THE OBERLIN HERALD — Opinion Page 127th Year, Number 04 Wednesday, January 26, 2005 Soldier’s stiff sentence may make others think Maybe the next soldier who wants to beat for sport is crude and reprehensible, but it’s or humiliate a prisoner will think twice. not . Graner and his pals force people Ten years is a long time in Leavenworth, to strip, took their pictures in sexually embar- where the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks is the rassing poses, had them masturbate, force de- polite name for the Army’s penitentiary. voted to eat pork and drink liquor. Ten years is how long Charles It’s all disgusting, but in , there are many Graner Jr. will have to think about his sins. who know torture. Saddam Hussein and his Ten years for abusing prisoners in the now- minion were experts. Women were raped, men infamous Abu Ghraib jail in . An hooked up to electrodes, interrogators had Army jury could have given him 15, and many and worse methods. maybe they should have. That makes no difference, either. Our coun- Christmas tree haven for bird Graner didn’t sound too contrite after the try is not going to tolerate soldiers who abuse sentencing. prisoners, local citizens, or anyone else. Just Some people had a partridge in a “There is a war on,” he said. “Bad things because there’s a war on, we’re not going to pear tree over the holidays. I had a sparrow in the Christmas tree. happen.” abandon our principles. Steve warned me when I insisted Open Season That’s true. War, in the words of W.T. We hope Mr. Graner will not be the last con- on putting in a pet door that we Sherman, is hell. It makes men do things. victed in the Abu Ghraib scandal. If intelli- would be finding more than cats in- But in this country, we care. We know right gence agents put these soldiers up to abusing side the house. He was right. By Cynthia Haynes from wrong, and we expect our soldiers to re- prisoners, we’d like to see them in court, too. So far, the cats have brought in a bird every three to four weeks. [email protected] member the difference. We always have. And we hope the whole world is watching, Just after Christmas, after the chil- Now that Graner has been judged, because people should know not only that dren had all left and Steve was out though, Americans should make some distinc- Americans can make mistakes, but that we can doing errands, I was trying to solve been through the bird thing before. per, so I went out with the animal tions: and will make them right. the world’s problems when Molly I grabbed the bird out of her control to take dog pictures. First, though he claims intelligence agents War is never pretty, but it can be decent and Monster waltzed into the room with mouth and headed for the kitchen The dogs were great, though al- a sparrow in her mouth. door with the cat hot on my tail. most impossible to photograph. put him up to abusing prisoners to soften them honorable. That’s our commitment. That’s Like a flash, I was after her, but I could feel the little heart beating They were either trying to kiss me up for , the jury did not buy it. what this trial was all about. she headed through the kitchen into under my hand but figured any bird or run away. After a lot of laughter He’d still be guilty, even if someone put him Many nations wouldn’t bat an eye at the type the dining room, where she let go. that had been catted twice probably and licking, I got the happy faces of up to it. He did it willingly. He was having fun. of behavior Charles Graner was convicted of. Her prey immediately took flight, was a goner. Still, I wanted to toss three dogs. Second, though the media likes to talk about But this is America, and we like to think we headed for the living room. the corpse as far as I could in hopes There was only one cat at the shel- We were both in hot pursuit. that the cat couldn’t get it back be- ter, and it had escaped. It was hid- what he did as “torture,” it is not. Abuse, yes. are different. The bird seemed to be headed for fore I had a chance to run downstairs ing under the cat kennels, and I said Torture, hardly. — Steve Haynes the front window, but suddenly and block the cat door. I would help catch it. Making people do things to embarrass them spotted what looked like a safe ha- I threw the bird as hard as I could After all the excitement with the ven. It dove into the Christmas tree. and watched in amazement as it took dogs, though, the cat was not in a The cat and I both came to a wing and flew over the neighbor’s good mood. As soon as I laid hands Not really a laughing matter screeching halt and started staring roof. on it, it turned and went for me with intently at the tinsel- and light-fes- Molly was disgusted. I had not all 10 front claws. Have you ever had something tooned branches for a brown wing. only stolen her lunch, I had thrown My left hand looks a little like happen that, if the situation hadn’t I looked high while Molly looked it away. Fearless Leader from the Rocky and been so serious, it would have been low, then she jumped onto a chair to I felt good. I had won a