Posted on 05/16/2004 9:48:03 PM PDT by quidnunc
If there's a silver lining to the 24/7 coverage over Abu Ghraib, it is that we are slowly learning that these abuses were in fact the fault of a few undisciplined, poorly led soldiers. The accusation that the practices were part of the "system," or resulted from Army or Pentagon rules, is also being exposed as a political slur.
On the first point, we now know the soldiers in those awful photos were derelict in many ways. Testimony is emerging that they indulged in sexual escapades and other behavior that any normal person would consider depraved. According to Specialist Jeremy C. Sivits, the first of the alleged offenders to face court martial, Specialist Charles A. Garner Jr. put a sandbag over one detainee's head and "punched the detainee with a closed fist so hard in the temple" that he was knocked unconscious.
This is inhumane, and deserves to be punished if proven in court. The unit's commanders should also be held responsible for its poor morale and lack of discipline. But as Specialist Sivits says in his sworn statement, no one ordered what is revealed in those photos: "Our command would have slammed us. They believe in doing the right thing. If they saw what was going on, there would be hell to pay."
This directly counters the continuing effort in Washington to portray the abuses as the inevitable result of the "climate" created by Donald Rumsfeld's Guantanamo rules. The latest such spin emerged last week with reports about the special interrogation techniques sanctioned by Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez, the Iraq theater commander. Consider this demagogic exchange between the Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman, General Peter Pace, and Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed during Thursday's hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee:
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
read later
The ONLY one that ever followed the Geneva Conventions was the U.S... about time fanasties stopped. Like the Miranda announcements.. somebody better get real, real fast.. The sheeple are bleating. I sense a stampede..
It does NOT mean elevating terrorists, thugs and brigands to the level of honorable soldiers. These "unlawful combatants" should NOT be afforded the protections of the GC. Affording terrorists the benefits of GC rights lends their disgusting tactics legitimacy.
I bet there are some college fraternity initiations that go are far as or beyond this stuff. Anyone care to comment? Luckily the genva conv. don't apply to frats. at this time.
In todays world any honorable forces are already allied with us, more or less. All others are either strawmen, tinmen, or cowardly lions.. or worse. The Geneva Conventions as far as my studies go is and always was utopian dreams. Germans, Japanese, and Russians could have cared less except for propaganda value. And probably China too, now. Unilateral compliance to GC is unique to american values but foreign to any LOOSER of any war. A rethinking of core military stragedy seems to have been done but our military seems to be mole city. Americas greatest enemy of all has been found. The enemy is some of US. Not cleaning up our own house is makeing us look filty and weak to the world. Having a den full of guns is worthless during a divorce. America is fractured and the lawyers are preying on both parties. New tactics are needed..
Sooner or later, we're going to have to take out the trash.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.