Posted on 06/06/2005 3:46:45 PM PDT by CHARLITE
Newsweek's false account of a Koran being dumped in a toilet caused much damage to U.S. foreign policy. On May 20, the New York Times tried to do more damage. It devoted over 6000 words to the deaths of Afghans who had been in the custody of U.S. forces at Bagram Air Base on suspicion of involvement in terrorism. Seven people have been charged for alleged abuse of those described in the Times account. But that didn't stop reporter Tim Golden from including a lot of gratuitous details about the alleged abuse. The article was timed just before Afghan President Hamid Karzai came to the U.S.
In a follow-up story, Golden admitted that there is evidence that the detainees had some existing medical problems when they arrived at Bagram, and that investigators said that it was difficult to ascertain whether some of their health problems were pre-existing or the result of abuse. Golden also acknowledges that "Most of the guards who admitted punching the detainees or kneeing them in the thighs said they did so in order to subdue prisoners who were extraordinarily combative."
So they were not hapless and docile individuals who were pounced upon by soldiers with nothing else to do.
(Excerpt) Read more at aim.org ...
The Times is rooting for our enemies and trying to help them -- that's a dog-bites-man story at this point.
One of my colleagues once went to Saudi to work, and when they checked his luggage and found his Bible, they tore it to bits, in front of him.
No report of this incident was made by any newspaper.
They adhere to our foes abroad.
Why "W" avoids coming to grips with this problem I'll never know.
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