Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread Seven

The Washington Times ^ | 4-26-04 | Bill Gertz

[JustPiper]

"I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat"

Two Chinese diplomats, away from their Los Angeles consulate improperly, recently sped their vehicle past a Los Alamos National Laboratory guard post near classified facilities in what U.S. officials think was an intelligence mission, The Washington Times has learned.

[DAVEY CROCKETT]

One more thing did you catch today when she asked Rummy a question about the pictures and he said "I don't know how you would know that."

Anybody got a transcript?

[BurbankKarl]

Were They a Tool to Get
Iraqi Prisoners to Talk --
Or a Bizarre Soldier Diary?
By CHRISTOPHER COOPER
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
May 7, 2004; Page A8

Who took the photos of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners and why?

Pentagon investigators are trying to determine whether the photos were one of the tools used to wrest confessions from detainees at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison or a more innocent action -- a macabre part of some war diary being compiled by individual soldiers.

How that inquiry turns out will determine whether the Pentagon needs to revamp the way the military gathers intelligence through interrogation -- or needs to focus on counseling and training aimed at maintaining the mental health of U.S. soldiers.

Although tales of prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers in wars past may be nothing new, creating digital documentation of battlefield transgressions certainly is. And while the soldiers and contractors caught up in the investigation of conditions at the Abu Ghraib prison represent the most serious examples, other Americans have gotten in trouble during the war in Iraq when digital evidence of their transgression was e-mailed back home.

In a report recommending punishment for a dozen U.S. soldiers and private contractors stationed at the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, the investigating officer, Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, relies on the evidence provided by several digital photographs, which show a variety of Iraqi prisoners, many of them naked, who were forced into a variety of sexual poses. Many of those photographs showed leering U.S. soldiers in the background, and at least one of them showed a soldier having sex with a detainee, the report says.

Gen. Taguba's report doesn't say whether he believes the case suggests widespread dysfunction or whether these were the acts of a small number of deviant individuals. But he notes the opinion of Col. Henry Nelson, an Air Force psychiatrist who reviewed the case and determined that the "horrific abuses suffered by the detainees at Abu Ghraib were wanton acts of select soldiers in an unsupervised and dangerous setting." A report in the Washington Post about 1,000 photos it reviewed says the images of the abused Iraqi prisoners and their guards were interspersed with benign shots of U.S. soldiers riding camels -- suggesting the photos may have been a bizarre personal collection.

President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld have said they believe the abuses were an aberration.

But there is evidence to suggest that the photographs of naked Iraqi prisoners may have been intended for a darker purpose. At the time the photographs were taken, the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade controlled many parts of the prison, including those areas where the abuse took place. Attorneys for some of the military personnel accused of taking part in the abuse say they believe U.S. soldiers were ordered by military-intelligence personnel to soften up Iraqi prisoners for later interrogation. Photographs documenting the abuse, they say, may have been intended to further cow the Iraqi captives.

"These photographs, they're very obviously staged. They include simulated sex acts, and they're clearly intended for internal use," says Guy Womack, a Houston attorney who is representing Army Specialist Charles A. Graner Jr. Specialist Graner, like many of the individuals facing discipline, is a reservist in the 800th Military Police Brigade. A Pennsylvania prison guard in civilian life, Specialist Graner, 35 years old, could be facing a court martial for his role in the prison scandal; he appears to be pictured in several damning images.

Mr. Womack says he has been told that Specialist Graner and his reserve cohorts didn't make a move in the Iraqi prison without the approval of military intelligence officers. Those intelligence officers, he says, were under intense pressure from superiors in Iraq and in Washington to find evidence of weapons of mass destruction and to identify insurgents. The photographs were a tool being used to harass prisoners psychologically, Mr. Womack says. "The guards are smiling in these pictures, even though they aren't jokes," Mr. Womack says, suggesting that they are pretending to be enjoying themselves as part of the psychological pressure, rather than really enjoying themselves.

