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Read other letters about this article
Quoting the article: "Tonight ended up being the same ole same ole," Graner wrote his parents in an e-mail dated Dec. 12, 2003, four months before the scandal broke. He attached a now-infamous photo of a black dog snarling at a nude detainee cowering outside a cell with his hands on his head. "Inmate tries to break out of cell i find out i punish i bring in dogs i get assaulted dog bites prisoner," Graner wrote. "I think he was more trying to get away from the dogs than really wanting to assault me but he did and he paid."
And he doesn't belong in prison? I think his parents who received photos prior even to this one deserve some prison time for not reporting this abuse themselves. Two wrongs don't make a right. Just because the higher ups who ordered this have escaped their due punishments -- so far -- does not mean Mr. Graner is innocent or is being unduly punished.
He had the option of refusing the order and reporting abuse which would have led to a court martial and prison, but he probably would have been freed eventually because he really did the right thing (and even if not, he'd be in prison knowing he was right, instead of being in prison and knowing, however much he may deny it, that he was dead wrong). However, he chose the cowardly, amoral road, and he's paying for it right now. Now we have to make Bush and the other originators of this disgraceful crime pay equally.
