It is both peculiar and chilling to find oneself discussing the problem of American torture. I have considered support of basic human rights and dignity so much a part of our national identity that this feels as strange as though I'd suddenly become Chinese or found Fidel Castro in the refrigerator.
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"The construction of such a system, whose stated purpose is the production of intelligence, cannot be considered other than an intentional system of cruel, unusual and degrading treatment, and a form of torture."
Bullshit: its a "form" of torture? Like spanking or scolding a child is a "form" of child abuse. Like smoking is a "form" of suicide, abortion is a "form" of murder.
This is not stuff that concerns KAL: the Kick Ass Liberal.
Torture is squashing balls, hanging people upside down and poking them with cattle prods till they die. And yo do that to a couple of thousand, THEN you have torture. Or how about just having to live in Falujah? Mosul? Or being black in America?
I dare suggest the conditions overall of the detainees is a helluva lot better than the average Afghani... water? toilets? clean food? And what's all this about being cold in Cuba?
You don't know shit about what is going on in Cuba. None of us do. One of the few things to come out is that those lucky bastards with a toilet and water have a high suicide rate. Guess they've seen heaven on Earth...
Oh yeah? Talk to me after you've done a tour in a cubicle.
Have you served Matt? Have you handled det cord?
I don't know shit about so very very many things...
Suicide? these guys blow themselves up to get to heaven and get to fuck virgins. No, I don't know what's going on in Cuba. I don't know what's going on anyplace but right here, tap tap tap on the blog blog blog and the notion that I know that is a perfect act of self deception.
Well, a form of self deception.
You gotta grok that: we don't know. We don't get to choose what might be based on some excerped words from a complete report.
There are different levels of knowing. I'd believe claims about what you are tapping away right now more so than I do news reports. I believe news reports more so than what the government tells me (lately they are the same) and I believe what the Agriculture Department has to say about soybeans more so than what the White House has to say about Guantanamo. To that end we cannot claim much knowledge of what is going on down there. To belittle the report (from the Red Cross about abuse) and use a cultural/racial stereotype (they blow them selves up) is simply a form of denial. The smattering of evidence suggests torture and abuse. The secretive White House could combat such evidence with openness, yet...
"to use a cultural/racial stereotype (they blow them selves up) is simply a form of denial"
That is NOT a racial/cultural stereo type. These are NOT Iraqi housewives, these are field hardened combatants subjected to some serious rules, and they are at one with a group that DOES employ suicide attacks. These are not a bunch of college student pussies who have found themselves out of their element.
The Red Cross, as much as any other organization, reaches for hyperbole for attention. Besides, when a group is called in to investigate, they are NEVER going to come out saying "wow! really nice place!"
Merely using the phrase "a form of torture" disqualifies the entire report. If they had balls AND were on the mark, they'd say "it is torture" and be done with it. They'd say it was physical torture that causes lasting pain and damage. Physical discomfort, fear: that's not torture. If it is, then EVERY arrest in this country is torture. I have NEVER been arrested without fear, discomfort and threats. Hell, I've never been in a traffic stop that was not a form of torture.
I need to see the entire red cross report. And turn these guys loose? to whom? to what end? these prisoners are pledged to eternal combat: that is going to get them eternal jail.
As to scribbling on the Koran: that's a totally Christian thing to do, holy icons and all that. How tempting is that :-) Look, a button to push!
It makes me grin just to think about saying "fuck" to some prisoner and having that really really upset the person. (I used to just say "tickle tickle" to a girlfriend, and it would work! Loved it.)
"these are field hardened combatants"
Here is your error. You do not know this. The guy could be a farmer swept up by the Taliban and then arrested. One would HOPE that the White House folk would not waste their time and our money on a non-threat but knowing what little I do about this White House... I don't have much hope for their thinking.
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