I didn’t think it was possible for the U.S. cultural bar to sink any lower after Abu Ghraib. Silly me - apparently the U.S. is working without a net when it comes to sheer barbarism. Now we have ministers, traditional leaders of our local communities, beating children for reporting sex abuse. As the article points out, this girl has been betrayed several times over and has no reason left to trust adults. Even more sad, U.S. society doesn’t compensate for this sort of experience: for the rest of her life she will be punished for having “baggage” and a distrustful attitude.

Perhaps this is all part and parcel of a civic culture that busies itself in manipulating appearances to prevent morale issues instead of striving for a more just society.