Torture OK if a general orders it

[chickenfeet]

From today's Guardian

The US commander in charge of military jails in Iraq, Major General Geoffrey Miller, has confirmed that a battery of 50-odd special "coercive techniques" can be used against enemy detainees. The general, who previously ran the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, said his main role was to extract as much intelligence as possible.

Interrogation experts at Abu Ghraib prison were there to help make the prison staff "more able to garner intelligence as rapidly as possible".

Sleep deprivation and stripping naked were techniques that could now only be authorised at general officer level, he said.

So much for Rumsfeld's apology. No wonder the USA is opposed to an International Criminal Court.

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Comments

[bonsai-human.livejournal.com]

charming

[divafu.livejournal.com]

what do you think of those british pictures in the guardian? fake or real?

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

Not sure. I think there is a fairly high probability that they are fake.

[thidwick.livejournal.com]

Sigh.

This (the article you posted and the general situation, not your comments) upsets me. I really hope that the rest of the world realizes that the vast majority of Americans are disjusted and horrified by these images too.

It sickens me how our administration has done such a superior job giving people across the globe yet another set of reasons to hate America. We're not all like that. In fact, MOST of us are not. I know that you know that, but it upsets me that there are people willing to paint all of us with the same brush.

Which is, of course, what our administration is willing to do with the rest of the world. But I could go on and on about this, so I'll stop before I get too nonsensical.

It's sad, though.

[tudorlady.livejournal.com]

Please count me standing beside thidwick here. I'm appalled. Unfortunately, I'm not surprised. (There are times people assume I'm a UK transplant of some sort or a hijacked Canadian (primarily because I know how to spell and I talk in complete sentences). I think that from now on, I'm simply going to let them assume that.)

[ceruleanblue3.livejournal.com]

"Sleep deprivation and stripping naked were techniques that could now only be authorised at general officer level, he said. "

Well, *that's* alright then.
/sarcasm

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

Exactly!

[ceruleanblue3.livejournal.com]

Seriously though, I don't know what it'd take to make up for that, but restricting the 'privilege' to a few officers isn't going to do it...
Sigh.

[ceruleanblue3.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, that would do it. Or it would certainly go a long way towards it.

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

A commitment by the US to respect it's commitments under international law (or even US law) would be nice but I know I am dreaming.

[ceruleanblue3.livejournal.com]

Yup. Sad, isn't it? Even if they do replace Bush *crosses fingers*, there's no guarantee the next guy will be any more willing to respect the law.