Posted on 06/14/2005 1:04:47 PM PDT by CHARLITE
"Sure, a few may come back to haunt us," wrote New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman in arguing to close down the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay. Who are the "few" that Mr. Friedman is thinking of, and what exactly does he mean by haunting? Perhaps the case of Mohammed al Qahtani, a Guantanamo detainee profiled in the current issue of Time magazine, offers insight.
From a Guantanamo logbook, Time reports that interrogators did a number of unpleasant things to al Qahtani to get him to talk. These included shaving his beard, stripping him naked, ordering him to bark like a dog, depriving him of sleep -- to the music of Christina Aguilera, no less -- and violating his "personal space" with a vulgar female interrogator.
Interrogators also showed al Qahtani gruesome images of September 11 and asked him to write letters of apology to the victims' families. Al Qahtani is the so-called 20th hijacker of September 11. To those offended by the "torture" techniques -- and judging by the outrage coming from Capitol Hill, this comprises a growing body -- we urge them to remember that bloody day.
Sen. Mel Martinez, who said, "[Guantanamo has] become an icon for bad stories, and at some point you wonder the cost-benefit ratio." Broken down, what Mr. Martinez means is that the symbol of Guantanamo is inciting more otherwise moderate Muslims to embrace fanaticism, while at the same time tarnishing America's image in the Western world. Neither argument persuades. Even worse, they belie a naive understanding of our enemies and our allies.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Thanks for the ping!
Ohmigosh! What a photo........all of the benefits of living the Islamic life style.
Thanks for the photo, Lijah.
Char
Amazing, isn't it?
And the twisted reps in Washington won't holler about that situation.
I'd laugh .......... if it weren't true. Good post.
I didn't laugh either!
F YEAH!
LSHIPMP, A crap and I'm fresh out of depends.
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