My old philosophy prof had an expression that I think can be applied to Obama, "Same shit, different package".

Obama has made the biggest mistake ever when he tried to sweep this under the rug. He should stop listening to his puppet masters who script his teleprompter speeches, and instead start speaking from common sense and the rule of law.

It was clear when we (BushCo) invaded Iraq - it was all about oil, power, and world domination. These thugs used lies and political might to get their way, and enrich themselves and their cronies along the way. And boy did they steal everyone blind.

But I never understood the torture thing. It made no sense. Why torture, why break the Geneva Convention, and international treaties, and the Uniform Military Code? Why?
Then it occurred to me - because "the war on terrorism" was a sham. That there were maybe a handful of Al Quaeda at best, if they really existed. Funny coincidence that it means "the base" - same as Bush used to play to "the base"? I bet that was a funny inside joke.

Osama bin Laden had been on the CIA payroll when he fought in Afghanistan against the Russians. No one in the media ever talks about that FACT. What if he were still on our payroll? Would that explain why Bush closed the Bin Laden division? Would that explain why he has never been caught? Would that explain why 19 so called hijackers managed to outfox US security and even NORAD? So many people now believe that 911 was an inside job - too many questions - too many missing footages. Now back to the torture question...

Could it be they needed to CREATE terrorists, in order to keep this golden goose of a war going? If they rounded up people, beat them, humiliated them, tortured, raped, and even killed some, when they released them (and the did release them), wouldn't that ensure a new generation of terrorists and suicide bombers who now truly hated us? It sure seems to go along with all the evidence we are now seeing about how Bush, Cheney, and Rice ignored warnings, and even turned diplomacy aside when they had opportunities to end this war in 2004 and 2005. This was one of the biggest con-jobs in history.

If you look at it in this light, it makes sense in a very Dick-Cheney-stomach-sickening-way. What do you think?

Furthermore, PTSD!

Soldiers, U.S. soldiers anyway, have been committing suicide at rates of around 110 to 120, if not more, per year for some years now, and I've seen much more reporting on the crimes of torture in only the past weeks than I've seen for articles on the extreme fates of the soldiers who've been psychologically traumatised, which [is] another form of torture from waging wars, wars of aggression anyway, over several years now.

Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, will suffer serious PTSD for years, if not decades, to come. Families break up. Etcetera. These are the soldiers who aren't committing or haven't yet committed suicide. These people haven't committed suicide, but still suffer psychological torture from what they've either seen being done by peers and/or what they themselves did; because of the extremely, rather totally, criminal orders and deceit of the leadership of the USA, the complicit "news" media propagandists, and the many fellow citizens and non-citizen residents who supported these wars.

It's odd that so many extreme and intolerable consequences of wars of aggression based on LIES, deception, malicious, falacious, ... diabolical propaganda, and an ignorant populace of supporters have gone relatively little mentioned compared to the crimes of direct torture practices.

All of these are consequences that are [related] to the supreme crimes of the wars of aggression and these are what need to urgently be stopped; first and foremost. Stop these and the related crimes will cease. Stop crimes of direct torture and all of these other related consequences will continue, as also will the supreme crimes, the wars of aggression.

Seems it's okay with many people to continue the supreme criminality; just that some selected related crimes are somehow particularly intolerable.

Peculiar, is this "phenomenon".

I'm repeating the following article link and excerpt from another page at CD for "First We Got The Bomb And That Was Good".

"West Plots To Supplant United Nations With Global NATO",

by Rick Rozoff, Stop NATO, May 27 2009

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=13759

EXCERPT:

Von Sponeck's Warning: Subverting The United Nations From Within

This past February Hans von Sponeck, former UN Assistant Secretary General and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, wrote a probing indictment called The United Nations and NATO for a Swiss Journal.

