The hood was removed. Almost immediately, blood started streaming from his nose. He was dead.

[gristy]

http://morris.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/19/the-most-curious-thing/index.html?ref=opinion

From the NY Times yesterday. A long and very detailed article about this picture and what led up to it.

In my filmed interview for my documentary “Standard Operating Procedure” Sabrina explains her thumbs-up and her smile:<1>

SABRINA HARMAN: I kind of picked up the thumbs-up from the kids in Al Hilla, and so whenever I would get into a photo, I never know what to do with my hands… So any kind of photo, I probably have a thumbs-up because it’s just — I just picked it up from the kids. It’s just something that automatically happens. Like when you get into a photo, you want to smile. It’s just, I guess, something I did.

<snip>
SABRINA HARMAN: It was just to say, “Hey, look, it’s a dead guy. We’re with a dead guy.” It wasn’t anything — I guess we weren’t really thinking, “Hey, this guy has family,” or anything like that, or “Hey, this guy was just murdered.” It was just, “Hey, it’s a dead guy, it’d be cool to get a photo next to a dead person.” I mean that was it. That was the extent of that one… I know it looks bad. I mean, even when I look at , I go, “Oh Jesus, that does look pretty bad.” if a soldier sees somebody dead, normally they’ll take photos of it. I don’t know why, maybe it’s a curiosity thing or if they see something odd, they’ll take a photo of it. Just to say “Hey, look where I’ve been, look what I’ve seen.”

ERROL MORRIS: Maybe you can’t believe it yourself?

SABRINA HARMAN: I can’t believe they murdered the guy.

Wait just one second. Murdered?

And who are they?

<snip>
Back in the shower room. Approximately one hour had gone by. Mark Swanner, the C.I.A. interrogator, called for assistance. <11> Al-Jamadi was “sagging” and Swanner wanted him tied “a little higher.” Three M.P.’s on the tier — Sgt. Dennis Stevanus, Sgt. Walter (Tony) Diaz and Specialist Jeff Frost — were called in to help out.

It was about 7 a.m.<12>

Al-Jamadi was unresponsive. The hood was removed. Almost immediately, blood started streaming from his nose. He was dead.

[Bob Dobbs]

1. Look at yourself, America.

Your tax dollars at work.

[liberaltrucker]

2. God damn America, indeed

:cry:

[wildbilln864]

6. No....

Goddamn the sons of bitches that caused this shit. Bush, Cheney, Rummy, and the rest. They are not America. They are a cancer on America.

[ladjf]

15. They are criminals at large.

[timtom]

18. They did not physically carry out these atrocities.

There are those who execute these atrocities and those who refuse to be a part of it at all.

Everyone has the right and duty to say "No!", irrespective of consequences.

That's living authentically.

[Mind_your_head]

31. I second that!

Everyone has the right and duty to say "No!", irrespective of consequences.

That's living authentically.

[cui bono]

34. Yes, and ALL Americans should be saying no, but they're just going on with their lives...

The lack of outrage in this country is astounding considering everything that's happened in the last 7 years.

[whopis01]

35. It is at a point where anyone who doesn't refuse to participate should be held accountable. n/t

[bdamomma]

23. exactly

[uppityperson]

3. k&r for more and more to come out about what happened, what's happening. nt

[alfredo]

4. That's so sad. bush did this, bush made us all criminals.

[bdamomma]

24. the more we stay silent more crimes will be committed in our name

and we all know that.

[alfredo]

25. Attitude flows down the chain of command.

[JfortheDonks]

5. Desensitized

Totally - which is very sad indeed.

[calimary]

7. Welcome to DU! That's a big part of the problem. They're completely desensitized.

Maybe you have to be that way to be able to cope with combat. But it's utterly dehumanized. They might as well be talking about a piece of meat. Which, to them, the "dead guy" is.

GOD what this says about us as a country!!!!! :cry:


But... but... but... they hate us for our freedoms!

[JfortheDonks]

11. Thanks For The Welcome!

Yeah, it is really something, isn't it?! I have an Army Reserves friend who has been to Iraq twice now, and it definitely has effected him mentally. I appreciate everything he has done for his country, and the rest of our military as well, as my own father was a WWII Pearl Harbor vet. But it's sad what war can do to people. I'm all for protecting our turf here. And, I do support our military - it is their jobs, and they don't have any control over the orders they are given. But this so-called war in Iraq - we, the American public, were sure side tracked into thinking that we need to be there, when we should be nailing Bin Laden, who I doubt that will ever happen - the Bush - Bin Laden family connections, friends making money at the expense of our military and innocent lives.

