CNN gets this week’s award for Most Surreal Headline: Three prisoners at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have hanged themselves in what the U.S. military is calling an act of "asymmetric warfare."

He described the men, whose names were not released, as committed jihadists captured on the battlefield. "I believe this was not an act of desperation, rather an act of asymmetric warfare waged against us," Harris said.

"Asymmetrical warfare" is defined as "a conflict in which a much weaker opponent uses unorthodox or surprise tactics to attack the weak points of the much stronger opponent."

Harris added that there is a "mythical belief" that the Guantanamo detention center would be shut down if three detainees die.

So yes. We put these people in prison for half a decade. We cut them off from any hope of due process, a trial, or even access to an attorney. We subjected them to a range of gratuitous physical, emotion, and sexual tortures. And we made it clear that we had no intention of ever letting them go. When some finally decided their only escape was through death, then we jump out from behind the shadows and exclaim, “Ha! See? They were terrorists committing an act of aggression against us by, uh ... committing an act of aggression against themselves.”

Honestly, I'd be surprised if the thought of associating yet another piece of bad press with Gitmo was any more than a small comfort at the end; a suicidal booby-prize that their ultimate act would mean something if it helped ease the travails of their compatriots.

I have a friend who did her Master’s on self-immolation as a form of nonviolent protest. Pretty powerful stuff. But I hardly think this qualifies; that they were hoping to make their deaths visible to achieve a clear demand. These people are already locked away in the dark and would likely have held little hope of the U.S. even publicizing the circumstances surrounding their suicide. Guilty or not, I’m pretty sure they were just living in misery and decided that the sweet release of death was finally a preferable option.

But not to worry because Bush said he was "seriously concerned" and wanted the incident handled humanely. So thereing lies the American message to all prisoners of Gitmo -- the way to be treated humanely is to just die already.

Hitler Cats! Hitler Cats! OMG!

Go!

I don't know why we never call these people Christian fundamentalists/terrorists/fascists/radicals etc. the same was we attach the word Muslim or Islamic to "brown" terrorists. What does Wiki have to say about it?

In recent Western culture, terrorism more specifically refers to a strategy of using political violence, social threats, or coordinated attacks, in order to generate fear, cause disruption, and ultimately, bring about compliance with specified demands.

So this asshole psychopath tries to blow up an abortion clinic, killing innocent people for political gain. And in 115 google hits, not a single use of the word terrorist.

Of course, the same people who have so many problems with abortion have no problem whatsoever in killing when it comes to innocent Iraqi civilians. And now Oklahoma has decided to extend capital punishment to execute pedophiliacs and other sexual predators.

Jesus would be so proud. 

Welcome to the MSM's tabloid war:

The essence of information/media warfare is to seize the advantage, frame the story, and capture the audience's imagination. Its been a key part of modern warfare from the set-up flags of Iwo Jima in World War II to that not-so-safe house in Baquba in Iraq.

And now we have the bloodied head of the feared Zarqawi displayed on TV by the very military that will not allow us to see the American dead coming home. He was brought down by not one but two 500 pound bombs, in an operation that CNN tells us cost $500,000 and has been under way for months.

What a coup! What a show! And what an event for Iraqi "leaders" to show off, using terms like he has been "eliminated." Within hours, the more polished US military spinmeisters were showing the airstrikes at a press conference, declaring a "major victory" and pronouncing another "turning point."

So it just wasn’t enough that we killed this maniac of our own creation, but now the right-wing MSM is fawning over themselves to come up with ever-sexier depictions of his last moments. Yesterday we had the gleeful report that Zarqawi, in true superhuman, Pat Robertson Juice fashion managed to survive for a few moments after being hit with two 500-pound bombs.

Today we have the lovely headline that he resisted, defiant to the end. Or he was beaten to death by American GIs trying to finish the job. Which of course is a much sexier headline than saying he mumbled something incoherent and almost rolled off the cot before dying. And as though that weren’t enough, this morning we have the ever-so-irrelevant report that a search of Zarqawi’s house revealed “a woman's leopard skin nightgown and other skimpy women's clothes.” As though this kind of revelation will make terrorists the world over suddenly realize the hypocrisy of their fundamentalism and surrender in shame. Oh, and clears the way for building permanant U.S. military bases in Iraq.

Also, Michael Ledeen of the National Review disagrees with me. And with this guy. I guess time will tell.

Reader Ron Franscell brings up a really interesting question:

Today, a plaque was placed at the site of Hitler's Berlin bunker -- and his death -- by German historians. Some people complained that neo-Nazis might now use the site as a shrine to one of the great criminals of all times. More than 60 years later, we worry about Hitler's symbolism.

Ironically, today we also hold the corpse of Musab al-Zarqawi. Presuming we will not desecrate him any further than dropping two 500-pound bombs on him, how does one dispose of the body of terrorism's great symbols? If you give him back to his people his symbolism will transcend his mortal coil. If you toss him in a dumpster, it doesn't say much about who we are.

What should be done with a monster's corpse?

In fact, I think this is a question worth answering indeed. Do they cremate? Who gets the ashes? Bury? Where? I would be happy to follow up on this if anyone has an idea how to go about finding this out?

Now the U.S. is claiming that Zarqawi was alive for a little bit after being pulled from the rubble. Enough time to mumble some last words, etc.

The only reason whatsoever to bring this up is so that Bush warmongers can slap each other on the back that they made him suffer a bunch before dying. Retribution rules, dude!

Sickos.

And as I said before, so it begins. Over the next few weeks Zarqawi's cell will splinter around who gets to be his successor. All the old rivalries and friction will come out. Now instead of facing one lunatic, we'll be facing three or four of them -- each trying to outdo the other in order to prove their merit. Go You-Ess-Ay!

I really hate to be so cynical, but that's what happens when you have no faith whatsover in your government to understand this war.

Digby considers the implications of California’s 50^th district election while Truthout says the victory is actually a GOP loss. Meanwhile, BradBlog is hot on the trail of voter fraud casting doubt on the outcome and a GAO inquiry finds fault with the 2004 election.

Reports have emerged indicating that George Bush the First was behind a secret attempt to oust Donald Rumsfeld while Countdown suggests that Zarqawi’s death may be just what the doctor ordered.

First Lt. Ehren Watada says “Hell no, I won’t go” and would rather go to jail than go back to Iraq. “It's not that I disagree with this war. It's that this war is unlawful." Meanwhile, the Pentagon is fighting the war one terror by data mining your MySpace and Friendster profiles.

Vanity Fair publishes perhaps the most complete story to date on Bush’s Yellowcake, “The War They Wanted, The Lies They Needed.”

PBS explored whether the auto and oil industries conspired to kill the electric car. Maybe that explains Republicans renewed attempts to cut PBS off at the knees.

Yet another GOP congressman is implicated in a corruption probe.

Specter and Cheney are on the outs. This is what happened when bad guys form an alliance of evil; eventually they will turn on one another.

And finally, far be it to admit that the economy is in the toilet for most Americans, Bush tries to suppress a regular survey of poverty and income.