Political rant time

Like lots of people in the US and around the world, the abuse of the Iraqi prisoners by US armed forces is occupying quite a bit of my thoughts. Damn yes, Rumsfeld should resign for the sake of the entire world, or else how is anyone to believe that these apologies for these Auschiewitz-like abuses hold any weight? As should Bush, but that isn't going to happen. And, conspicuous in his absence--as usual--from all media attention, is Mr. Haliburton himself. Rumsfeld seemed to be at pains to hide the names of the contracting companies, moreso than any of the names of military officers. Interesting. Stay tuned folks. But the media--wake up--at least mention Cheney exists during this crisis.

And look how things are done in America. In Michigan the House of Reps has passed a bill to allow health care workers to conscientiously[!] object to treating patients--yup, queer folk, as well as any women seeking reproductive and rep preventive care. And the state Senate just added some amendments that do nothing to change this. Just another display of compassionate conservatism--yeah, we see how well that works. Thanks to ninglor for first bringing this to my attention on my flist a couple of weeks ago. The news about this, even before the abuse pictures broke, is just not getting out anywhere, and it's serious, another notch of contempt for civil rights even above the marriage and domestic partnership issues. If I were in Michigan right now, I would be very afraid for my life.

And here's more charming news on this administration's attitude toward civil rights, in this case all US women, brought to my attention by a link from supergee--thank you.

And I've heard commentators on NPR today talking about the photo of the female soldier walking the Iraqi man on a leash and what an effect this will have on the Arab world's view of Americans' ideas about women. Though there is probably validity in this claim, it also involves quite a bit of orientalism--the west projecting its own demons on the Arab world. With pics of Iraqi men being sexually assaulted with sticks, NPR just couldn't stop talking about the female soldier with the leash as a head line yesterday, as did the Washington Post in highlighting that pic before the others. Yes, misogyny is rampant in Arab culture, but its pretty well rampant in ours, or else, that abuser would have been referred to as a soldier, as the male soldiers were referred to, instead of female soldier, and it's this kind of hypocrisy that helps set the climate for such abuse of people. I can't help but see the possibility that she's been scapegoated, as her lawyer claims; however, those are criminal acts she's engaging in and she needs to be prosecuted, as well as the others pictured and on up the chain of command. But I don't think the fact that the first commander in Iraq whose name was brought before the American media in relation to the scandal--Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski-- is female was an accident, anymore than it's an accident that pics of this abusive soldier who is female surfaced first and their names broadcasted when the admin is being so cagey still about naming names. They didn't have the protection of the old boy's network in the military and it looks to me like some of the old boys hoped tossing the girls would work. It doesn't seem to be working, and I hope the old boys are routed out. Misogyny and homophobia, as much as intense racism, has everything to do with the sexual form the abuse took, and scapegoating Arab cultures for their misogyny is being used to deflect from our own, as usual--this needs to be avoided.

Rant over, for now.