Comments on: Saddam Hussein’s underwear fiasco with a different flavor http://willtoexist.com/saddam-husseins-underwear-fiasco-with-a-different-flavor_161/ scribblings from a deist transhumanist libertarian minarchist citizen soldier Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:19:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Trevor http://willtoexist.com/saddam-husseins-underwear-fiasco-with-a-different-flavor_161/comment-page-1/#comment-736 Trevor Thu, 26 May 2005 21:08:43 +0000 http://willtoexist.com/?p=161#comment-736 How we treat our prisoners will not affect how people like Al-Zarqawi treats his. In my opinion. I suppose I could be wrong, but after watching the videos of men holding other men down and sawing their heads off, I doubt it. I'm sure we have people on the American side capable of doing such heinous things, but there would never be any widespread organizational support for such acts. That is what gives us the moral high ground in this conflict. How we treat our prisoners will not affect how people like Al-Zarqawi treats his. In my opinion. I suppose I could be wrong, but after watching the videos of men holding other men down and sawing their heads off, I doubt it.

I’m sure we have people on the American side capable of doing such heinous things, but there would never be any widespread organizational support for such acts. That is what gives us the moral high ground in this conflict.

]]> By: J. Buckley http://willtoexist.com/saddam-husseins-underwear-fiasco-with-a-different-flavor_161/comment-page-1/#comment-735 J. Buckley Thu, 26 May 2005 20:40:31 +0000 http://willtoexist.com/?p=161#comment-735 In the grand scheme of things, it's definitely not a huge deal, at least not until there are any kind of serious repercussions from it. I just don't think it helps our credibility or global standing much when we can't seem to follow even minor guidelines of the Geneva convention like that. My main concern is how captured Americans are treated as a result of our treatment of others. As for the Rumsfeld comment, that was more upsetting on a "blech" level than on a moral outrage level really. In the grand scheme of things, it’s definitely not a huge deal, at least not until there are any kind of serious repercussions from it. I just don’t think it helps our credibility or global standing much when we can’t seem to follow even minor guidelines of the Geneva convention like that. My main concern is how captured Americans are treated as a result of our treatment of others. As for the Rumsfeld comment, that was more upsetting on a “blech” level than on a moral outrage level really.

]]> By: Trevor http://willtoexist.com/saddam-husseins-underwear-fiasco-with-a-different-flavor_161/comment-page-1/#comment-734 Trevor Thu, 26 May 2005 17:50:20 +0000 http://willtoexist.com/?p=161#comment-734 Jason, Please don't hesitate to argue in the future, if that is what you feel is called for. If Donald Rumsfeld is one day a prisoner, and I see him in his underwear, it won't be particularly upsetting to me. If I were taken prisoner, and they showed me in my underwear, it wouldn't be particularly upsetting to me. I think I'd worry about other things. Not that I'm anti-Geneva Conventions or anti-humane treatment of prisoners. Far from it. I believe in human dignity. But the idea of a brutal dictator being humiliated by being shown in his underwear just isn't that big a deal. It's not proper, but it's not really all that terrible either. Jason,

Please don’t hesitate to argue in the future, if that is what you feel is called for. If Donald Rumsfeld is one day a prisoner, and I see him in his underwear, it won’t be particularly upsetting to me.

If I were taken prisoner, and they showed me in my underwear, it wouldn’t be particularly upsetting to me. I think I’d worry about other things.

Not that I’m anti-Geneva Conventions or anti-humane treatment of prisoners. Far from it. I believe in human dignity. But the idea of a brutal dictator being humiliated by being shown in his underwear just isn’t that big a deal. It’s not proper, but it’s not really all that terrible either.

]]> By: J. Buckley http://willtoexist.com/saddam-husseins-underwear-fiasco-with-a-different-flavor_161/comment-page-1/#comment-733 J. Buckley Thu, 26 May 2005 16:03:12 +0000 http://willtoexist.com/?p=161#comment-733 Trevor, I'm definitely not trying to be argumentative, I just think that if we're supposed to be enforcing the Geneva Convention, we need to be following it to the letter for credibility's sake. And besides it sets a dangerous precedent. If someday somebody like Donald Rumsfeld winds up on trial for war crimes, do we really want to see him in his underwear? Trevor, I’m definitely not trying to be argumentative, I just think that if we’re supposed to be enforcing the Geneva Convention, we need to be following it to the letter for credibility’s sake. And besides it sets a dangerous precedent. If someday somebody like Donald Rumsfeld winds up on trial for war crimes, do we really want to see him in his underwear?

]]> By: Trevor http://willtoexist.com/saddam-husseins-underwear-fiasco-with-a-different-flavor_161/comment-page-1/#comment-721 Trevor Wed, 25 May 2005 18:54:57 +0000 http://willtoexist.com/?p=161#comment-721 Jason, I won't argue with you. If I were in charge, I might mete out a slap on the wrist to the offending guard (or whoever took the photos). However, I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep over the situation. No, we shouldn't condone the behavior, but it should be examined in the proper light - as a rather insignificant issue in comparision to Saddam's own tally of activities. Thanks for stopping by. Jason,

I won’t argue with you.

If I were in charge, I might mete out a slap on the wrist to the offending guard (or whoever took the photos). However, I wouldn’t lose a lot of sleep over the situation.

No, we shouldn’t condone the behavior, but it should be examined in the proper light – as a rather insignificant issue in comparision to Saddam’s own tally of activities.

Thanks for stopping by.

]]>