It's true enough that in any organisation there are liable to be some people who as individuals use whatever power they have to abuse other people in some way. When this kind of thing is turned up it doesn't mean that the organisation is guilty.

But when a bunch of people collectively get into that kind of thing, it does indicate that something is wrong. At the very least the indication that they feel safe says that they believe that what they are doing is acceptable behaviour, and that says a lot about the culture of the organisation.

The litmus paper on this is how the guy who blew the whistle will be regarded by other soldiers and by peopole at home. A hero or a pariah? If it's the latter, it means that the people who see it that way are condoning, and colluding in, the kind of abuses reported.

The fact that the Pentagon tried to hush it up is not surprising, but very depressing. It's worth remembering that serious efforts were made to cover-up My Lai - and that one ambitious young officer called Colin Powell was involved in those efforts.