Murder: The new torture

[thereom4]

Too Terrible To Be True?
Why aren't we talking about the new accusations of murder at Gitmo?
By Dahlia Lithwick

http://www.slate.com/id/2241948/

This story is so horrible and sad. We purport ourselves to be the do-gooders of the world. When we do something like this, we are no better than those we are fighting.

[fencerchica]

Thanks for posting this. In addition to the obvious ethical nightmare, it's also incredible to me how short-sighted this is on the part of the people who order atrocities like these to be committed. Don't they ever think about how scandalous it would be for such actions to come to light? Don't they worry about whether this would inflame anti-US sentiment? Don't they care if US POW's or captured US civillians suffer as a consequence of such crimes have been known to have occurred? Such an incredible lack of vision or responsibility. But I bet what happened was that someone was being an idiot and decided to cover it up by arranging for these "suicides". How many times does it have to be shown that the coverup is always worse than the original crime? People are morons.

[erik_blank]

Thanks for posting this. In addition to the obvious ethical nightmare, it's also incredible to me how short-sighted this is on the part of the people who order atrocities like these to be committed. Don't they ever think about how scandalous it would be for such actions to come to light? Don't they worry about whether this would inflame anti-US sentiment? Don't they care if US POW's or captured US civillians suffer as a consequence of such crimes have been known to have occurred? Such an incredible lack of vision or responsibility. But I bet what happened was that someone was being an idiot and decided to cover it up by arranging for these "suicides". How many times does it have to be shown that the coverup is always worse than the original crime? People are morons.

How dare you suggest that 'Merica is anygthing other than the good guys? I have numerous sources that say that we ar the good guys and any suggestion to the contrary is obviously nothing less than treasonous! therefore by suggesting that someone in the government or any other 'merican might have done something that was a crime while fighting these obvious subhuman scum bags who have no human rights (because they are not 'mericans) and are probably not even human to begin with since they don't worship the same god that I do...
This last transgression on their part is obviously the only real thing that I need to make up my mind that these prisoners should have no rights at all and should be treated as the running pig-dogs that they are.
So to get back to the original issue, you are obviously a traitor because you have suggested that someone in the armed services might have need of ethics or even the need to follow our own constitution and laws.

Amazing how people think that just because the U.S. Constitution says taht any treaty entered into by the U.S. bacomes binding U.S. law that they think that we need to adhere to the Genevia convention!

You Fascist, Communistic Theocratic Nhilist! Obviously from this post of yours you are hoping for the immediate downfall of the U.S. and probably kick Puppies and Kittens just for fun.

(Sorry, my sock puppet took over there....)

[thereom4]

Don't they ever think about how scandalous it would be for such actions to come to light? Don't they worry about whether this would inflame anti-US sentiment?

The detainees at Gitmo virtually have no rights. They don't know what they're guilty of because they haven't been tried. And they may never be tried. They'll just sit in jail forever with no hope of ever seeing their families. When the same is done to American citizens overseas the whole world knows about it. But when it's done to citizens of other nations no one may even know they are missing save their family.

The death of the prisoners will not mean much to the majority of people in this country because they'll be labeled "terrorists", but what if they weren't terrorists, because we all now know that all the detainees aren't all "terrorists". But what if the detainees that died were terrorists? Where was their trial? If they are going to be sentenced to death shouldn't they at least have a trial?

We have to fight terrorism but you don't do so by rounding up all the brown people because they might know something. Japanese internment much?

[erooMynohtnA]

I have an idea! Let's make a forum for the discussion of politics, so both ends of the boring/inflammatory spectrum can antagonize eachother there.

[thereom4]

I have an idea! Let's make a forum for the discussion of politics, so both ends of the boring/inflammatory spectrum can antagonize eachother there.

Yeah um....I'm not really sure what this is supposed to be speaking to or what point you're trying to make. But this is real and it happened. As a country we should be concerned. To say one thing about torture and human rights yet do another is a problem.

[crquack]

This affair pales into insignificance compared to the riveting drama of Who will get the NBC Late Night Show...

[DavidX]

I have an idea! Let's make a forum for the discussion of politics, so both ends of the boring/inflammatory spectrum can antagonize eachother there.

hhahahahha

I used to have the magick that anthony has.

Anthony - when we eventually duel to the death - if I win - I will weep tears most bitter.

[Inquartata]

So, why are we to adopt as the baseline assumption "It's simply too terrible to allow to be true. Which is why it has been mostly ignored this week in the mainstream American media"?

Maybe they are "ignoring it" because they haven't been able to confirm the author's evidence? They have been burned a few times by accepting invented stories too uncritically, after all.

Don't be so quick to swallow journalistic exposes, especially ones found in, shall we say, less than wholly objective places ( like Slate, yes, I'm sorry ) and nowhere else?

[thereom4]

So, why are we to adopt as the baseline assumption "It's simply too terrible to allow to be true. Which is why it has been mostly ignored this week in the mainstream American media"?

Maybe they are "ignoring it" because they haven't been able to confirm the author's evidence? They have been burned a few times by accepting invented stories too uncritically, after all.

Don't be so quick to swallow journalistic exposes, especially ones found in, shall we say, less than wholly objective places ( like Slate, yes, I'm sorry ) and nowhere else?

This is where they got the story from:

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2010/01/hbc-90006368

[Inquartata]

I know. I was speaking in the context of commentary---call it journalistic "peer review".

There is more than one imaginable reason why the major media outlets might not have picked up this story than "they're afraid". Yet that's where commentators with an agenda go straightaway...

PS I'd like to have seen citations from this "report" mentioned in the article, rather than the author just telling us what it says, and what it means.