The small-town girl who ended up on every channel (Lynndie England – Leash Girl)

The Baltimore Sun via SMH ^ | May 7, 2004 | John Woestendiek in Fort Ashby, West Virginia

[dead]

Lynndie England loved a good storm. During tornado warnings her mother would have to drag her back inside the house. Her teachers say she wanted a career as a storm-chaser.

Now, the perfect storm has found her.

From hometown hero to the reviled woman holding the leash . . . US Reserve
soldier Lynndie England with an Iraqi prisoner in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.
Photo: The Washington Post

The petite 21-year-old army reservist from the quiet crossroads town of Fort Ashby in West Virginia is the most visible character in the controversy over the abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison. She is the thumbs-up girl, the pixie-ish, T-shirted soldier, smiling, pointing and posing for the camera with naked and humiliated inmates.

Soon after the release of the photographs, Terrie England was on the telephone with her daughter while watching television.

Full story ...

[AppyPappy]

It will stop that one.

If that's the way to stop terrorists, then I, personally, am not willing to go that far.

Ah...so you would rather see another plane hit a building than see some terrorists hazed? I see your point then.

[AppyPappy]

We can fight them over there or over here. It's our choice.

[spunkets]

I was just clarifying.

[talleyman]

Looks like a job interview in San Francisco...

[Freemeorkillme]

BINGO! This wasn't even torture. It was designed to break these vicious terrorists in any way possible. GOOD!

Torture SHOULD be used as a last alternative. How many terrorists have been interned so far? About 8,000? All of whom know that Iraq is where to go if one wants to get it on with the great Satan?

Sounds to me like a vast pool for intel gathering. What do you think?

[cake_crumb]

Too much coffee?

[GottaLuvAkitas1]

LOL maybe yes to both.
The shock and outrage I felt is gone. Yes it was gross, but this is has been blown out of proportion. I helped blow out of proportion myself here on FR. But at least I got it all out. Thanks to all of you for helping me get over this.

[DonaldDuke]

There is no excuse for this behavior, period.

This is simply stupid. There is no excuse for this level of stupidity, coming from someone who very obviously do not understand an iota of what's going on here. But hey, that's the level of stupidity that seems to permeate a good portion of this chorus.

So these guys are being humiliated. I'd say this is not random, it's not done for kicks or for "twisted fantasies", as another yahoo fancying himself a psychologist opined on another thread. This was done to save American lives, an objective seemingly quite unimportant to a great many people here.

Subject an Islamic fighter to this kind of thing, and you break his will - without breaking his head. That is why the Arabs are in hysterics. It's effective in the way it would be effective to force them on a diet of pork - it interferes with their place in the Jihad honor structure, and even with their chances of being a good shahid. And it makes them spill their guts, which saves American lives. Of course that's inexcusable.

Would you want OUR soldiers treated this way

American soldiers are treated a bit differently. Involving mutilation and the like. But of course, that is excusable.

Now excuse me, while I go puke.

[Not A Snowbird]

I was just clarifying.

Okay! :-)

[GrandEagle]

We can fight them over there or over here. It's our choice.
I agree, being sexually deviant with their prisoners is a completely different issue - totally unrelated with keeping the fight over there. But it does speak volumes about us as a nation; both to our friends and enemies. It does nothing to make our friendship ties stronger but does make those who hate us more resolved.

[spunkets]

"She looked like she was enjoying smoking that cigarette and pointing to male genitals. Sorry my ass."

Military personnel and folks in general are expected to learn from their mistakes. Note that no cigarette burns were actually inflicted.

The Army does not put privates in charge of determining the policies and treatments of prisoners. There were senior noncoms and officers there, that the Army did give that charge to that were effectively AWOL.

These personnel are effectively just out of HS. There's a whole spectrum of capacity and wisdom to be found in such a group. If they are tossed into a hot war w/o officers that actively ensure that they adhere to the intent and objectives of the US, this sort of thing can be expected to happen.

[Freemeorkillme]

"It does nothing to make our friendship ties stronger but does make those who hate us more resolved."

More resolved then, say, flying planes into our Pentagon, WTC towers, killing 3,000 citizens in one blow,....you know their track record since Beirut...or perhaps not.

WHO CARES WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT US!! WE ARE THERE TO KILL THEM ALL AND CRUSH OUR ENEMIES BENEATH OUR HEELS THAT THEY SHOULD NOT RISE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY!!

DEATH TO THE ENEMIES!! VICTORY FOR FREEDOM!!

[AppyPappy]

I don't want to be friendly with those people. I want them to fear us.

[AppyPappy]

Considering how these people treat women, I think it is poetic justic.

[GrandEagle]

I don't want to be friendly with those people. I want them to fear us.
We agree! - Finally!
I want them to fear us militarily, and respect us otherwise. I could care less if they like us.
It is apparent that we don't agree on the method to gain this end. I'll extent the virtual handshake and will respect our different views.

[af_vet_rr]

I was raised, and still believe, that homosexuality and other such deviant behavior is wrong, no matter the situation. You can make fun of me for holding onto such old-fashioned beliefs, it won't bother me, I'm proud of being old-fashioned and holding onto those beliefs.

I understand that those younger than me may not see that kind of behavior as being wrong or sinful, and as such I wouldn't force my personal religious/moral beliefs upon you, AppyPappy.

That said, I do have one question for you. Since you consider that to be just "hazing", if that was your daughter, would you proudly tell people "that picture of the girl with the naked men in the dogpile, or on the leash, or simulating homosexual sex, that girl is my daughter!!".

I ask, because I'm curious, so don't take it as a personal attack.

[AppyPappy]

I'll extent the virtual handshake and will respect our different views.

ME AND YOU. CAGE MATCH....IN THE OMNI!!!!!

[GrandEagle]

ME AND YOU. CAGE MATCH
LOL!

[AppyPappy]

They tore down the Omni in Atlanta now that I think about it.