Reality TV in Iraq

Today's LAT has an interesting piece by Patrick McDonnell reporting on the Iraqi television shows focussing on the confessions of captured insurgent terrorists. Of course, like the NYT, who broke this story back in early February, the LAT pays lip service to the god's of due process and human rights. However, McDonnell does represent the other side of this argument ("hang 'em high):

Rules of evidence and warnings against self-incrimination don't appear to be much of an issue, as Iraqis remain glued to their screens while emotionless insurgents speak of serial beheadings and other atrocities. The program occasionally switches from confessions to insurgents' tapes of the same beheading or other form of killing.

"They should hang these criminals in the Baghdad city center," said Karim Zubeidi, 47, a government employee in the capital and an aficionado of the TV series.

Surely some enterprising US network executive will see the commercial potential of rebroadcasting these programs here. (Of course, they would have to add a dubbed english language sound track.) In my book, at least, it would beat the hell out of bug-eating bimbos any day.