Speak Out 05/14/05

Fantastic show

MIKE DUMEY has done it again. He has produced a fantastic show with the junior high students. From the little animated narrator to the funny genie, they all were just delightful. Dumey provides such a good time and devotes so much of his talent. We ought to be really glad we have got Mike Dumey in this town. He is a special person.

Outstanding performance

I HAVE taught middle school students for 26 years, so I had a real feel for what students that age are capable of. However, last Friday night I saw middle school and junior high students at Central Junior High do a production that went way beyond junior high capabilities. I want to thank them for a wonderful evening and congratulate them on an outstanding performance.

There's no excuse

I FIND the news of the Iraq prisoner abuse terrible. Those guilty, all ranks and not just the enlisted men and women, should be prosecuted to the extent of military law. There is no excuse for such idiotic behavior. I find it equally disturbing that the whole battalion should be punished for the actions of a few undesirables. Those men and women who conducted themselves heroically should be awarded the Bronze Star they so deserve and not be penalized for the sake of a few. Having served and worked for the military for a third of my lifetime, it never ceases to amaze me how a few good men and women suffer. It would certainly be nice to see how many officers were awarded citations in the unit as opposed to enlisted.

Nothing new

THE WIDESPREAD use of torture in Iraq shouldn't surprise anyone. The CIA oversaw large-scale torture operations in "Operation Condor" in Central and South America in the 1980s. It was revealed under the Freedom of Information Act in 1996 that torture manuals created by the U.S. Army were being used to train Latin American military personnel at the Army's School of the America's in Fort Benning, Ga. None of this is new.

Sinking to new lows

RUSH LIMBAUGH went farther off the deep end than he ever has gone before when he argued that the prisoner abuse in Iraq was nothing more than a "fraternity prank." Has this man no sense of morality or decency? Does he not know that a "fraternity prank" in his hometown killed an innocent student? Is there not any depth to which he will sink to try to prop up his conservative cause?

Ask these questions

WHY AREN'T these questions being asked? Who took the photos? Were they then not part of the criminal abuse themselves? Who and how much were paid for the pictures? Can a person or persons profit from participating in the commission of a felony? We are now being told there may be thousands of photos. Did the same photographers sell them all to one group? Let's hope someone has the initiative to see these criminals are also punished.

Missing outrage

WHILE I am very disturbed by the abuse of Iraqi prisoners and I understand the poor light in which this puts us in the world's eyes, I also ask where was the world's condemnation when American dead bodies were dragged through the streets, set afire and hung from bridges? Where was the Arab outcry then? If I remember right, many Arabs were cheering those scenes.

Private gets the blame

I KNEW it would happen. The first person to be charged in the Iraq scandal would be a private who has no authority and takes orders from the corporal, the sergeant, the staff sergeant, master sergeant, tech sergeant, first and second lieutenant -- all the way to the top of the pot. And who's going to believe him? God help him.

Not from the top

YOU WOULD have to have a hole in your head to think that the soldiers got orders from the higher command to abuse and mistreat the Iraqi prisoners. The prisoners are human beings, and that kind of abuse is evil and a sin. No commanding officer would order any soldier under him to do such a thing. It's a complete lie if anybody says so.