Hersh has said it was Rumsfield's frustration over all the red tape when we needed info from prisoners in the field(Afghanistan) that led to this prison abuse. He allowed looser restrictions...or some such...It created the climate..yada yada..(The Geneva conventions apply to uniformed soldiers is my understanding)...
I want some of the Senators to walk the Guantanamo cells and be showered with excrement and urine for day or two.
Sen Nelson was on After Hours last night. He said he had been to Guantanamo more than once - implying things were fine there.
What's that show on Fox where the Boss switches place and does the work of the employee?
Maybe these Senators should switch places with the Guards at Gitmo for a day or two ... and then maybe I'll be willing to listen to what they have to say
The terrible problem the NYT has uncovered is that soldiers allowed terrorist murders to be treated in the same way Jerry Springer allows his guests to be treated?
Well, I, for one, will be looking forward to the NYT demanding an apology and resignation from Mr. Springer!
" I want some of the Senators to walk the Guantanamo cells and be showered with excrement and urine for day or two."
The Taguba summary available on the internet, it makes for long, but, interesting reading.
A lot of the report details the overcrowded conditions, the logistical problems which compounded security and many command and procedural breakdowns.
In spite of that,most of the MPs acted appropriately during many prison riots, prison escapes and when assaulted by the detainees-many of whom were " hardened criminals. "
I'm sure Russert and McCain and Biden and Levin talked about the daily abuse hurled at the soldiers and how the majority of them acted professionally.
These are just some of the listed incidents:
U) 9 June 03- Riot and shootings of five detainees at Camp Cropper. ... Several detainees allegedly rioted after a detainee was subdued by MPs ....
after STRIKING A GUARD in compound B of Camp Cropper. A 15-6 investigation by ...
concluded that a detainee had acted up and HIT AN MP. After being subdued,
one of the MPs took off his DCU top and flexed his muscles to the detainees,
which further escalated the riot.
The MPs were overwhelmed and the guards fired lethal rounds
to TO PROTECT THE LIFE OF THE COMPOUND MPs,
whereby 5 detainees were wounded.
(U) 12 June 03- ( Camp Cropper )Several detainees allegedly made their escape in the nighttime hours prior to 0300. Battalion search team recaptured detainee .. and detainee ..was shot and killed by a Soldier during the recapture process.
Contributing factors were overcrowding, poor lighting, and THE NATURE OF THE HARDENED CRIMINAL DETAINEES at that location.
It is of particular note that the command was informed at least 24 hours in advance of the upcoming escape attempt
and started doing amplified announcements in Arabic stating the camp rules.
The investigation pointed out that rules and guidelines were not posted in the camps in the detainees’ native languages.
13 June 03- .... At about 1600 the same day, 30-40 detainees RIOTED and PELTED THREE INTERIOR MPS WITH ROCKS.
ONE GUARD WAS INJURED and the tower guards fired lethal rounds at the rioters injuring 7 and killing 1 detainee.
(U) 24 November 03- Several detainees allegedly began to riot at about 1300 in all of the compounds at the Ganci encampment.
This resulted in the shooting deaths of 3 detainees, 9 wounded detainees,
and 9 INJURED US SOLDIERS.
investigation ...concluded that the detainees rioted in protest of their living conditions, that the riot turned violent, the use of non-lethal forc
e was ineffective, ... the use of deadly force was authorized.
24 November 03- A detainee allegedly had a pistol in his cell and around 1830 an extraction team shot him with less than lethal and lethal rounds in the process of recovering the weapon.
investigation concluded that one of the detainees in tier 1A of the Hard Site had gotten a pistol and a couple of knives from an Iraqi Guard working in the encampment.
Immediately upon receipt of this information, an ad-hoc extraction team consisting of MP and MI personnel conducted what they called a routine cell search,
which resulted IN THE SHOOTING OF AN MP
and the detainee.
Contributing factors were a corrupt Iraqi Guard,...
13 December 03- Several detainees allegedly got into a detainee-on-detainee fight around 1030 in Compound 8 of the Ganci encampment, Abu Ghraib...
the MPs used a non-lethal crowd-dispersing round to break up the fight, which was successful.
13 December 03- Several detainees allegedly got into a detainee-on-detainee fight around 1120 in Compound 2 of the Ganci encampment, Abu Ghraib.
...MPs used two non-lethal shots to disperse the crowd, which was successful.
13 December 03- Approximately 30-40 detainees allegedly got into a detainee-on-detainee fight around 1642 in Compound 3 of the Ganci encampment, Abu Ghraib compound
and the MPs used a non-lethal crowd-dispersing round to break up the fight, which was successful.
17 December 03-Several detainees allegedly ASSAULTED AN MP at 1459 inside the Ganci Encampment, Abu Ghraib (BCCF).
One of the allegations against one of the MPs was that someone wrote ( sic )" I'm a Rapest " on the leg of a detainee who had raped a 15 yr old.