Sunday, January 16, 2005
I used to get pretty good scores on those standardized reading-comprehension tests back in the day. One of the common question-types was to read a short passage and then pick the most appropriate title for the passage. Read the body of this CNN piece and see what title you think fits:
a) Many Iraqis say Graner sentence too lenient
or
b) Most Iraqis unconcerned about Graner sentencing
Of course CNN is sure to go out and cherry-pick the most extreme opinions - people who think 10 years in the cooler is too good for him, and makes sure that the opinions of the majority who don't care are framed in such a way that the only reason they don't care is that they're already too miserable in their own lives to bother thinking about it.
Here's what I think, but obviously can't prove: Most Iraqis don't care because it's not as big a deal to them as the Western press wants us to think it is, and of those who do pay attention, this sentence is amazing as it's the type of punishment that would never happen in any Arab country anywhere, and certainly not ever before in Iraq.
CNN.com - Many Iraqis say Graner sentence too lenient
But struggling to cope with daily violence, crime, and fuel and food shortages, and fearing more bloodshed ahead of Jan. 30 elections, most said they had paid little attention to Graner's court martial.
Some said members of Saddam Hussein's regime responsible for torture and killing at the notorious prison west of Baghdad before the U.S.-led invasion should also be brought to justice.
"It's too little. This isn't justice," trader Ali Ahmed, 23, said of Graner's sentence.
"Even capital punishment isn't enough. But since it's forbidden to torture him the way he tortured the prisoners, I would have settled for the death penalty."...
