"Even Saddam Didn't Do This To Us..."

So just up the road from me at Ft. Hood they are trying one of the army officers in charge at Abu Ghraib. I've been following this story for a couple reasons--proximity to Austin and I was wondering what kind of allegations would come out of this trial.

Well, it didn't take long for the "torture" statements to start flying. The latest report details how one Iraqi imprisoned at Abu Ghraib described having to get in a pyramid/dogpile with other naked inmates and even had to masturbate in front of guards. He followed it up with the statement "They were torturing us as though it was theater for them . . . I was extremely emotional because (even) Saddam didn't do this to us."

Now, this is going to come off wrong to some people but this statement about "even Saddam didn't do this to us" is absurd. What was done there was intolerable, unexcusable, and those responsible need to be punished for what they did. And while the descriptions of what was done are embarrasing and degrading to those forced to behave in such manners, it is NOT in any way, shape or form torture. And it sure as hell isn't even in the same league as what Saddam did to tens of thousands of his own citizens. Humiliating acts do not constitute torture. I'm not using Saddam's behavior in any way to justify the soldiers' behavior. I'm simply illustrating exactly what torture is and is not.Torture is cutting of hands and feet for sport. Torture is hog-tying people and dropping them off 3-story buildings alive. Torture is slitting throats to bleed out to death. Torture is cutting off ears and tongues.

Until I hear accounts of such behavior by our troops in that prison, I don't want to hear that T-word thrown around so flippantly. For sure it was dead wrong and unacceptable on every term, but it wasn't torturous.