I've been directed to The Memory Hole (Rescuing Knowledge, Freeing Information) by two separate sources today (Tom Moody's blog and Ben Smith Lea's post to IDEAL mailing list). American media is by and large trying to ignore the US Military Intelligence condoned torture of Iraqi prisoners. But the bloggers are on it. The quote below is from The Memory Hole's "some favourite quotes" section.
"The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naive and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who loves his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair."
H.L. Mencken
There is another issue heating up around the soldier torture scandal and that's the role of private intelligence companies that were working inside the prison "helping" with interrogations. They generally can't be touched by military or civil law while operating outside the U.S., and when they are under jurisdiction of the American Justice department, there hasn't been much will to prosecute. Maybe this time it will be different, since one of the soldiers being charged is citing the influence of private contractors as a defense. If you are interested in following this, Phil Carter's blog has a lot to say on the subject. (I believe in a healthy variety of web-delivered opinion)
I am also enraged by the excuse that the soldiers guarding the prison were not informed of the Geneva Convention, as if they couldn't possibly know what smug cruelty and humiliation are without a set of guidelines.
Thanks LM. Phil Carter is good. I made a link in your post above. I like his line: "I can't condemn this conduct enough, and yet, I feel that condemning this conduct isn't enough."
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I've been directed to The Memory Hole (Rescuing Knowledge, Freeing Information) by two separate sources today (Tom Moody's blog and Ben Smith Lea's post to IDEAL mailing list). American media is by and large trying to ignore the US Military Intelligence condoned torture of Iraqi prisoners. But the bloggers are on it. The quote below is from The Memory Hole's "some favourite quotes" section.
- sally mckay 5-02-2004 1:18 am
There is another issue heating up around the soldier torture scandal and that's the role of private intelligence companies that were working inside the prison "helping" with interrogations. They generally can't be touched by military or civil law while operating outside the U.S., and when they are under jurisdiction of the American Justice department, there hasn't been much will to prosecute. Maybe this time it will be different, since one of the soldiers being charged is citing the influence of private contractors as a defense. If you are interested in following this, Phil Carter's blog has a lot to say on the subject. (I believe in a healthy variety of web-delivered opinion)
I am also enraged by the excuse that the soldiers guarding the prison were not informed of the Geneva Convention, as if they couldn't possibly know what smug cruelty and humiliation are without a set of guidelines.
- LM (guest) 5-02-2004 4:55 am
Thanks LM. Phil Carter is good. I made a link in your post above. I like his line: "I can't condemn this conduct enough, and yet, I feel that condemning this conduct isn't enough."
- sally mckay 5-02-2004 5:14 am