The Silence of the Keyboarders

Now: [BBC] The US military has launched a criminal investigation into alleged misconduct by its troops in Afghanistan, including burning the bodies of Taleban fighters. The move came after an Australian TV station ran footage of what appeared to be US soldiers burning the remains. The footage shows other troops apparently taunting residents of a nearby village, which they believed to be harbouring the Taleban. The act of burning corpses is regarded as a sacrilege in Islam.

Reaction from National Review's The Corner? [ ... ]

Then, specifically April 2004, on National Review's The Corner:

DISGUSTING [Andrew Stuttaford]
There are terrible images over on Drudge of the scene today in Fallujah. I quote from AP: "Enraged Iraqis in this hotbed of anti-Americanism killed four foreigners Wednesday, including at least one U.S. national, took the charred bodies from a burning SUV, dragged them through the streets, and hung them from the bridge spanning the Euphrates River." The deaths themselves are tragedy enough, and as for the rest of it...

I seem to recall that when the bodies of Sadaam's sons were put on display, we were told this was 'un-Islamic'. Lets see what the mullahs, the imams and the other holy men have to say about this incident.

...
FALLUJAH [John Derbyshire]
Given that these civilian contractors and their colleagues have been brought in to, among other things, get essential services like water, electricity, and sewerage working, I suggest that the Coalition authorities make sure that none of these utilities is available in the city of Fallujah until the bombers are handed over.

FALLUJAH [Rick Brookhiser]
Fallujahns are saying that Fallujah is the graveyard of Americans. Time it became the graveyard of some of those Fallujahns responsible for today's brutality.

IS THERE NO LIMIT TO AMERICAN FORBEARANCE? [John Derbyshire]
Apparently not: "Mr. Derbyshire--Wow, great idea. Let's cut off utilities to Fallujah. If Iraqis there were thirsty, in the dark, and wallowing in their own sh*t, it would really improve America's ability to maintain order and install some sort of democratic system in their country. Sometimes you post things that seem like they are straight out of the Onion."

All right, all right. Then let's just make Fallujah the LAST bit of Iraq we bring democracy to. Followed, after a decent interval, by water, electricity,....

MORE FALLUJAH [Rich Lowry]
E-mail:

... otherwise there is the potential for this being hailed as a "Mogadishu" by Al Qaeda, the Ba'ath Dead Enders, and a few professors at Coulmbia, if you remember that incident:

SOMALIA VS FALLUJAH [Jonah Goldberg]
.... We cut and run after Somalia. We're going to stick it out in Iraq. The savages in Somalia largely got away with it. I doubt that will happen with the Fallujites (Fallujans? Fallopians?).