Scott Shuger in Slate on the pictures of John Walker Lindh being riduculed by U.S. Soldiers:


This episode illustrates two cultural norms that have arisen in this country since 9/11. 1) The war against terror is at bottom all about the feelings we naturally have as a result of what was done to us. Any soldier who'd risked his life and lost some buddies would naturally feel that way if he got his hands on Lindh, right? 2) What we are trying to do against terrorism trumps every other value. In this mentality, the Geneva Convention becomes suddenly dispensable.