One of the disciplined soldiers is a company commander, Capt. Leo V. Merck, 32, who is in trouble for another digital snapshot taken after the prison incidents. He was relieved of command and faces a court martial after a female U.S. soldier accused him of taking digital pictures of her while she was showering. Capt. Merck, a National Guard reservist, stored the incriminating photos on an Army computer, Gen. Taguba's report says.

Marine reservist Lance Cpl. Ted J. Boudreaux, who was stationed in southern Iraq last year, also faces discipline because of a digital photograph. This one showed him with two Iraqi children, one of whom is holding a sign saying, "Cpl. Boudreaux killed my dad and th[en] he knocked up my sister." The Marines began an investigation after the photograph turned up on the Internet, drawing the ire of a Washington-based Muslim civil-rights group.

Capt. Patrick Kerr, a spokesman for the Marine Reserve, says Cpl. Boudreaux insists the photograph was doctored. The picture has been spoofed numerous times on the Web -- "I think there are like 60 different versions," Capt. Kerr said. "I've seen one where Boudreaux is standing there with two Teletubbies." The military is conducting a forensic investigation of the photo to determine what the original sign said.

Civilian contractors in the war theater also are being disciplined for transmitting digital photographs. Tami Silicio, a cargo clerk at the Kuwait International Airport, was fired from her job with Maytag Aircraft Corp. when a photograph she shot of dead U.S. soldiers being shipped home was recently reprinted in the Seattle Times newspaper.

[BurbankKarl]

Tehran Times, Iran
U.S.-Style Democracy Comes to Abu Ghraib

Did the White House and Pentagon allow the dissemination of these photos, which have served to increase animosity toward U.S. soldiers in Iraq, as part of a larger plan? ... In one word, yes, since there were definitely ulterior motives behind this propaganda move. ... In fact, it seems that Hollywood directors and White House officials have both played a significant role in arranging these tragicomic scenes. The U.S. intention is obvious. At any rate, the people of Iraq believe that the U.S. is trying to foster sympathy for the prisoners, who are mostly elements from the former Baath regime, so that Iraqis will not feel inclined to retaliate against them after they are released.

[little jeremiah]

Placemark.

[Imperialist]

"Cindy, I have wondered the very same thing today about these pictures. Secretary Rumsfeld says today there are more, lots more including VIDEO which will probably be leaked out. Keeping in mind they are part of an ongoing investigation and should NOT and never have been leaked. Now who did that?" (WestCoastGal)

Could all these prisoner photos and videos be the work of Michael Moore, the movie producer/director? I have heard that Moore has worked out some deals ($$$$$) with US people over in Iraq to do whatever their real job is, but also to photograph US soldiers and tape them, and ask them pointed or loaded questions, etc. He said he was going to make a movie out of all this material from Iraq showing the USA in a poor light. Shame on him. This is war and this stuff happens. But at least 98% of Iraqi prisoners that were abused are now still alive, unlike ours, which 4 of them were recently: bombed, burned, beaten and mutilated, dragged through the streets, killed, and then hung up on a bridge, maybe not in that exact order. Where is the outrage about that from the Arabs or the Euros?

This whole situation seems like Moore's material.-?-

[jerseygirl]

I don't even bother with the mainstream news anymore.


Well- time to head out! Time for that steak dinner.....Have a good evening!

[KylaStarr]

.. chuckling.. but hopefully not about the lobster!!

[jerseygirl]

One last comment from me....allegedly some of the "next" batch of pics are things like beheaded cats and the like. A beheaded cow, too. Does that make any sense? It sure doesn't, to me...

[Jill St Claire]

My site is finally up and loads faster. Just need to figure out how to get rid of the blank right margin. Any ideas?

www.homelandsecurityus.net

[nw_arizona_granny]

"off topic, but so what it is Friday"

Are you sure about that?

for some reason, my mind has rejected Friday and I have gone on to Saturday, must have thought Saturday 20 times today.

glad you were not hurt.........

I think that Spring and Fall might be my best times of the year.

[MamaDearest]

Here's a chart detailing top heights known for birds to fly and other top height statistics.

Top Heights Statistics

[Revel]

" Somebody said George Noory was an Arab"

I have often thought Rense was one...He is so pro-Arab that it appears he hates the US.

