Everyone says he was innocent.
I believe he was even found innocent by an appeal court.
But look at how shattered he is.
Can there be any worse crime than perverted justice?
Or, as we see more and more frequently globally, a more common one?
Civilisation is destroying itself.

Yes, JK - you are right, the Appeal Court did quash his sentnce years ago - but the religious nutters demanded that he still be executed.

Apparently the laws on rape are currently being re-examined in Pakistan where its currently almost impossible to get anyone convicted of rape. BUT - what is the point of changing the laws if the loonies can simply over-ride any Court decision?

<<< Can there be any worse crime than perverted justice?
>>>

As reported in national media only yesterday, the British Army now regularly commit war crimes by torturing prisoners - and this is now openly admitted. How can they claim any moral high ground anymore?

At least the Army torture for intelligence.

The Islamic Courts do it in the name of their imaginary friend.

I'm afraid that, as the body count goes up, my squeamishness over how intel is obtained has dropped. OK, it's not nice, but I'm probably not. In the end there comes a time that, in any conflict, my Machiavelli and Von Clauswitz glands kick in... And when confronted with an enemy who welcomes death, you hand them something they can't live with...

DO I condone it? No... in a civilised world it wouldn't be needed, but we don't live in a civilised world in any meaningful sense... we just like to pretend we do. War is a sure sign that 'civilisation' has failed and to try and apply 'rules' is never going to work.

Not a popular view...

By its very nature, "intelligence" is hardly EVER any use ! People having their eyes gauged out tend to tell people what they want to hear !!!

"Intelligence" has never stopped any act - delayed it maybe - but as these "intelligence" people are losing this war (on ALL fronts) maybe its time they conceded (as Blair has done today - accidentally) that they are fighting a losing battle?

After all - they are the invaders (and also the war criminals !)

Let's face it .... if they had any intelligence they would never have embarked on this adventure !!!!!!!!!

We cannot with the one hand condemn a regime for turture and murder, then with the other commit torture and murder. I'm sure the excuses used by us are similar to those used by them. What makes us any better or different when our actions are the same?

True...

Only intel I'd be interested in is how many are over the next hill... There's nothing of strategic value, but tactical... oh yes.

And eye gouging is an Afghan trick... British Army methods mean you don't get pleasure pissing for a month and, short of endoscopy, you won't see a mark.

War is a filthy business... it always has been. My late father was involved in the mopping up of Yugoslavia... he fought along side virtually everyone who was there, from people who were still wearing the remnants of SS uniform to Tito's men (as the treaties whirled and changed) and saw things that REALLY don't make the history books in straight forward brutality. His comment was that when the chain of command is broken, as it always in ina guerilla war, you do what you have to survive to the next day... sometimes the next hour.

Bosnia wasn't much different...

In the Far Eastern theatres in WW2, things were done that even made the Japanese scared.

TBH, what Kurtz does on Apocalypse Now! isn't actually that far fetched... but it's not socially acceptable.

Should we be there? No... but we are. It's not an option to get out and as people who didn't volunteer it's easy to wring one's hands in ersatz-horror when our people choose not to die by any means necessary...

As I said... do I approve? No. Can I say I'd not do it if I thought I'd live another day? Also, no... I can't say that since I don't know. Get enough of your mate's blood on you from another ambush or roadside bomb, would I give em something they can't live with? Probably. I don't want to die. Moral inflexibility is the prerogative of living in safe democracy. You drop people into Hell, you can expect them to behave like demons...