It it he warned that "The world of the 192 UN member states has come to a fork in the road. One way leads to a world focused on the well being of society, conflict resolution and peace, i.e. to a life of dignity and human security with social and economic progress for all, wherever they may be as stated in the United Nations Charter. Down the other road is where the nineteenth century 'Great Game' for power will be further played out, a course which, in the twenty-first century, will become more extensive and dangerously more aggressive than ever.

"This road supposedly leads to democracy, but in truth it is all about power, control and exploitation." [13]

..., he remarked of his former employer and its would-be replacement:

"A comparison of the mandates of the United Nations and of NATO shows clearly how opposed the purposes of these two institutions are. In the 63 years of its existence, the United Nations mandate has remained the same.

"The United Nations was created to promote and maintain worldwide peace. NATO exists to assure the self-interest of a group of 26 UN member countries." [14]

In a section of his article titled "21st century NATO incompatible with UN Charter," von Sponeck added, "In 1999, NATO acknowledged that it was seeking to orient itself according to a new fundamental strategic concept. From a narrow military defense alliance it was to become a broad based alliance for the protection of the vital resources" needs of its members. Besides the defense of member states' borders, it set itself new purposes such as assured access to energy sources and the right to intervene in 'movements of large numbers of persons' and in conflicts far from the boarders of NATO countries. The readiness of the new alliance to include other countries, particularly those that had previously been part of the Soviet Union, shows how the character of this military alliance has altered."

"[T]he United Nations monopoly of the use of force, especially as specified in Article 51 of the Charter, was no longer accepted according to the 1999 NATO doctrine.

"NATO's territorial scope, until then limited to the Euro-Atlantic region, was expanded by its member to encompass the whole world in keeping with a strategic context that was global in its sweep." [15]

In a following section named "UN-NATO-accord: incompatible with UN Charter," he exposed a clandestine accord signed between the secretaries general of NATO and the United Nations, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Ban Ki-moon, respectively, on September 23, 2008, which "took place without any reference to the United Nations Security Council.

"In the generally accepted agreement of stated purposes, one reads of a 'broader council' and 'operative cooperation, for example in 'peace keeping in the Balkans and in Afghanistan. Both secretaries general committed themselves to acting in common to meet threats and challenges.

"The UN/NATO accord is anything but neutral and will thus not remain without serious consequences." [16]

...

END OF EXCERPT

WELL, I GUESS EBlair and likes will just say that torture is worse than supreme crimes ... of wars of aggression and that the rest of us who say the contrary and who are first and foremost concerned about the supreme criminality of the supreme crimes just have to grow up and realise that we're simply not one of the victims and therefore don't know what we're talking about when saying that the torture is neither new, since it's a crime that the U.S. has been long committing, and that it's not the supreme crime, but a [related] one. Maybe EBlair and likes think that by stopping related crimes we'll therefore or thereby be able to stop the supreme crimes, but it's a false argument, if adopted.

rev.charity and the rest of us just have to accept that most people who are emphatically or feverishly focused on the crimes of torture and these needing to be stopped simply don't feel the same way, or not as much, about the urgency of stopping the supreme crimes. We and the [millions], many millions, of direct victims, which includes hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers, besides the soldiers of U.S. allies in these wars, well, we all just have to accept to get our way last of all; we're last in line, because the supreme crimes are being relegated by many people to far lesser concern, if any concern at all.

It's seeming like another, but subtle way of supporting the wars of aggression, really.

"rev.charity May 29th, 2009 12:32 am

I can't help but wonder why everyone seems to be separating the torture that went on in the detention facilities from the whole ball of torture wax that is war. Why are there war crimes, when all of war is a crime? War=torture."

MOST readers here probably know that I agree with rev.charity, already, given I've posted similar words enough times at CD. Following is a copy from the CD brief of May 28th that I got the link for this CD page from.

QUOTE:

Photos of acts that people can't stand to see?

