
GREG RUMMO
THE
MACABRE IMAGES from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq are appalling. As more and more Americans scratch their
heads and wonder aloud, “What were we thinking?” I am
wondering myself: Could it be that our expectations were
higher than they should have been given the circumstances?
Soldiers are,
after all human beings and prisons are places notorious for
abuse by those in charge even here in our own country where
there’s not the added enmity fueled by the actions of
virtually every inmate having attempted to kill their
captors in the street with live ammunition.
An opinion
column entitled “Prisoner Abuse Comes as No Surprise,”
appearing May 10 on the website of the University of Irvine,
California made the point that, “American correctional
facilities and prisons also exhibit a trend of prisoner
abuse and humiliation. Most recently, prior to the public
stir concerning the prison conditions in Iraq under U.S.
operation, allegations have surfaced in California regarding
the mistreatment of juveniles under the supervision of the
California Department of the Youth Authority…”
Notwithstanding reports of sporadic prison abuse here in
America, we should have realized that on the world stage
where we were under the intense scrutiny of many who hate
us—and I am not even talking about the Arab world—there was
no margin for error.
What makes
Americans different, or more accurately what should
make us different is our culture; rooted in a democratic
form of government, the cherished principles of liberty and
equality, a belief in certain unalienable rights being of a
Divine origin, the rule of law and the Judeo-Christian ethic
undergirding it all.
That’s why
it’s news when photos of American GIs abusing Iraqi
prisoners appeared. America’s high standards for conduct
create high expectations. A country that claims to have a
stake on the moral high ground had better demonstrate it by
its actions.
But our
behavior was egregious, exhibiting a flagrant disregard for
the principles we say we cherish. Instead of being blameless
and above reproach, we now must endure ignominy. Before
accusing the media of hypocrisy for its feeding frenzy on
this story, let us admit that we are the ones who are the
hypocrites.
Having said
that, I think we all would do well to gain some perspective
by stepping back and reminding ourselves of several things.
It appears
that it was a dozen soldiers involved out of a force of
almost a quarter of a million. It is ludicrous to assume
such actions are rife throughout the military and misguided
to issue a
blanket condemnation to include every person up the chain of
command in the Bush administration.
Secondly,
while our traditions and beliefs can be endued by our
institutions, they must be embraced by individuals.
Even in an intense environment such as the military where
basic training drills both principles and procedures into
soldiers until becoming reflexive, the best expectations are
for a statistically high number of candidates to turn out
right.
Those under
authority must be willing to submit to their superiors and
follow the rules. It takes but a few rebels to tarnish an
image or cause enormous damage.
Remember Asan
Akbar? Here was another soldier whose actions shocked us
all. Described as having an “attitude problem,” this member
of the 101st Airborne rolled grenades into three
tents of sleeping officers last year in Kuwait, killing two
and wounding 14 others. In the ensuing confusion, Akbar then
fired his weapon as the wounded soldiers fled.
Solomon wrote
in Proverbs, “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a
reproach to any people.” The reputation of the U.S. has been
damaged because of the conduct of a few. And while the world
heaps reproach on us for our failure to live up to our own
high ideals, it is up to us to appeal to those same high
ideals to ensure that justice prevails, hopefully restoring
our reputation in the process.
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Greg Rummo is a
syndicated columnist. Read all of his columns on his homepage,
www.GregRummo.com. E-Mail Rummo at GregoryJRummo@aol.com
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