Believe me, Adia

Brig. Gen. Jay Hood, reporting on the results of the oh-so official investigation of reports of mistreatment of Qur'ans at Guantanamo Bay, insisted

that the inquiry found "no credible evidence" that a member of the military joint task force at Guantanamo ever flushed a Koran down a toilet. "The matter is considered closed," Hood stated.

Of course, the inquiry, which could fairly be called extensive but unenthusiastic, did confirm incidents in which copies of the book were kicked, stepped on, soaked in water, and pissed on, but not flushed down a toilet! So just get off our damn backs, okay?

I mean, why are we even taking this seriously? Do we really, really think the military can be trusted to investigate itself, especially in light of its record in Afghanistan, in Iraq, at Gitmo, and beyond? A record of denying the existence of any abuses until the weight of evidence made it unavoidable and then admitting as little as possible and calling it "an isolated case?" Just how many isolated cases does it take to equal one pattern?

Even in the cases of desecration it admitted, the brass did their best to play them down, sometimes laughably.

In the incident involving urine, which took place this past March, Southern Command said a guard left his observation post, went outside and urinated near an air vent, and "the wind blew his urine through the vent" and into a cell block.

It said a detainee told guards the urine "splashed on him and his Koran." The statement said the detainee was given a new prison uniform and Koran, and that the guard was reprimanded and given duty in which he had no contact with prisoners. Army Capt. John Adams, a spokesman at Guantanamo, said the inquiry deemed the incident "accidental."

What a joke! Accidental? We're expected to accept that he went out to urinate, and instead of going to the latrine he just happened to stand by an air vent and there just happened to be a wind which just happened to be blowing in the right direction and which just happened to be strong enough to divert the steam? Accidental? And even though this was an "accident" he then was assigned to duties with zero prisoner contact? Accidental?

And then they wonder why people here and around the world don't trust the US's claims of its good intentions. Oh, my.

Footnote: Hood also said "Mishandling of a Koran here is never condoned."

Damn straight! We'll take 'em, lock 'em up maybe for life, "stress" 'em, humiliate 'em, torture 'em, but mishandle their Qur'ans? Never! Never, I say!