I'm not criticizing the U.S. treatment of prisoners but I agree with Brett that we should have made it clear from the beginning that we intended to treat all prisoners as outlined in the GC weather or not they qualified for such treatment. Not however, because we fear mistreatment of captured Americans. I think we can pretty much assume that they _will_ be mistreated. I just think that it is incumbent upon us to make use of every opportunity to contrast our version of civilization with that of our enemy.
As for criticism from my friends around the world - I encourage them to speak their mind. I would ask them to be polite and respectful, but beyond that, I would hope that they feel free to say what they want. To quote our benefactor: "To ever come close to what's really going on, I must learn to double check, to experiment, and even consult and cooperate with other people. Mutual deliberation, or giving of "reality checks," helps us agree on common ground, and criticism is the only anodyne human beings have ever discovered to error. It takes great wisdom, maturity, and force of will to overcome ingrained human egotism and say -- "Hey, I can fool myself! I might even be wrong, from time to time." But it has taken an even more remarkable revolution for people to be able to add -- "Instead of retreating into ourselves, let's try taking the problem apart into little pieces, see where I'm wrong, where you're wrong, and where we both may wind up being surprised." from The New Meme, accessible at Jeroen's web site: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atlantis/6074/brin/newmeme.html -- Doug email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.zo.com/~brighto "Imagine all the people, Living for Today" John Lennon
