“The behaviour depicted absolutely violates our regulations and, more importantly, our core values,” he said. “This is not who we are and it is certainly not who we represent when it comes to the great majority of men and women in uniform who are serving there. This is war. I know war is ugly and is violent. I know that young people sometimes caught up in the moment make very foolish decisions. I am not excusing that but neither do I want these images to bring further injuries to our people or to our relationship with the Afghan people.”

– Leon Panetta, US Sec. Of Defense

In February of 2010 and on 1 other occasion soldiers from 82nd Airborne Division’s 4th Bde Combat Team took trophy photographs of Taliban corpses that they had been ordered to fingerprint. The bodies were posed with the soldiers and in one case, the soldier held up the severed legs of a dead suicide bomber and smiled while giving a thumbs’ up. These 18 photos were sent to the LA Times by a fellow-soldier who was grossed out by the conduct. They have now become the latest outrage de jour.

How can Americans be so brutal? (You Tube Below could be NSFW)

How come these Americans don’t have more respect for human life?

Oh, I don’t know. Ask Sarah Silverman. She’ll tell ya’! “Got a quickie aborsh in case R v W gets overturned.”

And why can’t those soldiers show more sympathy to the poor, helpless Afghan Civilians. We raise people to show more decency in America. I mean don’t we? Sure, just look at how we respect our disabled children!

“when she was on stage at the f—ing convention that just came out of her disgusting f—ing c—-… her f—ing retard-making c—…”

–Louis CK, Professional Funny-Man (/sarc off)

Where do these young and impressionable soldiers get such bad and unpleasant attitudes? It seems to leave SecDef Panetta completely befuddled. Unfortunately, like Leon Panetta every weekend, the truth seems to be flying over the heads of America’s political leadership. Or maybe the cynical creeps all know.

Maybe the entire idea has been made radioactive after what happened to President George H. W. Bush for suggesting that we become “a kinder and gentler nation.” How was it that Neil Young put it? We’ve got a kinder and gentler machine-gun hand. Funny guy, that Neil Young. George H W Bush sure played in a league of his own. Who would be stupid and naïve enough to encourage basic decency? We’ve demonstrated the stupidity of being polite and decent. So now that common decency has gotten pretty darn rare.

What happened to the corpses in Afghanistan is what will happen to the idea of America as a decent nation as well unless we start taking a serious look at the value we place upon a human life. Those soldiers in Afghanistan listened to the same music, laughed at the same comedians, went to the same schools and read all the same news sources as you and I did. If what they did to the dead Talibani makes you sick, maybe you should take a long hard look in the not-so-distant mirror as well.