Soldier 'instructed' to abuse Abu Ghraib prisoners

[cal04]

One of the US soldiers convicted of mistreating prisoners at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison says his superiors made it clear those incarcerated were to be abused. Sergeant Javal Davis was sentenced to six months in jail after admitting to having deliberately stepped on the hands and feet of handcuffed prisoners.

In an interview aired on Channel 7, Sgt Davis said he was instructed to make life as unpleasant as possible for those he was guarding. "I was left with an open door to pretty much almost do whatever I want, you know like 'hey, make sure this guy has a bad night you know' or 'make sure this guy gets the treatment'," he said. Sgt Davis says he found some of the things he was asked to do distressing.

"For example, the nakedness, the hooding, the handcuffing of the detainees in compromising positions, like handcuffed behind their back in an uncomfortable way or handcuffed to the bar door door or something," he said.He says he asked that orders he was given to abuse prisoners be put in writing.But despite repeated requests, his superiors never agreed to do so.

Sgt Davis was a military policeman who worked as a guard at Abu Ghraib prison for three months in late 2003. The pictures of the mistreatment by the guards, which included sexual humiliation, sparked international outrage.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200508/s1442489.htm

[nytemare]

1. No suprise here, but outrage.

I was an MP, in '91. I was in Iraq. That was a much different time.

I just remember, throughout my time as an MP, we could not even make an arrest without Sergeant's permission. I knew when these photos first came out that it wasn't the fucking "acts of a few", or "bad apples". I was active, and these reservists that were at Abu Ghraib sure weren't pulling these tactics out of their asses to use.

The Gonzales memo pissed me off more than anything this administration has done. It irks me to no end how stupid some people are, even with the memo, to believe that these folks came up with it on their own.

Not that their acts were not bad, but they were totally left out to dry by the administration.

Clinton was investigated for misuse of the White House computer Christmas card databank, and Bush gets away with this bullshit.

[bahrbearian]

4. Its sickening what they are subjecting our Soldiers too.

But we must remain Patriotic, if not you support the enemy.

[nytemare]

12. The soldiers are in a bad spot

This is the deal. They are working very long hours in very high temperatures and they don't know if they will live through the night.
This situation makes people probably a little more malleable, and quicker to follow orders than to think.

I look at the actions as being wrong, it is sort of like "A Few Good Men." The corporal and the private were wrong in doing the code red, but the order also came from above. Responsibility should start at the top. In the administration, there are plenty of Col. Jessups....but the thing is, in the movie, Col. Jessup took responsibility, at least admitted he did the deed. No one in this administration has the balls to do that.

[nolabels]

19. Yea, like what ya goin do? send a letter to GWB

Dear George,
Today I would like to bring to your attention these horrible things my chain of command are expecting me to do.......... :shrug:


http://blogs.warpedworld.org/seumas/archives/2004_10.html

[hootinholler]

23. They are, especially those from

Cumberland Md. Who are serving prison terms for abuses.

Where is Roscoe Bartlett calling for an investigation of how they were put in this position? Oh, Yeah he's a neocon. Ok Where is Mikulski? or Sarbanes? They have no excuse.

-Hoot

[Judi Lynn]

2. Hope his act in speaking up will encourage others.

Obviously the authorities knew all of this was illegal if they refused to put it in writing.

They apparently repeated what was handed down to them. The new oral tradition replaces the old code of ethics. No one can get caught.

When are we going to hear the powerful voices for Good? Do they even exist? What will it take to move them?

This soldier finally did something GOOD by talking about this. He'd better watch his back.

[lumpy]

3. It can be imagined what would

happen if the guys refused to do as told.

[tuckessee]

20. Well.....

....it's doubtful that their refusal to torture Iraqis would've resulted in worse treatment than they metted out to their hapless captives.

[Sgent]

29. Your kidding right?

Who knows what would have been done.

Lt -- do this now.

Private -- Sir, I can't since its an illegal order.

Lt -- pulls Colt from his side and shoots Private in head.

Captain -- unfortuate, don't let that happen again Lt.

[tuckessee]

31. Are you serious?????

Care to give me any examples of US military officers summarily executing subordinates in the field for not following orders anytime from WW1 to the Iraq War?

Pvt. Slovik doesn't count since he was tried in a miltary court.

[Gay Green]

5. He would have been court-martialed whether he obeyed the orders or not

Our most esteemed Dear Leader and his most professional, moral and ethical Administration are very, very, very supportive of our troops. :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

(on edit: grammar)

[SpiralHawk]

6. The so-called commander in chief bears responsibility

the fish rots from the head down.

The torture and abuses are so staggeringly widespread, that they must have had a nod of approval from the Big Cheese.

Bush has chosen to remain silent on the subject of his responsibility for this torture so he can recreate prudently while he does his latest AWOL stint at The Imperial Pig Farm Upon Crawford.

Meanwhile, his failed Administration is also keeping EVERYTHING double super secret.

[mike_c]

7. just following orders, like a good nazi....

:puke:

[Rex]

8. I'm sure the order came from Rummy the Dummy.

He likes to fuck up everything. Makes profits soar!

[Mabus]

9. This is the type of story that the MSM won't cover

They'll print it in Australia but I haven't seen it printed here. Wouldn't want the American public to know the truth!

