According to a July 23 Associated Press report, “the U.S. military has found 94 cases of confirmed or alleged abuse of prisoners by U.S. soldiers in Iraq.” This is a number far higher than any alluded to by the Pentagon prior to this.

Ironically, this came on the same day that the BBC reported, “A U.S. supplier for Kentucky Fried Chicken has fired 11 workers after a video showed the poultry being kicked, stamped on and slammed against walls.”

Why does a fried chicken restaurant have more accountability and more immediate response time than the leader of the western world? Why does animal cruelty meet with such instantaneous and appropriate measures, while human cruelty does not?

Indeed it appears that if the management of Pilgrim’s Pride, the supplier to KFC, can get fired for the misdeeds of their employees, then the same should be true for the management of the Pentagon for the misdeeds of the military. Clearly, if Colonel Sanders ran the United States, Donald Rumsfeld would be looking for work.

But then again, if KFC doesn’t act and act fast, people might stop buying their chicken and put them out of business. The day has certainly come for the American people to stop buying what the current administration is selling, and come November, put them out of business. Imagine how differently they might act if they really thought we would.

Pat LaMarche

Vice presidential

candidate, Green Party

Yarmouth