How about "Extreme Deformities" caused by the U.S. and starting long ago, already? Can people stand to see the extreme deformities caused to children due to the U.S.A.'s extreme use of depeleted uranium, but are unable to stand seeing pictures of GWoT detainees being tortured, with rape, electrical shocks, ...? If they can stand to see the former, then what's the problem with the latter?

I don't hear or read about anyone complaining about the extreme consequences of D.U., anyway.

To view a set of the PIC's, simply do a Web search for, ""Extreme deformities" Iraq", minus the outer quotes.

What about the extreme hardship displaced Iraqs, Afghans, Pakistanis, people of Congo, ... go through because of U.S. and NATO wars of ... always aggression; not always equally overt, but all U.S. and NATO wars of aggression for imperialism, Big Corp.'s "national interests" in natural resources of other countries and therefore peoples; hardship of the extreme consequences of starvation, poverty, causing children to prostitute themselves, and so on; what about this [torture]? Does this seem to be something the people can stand, but not the torture of rape, electrical shocks, sleep deprivation, ... for a few hundred or a few thousand individuals who should have never been imprisoned to begin with, but while Iraqis, Afghans, Pakistanis, people of Congo, ... should have never been warred upon to begin with, either?

Biased, eh!

There's been awfully little criticism of all of these other extreme crimes against humanity; compared to the major campaign about torture. Why this ... odd bias?!

Go ahead and call me a "devil's advocate". If that's what I'm really doing, then call me this; but I won't cease to notice the biased reporting and complaints.

END QUOTE

Go ahead and complain like the following post says.

"EBlair May 29th, 2009 12:51 am

oh the poor rev. was insulted.

sorry chaps.

didn't know you were the victim here."

I DID NOT know the EBlair was victim of any of these GWoT wars of aggression, massacres, massacres of wedding celebrations, extreme refugee plights, depleted uranium, white phosphorous, etcetera, and given I haven't seen any posts of EBlair's about the total and supreme criminality of these wars, well, I guess he's one of the victims and thinks these supreme crimes are okay.

I can't help but wonder why everyone seems to be separating the torture that went on in the detention facilities from the whole ball of torture wax that is war. Why are there war crimes, when all of war is a crime? War=torture.

I demand that the CD site monitors tell us why they booted Thomas Moore off.
Curious that Thomas managed to post a couple of comments telling us "goodbye" presumably AFTER he was kicked off.
How does THAT work?
I tried to reply to one of TM's statements just now, and got a message saying that the "comment you are trying to reply to does not exist".
This is extremely worrying for a liberal op/ed website that purports to be democratic!!
What's going on here?

W A R C R I M E S W A R C R I M I N A L S FERAL BESTIALITY is the name of this thing called a country. I guess the only "thing" for you to do is to get over it and vote on another carefully scripted poll at MoveOn.irg...we all just be movin' on....I know, let's have another election! Yeah! We can find another pretty face...I know we can...somewhere...Hope is a terrible bond...

O Rose, thou art sick!
The invisible worm
That flies in the night,
In the howling storm,
Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

William Blake

Joe

What do you expect from a military that taught torture in support of South American military regimes for decades? This was done systematically in the School of the Americas and is very well documented. I don't know if it is still the case, but at the time (I specifically remember in the 80s) the US was also the NUMBER ONE global exporter of torture equipment.

The difference, it seems to me, is that in the current "war on terror" American troops did the torturing themselves instead of subcontracting their dirty work to right-wing thugs. How much longer until this very same military will begin to torture people seen as a threat INSIDE the US?

We are ALL at risk, so fighting for change is not only to protect people around the world from our torturers, but to protect ourselves right here at home. We now have thousands of people living among us who participated in these illegal, outrageous acts while in uniform. And the people who ordered them to commit these crimes are honored instead of being put behind bars.