[ConsAreLiars]

8. Great article. The analysis of the "smile"

and the issue of culpability was very informed and instructive. One of those portrayed in the Abu Ghraib pix has since joined one of the Vets for peace movement and testified at the new Winter Soldier hearings. Can't now remember who, but all of these underlings were just trying to cope and survive within an utterly evil context.

[magellan]

9. No better than those who snuffed out 3000 lives on 9-11.

Worse because America lowered herself to the same deplorable level.

There aren't words to register my disgust and anger.

[Bob Dobbs]

19. Same people

ran both operations from the top.

[w8liftinglady]

10. ok.... whatever

[Mind_your_head]

32. Hey, not to hijack a thread, but weren't you supposed to get a pacemaker installed today?

What's with that? :shrug:

[Canuckistanian]

12. "I kind of picked up the thumbs-up from the kids"

Yeah? Well, those kids were telling you to go fuck yourself.

The "thumbs-up" gesture is considered obscene in Iraqi culture.

Those photos were taken deliberately to show to other detainees as a warning.

What a lying piece of crap she is.

[whyzayker]

13. That thumb's up sign?

SABRINA HARMAN: I kind of picked up the thumbs-up from the kids in Al Hilla, and so whenever I would get into a photo, I never know what to do with my hands…

"Miller rode around Baghdad with the 1st Armored Division and was impressed by the sight of countless Iraqi children eagerly giving the passing American troops the thumbs-up sign. What Miller didn't realize at the time, writes Woodward, was that ``in Iraq the thumbs-up sign traditionally was the equivalent of the American middle-finger salute."

http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2006/10/03/denial_lays_war_blame_at_white_house_door/

[Ghost Dog]

14. Obvious question, why would the hood be on during interrogation?

One would imagine that eye-contact would be useful to an interrogator.

Easy to infer that the interrogators knew they had gone way over the top, to say the least, and put the hood back on before calling in the grunts.

[MadMaddie]

33. So they don't have to l ook them in the eyes when they are

pummeling the crap out of them.

These are War Crimes and the CIA is neck deep in this shit.

[Postman]

16. Disgraceful.

This country knows no shame.

[K Gardner]

17. Oh jesus h christ...

[tuckessee]

20. Don't forget to "Thank Them for Their Service". n/t

[Solly Mack]

21. I'm glad this is getting more press

The CIA and the Murder of Manadel Jamadi at Abu Ghraib

[bdamomma]

22. this is just shameful

[Marie26]

K&R

Sickening.

[Marie26]

26. K&R

Sickening.

[ChickMagic]

27. K&R

This breaks my heart. I'm physically sick from it.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

28. That ghoul smiling makes me positively sick for this country.

[1776Forever]

29. 'Terrorists' Legal Team' Sues Abu Ghraib Contractors

I had read about this "contractor" before a few years ago. They had done a lot of "interrogation" in the US prisons too. Disgusting bunch of thugs.

...................................

http://www.informationweek.com/news/services/outsourcing/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207502049

The Center for Constitutional Rights alleges tech outsourcers at the Iraqi prison committed torture and other war crimes during a civilian interrogation.

By Paul McDougall
InformationWeek
May 6, 2008 02:18 PM

A controversial group with a history of defending individuals accused of plotting terror strikes against the United States has filed a war crimes lawsuit against a pair of tech outsourcers that were contracted to provide interrogation services at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.

In papers filed Monday in federal court in Los Angeles, the Center for Constitutional Rights claims that employees of CACI International and L3 Communications repeatedly tortured Iraqi citizen Emad Al-Janabi during interrogation sessions at the prison, which was shuttered in 2006.

The suit names L3, CACI, and CACI interrogator Steven "Big Steve" Stefanowicz as defendants. "Mr. Al-Janabi was repeatedly and gravely tortured at Abu Ghraib prison," the suit charges.

Al-Janabi, who claims to be an innocent blacksmith, says his ordeal began when he was seized from his Baghdad home at 2 a.m. in September 2003 by "persons dressed in American military uniforms and civilian clothing."

With a helicopter hovering overhead, "His captors ... speaking through an L-3 translator, told him he was going to be executed along with his brother and nephew," the lawsuit contends. At Abu Ghraib, Al-Janabi says he was deprived of food, repeatedly tortured, and threatened with rape and execution, according to court papers.

............

This is so disgusting and horrid! War crimes - may they all be judged!

[Citizen_Penn]

30. Anytime anyone anywhere goes along with anything

because they are afraid.

This is what happens.

Why are we afraid to be moral? To say I deny my government the right to take a life in my name.

To demand honesty and integrity in ourselves AND our leaders.