New Fisk Target

I forgot to mention this, but now that I'm back in Pittsburgh, I have a new source of material for blog posts: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. I read the actual Dead Tree edition of this paper on a daily basis, including the horribly biased editorials. I've been doing this every time I had the chance since sometime last year. Now, I finally have the chance to fisk them. Let's get started with one from today, which nearly made me vomit as I read it while eating dinner:

Editorial: Can Rumsfeld / Iraqi prisoner abuses call for a new Defense chief

With respect to flagrant, brutal U.S. mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq and possibly Afghanistan as well...

Great, let's start off with an unsupported assumption. That's always a good sign.

...the more that comes out, the worse it gets.

The Bush administration's response so far has been consistent with its general approach to anything it does that might be susceptible to criticism.

Attacking a straw man administration? Check. This is almost too easy.

It withholds, classifies or dribbles out in difficult-to-understand morsels the relevant information...

That's funny, because it seems to me that they're bending over backwards to appease you pathetic vultures.

...its Republicans in the Congress hold kid-glove hearings...

I must have missed that one.

...it fans out its heavyweights to friendly television forums...

Hmmm...almost sounds like they're trying to get positive publicity, doesn't it? How dare they defend their reputation, those evil b@stards!

...and it has President Bush make a statement that falls short of convincing anyone.

"Because if I'm not convinced, nobody is!"

What is emerging is that there were many cases. What is particularly worrying is talk of "ghost prisoners" -- that is to say, prisoners who were captured and no record made of their imprisonment or further disposition. How many were there? Who were they? Where are they?

You could probably find out if you'd shut up for a second about those horrible Republicans and their public relations campaign. You know those sounds they make? Those are called words. They convey information about stuff and things. Some of that information is probably relevant to your questions. So LISTEN!

It also has come out that the International Committee of the Red Cross knew months ago some of what was going on in Abu Ghraib prison, asked repeatedly that something be done to stop it and was ignored by the American authorities in Iraq.

Uh...didn't the incident take place months ago? Hasn't it since been dealt with privately? Or do you only consider what you see on television to be reality?

It also turns out that some of the alleged torture was carried out by civilian contractors, not by uniformed U.S. military.

"Screw them!"

Those contractors are not subject to being brought to justice under the Universal Code of Military Justice or the Geneva Conventions Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. In other words, because they are private contractors, in practical terms they are able to do almost anything with impunity.

And I'm sure the people who were in the prison always followed those rules.

It also appears that some of the prisoners not only were humiliated, they were killed by their interrogators. So far we have been told of two cases of criminal homicide being brought.

I seem to remember that those were British soldiers, which would make the U.S. reaction a lot less important, but I could be wrong...

What needs to be done? First of all, obviously, a full independent investigation and accounting needs to be carried out -- of who was taken prisoner, what exactly was done with them and where they are now.

Wow. Nobody could've figured that out. It's a good thing we have anonymous newspaper editors to shine the light of reason on the unwashed masses.

The American approach to Iraqi casualties in Iraq -- which is to say, not even to count them -- won't do this time.

Since when is it our job to count enemy casualties? What do you want them to do, track down all the bodies and make a friggin' photographic inventory?

If President Bush really wants to clean this stain off America, never mind his administration...

Both of which had exactly NOTHING to do with the torture incident.

...he needs to fire Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

I love it. If the moonbats are going to say crazy things like this, they could at least put a little more effort into it. I mean...firing Rumsfeld won't do anything to change the behavior of our troops...so why don't you call for President Bush to wear a rainbow wig every time he makes a speech from now on? That would have the exact same effect, and it would humiliate him. Look! Why can't you come up with something like this? Get creative, you idiots!

...Moving on...

He shouldn't wait until everyone has called for it.

He doesn't have much of a choice now, does he?

He needs to say, now, "I have learned what happened. I am absolutely appalled by its inconsistency with fundamental American principles. These acts were carried out under the responsibility of the secretary of defense. I have asked for and will accept his resignation."

Was he there? Did he oversee it? Did he order it? Did he even know about it until after it happened? NO!!!!! So why the f**k do you think that firing him will do anything to change the situation?

That message would ring loud and clear throughout the Arab world.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Yeah, that'll fix everything.

"Look, Mohammed, the Great Satan fired one of its minions!"

"Oh, this is a great day indeed, Mahmoud! Let's celebrate by blowing up a bus full of infidel women and children! ULULULULULULULULULULULULULU!!!!!!!"

But that's not the real point.

That's a shock...

The real audience for this act on his part would be Americans who are truly disgusted at what has taken place.

And they're directing their disgust at Rummy because.......?

It is also the American forces, who are Mr. Rumsfeld's responsibility...

"Military officers? What are those?"

...who will see what happened to him and will not repeat those acts in Iraq, or anywhere else.

Let me get this straight: These morons in Iraq decided to take frickin' pictures of themselves as they abused Iraqi POWs. Given the fact that they were dumb enough to do that in the first place, you think that firing the Secretary of Defense, rather than disciplining the people who actually perpetrated the acts, will prevent further incidents?

...What planet are you people living on, anyway?

Posted by CD on May 7, 2004 05:35 PM
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