Guantanamo guards get surprise test, and beat the shit out of one of their own

[Larry_Mudd]

@liirogue

But people in this thread are twisting the quote to make it seem as if Baker feels that it is okay to beat a prisoner but not a soldier. No where in that article does he even hint at that.

You have to really work to avoid making the inference.

The man is describing an incident in which passive resistance resulted in a severe, debilitating beating. Anyone will agree that it’s something that simply should not happen. Still, he qualified his statement so that it only applied to American soldiers.

That’s how qualifiers work. The phrase “You shouldn’t eat meat on Fridays,” is different from an unqualified statement that “You shouldn’t eat meat,” in that it contains the unspoken information that Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are all fine days for burgers.

Since the context of the incident involved him masquerading as a prisoner who was hiding under a bed and refusing to come out, and given the narrow limits of his condemnation of the act, it seems reasonable to infer that he shared the view that the other 80% of the people in the cell held – that people who are wearing those orange jumpsuits are fair game for severe beatings when the goal is to move them from one place to another.

This view appears to be held by the brass, as well:

Lt. Col. Jim Marshall, a spokesman for the U.S. Southern Command, said that an internal investigation in February 2003 concluded that no one was liable for Baker’s injuries and there was no need for a criminal inquiry. Another spokeswoman, Maj. Laurie Arellano, said the investigation concluded that Baker’s injuries were a “foreseeable consequence” of the drill.

Marshall said procedures had been reviewed to prevent future injuries. “While it is unfortunate that Spc. Baker was injured, the standards of professionalism we expect of our soldiers mandate that our training be as realistic as possible,” he said.

[Ike_Witt]

Simpson said he was contacted last week by Criminal Investigation Division investigators from Ft. Knox, Ky., who said they were told to interview Baker and investigate the incident because of recent media coverage.

God forbid that the army should investigate something before it blows up in their face and the media has a field day with it.

That the MPs didn’t know it was a drill is wrong. That the MPs used that kind of force is wrong. That it seems that the army is in CYA mode is wrong.