Chris Broussard

When John Ashcroft announced the appointment of the team to restore Iraq's criminal justice system last year, he said, "Now all Iraqis can taste liberty in their native land, and we will help make that freedom permanent by assisting them to establish an equitable criminal justice system based on the rule of law and standards of basic human rights." With images of the Iraqi prison abuse still in our minds, maybe now would be a good time to listen to human-rights observers who have been telling us for years that inhumane behavior toward prisoners is routine in America. Experts tell us that prison rape by guards and other inmates and so-called gladiator fights are widespread behind American bars. In fact, the same Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International reports that condemned Saddam Hussein also condemned the American prison system. In the past week we've heard the same litany from our leaders: "We're better than this," or "This is not

I think all of us at one time or another have watched an event with complete incredulity, jaws dropped, wondering why those around us don't see that event in the same way we do. Admittedly, I have had that experience more during this presidency then at any other time in my life. But the situation in Iraq these past few months - especially this last week - have left me disoriented and ashamed. But I seem to be in the minority. Locally, I've heard some outrage, but I've heard just as much, if not more, affirmation of the abuse. Comments have ranged from, "War is hell," to "If you want to make an omelet, you've got to break a few eggs." Nationally, it's been a little better, with some notable exceptions. At the Senate hearings probing the scandal on Tuesday, May 11, Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Inhofe expressed outrage at the outrage: "These prisoners, you know they're not there for traffic violations," Inhofe said. &q