# Some War Criminals are less criminal **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 2, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034 "2005-02-02T20:28:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![New\_Iskander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/db5fbb/32.png) [@New\_Iskander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Iskander)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/1 "2005-02-02T20:28:39Z")
The trials of hapless Abu Ghraib brutes are proceeding apace and appropriate sentences are meted out as warranted, up to 10 years prison time. This somber occassion provides an opportunity to some champions of morality to pat themselves in-between their newly sprouted wings and denounce torture as un-American. Then they make mournful faces and declare that the whole thing wouldn’t happen if Bush didn’t invade Iraq. Then they denounce Bush. Which is all fine and extremely noble, except that all those champions of American morality just recently voted for a [bona fide war crimina Sen. Kerry](http://counterpunch.org/cockburn07292004.html) to be their President. Why are Abu Ghraib prison guards are getting prison sentences while Sen. Kerry is running for POTUS? Isn’t that a bloody crying shame? What did they have to do, instead of intimidating prisoners, shoot them with machine guns? - Now, don’t be silly, ol’ boy! Of course compounding the crime is not the answer. The trick is to have _connections_. Also helps to get a quick discharge and denounce the whole mess before legal proceedings commence. To achive that, again, one needs _connections_. So glad we had that little chat… ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/2 "2005-02-02T21:11:17Z")
My fucking CD-meter just exploded. No… None of that ever happened. It was all a bunch of bullshit, and Kerry spent all his time waterskiing and cowering. I mean, jesus-fucking-christ. Make up your goddamned mind. Was Kerry a wuss who never did anything (what you chimps were claiming before the fucking election), or an overzealous Rambo who was mowing down Vietnamese women and children by the dozen? -Joe ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/3 "2005-02-02T21:12:34Z")
Odd that you find a flaming Stalinist to be such a reliable source, innit? ---
**Author:** ![Tool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@Tool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tool)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/4 "2005-02-02T21:19:26Z")
When come back, do more drugs. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/5 "2005-02-02T22:00:44Z")
Kerry is **still** running for Prez? Doesn’t he know when to give up? ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/6 "2005-02-02T22:06:08Z")
It’s Bill Clinton’s fault! ---
**Author:** ![Tool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@Tool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tool)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/7 "2005-02-02T22:14:52Z")
What about Cheney in his snow blower outfit while attending a world event? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/8 "2005-02-02T22:25:19Z")
Good Gods. It’s like all the lights in the country went off and the roaches are scuttling about. We had the swift-liars-for-bush smear him, and you’re not done? You’re going to try to smear him with a diametricly opposed slander? ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/9 "2005-02-02T22:29:06Z")
Your location field is eerily accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/10 "2005-02-02T22:31:44Z")
Couldn’t you at least _try_ to be less of a douchebag, **NI**? You don’t have to be a fucking asshole every day of your life, you know. I’m pretty sure you’ve long ago met your Repugnican quota-for-life and can really rest on your laurels from here-on-out. If you haven’t gotten that into your tectonically thick skull, I can only assume you _enjoy_ being a right-wing fuckwit. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/11 "2005-02-02T22:35:18Z")
I recommend penicillin for that “quick discharge”. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/12 "2005-02-02T22:40:34Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Good Gods. > It’s like all the lights in the country went off and the roaches are scuttling about. > We had the swift-liars-for-bush smear him, and you’re not done? You’re going to try to smear him with a diametricly opposed slander? My head just exploded too buddy. **New Iskander** is hands down one of the top 3 insane posters on this board. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/13 "2005-02-02T23:02:49Z")
Stuckinarut, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/14 "2005-02-02T23:03:54Z")
Sorry, **Max the Vool** , missed your post the first time round. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/15 "2005-02-02T23:14:12Z")
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, **New Iskander**! John Kerry is certainly not getting my vote now! ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/16 "2005-02-02T23:28:18Z")
Um, Alexander Cockburn thinks _everything_ done in a war by the US is a war crime. Whilst there are some minor inconsistencies in some of the specifics of what then-Lieutenant Kerry did on this or that occasion, they are not larger than what might reasonably be expected of 35-year-old recollections from a war zone. And there is no substantial credible evidence that his service was other than honorable. So, in conclusion, blow me and piss off. I am sorry however, that the hamsters held your OP hostage for over three months. That’s uncalled for. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/17 "2005-02-02T23:48:18Z")
Yeah, what they said. Bugger off. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/18 "2005-02-02T23:53:09Z")
> [@New Iskander](#): > > This somber occassion provides an opportunity to some champions of morality to pat themselves in-between their newly sprouted wings and denounce torture as un-American. This is my favorite part. It’s as if you’d have to think of yourself as somewhere between Mother Teresa and Jesus to be against torturing people. “Sure, I’d love to not torture people, but hey, nobody’s perfect, right? I’m trying to quit smoking, too! Cut me some slack!” ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/19 "2005-02-03T00:14:05Z")
> [@New Iskander](#): > > This somber occassion provides an opportunity to some champions of morality to pat themselves in-between their newly sprouted wings and denounce torture as un-American. Un-American? What? Why, torture is as American as apple pie! I can hear the jingle now: baseball, hot dogs, torture and Chevrolet! Just ask Philip Zimbardo how American torture is. Or Stanley Milgram. Torture isn’t American or un-American. It is unfortunately, uncomfortably, human. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034/20 "2005-02-03T00:31:56Z")
> [@Rufus Xavier](#): > > Un-American? What? Why, torture is as American as apple pie! I can hear the jingle now: _Oh, say can you see, by the poker’s red light…_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-war-criminals-are-less-criminal/288034.md?page=2)