Better Stop Flogging Now
Peter e-mails to offer up a thought for consideration:
So far I have not seen a blog using the following analogy in the Abu Ghraib
case. Feel free to be the first.
"In 1997, in a police station bathroom, Haitian immigrant Abner Louima was
brutalized by NYPD Officer Justin Volpe. Volpe pleaded guilty to the assault.
Officer Charles Schwarz was found guilty of assisting him, though both Volpe and
Schwarz insist that the second officer in the room -- though not taking part in
the attack -- was Thomas Wiese. Schwarz, Wiese, and Thomas Bruder were
subsequently convicted of obstruction, for attempting to cover up the facts of
the case, though these convictions were put aside on February 28, 2002."
Did the people of New York City or New York State lose all confidence in the NYC
police department? Did newspapers call for an accelerated exit strategy that
would remove all police presence from the streets of NYC as quickly as possible?
Was the relationship between the police and the public declared a quagmire? Did
anyone outside of NYC pay any attention to this event at all? Outside of the US?
The answers, of course, are NO, NO, NO, NO, and NO.
The Abu Ghraib case not only seems analogous. It seems IDENTICAL. Rogues with
unclear personal boundaries did some weird stuff. They were caught. Proper
channels were followed in identifying, apprehending, and trying them. End of
story.
It is now up to the media to explain why they think it is NOT the end of the
story. I know, the temptation for bloggers is to guess at their motivation.
Perhaps this. Maybe that. But it is not a guessing game. It is an editorial
choice. If they can't tell us why they continue to flog this dead horse, they
should stop the flogging.
Peter does make an apt comparison. However, I have one small bone to pick with him. Although I did not make a direct analogy between NYC cops and the abuses at Abu Ghraib, I was on a similar wavelength way back on May 6th when I wrote:
The mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison by U.S. military guards is disgusting and shameful. All of those who are responsible in any way for the actions, be they the guards themselves, their commanders, U.S. intelligence agents, or private contractors should be punished appropriately. While their conduct will no doubt damage Coalition efforts to provide security and stability to Iraq, it should in no way be seen to invalidate the reasons for the war. Nor should it influence U.S. decisions on the future course of the war.
Do the actions of a few bad cops mean that the noble efforts of the majority of the police force to fight crime was wrong? Would you then conclude that because of these inappropriate actions the police should completely abandon their efforts at fighting crime? Of course not. Only a fool would believe so.
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