Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Everybody agrees what happened at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq is pretty horrible.
Humiliating and torturing prisoners - physically, psychologically or other wise - is pretty horrible stuff.
But you know - and I really hate to sayÊthis - I can't say I was shocked by the behavior.
We live in a great country, there's no doubt about that. We enjoy a level of freedom and prosperity known to no other people in the history of mankind.
But to say Americans could never be capable of such horrible behavior as in the Abu Ghraib fiasco is a stretch.
Surely U.S. history is filled with wonderful, caring, helpful, strong, intelligent, innovative people.
People like Abe Lincoln, Ben Franklin, Martin Luther King, Florence Nightingale, George Washington Carver, Thomas Edison - these are just off the top of my head. There are legions more.
But you have to remember, the U.S. also is the place that brought us people like Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, Al Capone and Timothy McVeigh.
Americans aren't exempt from committing heinous acts. The Americans at Abu Ghraib are living proof.
But fortunately, the good generally seems to win out over the evil in the U.S. There are a lot more good people than bad.
The big difference between the U.S. and other countries is in the way we deal with it when things go wrong.
In America, we're free to criticize. We're free to demand that the people responsible are held accountable.
There are plenty of places where you don't get the luxury of criticizing or demanding anything.
You don't speak up. You don't vote. You don't have a voice at all.
That's what makes the U.S. unique in the world.
Our system of government is more than 200 years old. That in itself is quite an achievement.
There are not many systems of government that can claim that level of longevity.
Even more unique is the level of freedom our government affords us. Freedom of speech. Freedom of press. Freedom of religion.
America is not perfect, but really, where on Earth would you rather pitch your tent?
Sure, I'm ashamed of the actions of a few Americans at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
I'm also ashamed of the actions of a few Americans who rob convenience stores or batter wives or molest kids.
But I'm proud of America. I'm proud of what American stands for.
America doesn't stand for what happened at that prison anymore than it stands for robbers or batterers or molesters.
One of the soldiers involved in the prison fiasco already has been sentenced.
I am confident the rest of those responsible will be bought to justice.
There are lots of people who say what happened at Abu Ghraib prison will make it easier for terrorists to recruit new members.
I disagree.
Terrorism experts say getting into al-Qaida is a bit like getting into an Ivy League school.
Only about 15 percent of those who try to join al-Qaida actually make it.
Prison abuse or no prison abuse, terrorist networks have all the recruits they can handle.
In addition, it seems to me in the Arab world, it would be difficult for the U.S. to be hated any more than it already is.
Before the invasion and subsequent liberation of Iraq, I got the sense that a good portion of the Arab world resented America.
Now I get the sense that a good portion of the Arab world despises us.
At the outset of the Iraq war, I held out hope the Iraqis would welcome us as liberators.
That hope has grown dim for me. While I am sure there are Iraqis - maybe a majority - who are happy Saddam is gone, it seems they remain reluctant to embrace us.
My solemn hope and prayer is that people around the world will understand what I understand.
That freedom and democracy - not repression and tyranny - are in their best interest.
That the vast majority of Americans are good people. People who would never behave like the people at that Iraqi prison.
I think the Arab world has the impression most Americans are arrogant, spiteful bullies.
I just wish theyÊcould know that simply isn't true.
