The small-town girl who ended up on every channel (Lynndie England – Leash Girl)

The Baltimore Sun via SMH ^ | May 7, 2004 | John Woestendiek in Fort Ashby, West Virginia

[dead]

Lynndie England loved a good storm. During tornado warnings her mother would have to drag her back inside the house. Her teachers say she wanted a career as a storm-chaser.

Now, the perfect storm has found her.

From hometown hero to the reviled woman holding the leash . . . US Reserve
soldier Lynndie England with an Iraqi prisoner in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.
Photo: The Washington Post

The petite 21-year-old army reservist from the quiet crossroads town of Fort Ashby in West Virginia is the most visible character in the controversy over the abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison. She is the thumbs-up girl, the pixie-ish, T-shirted soldier, smiling, pointing and posing for the camera with naked and humiliated inmates.

Soon after the release of the photographs, Terrie England was on the telephone with her daughter while watching television.

Full story ...

[Bushiefan]

Bring it on!! Is this sad episode a reflection on West Virginia? By that reasoning all American soldiers are guilty and we all know that is not the case. Why is WV catching so much flak today when we should be uniting to keep Kerry out of the White House? WV was an important factor in the election of Pres. Bush.

[tiamat]

You don't know jack about me.

I happen to have some family over there, and I'm out of an Army family, some of whom were Military Intelligence and SpecOps.

There's LOTS of ways to get information, and it does NOT involve anything like this.

[FreedomCalls]

Unnecessarily irritating the entire Muslim world does just that.

[af_vet_rr]

No explainations, no groveling, no apologies.

Exactly. President Bush went way too far with his apologizing - this kind of behavior is not present throughout the military, this was a small group of pervs getting their jollies. People can say what they want about him, but he appears to be a good Christian, and this kind of conduct won't be tolerated in the military. He had no reason to make the time and effort to apologize on Arab TV networks.

[DonaldDuke]

I happen to have some family over there, and I'm out of an Army family

So my scenario might come true, perhaps.

There's LOTS of ways to get information

Indeed there is. And if you think that beeing "soft-tortured" or drugged is any more humane than being photographed in a silly position with no clothes on, your relatives A: didn't teach you anything, or B: they don't know much.

The detainees are sort of different than what you're probably thinking about as normal people. Remember Mike Spann? Know how he died? He was bitten to death - they ripped his throat out.

And you're telling me that a soft spot in their psyche shouldn't be exploited, to spare your sensibilities?? Cry me a river.

[VRWC_minion]

Has this picture been verfied. It seems to me there is something not quite right about it.

[GraniteStateConservative]

But in January came a phone call from Baghdad. "I just want you to know that there might be some trouble," Terrie England recalled her daughter saying.

It's still weird that everyone in the military knew this was coming but Bush. Heads should roll.

[FreedomCalls]

One of the prisoners identified had killed coalition forces, then was taken prisoner, then incited a prison riot, and then was punished for it.

And I see NOTHING wrong with hauling THAT one out and just hanging him. And any comrades he had who helped. Hang them. Preferably in front of the others.

Like this?

The picture is of U.S. soldiers carrying out "on-the-spot" executions of some of the guards at the Dachau concentration camp. The soldier in the center is setting up his .50 cal machine gun. The soldiers with their hands up are about to be shot. No trial. No tribunal. No questions. What the soldiers found was too horrific.

[Sir_Ed]

"Your outrage is well directed, but I am a prosecutor and I believe that bad people are the ultimate reason things like this happen. I believe the measure of a system is how it responds to the actions of bad people. Under Saddam those who were effective at torture and humiliation of prisoners were promoted and decorated for their actions. Under our constitutional republic such actions MUST must be met not with approbation but with condemnation AND punishment."

What an incredible post. Thoughtful, well-reasoned, forceful.

I totally agree with you.

Wherever you are prosecuting the bad guys, Godpseed. You are the kind of governmental authority this country needs more of!

Ed

[tiamat]

You think I am objecting for humanitarian reason. Let me clue you in: I don't give a rat's hind-end that these prisoner's got badly handled and might have had their feelings hurt.

It's not about those prisoners. It's about us.

This is a Civilization War and this sort of dicking about only hinders that.


I've looked at your profile page. You like things that "go bang".

You ever serve?

Or are you just another one of the arm-chair commandos gloating over this?

Every Vet or service person *I* have talked to ( and i've talked to a bunch this week) is infuriated over what these idiots did. Our military is SUPPOSED to be more professional than this, and 98 % of it IS. These clowns just peed on that.

Then there's the "being in the field" ramifications, both for our troops and for any civilians on the ground.

What happened at the prison complicates things ENOURMOUSLY and will have both tactical and strategic fall-out. ( I feel really bad for that last American who got grabbed... that person is likely to suffer MORE and for a longer time because of these antics) There's going to be more of OUR GUYS dead because these idiots didn't have enough to do.



Then there is the honor, pride and dignity of our military and the fact that what these morons did reflects on them ALL, and they are P.O.'d about it.

England is going to be lucky if she lives long enough to get courted. It's entirely possible that she might have an "accident".

[tiamat]

Those people were not taking pot-shots at any one, nor blowing up busses, or car-bombs, or hotels full of civvies.

Nor, once they had ben captured did they try to start a prison riot.

Nice try and thanks for playing the game, though....

[rogator]

Where were the NONCOMS and junior officers?

[FreedomCalls]

Those people were not taking pot-shots at any one, nor blowing up busses, or car-bombs, or hotels full of civvies.

All they were doing was starving Jewish civilians, stripping them naked, putting them (whole families) into gas chambers, then into ovens.

[tiamat]

Ah!

My mistake!

*I* thought that those pics were of JEWISH prisoners, being held and summarily shot.

I do apologise.

If they are Germans perps, yeah. Shoot them .

[DonaldDuke]

This is a Civilization War and this sort of dicking about only hinders that

You're half right - it is a civilization war, or WWIII (or IV, according to your cold-war preferences). It hasn't properly kicked in yet, but it will. At that point, any chatboard outrage will be irrelevant.

I've looked at your profile page. You like things that "go bang".

Oh yeah. Love them. Can punch holes in things at speeds you wouldn't believe :)).

Or are you just another one of the arm-chair commandos gloating over this?

Armchair general, please. And I'm not gloating, just trying to get people to stop and get an e**ing grip.

What happened at the prison complicates things ENOURMOUSLY

No. The media handling complicates things. The screaming from the left complicates things. The right falling straight into syncopation with the media, the Arabs and the left complicates things.

England is going to be lucky if she lives long enough to get courted. It's entirely possible that she might have an "accident".

So, based on your conversations with your military friends, there's a death threat against England? Am I understanding you correctly?

I don't think we have more to discuss, really.

[tiamat]

Right, you're a poser.

As far as I know, there's no current plan against England.

Such things have been known to happen in the past.

The media would have nothing to show if these jerks hadn't done it.

The media is not our friend, but had you considered that little bit?

I'm done with you.

[ladylib]

Her life is over. Her name is mud. Her name will go down in history books.

[BobS]

"You forgot "I was just holding it for a friend" (which seems to be appropriate for this photo)."

And YOU forgot "But he was going poopy on the floor".

[Eowyn-of-Rohan]

Oh, so you are in a position to judge eh? And do you think the male soldiers around her are Playgirl material? Why does discussion of a woman always end up revolving around how she looks and her measure of sex appeal? This is a rhetorical question BTW (as if I should have to say that, but unfortunately I do)

[DonaldDuke]

As far as I know, there's no current plan against England

You think it's that easy, huh? Rotfl.