1 Good Lord! The accounts of the children are particularly harrowing! When the Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo scandals broke, I felt betrayed as an American. I wondered why we weren't living up to our own ideals. But I remembered the words of a friend of mine who served two tours in 'Nam and is now a missionary. "People have feet of clay, Dave. Yes, we as Americans have done some wrong, but if you compare our gray areas to others there is no comparison." Perhaps this is an oversimplification, but there is also a grain of truth in it. What happened at both Abu Ghraib and Suleimaniya was wrong. But the Abu Ghraib offenders were punished while those that tortured, raped, and murdered Kurds were encouraged. I doubt anyone here will care much for this posting. The liberals will feel I am being too easy on Abu Ghraib while the conservatives will brand me a traitor for being in any way critical of the coalition forces. But as I man who both loves his country and hopes for peace in the world I find all of this quite disturbing.

2 There were no nude prisoner pyramids. Therefore there was no torture.

3 I say this.....after Saddams trial is over,he should be handed over to the Kurds for his punishment. What a Monster!! M.W.

4 Too bad that the most persecuted people under Saddam also seem to be the most tolerant and progressive group in Iraq.