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06/16/2004: "Abu Ghraib under Saddam vs. Chicago jails under Dailey"

A couple of weeks ago, I spoke to a friend about the war in Iraq. As a Libertarian, he opposes it. He even said that the abuses of Saddam were not all that bad.

He said that he is a former drug user; I believe him. He said that he has been beaten up by cops for not having drugs. He said he psent time in jail, and heard prisoners begging for mercy. He said that Mayor Dailey knows about, and tacitly approves of, this.

On one level, it is hard to draw a distinction. The political leader secretly supports abuse. The political leader cannot be removed politically. People think the abuses are wrong, but won't speak out.

Such comparisons are wrong. Mayor Dailey does keep the city moving; I have complained to the city in the past and gotten quick results (once about a traffic light, once about flooding; both times in a touristy area). Abu Ghraib was horrendous in ways Chicago never has been and never will be. I said it then, I repeat it now. As bad as Chicago cops may be, there is no moral equivilence between us and Saddam.