As the result of an extremely controversial verdict, I am very upset at the news that former U.S. soldier, Steven Green, 24, of Midland, Texas has been sentenced to life in prison. And it's only because he shot and killed a teenage girl's mother, her father and her six year old sister, before raping her (he was the third G.I. to do so) and when finished (out of some perverse gratitude or deep guilt, I suppose), he shot the girl in the face and set her body on fire.
Why am I so outraged over Green's sentence, just as all good Americans should be? Because Steven Green was just part of the wrong kind of unit. If only he had been assigned duty as one of our Bush administration approved soldier prison guard torture interrogators where (as we are slowly learning -- no wonder Obama doesn't want us and the world to see it, to know it!) -- rape and murder are just part of America's extreme questioning techniques.
Many good citizens know and condone this and it seems extremely unfair Steven Green will be spending the rest of his life behind bars when he could still be walking around *free* as a person who has honorably served his nation had he only committed rape and murder in the line of his assigned duty -- interrogation.
4 comments:
Bring on the *Enhanced Prosecution*...
What's not to be outraged about this???
Clearly the "bad apple" theory does not apply....
the rotten apples were @ the helm.
I am so f*cking outraged at the assholes who represent American policies to the rest of the world who represent me! Those are not my policies. From the president, congress, our militancy, $$'ed special interests, the two major political parties, Americans who just go along and especially the Russertarian media that think seeing a UFO is germane in deciding if someone is fit to be elected president to ignoring third party candidates and some of their very significant platform planks on how to save this rotting, stinking ship from sinking. And how about a recent "poll released by the Pew Forum revealing most white Christian evangelicals and white Catholics condone torture whereas only a minority of those who seldom or never attend church services condone torture, etc. etc., and on and on.
Have you noticed, Fran, in the last week or two the stories of the economy bottoming out, signs we're 'through the worst of it' - a slow recovery is igniting?! Forget the 'minor' contradictions of the auto makers, workers, dealerships who/that have yet to get the axe, of the foreclosures now spreading to prime mortagees as a result. Yet Wall Street mkts rally on the weakest threads of optimism. (Pardon my pessimism at some economist's crystal balls.)
I wish the Russians, Chinese, Venezuelans, etc. luck in extending their sphere of influence via trade and diplomatic means while the US extends its global influence with threats and coercion at the end of bomb laden drone missiles and torture dungeons, killing and maiming tens of thousands, making "ifetime US allies" in the process.
There's one helluva tab coming due for our hubris.
And, wow, I can't wait for another birthday to roll around (July 4th) so we can celebrate as the rest of the world looks on with envy (and hatred) for all the freedoms we enjoy!
Whoa, I'd better get another cup of coffee. Sorry for the rant.
Don't apologize, Dada. I'm sitting here wondering why we're not all ranting. I guess we get overdosed on outrage and burnout because we are so burned up: incensed and incinerated, like the body of the young victim in your story. We are the walking dead.
Our death seems to be aggressively contagious.
Whew, I guess I'm getting close to a walking zombie as I missed the Steven Green story completely. You got it, I guess, because you live in TX. What I've been feeling lately is a sense of dull unreality as the new president is morphing from the old president on so many fronts that the drip, drip, drip has simply been a torent of rain that encapsulates my whole being. It was so much easier ranting against the Bush machine than the Obama sameness. I don't even know what to think of the SC nominee, national health insurance (with an emphasis on private insurance), et cetera. Gee, thanks, Dada, now I am in a funk! Seriously, thanks for the story and your point of view. They both shake my lethergy.
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