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October 20, 2004
Let me Count the Ways
Soldier Pleads Guilty in Iraq Abuse CaseThe highest-ranking soldier charged with abusing Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison pleaded guilty Wednesday, telling a military court that prisoners were forced to submit to public nudity and degrading treatment "for military intelligence purposes."
...
But the Army staff sergeant also blamed his chain of command, saying he was given no training or support in supervising detainees and only learned of regulations against mistreatment after the abuses occurred between October and December last year.
First, here they go with the "abuse" again.
Second, let me recount some of the things Mr. Ivan Frederick claims to have done because of his ignorance of regulations:
During an incident last Nov. 4 captured on photos transmitted around the world, Frederick said he helped hook wires on a detainee's hands and told him he would be electrocuted if he fell off a box. An Army investigator encouraged him to abuse the detainee, saying he didn't care what was done to the prisoner "as long as you don't kill him," Frederick said.In a Nov. 8 incident, Frederick admitted, he joined another soldier in jumping on a pile of seven detainees accused of rioting. He also admitted to stomping on their hands and feet.
"I should have stopped it right there," he said.
But the detainees then were strip-searched and remained naked, even after female soldiers arrived on the scene — which is against military rules, he said. Frederick said he punched the ringleader in the chest so hard that the prisoner needed medical attention.
Finally, Frederick said, soldiers lined the detainees naked against a wall with bags on their heads and then forced three of them to masturbate.
Really, that's such a tough call. Is it wrong to mock-electrocute people or not, hmm. Let's see. Where's that damn rule book again? Do you look it up under "M" or under "E"? It's not my fault the index isn't organized in an intuitive fashion.
Third, does anyone think it's a coincidence that both Ivan Frederick and Charles Graner are former "corrections officers"?
And, last, but by no means least, why is US army reservist Sgt Ivan Frederick the highest-ranking soldier charged ?
Posted by zeynep at October 20, 2004 11:51 PM
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Comments
You are a master of the zinger rhetorical question, Zeynep. And this is good. I believe that Charles Graner was a prison guard in the same Pennsylvania prison where Mumia Abu Jamal has been a political prisoner for the past 23 years. Small world, heh? The sad truth is that these same sadistic practices that were exposed in the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal are being used in all of America's domestic prisons and have been for a very long time. So no coincidence there for sure.
And where is that damn rule book? I can't decide if it's alright to electrocute a prisoner or not. You mean we went all the way to Baghdad and didn't take any federal manuals with us? What an oversight that. Talk about screw-ups.
And, of course, the reason that U.S. army reservist Sgt. Ivan Frederick is the highest- ranking soldier charged is because none of the generals, and none of the neo-cons are guilty of anything, and none of them are responsible for anything. Isn't that the way it works? Nobody is guilty of anything. Nobody is responsible for anything. And yet war crimes are committed en masse. It must be a kind of miracle. Everyone is innocent. No one is guilty, but 30,000 Iraqi civilians are dead!!!! Amazing...totally. This must be a kinder, gentler imperialism I guess. No one commits any crimes, but "miraculously" Iraqi citizens are killed and their resources are stolen. This then would be holier-than-thou imperialism. Ain't it great...NOT, NOT, NOT!!!
Sincerely,
Old & In The Way
Posted by: Phil Cicchi at October 21, 2004 03:02 AM