Non Non-Sequitur

Hearing Scott McClellen address the press to blame Newsweek for the horrendous record of abuse and violation of human rights committed by our soldiers left me speechless. I realize that desecration of the Koran is a greater sin than the others in the eyes of many believers of Islam but stories like this are why there was no hesitation whatsoever to believe that the US had documented cases of Koran abuse.

"A U.S. Army captain forced an Iraqi detainee to dig his own grave and then ordered troops to pretend to shoot the detainee in one of several mock executions described in investigative documents released Tuesday by the Army.

Soldiers quoted the captain as telling them they 'shouldn't talk about it' and should 'have your stories straight.'

Capt. Shawn L. Martin of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment was convicted of aggravated assault and battery in a court-martial proceeding for the mock execution episode, an Army spokesman said. He was sentenced to 45 days' confinement and fined $12,000.

On July 13, 2003, Martin drove the blindfolded Iraqi, a suspect in a roadside bombing against American troops two days earlier, into the desert near Ramadi, according to military documents and Army officials.

Martin handed him a shovel and told him to dig his own grave, soldiers under his command testified during an investigation.

A sergeant said he fired a round over the Iraqi's head on the captain's orders. Afterward, the prisoner was released.

Army officials said the incident violated rules contained in the Army's field manual, which explicitly prohibits mock executions as a form of torture."

Their reaction should have been expected and follows the "if you'll lie, you'll cheat; if you'll cheat you'll steal" logic. If we did everything else, who would possibly believe we couldn't destroy a holy book?