If we ignore it, will it go away?

Unsurprisingly, the answer is no: despite the fact that torture of detainees by US soldiers is "old news," it's become a routine part of operations in Iraq. All the chilling signs are there, the dehumanizing epithets (PUCs for "persons under control"), the casual jokes, the routine willingness of medical personnel to sign off on new injuries as having been derived from the capture process. This isn't a few bad apples; this is standard procedure for American treatment of prisoners of war. Such huge steps backward for our civilization and for the souls of those who come to accept their involvement in this grim status quo . . .