battle with Bullwinkle Show. the funniest thing in the world? check the middle of the tree. She has a cat, which doesn’t happen every The scratches aren’t deep. It was I’ve told you before that Jim and Out Back better eyes or a better nose, because day. my own fault. A day later, the ani- I, along with another couple, go into she came up with the bird first. A few days later, I wasn’t so mal control officer said, she was the state every Sunday for By Carolyn Sue Kelley-Plotts However, I was armed with a lucky. able to catch the cat with no prob- chapel services. Jim preaches the [email protected] couple of paper towels and a strong I decided we could get more dogs lem. Timing is everything. sermon, Ila plays the piano, Bob desire to not have more feathers adopted at the Norton animal shel- So, I won one and I lost one. Fight- delivers one of his cowboy poems spread all over my house — we’d ter if we put their pictures in the pa- ing with cats, that’s pretty good. and I shake hands and remember names. had taken off his sport coat when we but the rest of us burst out laughing. Each Sunday, we go through the first got there and he carried it Jim began explaining about the din- Dog begins to earn her keep security check. Our bags and Bibles through with him. ner and how he had only used his are searched, we go through the You can imagine everyone’s fork. We’ve had more complaints metal detector and then we are shock when, as he swung the jacket The officer knew it was uninten- about the cat columns, so I thought “wanded” with a body scanner. It’s around to put it on, a spoon went fly- tional, but needless to say, the spoon — just to be fair — I’d bore you with a necessary step for everyone’s se- ing across the floor. We all gasped did not go in with us. some stories about my dog, Annie. Along the Sappa curity and we understand it and re- as the officer in charge of our screen- Poor Jim. He is normally so care- I don’t write about Annie too of- spect the seriousness of the situa- ing looked at the spoon, looked at ful. ten, because I prefer to let the stat- tion. Bringing contraband into a Jim and then back at the spoon. We On the way home, I said, “Let’s ute of limitations expire first. By Steve Haynes prison is a serious offense, and we knew what he was thinking: see you dig your way out of this Well, actually, she’s doing a lot could lose our volunteer status. “Aha. Contraband.” one.” better these days. I haven’t paid a [email protected] To speed up the checking-in pro- Jim had a stricken look on his To which he replied, “If I still had fine on her in nearly three years. cess and simplify things, we leave face, and I know we shouldn’t have, the spoon, I could.” Escapes are no longer on her daily listen to no command. I tried a long to me. Let go, too. everything we’re carrying on our to-do list. leash, but that was just a tangle. That didn’t do any good the other persons in the gatehouse in a locker. And she actually is starting to earn Then she met up with Mr. Shock day when I shot a pheasant. It hit the That includes keys, coins, folding Photo Policy her keep a little. Collar. People who knew her when ground and was never seen again. money, wallets and cell phones. We Annie, you’ll remember, was are amazed. She still takes off like a She tracked it to the fence line, — literally — empty our pockets. wilder than wild when we got her shot, but I can call her off a rabbit or though. Now that I’ve laid the ground The Oberlin Herald wants to em- make room for a story about any of from the pound in Goodland. a cat. She’s learned to behave — and I don’t think she’ll ever be a per- work, I need to back up a little. You phasize photos of people doing these events, however.) Though she’s a purebred Brittany, come when I call. fect hunter, but she’s at least fun to see, Sunday was a fellowship dinner things in the community. If you We do run wedding and engage- her first owner left her at the lockup. Well, sort of. A year ago, if she work with now. And when she’s on at our church and we had eaten there know of an event or news happen- ment pictures and “mug” shots with The Humane Society ladies said took off, she’d be back in half an point, she sure is pretty. before going to the prison. Like most ing that we should attend, please call stories and obituaries, when they are there were papers on her, but since hour. Today, she just runs around Maybe I’ll keep her. men, Jim stuck his silverware in the 475-2206. provided to us. Please remember we had no plans to breed her, and the house a few times. Anyway, she Who am I kidding? One look into pocket of his jacket while he filled Please be sure to allow a couple that we need a clear, sharp picture. they don’t allow that anyway, we hasn’t run off in more than a year. I those big brown eyes, and I’m lost. his plate. of days’ notice so we can arrange to Dark or fuzzy prints will not work. never saw them. get compliments on the way she Of course I’ll keep her. Which Following dinner, we went di- be there. We cannot return photos unless Just as well. Purebred, huh? Pure