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May 07, 2004
It just gets worse:
A photograph obtained by The Washington Post shows a naked detainee at the Abu Ghraib prison, near Baghdad, tethered by a leash to prison guard Army Pvt Lynndie England.
This is a powerful image. It shows that Iraqi's are treated worse than dogs. It shows sadistic jailers, not liberators. It reinforces the common belief in the Middle East that the Americans are occupiers.
Images are powerful. Far more so than works. They can evoke very violent responses.
This one will probably become an iconic image.
Remember that iconic image from the Vietnam war? The image of South Vietnamese police chief Nguyen Ngoc Loan putting a pistol to the head of a Vietcong captive? This summary execution on the streets of Saigon was interpreted by many to have captured the abject immorality of the Vietnam War.
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It might be more accurate to say *these* Iraqis *were* treated worse than dogs. Not all Iraqis were subjected to this kind of atrocity.