"I Got’cher Apology, Right Here"

Robin, my little brother's better half, turns us on to this J.D. Pendry masterpiece titled I Got’cher Apology, Right Here:

We’re just all apologizing our hind-ends off to the Arabs on behalf of some poorly led meatheads. As we’re prone to say over here in Wild Wonderful, time out Bubba. I demand that the leaders of all Islamic countries and Islamic religious leaders make a public apology to America for the atrocity committed in the name of their religion on September 11, 2001. …3 years and I’m still waiting. I want an apology from the Iraqis in Fallujah who killed, burned, mutilated, drug through the streets and hung Americans from a bridge. I want an apology from Syria for their support of terrorists fighting in Iraq. I want an apology from Iran for its interference in Iraq. I want apologies from France, Russia, Germany and the United Nations for the money they received from Saddam Hussein in the oil for food racket – their true reason for opposing the war. I want an apology from Saudi Arabia for financing bin Laden. Until I hear these apologies, I don’t expect that I’ll get my shorts in a bunch because a few miscreants stacked up some naked Arabs. Send me your hate mail. I don’t care. All of this apology malarkey has practically spoiled a great week for me and I don’t like it

I am sorry for a few things, however. Teddy Kennedy, Robert Byrd, the 9/11 Commission, losing Vietnam, Hollywood, and not being rich come to mind.

I’m sorry that a first level leadership failure allowed soldiers to abuse prisoners. Soldiers are human and often find themselves in inhumane situations. Being human, they perform within the parameters of behavior tolerated by their leaders. There are many PFC Englands out there. They’re followers who want to belong to the group and perform to what they believe are the leader’s expectations. There is virtually no chance that these soldiers can get a fair hearing. American public opinion – spurred by the “news” media and political hacks – has them tried, convicted and ready to hand over to the nearest lynch mob. Maybe we could burn them and hang them from a bridge too.

I’m sorry that I have not seen one single leader remind the world that we are obligated to look after the rights of these accused soldiers. Not one, none, nada, zip. All of these soldiers are ours good or bad. Instead of insisting on protection of their rights, we are busily telling the Arabs how we intend to hold public trials for them in Baghdad and how we are more concerned about the rights of the people who want to kill us. Hell, why don’t we just turn them over to al-Sadr? Is there anyone out there who believes that a military jury is going to render an unbiased decision in this case now? Don’t you think that each jurist will be thinking of the ramifications of their decision more so than the rightness of it? If you think these soldiers have a chance of getting a fair trial, please write me and let me know how you came to that conclusion.

I’m sorry for a “news” media that has staunchly refused to report on any of the successes our soldiers and none of the good things they’ve accomplished, but go to great lengths to portray a few meatheads as the majority. It’s enough to make me want to puke. This is the same “news’ media which portrayed the actions of an Army Lieutenant Colonel as heroic after he threatened a prisoner with a weapon and then fired it several times - one of those times near his head – in an attempt to get information. With the glorification by the media of this incident, it should be no surprise that PFC England was leading a naked Arab around by a leash. She wasn’t, however, shooting at his head. The sensationalizing of this issue by the American press has done more harm to American soldiers and America than any other act I can think of. Al Jazeera must be proud of its American affiliates. This is the same media, by the way, that demands we protect the rights of an accused rapist who just happens to be a millionaire athlete, demands that we protect the rights of twice-accused child molester who is also a famous millionaire, but stands ready to run up the gallows some misguided, poorly led Army enlisted people. Yep, I’m sorry about that. I demand an apology from the American press.

There's much more, so read it all.

UPDATE: I'm reminded that Robin's mom Maureen sent this to us originally... Thanks Maureen!

Comments

[Douglas]

I'm just waiting for someone to tell Ted Kennedy, "This is not your brother's Viet Nam."

In the year 2054, give or take, W will be on some coin

[gg]

I was a Naval Officer for many years. When a ship went aground, or had a collision at sea, the helmsman didn't get court martialled. The Captain got relieved, first, and then the Navy decided what to do next.

I can't put my head around the concept of treating prisoners the way these people were treated. Nor can I believe that the chain of command was properly constituted. Either it was constituted of bad officers who looked the other way when they shouldn't have, or bad officers who weren't looking at all. Either case is unacceptable.

I can't put my head around the concept of so many Americans thinking that we will win the hearts and minds of a people by treating them so outrageously. Given our record for intelligence accuracy in Afghanistan and Iraq, I have trouble thinking that many of those confined in Saddam's torture prison by the U.S. have any reason to be there.

This type of thoughtless treatment is like that we gave to the Nissei during World War II. We ruined lives in the face of no threat whatsoever, illegally defrauding U.S. Citizens of their rights.

I looked again the other day, and found no Declaration of War in the Congressional Record. Where the "W" finds his justification for wartime powers escapes me.

We are placing our great-grandchildren's heirs into economic peril with the huge debts being amassed to destroy Iraq, and to what end? Saddam is gone. OK. We are [re-]building the schools and powerplants and water facilities destroyed in the attacks. We owe it to the Iraqi people to put their country back together, apologize, and get out. We removed a sty on the eye of Iraq by blowing a hole through her intestines.

We have great soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard members carrying out their orders in a foreign place. We should be proud of them and defend them and their service. The same should not be true for those who sent them into such a harmful path with no cause.

So that was a little honesty to go along with the Brutality being pursued by this administration.

[Rick]

I was a Naval Officer for many years. When a ship went aground, or had a collision at sea, the helmsman didn't get court martialled. The Captain got relieved, first, and then the Navy decided what to do next.

Great idea... General Karpinski needs to be relieved...

I can't put my head around the concept of so many Americans thinking that we will win the hearts and minds of a people by treating them so outrageously.

I'm not seeing where so many Americans are thinking in this manner... what Americans? Where are you getting this from?

I looked again the other day, and found no Declaration of War in the Congressional Record. Where the "W" finds his justification for wartime powers escapes me.

Have you read the UN resolutions? And although there is no formal declaration of war, there is congressional authorization for action to be taken... true?

We are placing our great-grandchildren's heirs into economic peril with the huge debts being amassed to destroy Iraq, and to what end? Saddam is gone. OK. We are [re-]building the schools and powerplants and water facilities destroyed in the attacks. We owe it to the Iraqi people to put their country back together, apologize, and get out. We removed a sty on the eye of Iraq by blowing a hole through her intestines.

Opinion substantiated if the New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times, ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC are the only sources for your news. Have you read some of the Iraqi blogs that are out there? If not you should. They tend to have a different perspective. And they're there in the midst of it... where exactly are you?

We have great soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard members carrying out their orders in a foreign place. We should be proud of them and defend them and their service. The same should not be true for those who sent them into such a harmful path with no cause.

No cause? How can you arrive at that conclusion without being myopic in your gathering of the news? Were you wringing your hands when Iraqis were being brutalized and murdered by Hussein and his thugs? Are you ignoring 12 years and 17 UN resolutions? I cannot understand the mindset.

So that was a little honesty to go along with the Brutality being pursued by this administration.

That was opinion filtered through rose colored glasses that minimizes the brutality of the Hussein regime while demonizing the powers that be that have freed Iraq and are trying to do their level best to bring freedom to a region enslaved for far too long. I cannot, for the life of me, understand the perspective. But I'll attempt to. I've added you to the blogroll... for now...