Subject: Special Apology - Lt. Gen. Chuck Pitman, USMC (Ret)

             "This Letter of Apology"

  Was written by Lieutenant General Chuck Pitman, US Marine Corps, Retired:

   For good and ill, the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will remain an issue. On
the one hand, right thinking Americans will abhor the stupidity of the
actions while on the other hand, political glee will take control and
fashion this minor event into some modern day massacre.

   I humbly offer my opinion here:

   I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans took up arms and
sacrificed the blood of our youth, it was in the defense of Muslims (Bosnia,
Kosovo, Gulf War 1, Kuwait, etc.).

    I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the extremists came
after 9/11.

    I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were Islamic Arabs.

  I am sorry that most Arabs and Muslims have to live in squalor under
savage dictatorships.

  I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth.

  I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the US in their religious
schools, mosques, and government-control! led media.

  I am sorry that Yassar Arafat was kicked out of every Arab country and
high-jacked the Palestinian "cause."

  I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or offer more than a
token amount of financial help to those same Palestinians.

  I am sorry that the U.S.A. has to step in and be the biggest financial
supporter of poverty stricken Arabs while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame
the USA for all their problems.

  I am sorry that our own left wing, our media, and our own brainwashed
masses do not understand any of this (from the misleading vocal elements of
our society like radical professors, CNN and the NY TIMES).

  I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people of Iraq out of the
"food for oil" money so they could get rich while the common folk suffered.

  I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of homicide bombers
upon their death.

  I am sorry that those same bombers are brainwashed thinking they will
receive 72 virgins in "paradise."

  I am sorry that the homicide bombers think pregnant women, babies,
children, the elderly and other noncombatant civilians are legitimate
targets.

  I am sorry that our troops die to free more Arabs from the gang rape rooms
and the filling of mass graves of dissidents of their own making.

  I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more Arabs than any other
group.

  I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of
Iraq and return it to a terrorist state.

  I am sorry we don't drop a few dozen Daisy cutters on Fallujah.

  I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a convenient "Holy Site."

  I am sorry they didn't apologize for driving a jet into the World Trade
Center that collapsed and severely damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox
Church - one of our Holy Sites.

  I am sorry they didn't apologize for flight 93 and 175, the USS Cole, the
embassy bombings, the murders and beheadings of Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl,
etc....etc!

  I am sorry Michael Moore is American; he could feed a medium sized village
in Africa.

  America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish those
responsible because that is what we do.

  We hang out our dirty laundry for the entire world to see. We move on.
That's one of the reasons we are hated so much. We don't hide this stuff
like all those Arab countries that are now demanding an apology.

  Deep down inside, when most Americans saw this reported in the news, we
were like - so what? We lost ! hundreds and made fun of a few prisoners.
Sure, it was wrong, sure, it dramatically hurts our cause, but until
captured we were trying to kill these same prisoners. Now we're supposed to
wring our hands because a few were humiliated?

  Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of our own people
killed, mutilated and burnt amongst a joyous crowd of celebrating
Fallujahans.

  If you want an apology from this American, you're going to have a long
wait!    You have a better chance of finding those seventy-two virgins.

  Chuck Pitman

  Lieutenant General, USMC

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