Since most people only seem to be moved when confronted with graphic details, I say let's have the pictures and then use the outrage to clean up house, both here and abroad. That means rigorously applying the Nuremberg principles that the US itself established after the end of the Second World War to deal with Nazi criminals. That means bringing to justice people in the top echelons of power under whose watch these crimes were committed. And it means finally acknowledging that the land of the free and the home of the brave has a sorry human rights record when it comes to its own history, both at home and abroad. Any real change has to be built on honestly confronting some painful truths about ourselves. Unfortunately all of the human rights violations perpetrated in Abu Ghraib and elsewhere are not an exception, they have been the rule throughout American history. That rule will continue unless we confront our past and present honestly.

Once we understand that we are not so special and ethical after all we might even consider joining the International Criminal Court and have our own war criminals tried alongside their fellow war criminals from around the world...

I don't care if the photos are published as long as the war criminals who authorized it, starting with GW Bush and Cheney, are prosecuted and sent to jail for life.

For: Naturally. No the Soviet Union never practiced Socialism. They used the name as a coverup for the cruelest regime in the civilized world -- what is left of it.

But Obama -- why would you object to people seeing the pictures if you have nothing to hide? Isn't this like the government spying on US citizens?

Let's leave now. It'll the be the first thing that we did right since invading the country.

Fuck the military!!!!!!

Why don't these soldiers have a conscience?

Why don't they just quit the military?

Why are our taxes paying for this?

Are will all just as guilty?

I FEEL LIKE I WANT TO VOMIT!!!!

Hello; there are prostitutes that need to make a living too.

THERE IS NO NEED TO RAPE ANYONE!!!!!

No one has ever invaded this country since the British.

We all have guns and can protect ourselves.

AND TO THINK THESE ARE JUST THE THINGS WE HEAR ABOUT CAUSE A CAMERA WAS NEAR BY,......
WHAT HAPPENED THAT WASNT PHOTOGRAPHED??????

I've never been bombed, assaulted, or robbed by
ANY MIDDLE EASTERN PERSON EVER!!!!!!!

I've been robbed by americans, shot at by americans, and arrested by americans............
OH YEAH I TOO AM AN AMERICAN....GREAT :(

I FEEL SICK.

Deepa

"Maj Gen Taguba...said he supported the President's decision, adding: "These pictures show torture, abuse, rape and every indecency."

He further adds "I am not sure what purpose their release would serve other than a legal one and the consequence would be to imperil our troops, the only protectors of our foreign policy, when we most need them, and British troops who are trying to build security in Afghanistan."

These statements of Taguba are self-deception, incensitive to the innocent victims at the hands of inhuman Americans. Why is he not applying the same principle to the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay? Why are these people imprisoned for several years without trial. If they are imprisoned for their alleged violent acts, then why aren't the American criminals in Iraq and Afghanistan?

This shows the American double standards.

What is ironical is: these American criminals, according to Taguba, are "the only protectors of our foreign policy". This statement confirms what the AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY IS.

Taguba still thinks, even after viewing the inhuman criminal behaviour of American troops, that these criminals build SECURITY in other countries such as Afghanistan.

This is how European invaders justified their genocidal violence against and occupation of Native Americans' land. This is how the European racist colonisers have justified slavery and exploitation of weak and vulnerable for the development of the present day USA. This is how this criminal country has been justifying its genocidal violence against citizens of other countries, and exploitation of their natural resources to SATISFY AMERICAN GREED.

I'm waiting for Dick Cheney and his equally evil daughter, Liz, to go on TV and defend these actions as "enhanced interrogation" techniques that kept thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Americans safe.

Here is what *appears to be* one of the rape images, which I found by searching Google images with "abu ghraib rape". I've separated the link into three parts to get past the spam filters that CD has:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/
_5-dGr37Nn8Y/SIbChd6lstI/AAAAAAAAAeU/wZDVUHE0LYI/s320/
usa-rape-iraqi-woman5.jpg

Here is one of the rape images, which I found by searching Google images with "abu ghraib rape".

