This Time It's the Brits

The British press (and of course, the Arab press) is in an uproar over home video which shows a group of British soldiers dealing a little corporal punishment to a bunch of Iraqi teens who thought it would be a good idea to riot and throw rocks at the soldiers. For a completely over-the-top recounting of the event, including breathless commentary, you can read this report.

The timing of this release is unfortunate...and suspect. The incident happened in 2004 but is just now coming to light - at the same time as the Muslim cartoon kerfuffle. Just what the Arabs need is something else to get their turbins in a wad.

Frankly, if you're going to riot and throw rocks at soldiers, you probably deserve a good beating. I'm not convinced that this is such a bad thing.