<The photos I've seen of the Iraqis have been taken from a distance, and they haven't been interrogated in public.>
CB, The New Zealand Herald published up close and personal photos of two Iraqis [and more but I would recognize those two now from my scrutiny of those particular photos]. They were captives of the USA military. The photos are censored by USA officials, therefore the photos were allowed out for propaganda value, showing how the Iraqis were surrendering.
My wife thought it disgraceful to show the guy being given water, with a gun apparently being pointed at his head, though the gun was really just present rather than being pointed. I don't agree and think that in a war, each side might as well publish anything it likes and I didn't see anything unethical in the photos I've seen. Neither did I think the pictures of the USA prisoners was unethical.
It is true that the USA has published photos of Iraqi prisoners in states of indignity, fear, surrender. They have done that for propaganda value. It seems normal enough to me, if unsubtle and now, obviously, not very effective. The psychops stuff was clumsy, heavy-handed and transparent as well as ineffective [to any great extent].
Iraq won the battle of the pictures and especially with a girl surrendering. It's not a good look to have girls fighting for you if you are a guy, which a lot of Americans are. Many Iraqis would find that contemptible and cowardly, even though she was apparently a logistics supporter rather than a confrontation agent.
Not only is it not a good look to have girls fighting for you, it's also dangerous. Of course each person is an individual and the best of the female fighters would be vastly better than the worst of the males, [especially those who toss hand grenades in your tent or shoot down your aircraft or crash into you - assuming the pilots and Patriot launchers weren't female], but I'd rather have a gang of guys alongside me fighting than some girls. Guys have spent millions of years being DNA- filtered for gang warfare. I don't know any women who I'd like standing alongside me in a conflict [unless it was to heal the wounds and provide support or brainpower or something]. I know lots of guys I wouldn't like alongside me too, or within 100 miles, even as a supporter, but I know lots I would like alongside me.
Women can be plenty aggressive and confrontational, but when push really comes to shove, when the chips are really down and it's time to kill, battle and destroy, their heart isn't in it. They aren't designed for male mayhem.
The males fight and the winners get to do the insemination. The women get their DNA carried by the more successful guys. It's built into the threads of existence. Girls play house and boys play cowboys and Indians [they aren't allowed to now of course].
Okay, I got sidetracked from the photos. But a photo of a surrendered American soldier girl being treated humanely and pictures of American soldier bodies in a morgue trump a photo of a fearful Iraqi soldier being given a drink of water, kneeling with a gun at his head. The stock market and price of oil and price of gold agrees.
I didn't like it either! I far prefer the idea of Iraq surrendering and the UN moving in to introduce civilization. With an ineffectual UN, a USA military attack in some disarray [shooting themselves, crashing themselves and being shot in the supply lines and in ambushes], it's not a good situation.
We will see if the Afghan Al Q supporter warlord is right that Americans are chocolate soldiers [I guess meaning they melt in the heat of battle, but maybe in the heat of summer]. When the going gets tough, the tough might turn to genocide and fear in the Iraqi population as the only way to win, and free the people in the same way they pacified villages like My Lai. Or give it away. The heat is on.
Operation Iraqi Freedom I hope doesn't turn to something grotesque.
Perhaps Saddam is right and the only way to subdue the opposition is in the tried and true totalitarian suppression and murder of those who poke their head above the parapet, as well as a few others who looks as though they might be thinking about it.
They say that those who fight monsters can become them [paraphrased and misquoted]; Nietzche or somebody [or nobody].
I liked the idea of a 110 minute surrender much better. Unfortunately, so far, it's going like Globalstar - lots of noise and not a lot of progress. I am hoping for a much better outcome.
Mqurice [Yes, it is only 5.20am and I am mad - I shall go back to bed]. |
