So much for our troops representing the best that America has to offer. What the fuck are these people thinking? Do they think its funny to release pictures of the humiliated former president? Sure he was a tyrant (when he had pants), but the US is is obligated to follow international law in the treatment of prisoners of war (duh!). This will, of course, go over wonderfully with the people of Iraq, and will help to demonstrate to them that we are arrogant pricks who care nothing for them and will do as we please.
I hope the bastards who took these pictures get serious prison time. The release of these pictures will result (IMHO) in a noticable increase in violence in Iraq and possibly Afghanistan and in a corresponding rise in US casualties. The blood of those soldiers will be on the hands of the morons who behaved like occupying a sovreign nation is on the same level as a frat party.
While I agree that the photos should not have been published, I think that some sort of image record needs to be kept–if only to defend against accusations of abuse etc.
the following makes me laugh bitterly…
Um, the guy is doing his laundry. He looks whole and healthy.
Disrespectful? Inflammatory? oh, yes. Shouldn’t be published? Yep.
But for the military to state the above after Abu Graib and Gitmo…I’m not convinced by their claims that they take their responsiblity of prisoner safety and security seriously.
This prisoner? You bet. But the others? Yeah, right. :rolleyes:
I also am wondering if this isn’t another opportunity grabbed by the Right to bash the press and media. Another way to say-see? we need “oversight”(censorship) of the press and all it’s nefarious ways…
Why did you address your hatred for “American Soldiers” in your title when your post only discussed a select few (or one) that released this photo? Why not pit them specifically?
“I Pit the specific Americans who took and/or distributed this photo” is an awkward phrase. Besides, its not like this is the first time this type of this has happened. Or even the second. I think this type of behavior among our troops is far more widespread than anyone wants to believe. So I’m also pitting the other morons who have humiliated prisoners (I include “combatants” in this category).
All in all, the American military had (what?) five or more years to prepare for this war. We knew the rematch was going to happen. Despite this we entered the fight with a shortage of armor, or Arabic-speakers, and (as this and other cases shows) an understanding of Arabic culture.
War is not a game. Our military did not prepare for this fight as they should have. The release of these photos will make our job even harder. Someone should hang.
Of course with touchy-feely feel-good people in charge nobody will be blamed.
:rolleyes: It’s a picture that probably shouldn’t have been taken, much less released, but what of the media? After the newsweek debacle, you’d think that some outlets would be a little more responsible about what they print.
About the picture itself; I’m not sure what precisely about the Geneva Convention prevents the picture from being taken or released. It’s not as if he as a reputation to protect, so it’s hardly libel or defamation, and the rape and pillage of an entire country and it’s people is a touch more, shall we say, damaging, to the reputation, than showing up in a tabloid in your BVD’s.
Frankly, I don’t know if this is even pit-worthy, I mean this wasn’t a collective screw up like Abu Graib, in fact, I’m not even sure it WAS a screw up, but keep in mind that this shiftless meatbag is under 7x24 video surveillance, even on the crapper, so this kind of thing was bound to surface, because some, not all of the soldiers, are idiots about this kind of thing.
That photo is nothing compared to this story about a handful of soldiers who beat two Afghans to death in 2002. New York Times. (Reg may be required.) This story really should be read by everyone here. It is absolutely chilling.
The soldiers behind the torture of these men can only be called psychopaths. It is a horrifying story, and much more pitworthy than a few pictures of Saddam.
Whoops, beaten too the punch. I took too much time formatting my post.
Article 13 of the Geneva Convention says that prisoners “must at all times be protected… against insults and public curiosity.” Leaking photos of Saddam in his underwear seems to be precisely an act of making him a “public curiousity.”
This is the British tabloids here. The word “responsible” does not belong in any sentence associated with them, except perhaps something like this: “The Sun was responsible for this execrable piece of reporting.”
Well, if you want to know how the Geneva Convention applies, might i suggest you go back to all the threads, and all the media coverage from earlier in the war, when US officials were up in arms over pictures and video of US Soldiers taken captive by Iraqis. Rumsfeld and Co. were adamant that this sort of humiliation of captives violated the convention, and i remember reading the language of the Treaty at the time and thinking that they were correct.
Of course, as soon as Saddam Hussein was captured, the US military released footage of him being poked and prodded in the mouth, and all thought of the Geneva Convention was forgotten.
That article makes me want to cry, or break something.
What about all the other images of SH and other prisoners that the US have released voluntarily? They don’t seem to have a problem breaking the GC when they’ve got propaganda to push down the necks of voters.
oh and
The Sun published this story. The Sun couldn’t give a fuck about responsibility. They want to sell Newspapers. Tomorrow they’ll have a picture of a Royal with their tits out, a politician’s girlfriend doing a kiss and tell or some celeb moaning about something or other. The British tabloids are the most hungry aggressive bottom feeding journalists in the world.
That being said I would imagine nearly any news agency or paper in the world would publish these pictures in a heartbeat.