I Can't Wrap My Vulva Around This

You never know what people are going to occupy themselves during a court martial. To your left is a photo of Sgt. Jennifer Scala, a witness in a military prosecution of alleged Abu Ghraib guard misconduct.

The uniformed Sergeant was photographed by the Baltimore Sun, leaving the military tribunal with her well-thumbed copy of  Inga Muscio's  Cunt: A Declaration of Independence.

The Sun's readers just about lost their cookies when this photo was published on page A3, as if it was just another boring Monday.

I myself went from laughter to confusion. The usual Cunt-reader, of which there are legions, are ardent feminists who would say that Abu Gharaib is a hardly-unique example of how the dogs of war train young soldiers to dehumanize their enemies through fear, deep racism, and nationalism. Inge Muscio would be one of the first to scoff at the idea that Abu Ghraib was a rogue act.

So is Jennifer Scala coming to her senses, and ready to stick it to the man? Or does she just like pissing people off whenever the occasion comes up?

Her role in the trial was as a witness. She worked with the sadistic canine handler and his mutt... she let the same dog lick peanut butter off her breasts on some bored-out-of-their-minds occasion they shared together.

From the trial transcript, you get the impression of an Abu Ghraib Rat Pack, indulging in hi-larious hi-jinks one moment, segueing to sadism in the next. It turned on less than a dime.

The soldier who sic'ed the dog on the Iraqis, Army Sgt. Michael J. Smith, apologized for the peanut butter incidents, but he didn't have the same remorse for torturing the prisoners. He only wished he had gotten permission in writing to do that, instead of taking the fall.