The value of justice

It pays to read until the end of a story. In today's WaPo story on Iraqi reaction to the decision by a U.S. judge to dismiss the charges against the Blackwater guards that opened fire on innocent Iraqis in Baghdad in 2007, this pearl comes as the finale:

Firas Fadhil Abbas, whose brother Osama was killed at Nisoor Square, said that "if someone kills a dog in America, they do not escape punishment. I don't understand this trial."

The value of an Iraqi life is in question, and Abbas nails it. He's right, so where's the outrage? I understand that the judge probably had to make this decision based on the abuse of protocol by members of the Bush-era federal government. That said, I sincerely hope an investigation is done by the DOJ to figure out why these protected statements from the accused guards were allowed to be seen/used by prosecutors. How did they not know what was allowable in this case? It seems inexcusable that they did not know, so what was thought process here? Was it intentional? Just careless? I doubt it.

Abbas says the execution of a dog would go punished in America. He's right. What happens when 17 innocent Iraqis are murdered? Where's the justice? What happens next? I'm sure we haven't heard the end of this case, but, really, how likely are these guards going to face a real trial at this point?