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Jihad and Justice
August 7th, 2007American behaviour will, in the long run, make friends of enemies.
One of the rarest commodities on earth is justice. It is in such short supply, that outside of a few republics, it is virtually unknown or at best achieved through vigilantism. To most of the world’s people, the thought that powerful men and nations would unilaterally provide justice, much less by punishing their own, is absurd.
Which is why America stands a good change of changing the middle east by simply being present. Well enough are the endless stories about how nearly every member of our military interact peacefully and helpfully with Iraqis, performing labor and losing life on their behalf. This alone changes minds about the nature of Americans and by proxy America.
But giving a bad soldier 110 years in the slammer should seal the deal.
Seems that Private Spielman was the lookout during a rape and murder party involving a couple of other thugs in uniform. This tiny portion of the U.S. military - and an obvious exception to rule — was identified by Americans, arrested by Americans, prosecuted by American, convicted by Americans and will now spend a long time under the shotgun of Americans. We policed our own in a humble attempt to right an unrightable wrong.
Under Sadam, this was unthinkable. Baathists were largely enabled to commit all forms of crime against the public. Only when they erred and pillaged one of the Sadam elite or family thereof was their a constraining action (typically instant death without due process).
The case of Private Spielman, if properly communicated, will demonstrate to the fledgling democracy in Iraq that there is a higher law than that of the jungle. We show in society, when done right, evils can be contained if not actually corrected. That as a people, America tries to do what is right and often succeeds.
Contrast this image of helpful and self-correcting Americans with jihadists blowing up school children.
War is about “will.” They who have the will win. The Iraqi people must have the will necessary to form their own more perfect union. When given the alternatives presented, they will adopt the American posture and reject jihad.