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5-dGr37Nn8Y/SIbChd6lstI/AAAAAAAAAeU/wZDVUHE0LYI/s320/usa-rape-iraqi-woman5.j...

Chenecracy [chey-nah-kra-see]- noun:

1. a form of government defined by paranoia, barbarism, ruthlessness, inhumanity, bloodthirstiness, sadism , savagery, brutishness, depravity, cowardice and the complete disdain for the rule of law.

2. the illegal taking of office through trickery and vote fraud for the goal of war profiteering achieved through the implementation of definition #1.

We are all Guilty. More guilty than Bush/Cheney.

We did nothing. No boycotts, riots, no assassination attempts, no prosecutions. We continue to go about our lives. For most of us this is just something to complain about. Not nearly as important as the economy, as our Ipods, as the new recycled summer block buster. We only post blogs and comments.

Even if convicted the administrators to all this would be living better than most in Club Fed.

Time to be the country that we once were, founded on revolution.

Our leaders do not fear us. They don't even acknowledge us anymore. This is only because we no longer care enough to sacrifice our personal living standards in order to force our governments to take our orders.

We are the evil nation! The modern Nazi. Devils wearing Prada and even hemp made sandals.

WE did nothing.....nothing and we continue to do the same to this day.

We have all the power. Power to disrupt, power to disobey, and the power to end all of this. All it takes is to forget about non-violent protest and replace it with targeted disruption, violence, and complete and total rejection of all our large institutions (public /private)

I once had hope in OBAMA.....But this has killed it. There can be no hope while the current presidency is protecting the previous. They become the same regardless of color, party, or intelligence.

We are also the same. Regardless of race, party, or awareness because we (you and me) still do nothing.

When your children read about this moment in history they won't read about how you disagreed. They will read about your compliance because ......you did nothing...So did I.

Unless your in prison for your opposition(your cool). Everyone else is guilty. We are guilty. I am guilty. You are guilty.

Bush/Cheney/Obama are products of our action/inaction.

If your conscience doesn't make you feel guilty then you have no conscience....

Obama and his transparency agenda marches onward.

www.green.org

I bet it happens here to. No or limited accountability just leads to horrendous abuse.

What did George Orwell say about the futue of humanity being compared to a person on the ground with someone in boots standing on their neck????.....

Yes, let's define our foreign policy...
"If they've got what we want, let's go get it" ... at whatever cost to the American people (who finance the wars)

Who benefits? follow the money trail... and where the money ends up... in some offshore or Swiss bank accounts...

Never to the benefit of American citizens whose rights should include: education, health care, etc.

No, our money is going to support aggression.
Witness the high level of education in countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Scandanavia ... all those really awful socialist countries WHERE THE TAXES GO TO BENEFIT THE CITIZENS, not to waging war...

I read that the Netherlands is closing their prisons for lack of inmates!!!!!!!! Gee, what's going on there... aren't there any murders, or drug possession, or three strikes, or ....?

AMERICA COME HOME get out of other people's lives and messes ... LET'S GET OUR OWN HOUSE IN ORDER BEFORE IT COLLAPSES...
If we collapse under the weight of our foreign "investments" in control, power, subjugation.... we may someday be subject to invasion where we will be treated just like we treat other "subjects" ...
"Do onto others as you would have done to yourself..." to paraphrase the most fundamental truth...
AMERICA COME HOME... make the world a better place...quit dominating the rest of the world...

"Mr Obama said the individuals involved had been "identified, and appropriate actions" taken."

No, that's the problem. The few bad apples at the top, the frat boy pranks excusing media, the go-along-to-get-along congress, the involvement of Israel in the military corruption - none of it has been addressed. You did put Pvt. England in prison, but Cheney's still loose.

"At least one picture shows an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee."

Why should this shock anyone. Rape is ALWAYS used as a weapon of war. War is the ultimate obscenity. Yet this country always rushes off to war at the flimsiest excuse. "Someday they might attack us so we need to attack them before they attack us."

