Taliban's detention

The Jarkarta Post ^ | January 23, 2001 | JOSEPH L. SPARTZ

[prometheus]

www.thejakartapost.com		January 23, 2002

Taliban's detention The premature and hypocritical concern voiced by otherwise reputable international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International over detention conditions of Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba is not just utterly misplaced, but outright ridiculous. If given the choice, millions of destitute, hungry and freezing Afghan refugees would gladly change places with Taliban prisoners in their roofed, albeit open-air, wire cage accommodations with three square meals a day, medical attention, sanitary facilities, not to mention a free copy of the Koran thrown in for good measure. By any standards of comparison, detention conditions in Guantanamo Bay are incomparably better than those they have had to endure in Afghanistan over the last months of fighting and exaggerated concerns for their being "exposed to elements" naively ignores the fact that Cuba's climatic conditions cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be compared to the harsh sub-zero winter conditions in Afghanistan. Last, but not least, the U.S. military are not so naive as to bluntly ignore the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war and thereby gratuitously sacrifice much of the goodwill earned in its fight against terrorism. As a result of their exaggerated and misguided concern over the Taliban's detention conditions, international aid and human rights organizations have sadly undermined their own credibility and goodwill, whereas they would have been better advised to concentrate their efforts and concerns on the suffering of the millions of hungry and destitute Afghans left behind! JOSEPH L. SPARTZ Jakarta

[IVote2]

Taliban's detention

The premature and hypocritical concern voiced by otherwise reputable international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International over detention conditions of Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba is not just utterly misplaced, but outright ridiculous.

If given the choice, millions of destitute, hungry and freezing Afghan refugees would gladly change places with Taliban prisoners in their roofed, albeit open-air, wire cage accommodations with three square meals a day, medical attention, sanitary facilities, not to mention a free copy of the Koran thrown in for good measure.

By any standards of comparison, detention conditions in Guantanamo Bay are incomparably better than those they have had to endure in Afghanistan over the last months of fighting and exaggerated concerns for their being "exposed to elements" naively ignores the fact that Cuba's climatic conditions cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be compared to the harsh sub-zero winter conditions in Afghanistan.

Last, but not least, the U.S. military are not so naive as to bluntly ignore the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war and thereby gratuitously sacrifice much of the goodwill earned in its fight against terrorism. As a result of their exaggerated and misguided concern over the Taliban's detention conditions, international aid and human rights organizations have sadly undermined their own credibility and goodwill, whereas they would have been better advised to concentrate their efforts and concerns on the suffering of the millions of hungry and destitute Afghans left behind!

JOSEPH L. SPARTZ

Jakarta

[IVote2]

I was thinking this morning about our troops guarding these detainees. Talk about conditions. They must guard these people in even worse conditions. They are have no air conditioning either, probably have to use the porti-potties as well, deal with people with TB and other diseases and are outside the cells so have NO shelter from the sun.

These bleeding hearts might want to check out the conditions our military live in when sent to Saudi Arabia to stay in tents without AC.

I'm sure we can find other examples, but then our military men and woman are expendable aren't they to liberals. Barely above the spitting-on level of existence and only useful when they need them.

[homeschool mama]

bump

[IVote2]

I can't either but I love it! :o)

[baltoga]

I'm soo troubled *not* by the plight of the Taliban. I cannot sleep knowing these misguided terrorists are really good people. Perhaps the Red Cross can volunteer to invite these terrorist to sleep in their homes as guest.