Interrogators hid identities

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-05-27-cover-abuse_x.htm

Efforts to determine who orchestrated the abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison may be complicated by the ways in which many military intelligence officials, covert U.S. agents and civilian contractors obscured their identities.

Intelligence officers, agents and interrogators at the prison did not wear name tags or display insignia indicating rank, according to testimony at an April 7 hearing for Sgt. Javal Davis, one of seven military police officers accused of abuse. Dressed in desert camouflage uniforms or casual clothes, military and civilian intelligence operatives blended in with other soldiers, and some of them responded coyly when MPs asked their names, says Paul Bergrin, a Newark, N.J., lawyer who represents Davis.

In an interview, Bergrin quoted Davis, 26, as saying that when he asked some of the mysterious agents and interrogators for their names, they would say, " 'I'm Special Agent John Doe,' or 'I'm Special Agent in Charge James Bond.' " (Related graphic: Abuse photos, more on Abu Ghraib)

<snip>

In an April 15 report recommending that Davis face a court-martial, military investigating officer Maj. John Coughlin said that several civilian contract workers' "present whereabouts (are) unknown." He also said that "James Bond" appeared on a prison log and is an "agent not known, and believed to be a fictitious name."

...more....

It seems that as long as they can hide the mystery people, the cases get stuck at the lower level - let's hope there's some way to find out who these people are.

if these peoples identities cannot be determined, that is all the more irresponsible the commanders were for allowing an operation with no accountability.

I always need that :)

It's stereotypical outlaw behavior and indicates both intent and consciousness of wrong-doing. There's not much doubt that the chian-of-command sanctioned human rights violations. How else could one adequately explain such widespread behavior? When the cop hides his badge he knows he's going outside the law. When many do, it's in the command structure.

Did the MP's report the situation to their CO's? What is the procedure for this type of activity?

If anyone knows this, it's MP's. Thus, to act contrary to Army regulations would require something equivalent to "special orders of the day." Yes, I cannot conceive of military personnel generally not wearing proper uniforms unless the command structure gave such orders. This is something that's ubiquitously enforced by all officers, both commissioned and non-commissioned, whether in a combat area or not.

Before you think something about being in a combat zone creates an exception, let me tell you about a guy in my unit in Viet Nam who was court-martialed for not wearing his OD cap outdoors, getting time in LBJ (Long Binh Jail) for it. He'd just gotten his hair cut. The Vietnamese barbers used some stinky crap on our hair. We were usually unsuccessful in keeping him from doing so. (I think it was so the VC could smell us.) So, as he was walking back to his duty unit, he carried his cap in order to let the air evaporate the tonic. An asshole Lt. Col. yelled at him to put his cap on since he was "out of uniform." He did. the Lt.Col. went inside. He took it off. The Lt. Col came back outside and nailed him. He got a Special. (The Lt. Col. was reportedly fragged subsequently.).

It's all in AR 670-1. Wearing uniforms properly and being properly groomed are regarded as fundamental, vital, and essential elements of military discipline. There's probably nothing more obsessive in military service - it's a daily focus during one's entire career.

Trivial? Not really. Remember, even the Geneva Conventions have lesser protections for people not wearing uniforms.

I worked in high security areas and carried a special clear pouch to put my military ID in. It was also color coded and clipped to our uniform. No color coded pouch, no ID, no entry, no excuses. The color codes denoted your level of security clearance, level of access to secure areas and the need to move about the base freely in times of crisis or alert. Nope, these guys had "special permission" to do this from way above, garranteed!

There is a long HISTORY of this THUGGISH behavior in Amerika.

Shouldn't a commanding officer have to identify himself if asked. Otherwise, couldn't a soldier be hoodwinked into all sorts of potentially dangerous activities, by an enemy spy in a proper uniform with a commanding presence?

"Son, I will need the command codes to that missile."
"...and you are?"
"Don't question an order, soldier. Just give me the command codes."
"Yes, sir!"

...time passes...

Boom.

I know that is an artificial example, but you get the idea.

What's a "civilian intelligence operatives" anyway?

The military, in a prison and in a war zone, has a pretty damn good idea who is doing what there.

paid mega bucks via million dollar no contest bids by the Bush administration to not worry about the Geneva Conventions and set the uniformed military up for a fall.
They were fully aware of what was going on and who would be held responsible for what. There are no laws governing them. They don't fall under military juristiction, and definitely not Iraq law. As far as U.S. law, it's difficult to export. They basically have no laws over their heads.

I believe they are covered under U.S. and International law.

They are the ones who relaxed the Geneva conventions and they used our tax dollars to hire the contractors!
Al Gore was on target with his speech. "How dare they drag our good name through the mud of Sadaam Hussein's torture prisons!"

Slick, untracable, and no liability.

These guys are unbelievable! We have got to get that out somehow. The trouble is, that's a lot for many people to digest.
So many people have forgotten how a bill becomes a law, and haven't bothered to learn about the interworkings of government. People are really uninformed about how government departments and agencies operate independently.
I think it might be difficult to intertwine some basic education with the facts of this situation, but it is worth a shot. It will be a delicate process for us. I really think Joe Patriot should know he's been betrayed, though.

but working on a cookbook on the side for extra cash!

Smirky signed an executive order that placed all the oil contractors above any law. (exec. Order 13303? or something like that)

I don't know if this applied only to the oily contractors or to the spooky contractors too.

Well, civilian intelligence is like military intelligence, only a lot dumber.

*

:kick:

gin

all the way to the top...bush*.

So that they couldn't identify who tortured them.

Since putting bags on prisoners heads was standard practice there was no need for these agents to obscure their identity from the each other and/or the troops that they worked with. As a matter of fact, they created a very dangerous situation, by allowing people to work in the prison who weren't properly identified. That means it would be easy for someone to impersonate an agent and get into the prison and do something that would seriously compromise the security situation.

Zip. Nada. Zilch. Nichts. Null.

Power and authority unconstrained by law and with "plausible (for the willfully gullible) deniability."

The "unknowns" were left wingers who went there to sabotoge the right wing. Everybody knows that don't they?

and walk around doing whatever you want, maybe the lefties would have infiltrated and exposed this whole fiasco sooner.

they are responsible under US law. While all the high priced obfuscators are trying to worm out of the Geneva conventions, US law is clear on the subject of torture. When will you folks be applying the law of the land?

...we're not talking about fucking disneyworld here -- this is supposedly a max security prison with some alleged enemies of the state, and people can get in with names akin to "Mickey Mouse?" wtf?

I'm supposed to buy that?

they had to have been paid. how else do you think terrorists are tracked?

.... I mean, I dunno how we're tracking suspected terrorists, but it would appear to me that someone wacko enough to be willing to fly a jet into a building wouldn't be "together" enough to hold a job in this country.

Therefore, he'd (or she'd) have to be supported, presumably by wire transfers. Personally, I'd find it an acceptable loss of liberty (with all due respect to Franklin) if every incoming wire transfer coming from, say, Saudi Arabia in excess of a certain amount was followed through by the FBI or a similar Agency.

From the Family Bin Laden and the Family Bandar.

your mission is as follows: Do my bidding - and don't ask any questions. I'll deny any accountability until I look like an idiot.

Thank you.

This administration will self destruct in 5 months.

You can click on any of the companies listed for updates of these criminals.

Post-War Contractors Ranked by Total Contract Value in Iraq and Afghanistan
http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/resources.aspx?act=total

Campaign Contributions of Post-War Contractors
http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/resources.aspx?act=contrib

NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.