Why would anyone pretend to be shocked at this? Its what happens in war. And this is one of the LESSER atrocities that occur during war. Always. Always. Always.

"I am not sure what purpose their release would serve other than a legal one and the consequence would be to imperil our troops, the only protectors of our foreign policy, when we most need them, and British troops who are trying to build security in Afghanistan."

Finally. An honest admission that our foreign policy IS WAR. Not diplomach. WAR.

How will Sham Sannity & the Mouthpieces of Mammon react to this news? Here are a few possibilities:

Ignore it.

Claim it's a plot by the left.

If it happened it was just a few bad eggs.

It's no worse than what happens to anyone who passes out at a kegger party.

We had to use enhanced humiliation techniques to protect the lives of thousands of Americans.

It provided us with intelligence that saved lives.

Mr Obama seemed to reinforce that view by adding: "I want to emphasise that these photos that were requested in this case are not particularly sensational, especially when compared to the painful images that we remember from Abu Ghraib."

"At least one picture shows an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee."

I don't remember any rape pictures from Abu Ghraib, do you? So Obama is lying? Does America not deserve better than this?

The great gringo dupla of sex and violence--coming your way soon.

Film at 11.

OK, we are once again shown that imperialism is ghastly. Are we going to do something about it this time, or continue fooling ourselves into voting for 'liberal' Democraps?

There are no humanitarian capitalist solutions to the problems of war and poverty, and there never will be. If you want universal peace, sustainability, equality and affluence, the only way to get there is through revolution by the organized working class under the leadership of a Leninist party. There simply is no logical alternative. If you claim to be an humanitarian, you must build the party of communist revolution.

GwNorth -

Unfortunately, white women (U.S. soldiers) have been raped in Iraq (by other U.S. soldiers). Did Nancy Grace air their stories? I don't remember seeing any. Nancy Grace is about sensationalism, not justice.

Can you imagine if this was a white woman raped in say an Island in the carribean and the story got on Nancy grace?

In the Somali affair, two Canadian soldiers were involved in the brutal torture and killing of a Somali teen they had captured.

The teen had snuck into the Canadian base to steal food. The soldiers were members of the Canadian Aiborne regiment which dated back to the second world war and was a "storied regiment".

A thorough investigation was held and while I think officers at the top deserved more punishment then received the ultimate decision was made to disband the entire Regiment.

In trying to determine how soldiers could come to committing such acts , the investigative team concluded that a group of Racists had infiltrated the regiments and that this group had poisened the entire regiment.

It was their conclusion that to restore dignity to the armed forces the entire regiment had to be disbanded. Further to that all members with links to the Racist group were forced out of the Armed forces and or were no accepted when they sought to rejoin at the end of their terms.

The committee also concluded Canada's regiment had spent too much time training with their American counterparts, the 82nd airborne and picked up much of the "attitude" from that group.

At the time I thought it harsh and overly so, but as I see more and more how this poison can seep into and discredit an entire Military, it becomes clear it was the right thing to do.

The post by RMG is WHY THE PHOTOS MUST BE PUBLISHED...
RMG starts out by saying "if any of this is true..."

MOST people will never believe what went on until they
see the pictures... that's the nature of people...
the old adage A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS is
a fundamental truth.

So, the pictures need to be in the public domain...

Obama said the unpublished pictures don't show anything further, or something along that line. Well, I don't remember seeing any pictures of rape, does anyone else?

Whenever there is something so heinous and destructive that it defies comprehension, it is usually permitted to continue because someone is making money off it. I know this is an over-simplification, but largely true. So we have to start opposing all the new contracts - the new security contract for Gitmo, the mega-embassy in Pakistan etc. I believe such things are a driving force behind the decisions to expand and extend our war activities, rather than end them as good sense dictates.