[cal04]

17. Yahoo posted the story in their Australia & NZ news but not here

http://au.news.yahoo.com/050821/21/vlh1.html

[Solly Mack]

10. No doubt- but he could have refused..in fact, he's obligated to refuse

torture is obviously government policy and the Bush regime needs to be indicted as war criminals...but the soldiers at Abu Ghraib could have refused to carry out those orders.

A Naval dog handler refused and was praised in the Taguba report..Darby turned his fellow soldiers in...it's not as if those soldiers were without options. They made a choice.

[lumpy]

14. This army is leaner and meaner.

I knew a guy in Pacific during WW2 who decked an officer because the officer was abusing a Japanese prisoner. The guy got off easy, sent to a psycho ward in the states for a brief stay. I doubt that any soldier refusing to 'do his duty' would get off so easy these days.

[Trevelyan]

28. Darby had to come out of hiding to accept a Hero Award because of threats

on his life. Once you are in the Brig, a soldier has no rights. Remember Maggio in From Here To Eternity. That was based on the author's knowledge of how things really work.

There have been 4 suspicious deaths of military personnel at Gitmo. One medic was said to have died during a mountain climbing accident but his family said he was afraid of heights.

That is like Troy Boner's brother dying supposedly of playing Russian Roulette when Troy said his brother was afraid of guns.

Troy' brother and Alisha Owen's brother were supposed suicides that occurred just before they were to testify that the were being used as child prostitutes in the Franklin Coverup Scandal which also involved Bush Senior as written about by John DeCamp.

Troy Boner was murdered in a terrible way in 2003, type Troy Boner into Search Engine. Troy had also met several times with Jeff Gannon/Gukhert Johnny Gosche's mother to talk about his being warned by the FBI that it was either lie or die and Troy felt very guilty about retracting his accusations. I can't find much on Alisha Owens but she was rearrested after the Gannongate story broke.

These are very dangerous people if even Kerry, McCain and others are afraid and the whole of Congress save 3 House Republicans voted to pass the National ID card in a late night session after the Cessna buzzed Washington. They know what a Cessna means. Look up Wellstone, Gary Cardocci, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Sen. Boggs Katie Couric's father who was on the Warren Commission and about to talk.

[Solly Mack]

32. Hale Boggs was not Katie Couric's father, Cokie Roberts is his daughter

[Horse with no Name]

35. Military Oath of Allegiance

I, {insert name here}, do solemnly swear, or affirm, that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.


They swore an oath to our country, not to GWB. I would have hoped that they could tell the difference, but with the climate as it is today, the lines are deliberately being blurred.
I have no doubt that this goes all the way to the desk where the buck used to stop...however, there are cowards all the way up that same line.

[Tin Man]

11. When is Lindy England's new trial?

Anybody heard? Should be interesting, especially with the new understanding of what was really happening.

"The fault of a few bad apples" - BushShit!!! Unless of course, we're talking about Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Bush...

[Up2Late]

13. Great, now if one of the "news" organizations in THIS Hemisphere...

...would pick this up, they don't usually have much trouble dismissing the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, seeing how it's so far ahead of us here.

[bemildred]

15. No shit. nt

[annabanana]

16. nominated...

Let's get this OUT there...

[jsamuel]

18. nominated... THIS IS IMPORTANT AS NO OFFICER HAS YET TO BE CHARGED

[Roland99]

33. Accountability? Whuzzat?

[bleever]

21. kick

[annabanana]

22. kickin in the am............eom

[Imagevision]

24. Big Brother is watching - NO NEGATIVE REPORTING AGAINST BUSH!

AND\OR HIS ADMINISTRATION. PORTER GOSS COMES IN FIRES ALL CIA AGENTS WHO DIAGREED WITH EARLY IRAQ THREAT FINDINGS, THEY WEREN'T SUPPORTING THE CHIMP, THEY MUST GO! YOU KNOW, LIKE "SLAMDUNK" RETIRED TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH HIS FAMILY??

[VegasWolf]

25. Damn, it sounds like time to indict another Private First Class!!! nt

[NightOwwl]

26. Remind me again why this kid is in jail...

while the Bush cabal is allowed to perpetuate war crimes day after day after day?

[Trevelyan]

27. The Left, the Democrats and all who have a conscience need to mount a

letter writing campaign about this.

Why is Bush getting away with defying a court order. Someone on DU wrote last Sunday that the next day the judge who ordered DoD to release the 4 videos and 157 photos of the rape, torture and murder of men, women and children was no pushover. What did this judge do, what can he do if the "Commander in Thief" refuses a court order?

Kick :kick: :dem:

[Trevelyan]

30. Support this Bill if you are against torture

http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/investigations.asp?Issue=Abu+Ghraib+Prison+Abuses

Bill Would Establish Independent Commission to Investigate Detainee Abuses

Tuesday, June 21, 2005 -- Rep. Waxman, Democratic Leader Pelosi, and other senior Democrats announced they will introduce legislation to establish an independent Comission to investigate abuses of detainees in connection with Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, or any operation within the Global War on Terrorism.

Rep. Waxman's Statement:

It has been over a year since the photographs of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib shocked the nation and the world. Since then, the allegations of mistreatment, abuse, and torture of detainees in U.S. custody have multiplied.

http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/story.asp?ID=874&Issue=Abu+Ghraib+Prison+Abuses

[Amonester]

34. Kick - (and no text, because: I am lost for words) thanx for posting