[null and void]

Speaking of weird sites, when you google for arab/muslim stuff you get a lot of devil worship stuff popping up.

Color me shocked.

They pray face pointed down (toward Hell)
They pray with their butts facing up (toward Heaven)
Their religion was founded in the underworld, by mohammad in a cave
Their religion is based on the words he heard (in Satan's voice?) there
They pray to a rock that fell "like lightning from Heaven" (See Luke 10:18)

[MamaDearest]

Gee, silly me. Thought they took prayer out of school.....

Only if you are Christian does the prayer ban exist - the ACLU protects the others.

[nw_arizona_granny]

About the shows with Booth on C to C, I heard both of them, on the second one, it seemed that Booth wasn't a good liar and once he got through talking about his book and it was time to talk about the interview with the Sister, he was in trouble.

About all Booth would say was "what she told me was personal and I cannot repeat it".

Noory was correct in taking him off, as Noory said that Booth had contacted him and asked for show time to talk about his interview with the Sister.

Booth stumbled all over the place and didn't make sense at all, I felt that Green had coached him, got him back on the show and then Booth couldn't lie well enough to stay on.

It did come out that Booth had sold enough books from the first show, that he had ordered a second printing and they would be mailed soon.

I am always nervous about people who have "visions" and write a book about it.

I don't think that God sends 'visions' for us to use for making money, tho he may want them shared with people.

But then some sell their souls for cash, why not your God?

I won't ever write one of the books that would get me a C to C interview, but I could sure tell you what sells today...

Life is amazing.

[Domestic Church]

It was shown in the apartment complex outbreak last year so it has been so and isn't a recent mutation of the virus.

[MamaDearest]

Gasoline took another increase overnight - up to $2.09. Chevron and Shell profits booming. Usually largest increases around Memorial Day - we've got a good three weeks to save up if we want to go anywhere with what it will cost by then. This story isn't even in the news anymore. I'll bet they think we're lucky they're not manufacturing "shortages" as a leverage point. Rant off.

[nw_arizona_granny]

I like your description of the **** callers.

As part of my rejection of Friday, I forgot that Savage was on, but he was just saying that the koolaid caller who got him going about the rape of a 12 year old girl by the soldiers at the prison, said to be on Drudge, is not there and is a report of al Jeezer TV.

All the callers with pure American voices, who are calling about how evil we are.......now that scares me.

How are we to trust even the people we know? How many of them support our downfall?

[WestCoastGal]

I can't wait for the transcript, there were a lot of great answers. The evil one looked like her face cracked when he said that. lol I would like to know the answer to that myself!!

San Diego ping..

Also Duke Cunningham I say proudly is from California (we don't have too many to be proud of in DC). He is from California's 50th Congressional District (San Diego).


From another freeper who has a better memory than I. If I don't type it as it's being said forget about it. "Did anyone else watch the full congressional hearings? Duke Cunningham, flying ace fighter pilot from vietnam asked to sit in on the hearings. Surprising he is not on this committee. Anyway, he had to wait until everyone else, over 3 hours of questions were asked and answer on the house side, 3 hours on the senate side. His opening statement brought tears to my eyes and I could see Rummy was having problems blinking back tears himself.

Duke said to Rummy something along these lines. I have talked to thousands of military people in every branch of service in the last 3 years that you have been secretary of defense. I want you to know Mr. Secretary, that every one of those people would follow you straight to hell, because they know you'll bring them back. I want you to know I'll follow you to hell and cover your backside, because I know you'll bring me back."


********************************************************* I will add that on C-Span they continue filming after the hearing is over and Mr Cunningham was the only one I saw shake the hand of Don Rumsfeld and EVERY military person who came with him as they left the room. He is one of my new heroes.

[MamaDearest]

Appeals court says hospital erred in sending Guatemalan home after 2 years of treatment

There's something terribly wrong with a hospital system that would sue to take possession of the homes and tangible assets of American citizens unable to pay their medical bills (including the elderly and terminally ill), and provide free treatment to illegal aliens amounting to $2 million per person.