Fayette reservist implicated in scandal (Abu Ghraib prison guard)

pittsburghlive.com ^ | 5/5/04 | Paul Peirce

[Born Conservative]

A local Army reservist facing potential court-martial on charges that he abused and humiliated Iraqi prisoners under his watch previously faced allegations of making physical threats against his own family. Charles A. Graner Jr., 35, of 52 Johnson Ave., Uniontown, who works as a state prison guard in civilian life, since 1997 has been accused three times of abusing his former wife, Staci, and their two children, according to Fayette County Court records.

Graner didn't show up for his last court appearance in March 2001, records show.

As a result of that hearing, Fayette County Judge Ralph Warman issued a protection from abuse order ...

[Born Conservative]

What a guy.

[Petronski]

...previously faced allegations of making physical threats against his own family.

And those allegations were vetted by his Army superiors and set aside as unsubstantiated, right? RIGHT?

[Ciexyz]

Painful news. This whole Iraqi abuse thing is very distressing.

[Born Conservative]

And those allegations were vetted by his Army superiors and set aside as unsubstantiated, right? RIGHT?

I'm sure that will be looked into. I don't know what system is in place to do background checks on soldiers. Also, would the failed court appearance be in a civil court or a criminal court? Is it possible that the armed services only look at criminal actions in background checks (as opposed to civil actions)?

[pubmom]

Great! He has an ex, two kids already, and a history of abuse. I'm sure Lynndie England's parents are thrilled to learn the father of their daughter's baby is such a sweetheart.

[pitinkie]

Her sister says she is veerrry happy with him!

[BRK]

Distressing is a easy word for it. I am extremely depressed about it. Rush had me going a little today when he tried to downplay and say how this stuff was disgusting, but eventually harmless as no one was really being harmed. Now Rumsfeld tells us that photos and videos of beating and rape are coming. Including rape of Iraqi women and young boys? Oh my God..

Also imagine that the fairier sex, women are turning out to be among the central characters in in a sick psychosexual hell on earth. I am also concerned about the homo-erotic nature of these photos. Who but peverts would get a kick out of photographing a pyrimad of Iraqi male ass.

So all the women guards in this prison were waiting all thier life for a chance to be sexually abusive and were leading the men on with promises of sexual favor if they would allow them to indulge in forced domination fatasies? OR were all the men repressed homosexuals and wanted to see some Muslim pooty to play with?

Just what the heck was going on over there? This is terrible terrible terrible. I belive that interrogations can be extremly uncomfortable (ie sleep deprivation) without being vehicles for sadistic fanatsies for the guards.

This is going to shake America big time. This isn't who we are, is it? If this is who we have become, then we are finished.

[oyez]

All this distills down to the Clinton military-social experiments.

[Ciexyz]

I am extremely depressed about it.

Take heart -- this too shall pass. But not until the Dems have Rumsfield's butt on a poker.

[Ciexyz]

Oh sheesh, is this the guy who's been playing around with the England woman? I'd heard that she was pregnant, and that both she and her male soldier/lover were charged with abuse of prisoners.

[FITZ]

I don't think we should really underestimate Rumsfield --- or overestimate the democrats. Maybe it's a trap.

[mercy]

The CO of this guy's unit should be cashiered. The General above him should be demoted. The Secretary of Defense who allowed this level of bullshit to transire should crawl in a hole.

Memo to GWB: Don't start a war unless you KNOW you have a military capable of pulling it off.

Incompetence will out.

[atomic conspiracy]

The next big issue this will spawn:

These psychos are not criminals shanghaid off the street by a military press gang, they are state prison guards.
What in HELL is going on in the prisons of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia?

[Lockbar]

BRK put everything I have been thinking into a few paragraphs. I was a Military Policeman in German 30 year ago and I am disgusted by the images I have seen this past week. Disgusted that our soldiers didn't have the basic sense to know this was improper behavior. Disgusted that they have embarrassed me (a former Military Policeman)and the President, and perhaps could help loose us the election if this keeps steam rolling.

The Saddam supporters in the photographs might act like barbarians, but we must not become barbarians ourselves. Rush has been really irritating me with his almost "so what" attitude. Kind of reminds me of the weasel Lanny Davis during the Klinton molestations of interns: "So what, so what, so what?!!!" Now a lot of my fellow conservatives are doing a good bit rationalization, and their "So what!" is not going to work.

[Ciexyz]

I don't think we should really underestimate Rumsfield....

Rummy will give the Dems a battle, that's for sure. He's entirely correct to apologize and to promise to root out any taint of impropriety. A bunch of people are getting their butts kicked right now, with more to follow.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Think of the MP's that guarded the Nazi's during their trial - totally professional. These apes have really slipped a cog and done the nation a disfavor.

On the other hand...

War is hell. Iraq is just going to have to live with the juvenile terror.

[Texasforever]

Memo to GWB: Don't start a war unless you KNOW you have a military capable of pulling it off.

What a crock.

[BRK]

Take heart -- this too shall pass. But not until the Dems have Rumsfield's butt on a poker.

That's one of the things that is bothering me. I love Rumsfeld and I would do nearly whatever he asked of me. I don't want to see him go down over this, but if that is what it takes to get our military cleaned up and purge it of this sickening political correctness.

We have got to find our moral center. What's right and what's wrong? After a man, even a evil person, has been captured or surrenders that's it, we don't have to coddle them but this is crazy. We are responsible for them, we must treat them with the minimum standards of decency. There are no exceptons to this.

[Hildy]

A trap? Please. There needs to be swift punishment and then we, as a nation...MUST MOVE ON. The press will cover this ad nauseum. We will see these pictures more than we'll ever seen the 9-11 photos. They smell blood and they will stop at nothing.

[BRK]

BRK put everything I have been thinking into a few paragraphs.

Thanks Lockbar!