The Haditha atrocity is a symptom

Just my take on the matter.

After 6 1/2(?) years of radical right wing control via Bush - the Haditha atrocity is completely understandable - but also utterly unforgivable. It is a symptom of a sick and ailing nation groaning under the pain of a presidency that sent America to war based on lies.

It is not an isolated incident. It is a result of an army sent into a warzone without adequate armour or personnel - overextended and overworked. Even the best trained military in the world cannot quell the breakdown in discipline that is bound to occur under these circumstances.

The war is a lie. It is a falsehood that the American military pay for with their heart, their very souls, their morality and their lives. Bush shouldn't be thankful to the troops. He should get down on his frigging knees and hope and pray to them - to them - to forgive him. They shouldn't be there. And I know of no one personally serving - and I would not judge them.....but if your not angry at Bushco - you aren't paying attention....and you are NOT HONORING the troops, their sacrifice and their committment.

Check this article
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/06/01/the_man_from_haditha.php

I was reading about a documentary that will be on tonight called "The Human Behavior Experiments" when a comment made by Dr. Zimbardo, the man who conducted the Stanford guard experiments, caught my eye.

As Zimbardo, who was an expert witness for one of the Abu Ghraib defendants, responded to the government's "a few bad apples" excuse in the documentary, "It's not the apples, it's the barrel."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/272284_tv01.html

In searching for more context, I found an article where he goes into more detail: http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/05/21/zimbarbo.access/

No, see that's what's been happening -- from Bush on down, we're saying it's a few bad apples, it's isolated. But what's bad is the barrel.

The barrel is the barrel I created by my prison -- and we put good boys in, just as in this Iraqi prison. And the barrel corrupts. It's the barrel of the evil of prisons -- with secrecy, with no accountability -- which gives people permission to do things they ordinarily would not.

So in the Iraqi situation, I know that there is boredom and it's an incredibly stressful job. They're very much afraid, there's no accountability.


Although, he's referring to Abu Ghraib, this easily extends to the whole situation, particularly as "the barrel" has been set up by Rumsfeld and the Bush administration, a barrel which does not acknowledge Geneva Rights or basic human rights, but instead condones torture, kidnapping (renditions), and brutality.

That said, I would have to modify Zimbardo's statement to "It's not just the apples, it's the barrel." to something I would more agree with.
I still think the people involved can not be excused for what they have done, but believe that accountability for Haditha should not be limited to what will again be called a few bad apples, but should extend to the people who manufactured the corrupt barrel as well.