The Abu Ghraib whistleblower's ordeal

BBC ^ | Sunday, 5 August 2007, 05:02 GMT 06:02 UK | Dawn Bryan

[james500]

The US soldier who exposed the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison found himself a marked man after his anonymity was blown in the most astonishing way by Donald Rumsfeld.

...

Joe Darby was a reserve soldier with US forces at Abu Ghraib prison when he stumbled across those images which would eventually shock the world in 2004.

They were photographs of his colleagues, some of them men and women he had known since high school - torturing and abusing Iraqi prisoners.

His decision to hand them over rather than keep quiet changed his life forever.

...

When the accused soldiers were finally removed from the base, he thought his troubles were over.

And then he was sitting in a crowded Iraqi canteen with hundreds of soldiers and Donald Rumsfeld came on the television to thank Joe Darby by name for handing in the photographs.

"I don't think it was an accident because those things are pretty much scripted," Mr Darby says.

"But I did receive a letter from him which said he had no malicious intent, he was only doing it to praise me and he had no idea about my anonymity.

"I really find it hard to believe that the secretary of defence of the United States has no idea about the star witness for a criminal case being anonymous."

Rather than turn on him for betraying colleagues, most of the soldiers in his unit shook his hand. It was at home where the real trouble started.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

When a liberal does this, they’re called a “whistleblower”.

When a non-liberal does this, they’re called a “snitch”.

[Rudder]

Well, then, I guess the guy blows whistles.

[Sherman Logan]

Mr. Darby did exactly the right thing. We should all be proud of him. Too bad some Americans don’t agree.

[Loud Mime]

He went to the press instead of a higher authority, didn’t he?

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Remember the uproar when Linda Tripp “betrayed a friend”?

That was so typical.

If she were a liberal, she would have been ... you guessed it. A “whistleblower”!

[facedown]

Rather than turn on him for betraying colleagues, most of the soldiers in his unit shook his hand.

Manure.

[lentulusgracchus]

Rumsfeld's dropping the confidential informant's name was a cheap shot -- and vindictive.

I thought Rumsfeld had more class than that, but I guess not.

[ishabibble]

BBC
Dated: TODAY

The surge is, quite obviously, working! Time to drag out the bad news of Abu Garhib. Let’s all remember how a handful of miscreants held the nation’s MSM spellbound for three months. Abu G. stories ran on the front page of the NYT for 62 days straight. Let’s all gnash our teeth over this horrendous (and warmed over) story.

Anything to block out the good news.

[james500]

Dawn Bryan seemed to start off trying to write the next Plame scandal but I don’t know if the facts support that.

I can’t seem to find any information on who may have offered this guy “anonymity” and what that would mean. Are we talking witness protection program or just PAO saying “I can’t comment on an active investigation”?

[SampleMan]

Mr. Darby did exactly the right thing. We should all be proud of him. Too bad some Americans don’t agree.

Solving the issue without the MSM being involved and handing a propaganda victory to the enemy would have been exactly the right thing.

The "torture" was not torture but mistreatment. It could and should have been resolved within the military.

[Polybius]

He went to the press instead of a higher authority, didn’t he?

No, he did not.

Joe Darby went to higher military authority as was his military duty under the UCMJ.

The uncle of SSg Ivan Frederick went to the media with a CD of photos he had when the Army refused to be blackmailed into dropping the charges against his nephew.

Members of Frederick's family handed the photos to a 60 Minutes representative. The NY Times offers this quote from his uncle: "The Army had the opportunity for this not to come out, not to be on 60 Minutes," he said. "But the Army decided to prosecute those six G.I.'s because they thought me and my family were a bunch of poor, dirt people who could not do anything about it. But unfortunately, that was not the case."

SSg Ivan Frederick was a dirtbag.

His uncle was a dirtbag and a traitor.

[gedeon3]

I agree with you 100%. And I will add that the ones who love the ‘blower’, are soft, closet left wingers who call themselves conservative. Those and the traitor democrats are the reason this war is not over yet.

[Oztrich Boy]

He went to the press instead of a higher authority, didn’t he?

No. The military ivestigation was done in January, before the media got a whiff of of the story

[Polybius]

Mr. Darby did exactly the right thing. We should all be proud of him. Too bad some Americans don’t agree.

Solving the issue without the MSM being involved and handing a propaganda victory to the enemy would have been exactly the right thing.

See Post 12.

Darby DID NOT go to the media.

The traitorous uncle of SSg Ivan Frederick went to CBS with a CD full of photos when the U.S. Army refused to be blackmailed into dropping the charges against his nephew.

In the article, it says that Darby was commended for honorably doing his duty by his comrades while in Iraq but that his problems began when he got home.

The way that Darby is being unfairly attacked on this thread repeats that dynamic.

Darby did his duty honorably.

Just like this man did his duty honorably at My Lai.

Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson

[colorado tanker]

The "torture" was not torture but mistreatment.

Absolutely correct, but the MSM never tires of using the "T" word. Being photographed nude or in womens underwear is mistreatment, not torture. Being beaten to death in the Hanoi Hilton is torture.

The fact is mistreatment of prisoners falling short of torture was illegal under Army regulations, under which the perps were prosecuted and convicted. The McCain bill was pure grandstanding, making illegal that which was already illegal.

[mass55th]

"After Donald Rumsfeld blew his cover, he was bundled out of Iraq very quickly and lived under armed protection for the first six months."

Oh cripes! Will the Dems be holding more hearings?

[Polybius]

And I will add that the ones who love the ‘blower’, are soft, closet left wingers who call themselves conservative.

While I sympathize with what you are trying to say, you have your facts wrong in regards to who did what and what is being defended.

Joe Darby NEVER went to the news media.

See Post 12 and Post 15.

A "blower" and a "traitor" goes to CBS like the uncle of SSg Ivan Frederick did after failing to blackmail the U.S. Army.

An honorable soldier goes to higher military authority and NOT the news media as is his duty under the UCMJ as Joe Darby did.

[Sherman Logan]

Don’t blame Darby for the MSM orgy of anti-Americanism.

He reported the information he had to higher military authorities, as was his duty. He did not call the press.

[Sherman Logan]

I will never understand why some conservatives will defend scumbags like the Abu Ghraib sadists and the My Lai baby-killers over those who did their duty like Darby and Thompson.

Or, in Thompson’s case, above and beyond the call of duty.