The Slippery Slope

When we decided to torture prisoners at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, we brought cruelty into the mainstream of military tactics. We began the downward spiral into anarchy, immorality and lawlessness as a legitimate response to terror. We debased ourselves.

So it's no surprise to me that we're continuing down that road:

The US military is looking into whether an American marine in Falluja shot dead a severely wounded Iraqi insurgent at point-blank range.

Television footage shows US soldiers entering a building as injured prisoners lie on the floor... The images show a group of marines, armed with rifles, entering a building near a mosque.

The mosque had been used by insurgents to attack US forces, who had stormed it, killing 10 militants and wounding five.

At least three severely wounded men are seen in a room inside the building - two are slumped against one of the walls, partially covered with a blanket.

The NBC's Kevin Sites says the wounded men had been left in the mosque after marines had fought their way in on Friday and Saturday.

According to Mr Sites, one of the soldiers points his rifle at the head of one of the injured, an old man. The sound of a shot is then heard.

There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon on the report.

Considering the man being tapped as the new Attorney General considers the Geneva Conventions "quaint" when dealing with terrorism, how could you possibly be surprised? In responding to butchers, we have sank into butchery. We are without respect. And we shall be for the next four years.