Torture of Iraqi Prisoners Raises Many Questions

GOPUSA ^ | 5/3/04 | Carol Devine-Molin

[Mr. K]

Maybe it's me, but these photos never seemed to me to be 'torture'. No physical harm was involved.

Yes they showed extremely innapropriate behavior towards prisoners or war, but no one got fed into a plastic shredder or anything.

[tornado100]

Unfortunately, the media will exaggerate everything and fail to provide context.

[Iron Matron]

And there's no dispute that it represents a public relations nightmare for the US and its partners in Iraq, with Islamic, and global opinion for that matter, enraged by the heinous image.

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Although I was horrified to see americans doing this, I am not worried about public relations with islam or iraq in particular.

Islamic opinion means nothing when compared to what those within islam have doen to innocent people, much less war prisoners. What about what the palestinians are doing, or saddam and his followers or the taliban?

Thats like the pot calling the kettle black.

As for the rest of the world, the ones who dont like us will keep not liking us, those that do will see the matter is being handled and move on.

[tornado100]

The behaviors do fall into the category of mild torture and mistreatment, but the media will exaggerate.

[antiRepublicrat]

Correct. Saying "torture" is inflammatory (which is probably the agenda), while "mistreatment" is likely the better word.

[JohnGalt]

More apologies for the perverted actions of certain members of the United States military. Its hilarious to see the hawks try to spin it as torture, which I assume they seem as better, when clearly the pictures represented some sick homoerotica.

Hawks should be ashamed of themselves to be associated with such sickos.

[Uncle Miltie]

"Realistically, shouldn't we have expected it?"

A: No.

We expect high standards to be met. That is why we are better than terrorists.

Insofar as we have expectations to the contrary, (mankind having fallen), that is why we have military justice, which I trust will be dispatched on these miscreants forthwith.

[JohnGalt]

It appears they received little more than a slap on the wrist when they should have faced the firing squad.

Nothing will happen, no surprise, but the question what will you do?

[benson106]

how come we are not outraged by the islamic militants who take innocent civilians hostage and threaten to burn them alive on national t.v.

if your friend had just been killed by a islamic terrorist the day before, you are not going to be too gentle to the prisonors you take.

we have no idea what our soldiers are going through over there. to put these prisionors through a little humiliation is no where near the torture that they would inflict upon an american prisionor.

[luvbach1]

Agree, there has been loose use of the term torture. I suggest a viewing of Saddam's favorite home videos for a refresher on just what constitutes torture.

[JohnGalt]

You are a seriously disturbed individual.

[oceanview]

alot of fraternity hazing is far worse then this. surely its inappropriate and there should be reprimands. funny how photographing a nude iraqi is "torture", but shooting an american civilian and holding him as a prisoner without medical attention for 3 weeks is just fine.

[yoe]

"...Granted, these are atrocious behaviors perpetrated by a miniscule number of soldiers, with about a half-dozen reservists facing charges to date."

Alleged - A-l-l-e-g-e-d.............hang onto that. Pictures being passed along via media are doctored pictures – there is no Proof they are real. There are those who will do anything to support terrorism – Middle Eastern newspapers are paying a lot of $$$ for doctored pictures – Baghdad Bob lives and millions of readers who will not take the time to research the truth are falling into that trap! Bearing in mind “a picture is worth a thousand words”, this propaganda is winning. What ever happened was NO where as heinous as seeing burned, butchered bodies being dragged through the streets in Iraq with people cheering the grisly sight. People of Islam expect Americans to cringe at what one of their faith considers normal behavior. Wake up Americans – we are fighting a culture of violent and merciless people – don’t gang up on your own!

[malia]

Why did they pose for pictures?

[meenie]

Actually attaching wire to a man's testicles and giving a shock once in a while is just childish fun. The children thought it was so much fun seeing the prisoners in their birthday suit. Piling them up in a naked pyramid was so much fun. See Dick and Jane have fun. See Dick and Jane have fun in the army. See Dick and Jane have fun in the army defiling(it ain't torture)prisoners. It's so funny-Hahahahahahahahaha!

[oceanview]

because they are immature, 18 and 19 year olds who grew up watching Jackass on MTV, and without oversight or supervision, this is what they degraded to.

But to equate their actions with those of the Nazi SS as some people are, especially the media, is nonsense.

[Sam's Army]

A disturbing thing about these pics to me is a sense that this is not "interrogation" or "torture" in progress.

It just looks like boredom and cameras at the prisoners expense; along with some serious issues in terms of sexuality and what would be entertaining.

I mean, who thinks up this stuff?

[MPJackal]

"I mean, who thinks up this stuff?"

I have a couple of friends in DS I that said when we were holding 100,000 of these Iraqis in large camps with tents for shelters they would check on them and find them giving each other BJ's or playing rump ranger. They said this was between guys that had not had a shower in weeks. In that culture women are kept under lock and key, so a lot of men practice homosexuality until they get married. So I guess maybe they do.

That said, there is no excuse for what our guys did. They will be fried extra crispy to make a point. I would not want to be one of them. Of course if I was, I sure a hell would not have taken pictures.

[Uncle Miltie]

"but the question what will you do?"

My next Moral Leadership Seminar at Civil Air Patrol will be:

1) Pictorials of Iraqi abuses of Americans (working up the cadets' righteous indignation
2) Pictorials of American abuses at Abu Ghraib (attempting to suck them into the same thinking as the guards)
3) Cause a raucous debate among the cadets about right behavior
4) Hand out the applicable rules from the Geneva Convention
5) Wrap-up with a series of scenarios in which the Cadets have to choose the legal behavior.

I'm an action-oriented guy, in my own small sphere.

B.C.