The story line of the we mutilate less then they do doesn't quite carry the day.

I've been having a running conversation (almost an arguement) with a co-worker about habeas corpus, being a Conscientious Objector as compared w/the teachings of Jesus, and various mutilations/ atrocities. The following basically won the debate and figured I should post it.

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Conflating the standards for being a C.O. and the teaching of Jesus is too big of a topic to address, but I will say it is the standards for being a C.O. are more the a little off the mark. Jesus opposed violence but wasn't a pacifist in currently viewed context of going limp. The commonly mentioned story of "turning the other cheek" is completely disconnected from the original context of using the power of the Roman empire against itself.

I'm quite aware of what happened at the hands of Zarqawi et al, and as Bush now has the power to disappear and torture people, disregard the Geneva conventions and throw out 800 years of progress basically negates any real moral high ground the US might have had. Of course the insurgence is not following the Geneva conventions but giving up your principles rarely leads to "winning the hearts and minds". The story line of we mutilate less then they do doesn't quite carry the day.

With this in mind, here is a story from my family, more specifically from my German relatives about WWI and II. Basically older german men that fought in WWI told german troops who where fighting in WWII that the US generally treated P.O.Ws fairly well so you had the option to surrender which lead to fewer situations of "fighting to the last man". However on the eastern front once Russian troops learned of how NAZI Germany treated P.O.Ws, Russian troops would rarely if ever surrender. This cause incredible amounts of blood shed and basically destroyed an entire generation of men Russia and to a lesser extent in Germany.

My bottom line is, are the current actions and policies of the Bush administration improving the situation or making it worse. Basically everyone in the civilized world outside of part of the Republican Party thinks this is going to make the situation much, much worse.