Soft Justice

Imagine if a group foreigners had come to the USA, gang-raped a 14-year old American girl and murdered her, her mother, her father and her sister. You'd expect the culprits to face American justice, in America.

This is what Sergeant Paul E. Cortez, Specialist James P. Barker, Private First Class Jesse V. Spielman, Private First Class Brian L. Howard, Private First Class Steven Dale Green and Sergeant Anthony W. Yribe. Only, they were Americans, the victims were Iraqis and the crimes were committed in Iraq.

Did these scum face Iraqi justice? No, instead they were handed over to the American justice system thanks to a special American law (Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act) which was enacted solely for the purpose of protecting American criminals.

Even in America they could have faced the death penalty. But a jury in red-neck Kentucky decided to not to give them the death penalty. Why would they send Americans to the gallows for killing Muslims. Muslims attacked America.

Instead they were given prison sentences ranging from 27 months to life:

Barker: 20 years
Cortez: 10 years
Green: Life
Howard: 27 months
Spielman: 10 years
Yribe: Charges dropped

It seems that in Iraq no one is above the law, except Americans.