And, as Mr. Chips said: "Remove the troops; show the photos; start criminal proceedings". If it had been American kids who were raped, the perpetrators would have starred on "America's Most Wanted" and every father and mother would have been calling for justice.

Joe

Do you think Obama is as sick as Bush and Cheney? Something is wrong somewhere about bringing all the sadistic bastards to justice. We can only hope someone somewhere will do something about this. Why is fat mouth #1 war criminal allowed to stay on T.V. lying almost every day?
They stay hid because they know they did wrong. They are low life running scared nothings. Obama is in bed with them.How can any human being allow this to happen.I would release the pictures and let the world know how the Repugs behave. Bet ole flabber mouth Cheney got off on this.

The Bush-Cheney Legacy. Those photos belong in the fancy Bush library costing millions to glorify his kingship. Those millions should go to the ones we abused beyond belief in the name of Christian liberation.

There is an interesting website with all the photos of the victims that were tortured feel free to take a look http://www.salon.com/news/abu_ghraib/2006/03/14/chapter_2/index.html.

I am quite speechless . . .

Unfortunately for so many; the typical "US Logic" follows the faulty concept that to release the photos would endanger american troops in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Never mind the fact that they are members of an illegal invasion force, that has made civilian deaths and total destruction of the land, water, air their primary objective.

It would be the 'release of the photos' that would turn the tide against our "boys and girls" in uniform: not the fact that they are international criminals and members of the most destructive military in the history of the world.

This is exactly the kind of logic that has lead the USA to the lowest level of all the other nations of the world.

And the world is watching.

And the world will not tolerate America much longer.

Good Luck America, you really need it.

If any of this is true...I really don't know what to say. Torture is bad enough but raping females and sodomizing males? In an American controlled facility????? This is revolting and disgusting not to mention totally illegal!!! The inhumane treatment of prisoners is something the U.S. and the world will have to live with for a long, long time. I am not naive enough to think these crimes are not committed every day around the world but never in my lifetime did I expect to see these crimes committed by the USA. THESE ARE WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY - WHEN WILL THOSE RESPONSIBLE BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE??? Winning hearts and minds and bringing "freedom" to the world...what a load of BS.

drip. drip, drip.
Sy Hersh reported on this and far worse a few years ago. Until the photos are relased, the simple written word isn't enough to jolt the reptilian brains of "American Idol" worshippers.

Some of the people in our military and those faceless, nameless, Blackwater ghosts are seriously depraved. US military prisons became a hell on earth for all Muslims. On orders from the top, thousands of people were encouraged to release their most despicable demonic fantasies on a powerless population.

And what's with the all the photos, anyway? Creeps me out. They're like serial killers taking trophy items for re-living those special moments. If these "soldiers" had any shame or concerns there wouldn't be a trove of personal photos. The photographs convince me they took pride in their handiwork. So screw every one of them affiliated with the entire sadistic, criminal enterprise.
LET THE PURGE BEGIN.

I for one, do not want a satanic cult of military trained rapists, psychos, and their leaders free to roam our streets.

Taguba's statement (I generally respect him and think he was put in a horrible no-win position by having to write the report) that the only purpose releasing the photos is "legal" just shows the minor place the rule of law has come to occupy in American society. Gee, isn't a "legal" reason a good one? At least the ACLU still thinks so.

On a more psychological note, who the hell are these people perpetrating and colluding in these acts? What is going on in the mind of a woman taking pictures while a man rapes an adolescent? Who put the sheets up on the door? Beyond the political/legal/human rights issues, the most terrifying thing about all of this is that our country is producing people (and gives them professional positions) who possess absolutely no decency or restraint, who, given the chance (the Iraqi "playground") freely gave sway to their darkest fantasies without the least restraint or respect for the other. This all reflects a darker, more intractable (because unspeakable) disturbance in American society...how is it that this is the kind of person the good ol' USA is growing (alongside its genetically modified corn).