Letters to the Editor
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Do the author a favor and just delete the first page
See, I'd say most Salon readers are very much against prison rape and the other deplorable conditions detailed, even for murderers and terrorists. And if you erase the beginning of the article, we won't have to find out that the victim ignored known alcohol/medicine interactions, couldn't keep track of his own valuable personal items, couldn't be bothered to review common-sense immigration rules (I'm surprised he got past the check-in counter with a passport about to expire), and was then loud and confrontational. Why let it be an issue that he was crap-for-brained—and may not even have learned yet?
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Airline workers...
The response of the airline workers who feel that he got what he deserved is laughable. I have never encountered as many incompetent, rude, lazy jerks in one place as you can find in any US airport. If 2 months in prison is acceptable to them for bad behavior by paying customers, how about 6 months for bad behavior by airline & TSA workers who are being paid.
God, yes welcome to bush league America.
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i'm sorry tanmack
i wrote something more (but not so concise and expressive) on our earlier thread. for the Salemites, that's why Purgatory was invented (the rest? you get to watch)
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anyone who thinks Mr. Kurth deserved what he got
should be willing to place yourself in his position.
These reactions remind me of how far we have fallen. It really doesn't seem all that long ago when aribitrary detention, torture, murder, etc. were universally considered illegal and immoral. Today our "government" actively conspires to commit these crimes in the name of some stupid "war," and we build black prisons and facilities in which to carry out these crimes with tax-payer's money. Would that my taxes go to tearing down such dark structures.
- http://www.nybooks.com/articles/20056
What we have in US prisons today is a total nightmare. We have over 2 million citizens incarcerated today, close to 5 million in the "judicial" system. We have industries and political lobbies devoted to funding/building more prisons. The "war on drugs" is a warm up for the "war on terr," a war against an abstract enemy of ourselves, a war of attrition, an unwinnable war. The most profitable business is the business of war (which is where the Nobel Peace Prize originates).
It sickens me what happened to Mr. Kurth. I applaud him for speaking out about this horrific episode. God knows, there, but for the grace of God go I, and any of you who think he deserved it need to realize you are part of the problem, part of the disease.
Does that self-righteous feeling really work for you? What else are you willing to make a war over? How about your religion? your money? your political party?
This sounds like something out of the dark ages.
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Rape?
I've re-read once or twice now, and I'd like someone to point out where Kurth actually claims he was raped.
He certainly mentions prison rape in the abtstract sense early on, but very clearly steers clear of the accusation later.
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try reading a third time, ironocrat
true, he doesn't cry Rape! Rape! Rape! but (pg 3) he says "Suddenly Jack emerges from the bathroom and ... how to put this? ... they take turns." and (pg 4) "the only other person called over with me to the "visits" place was Jack the Rapist, who asked how I was doing, at least, which I suppose is a good sign;". now without going into an "explication du texte", it seems clear, to me, at least.
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Dates are all wrong.
According to this, Peter Kurth was in prison until August of 2007; yet my calendar says its May 2007. Seems like a very big editing error.
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bunch of prigs
these people who feel he 'got what he deserved' -- especially because he 'didn't take responsibility' -- remind me of cheering spectators at the roman arena, watching people getting ripped apart by wild animals. If you're going to be a bunch of judgmental prigs, how about 'taking responsibility' for your own lack of compassion.
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Dates
The dates are, for some reason, shown in UK format with the day before the month.
For anyone who does not think he got what he deserved, take the rape out of the equation. Now, considering that he was unable to pay a fine, he got off lightly enough, didn't he?
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rape? lack of sympathy?
he's not a credible writer. that's why so few people have sympathy for him. there's a whiff of deception about this article that starts with his self serving evasiveness and spreads to the way the editors have packaged it. Someone asked whether salon's editors had vetted this ... it seems obvious they didn't. I don't believe him and I dont trust them.
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Not to the point...
...but did Mr. Kurth ever recover his lost laptop? Given what it contained (all those phone numbers of people who could have helped if he'd had their numbers to call and who knows what else of import), that may be another nightmare in the making.
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Two Opposing Thoughts
Okay, I'm going to have to try to keep two opposing thoughts in my head at the same time. One half of the brain feels truly sorry for Peter Kurth and full of admiration for his courage as well as the humor and grace he managed to retain. The opposing thought is that only a white American guy could feel so entitled to openly perform his feelings on an international flight without any forethought or fear as to the ulitmate consequences. Mr. Kurth seems to have felt secure enough as a white American male to unleash his inner ugly American with his unfortunate retort "I am an American citizen! You are our lapdog ally!" From that point on, symbolically, at least, he ceased to be plain old curmudgeonly passenger Peter Kurth and came to represent all the negative stereotypes attached to the Bush administration. Like the blindingly entitled Bush administration, he never saw the vulnerability of his situation until it was way too late.
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Date format, for jeebus sake!
According to this, Peter Kurth was in prison until August of 2007; yet my calendar says its May 2007. Seems like a very big editing error.
At what point does it occur to you that there is no such date as 20/12/06 and you think to yourself that the date format might be English and not American?
Just curious.