obeys. And she’s learning to hunt. makes the improved behavior and rectly to the prison, where we fol- Space in the paper is limited and you submit a self-addressed, devil is more like it. Being 5 may have helped to settle the lack of tickets all the nicer. lowed our usual routine. We signed so is the time of our staff, so we may stamped envelope with clear in- If you let her off the leash, that dog her down. I’m not sure. in, stowed our personal things in the not be able to get to every event, but structions for return. Other photos was gone. She’d take off down the She’s been hunting several times locker and started through the metal we will try. submitted may be picked up at our street at a steady 25 mph, never hesi- this year. The first day was nothing From the Bible detector. The detector is so sensitive Because space is so limited, we office within two weeks. tating as you yelled and shouted. spectacular. The second, she point- cannot run team or group photos, We can take passport photos if that it picks up metal belt buckles, There was no way to catch up. Once, ed a covey of quail and held them Then they that feared the any pictures of people lined up or of you provide a roll of color film. ASA zippers or buttons. a guy clear across town found her rock solid until my brother-in-law LORD spake often one to an- people passing checks, certificates 200, 12 exposure works fine. The Bob, Ila and I had all stepped and called. Usually, the dogcatcher and his son were in position. other: and the LORD hear- and the like. (We will always try to charge is $8.50 per person. through and it was Jim’s turn. He got her. Those quail about gave me a heart kened, and heard it, and a book Confined to the pen, she’d dig her attack when they got up. of remembrance was written way out. Finally, we tied her to the Later that week, she pointed and before him for them that fear- fence post and double-latched the held a pheasant. Before, she’d usu- ed the LORD, and that thought gate. That almost stopped her. ally bust them a block ahead of the upon his name. And they shall Funny thing was, while I never gun, but not this time. She’s done it be mine, saith the LORD of Serving Oberlin and Decatur County since 1879 could find her when she escaped, the again since, too, so maybe it wasn’t hosts, in that day when I make police chief always could. The first just as accident. Phone: (785) 475-2206 Fax (785) 475-2800 up my jewels; and I will spare USPS 401-600 time, she got off with a warning. The And the last few weeks, she’s them, as a man spareth his own 170 S. Penn Ave., Oberlin, Kan. 67749-2243 E-mail: [email protected] next time was expensive. been learning to retrieve. The other son that serveth him. We tried taking her in the field. day, she found the pheasant skin we Malachi 3: 16, 17 Published each Wednesday by Haynes Pub- Nor’West Newspapers She’d run about a mile ahead and use for scent training and brought it lishing Co., 170 S. Penn Ave., Oberlin, Kan. 67749. Periodicals mail postage paid at Ober- STAFF lin, Kan. 67749. Steve Haynes ...... editor Reader would miss The Herald Steve and Cynthia Haynes, publishers Kimberly Davis ...... managing editor Mary Lou Olson ...... society editor To the Editor: Official newspaper of Oberlin, Jennings, Nor- I cannot be without my paper. Judy Jordan ...... proofreader catur, Dresden and Decatur County. Member of Most of the write-ups are about sec- Carolyn Kelley-Plotts...... columnist Letters to the Editor the Kansas Press Association, National News- ond generation people from when I Cynthia Haynes ...... business manager paper Association, Colorado Press Associa- lived on a farm by Dresden. David Bergling ...... advertising manager will always be home. My son is now and 25 yesteryears, also the museum tion, Nebraska Press Association and Inland However, I come to Oberlin and Pat Cozad ...... want ads/circulation visit my brother, Rhomine Smith, an engineering teacher. right by it. I clip both out. Press Association. Karla Jones, Doris Miller ....advertising production and my son owns the house in Your weather usually hits two Keep up the good work! Subscriptions: One year, $30 (tax included) in Decatur, Norton, Joan Betts ...... historian Dresden that was mine, so we come days after Denver. Arlee (Smith) Williams Rawlins, Sheridan, Thomas and Red Willow counties; $34 (tax to Decatur County pretty often. That I sure enjoy the 125-100-75-50 Westminster, Colo. included) elsewhere in Kansas; $37 elsewhere in the U.S. Foreign Marsha Morford ...... mailing subscriptions, $20 extra per year (except APO/FPO). POST- Whitney Beinke ...... page makeup MASTER: Send change of address to 170 S. Penn Ave., Oberlin, Kan. 67749-2243. Nice to see lengthy Jennings items Office hours: 8:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. To the Editor: very pleased to read such a fine and Cressler. 03 (Also open most Saturdays when someone is in.) I recently received my Jan. 5 is- lengthy publication of Jennings Dr. Jack Bainter sue of The Oberlin Herald and was news items. Kudos to Louise Indianopolis