Please make up your mind. Either we are an evil people who condone torturing poor innocent jihadis, or we are a people who; even though at war; are willing to prosecute our own soldiers for their mistreatment of the prisoners in their charge. You can't have it both ways.
Certainly I can. I believe -- although I can't prove it, unfortunately -- that the torture and abuse of prisoners was ordered by the US high command, and that the soldiers who were prosecuted were low-level fall guys whose prosecution was ordered to cover up the overarching patterns of abuse.
That's a pattern that has routinely emerged from interactions with the current US administration. Beyond the Abu Ghraib scandal, there's of course also Scooter-gate and the current US Attorney flap. Of course, it's
possible that the same alleged pattern of order-abuse-and-then-throw-the-flunkies-to-the-wolves independently happens in each of these cases, but I don't find that nearly as credible.
Seeing as how your own example points to Americans willing to prosecute, convict, and imprison their own soldiers for these misdeeds gives lie to your assertions.
Wrong again.
If someone held you against your will; kidnapped for all intents and purposes; would you consider that you had suffered no injury??
From Wikipedia : "Injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or function of the body caused by an outside agent or force, which may be physical or chemical."
I would consider myself less injured than if someone then set a dog to chewing on my leg.
So, yes. Words have meanings.
Are we to understand that you are so personally morally stunted that you would hold up to us the Iranian theocracy as an example of mercy and justice???
No. You are to understand that the uniformed neoFascist thugs that you worship -- and by extension, you yourself -- are so morally stunted that you have sunk to the level below that of the Iranian theocrats. You have depraved yourself so deeply that the Iranians, for all their faults, are a substantially better example of mercy and justice.
I have little respect for the Iranians. But I'd really appreciate it if you explained why I should have more respect for people who order others set dogs to attack prisoners than I should for people who (gasp) photograph women in a headdress.