Abu Ghraib: The Continuing Saga

Stardate 5325.2

I think most readers are aware of the past history involved with Gitmo and Abu Ghraib. In fact, most of the perps have been slapped on the wrist for their physical, sexual and mental abuses they performed on many detainees at these facilities. These abuses had included many perverse acts, and much worse, including the famous picture of Private England and the prisoner on the leash.

This picture shows burns and torture marks allegedly inflicted by US soldiers in 2004.

It seems an Australian news agency, Special Broadcasting Service, has released a slew of new pictures and video depicting more of the same abuse and humiliation that the US captors did back in 2003.

Images of naked prisoners, some bloodied and lying on the floor, were taken about the same time as earlier photos that triggered a worldwide scandal and led to military trials and prison sentences for several lower-ranking American soldiers.
Many of the images broadcast by Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service, including some that appear to show corpses, were more graphic than those previously published. One of the video clips depicted a group of naked men with bags over their heads standing together and masturbating. The network said they were forced to participate.

Naturally, the US admin has condemned the release of these pictures, saying they will only serve to inflame anger already directed at the recent beating of Iraqi youths by British soldiers, not to mention the comic scandal that is slowly brewing out of control. Indeed, they have a very valid point but it is a little late to be trying to ease tensions that would have never risen if they had stayed out of Iraq in the first place.

There were nine soldiers convicted in the previous case, all of whom were low level soldiers. They received punishments ranging from discharge from service to ten years in prison. However, the Bush administration, after investigating itself as usual, still found no blame with any senior officers or administration, despite pleas from Cheney and others to allow CIA operatives the "option" of torture...

People can complain and suggest that this is what happens when Muslim extremists chop the heads off of captives, but frankly, I think that the US should not become as the enemy when dealing with them. They have continuously maintained that the Geneva convention does not apply to these "detainees" and refuse to call them Prisoners of War, even though they themselves, will talk of "being at war" and the "War on Terror" until they are hoarse, but that doesn't wash with me. Many of the prisoners have been released now, but with secret European prisons, and the shipment of detainees to other "suspect" locations for interrogation, who knows if these inhumane and sadistic abuses are still going on.

Other images showed what appear to be dead bodies, as well as wounded people and prisoners performing sex acts. SBS said the bodies were of people who died at the prison.

The SBS also showed photographs of a bloodied cell block and the corpse of a man it said was killed during a CIA interrogation.

Torture is not a civilized value. I would say American, but idiots will pour out of the woodwork proclaiming loudly that a Canadian knows nothing of American values. Frankly, if they think torture is an American value, they are truly deserving of the hell some of these soldiers and extremists alike will find.