Nailing Rumsfeld on Abu Ghraib. Absolutely nailing him.

We have a new writer on the truthout staff named Steve Weissman. He is a veteran of the Berkeley Free Speech movement, and his work to date for truthout has been extraordinary. His essay coming out tonight, however, takes things to a whole new level. A snip:

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"No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever." - Article 17, Third Geneva Convention

The TV screen showed the faces of American Prisoners of War from Pvt. Jessica Lynch's unit, the 507th Maintenance Company, out of Fort Bliss, Texas. Iraqi fedayeen had captured them on March 23 of last year as U.S. troops raced toward Baghdad, and the Iraqis proudly showed their captives to the world. The face I remember most was Spc. Shoshana Johnson, a 30-year-old black woman who served as an Army cook. She looked terrified.

Earlier the same day, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was appearing on NBC's Meet the Press, when host Tim Russert told him that the Iraqis had announced the capture and would soon show their American POWs. Secretary Rumsfeld responded without missing a beat. "You know," he said, "under the Geneva Convention, it's illegal to do things with prisoners of war that are humiliating to those individuals."

Sec. Rumsfeld knew what he was saying. The Geneva Conventions require that POWs, other detainees, and civilians "be treated humanely at all times." Various articles forbid humiliating, coercing, and torturing them. One provision - Article 17 of the Third Geneva Convention - would become especially relevant.

"No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever. Prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened, insulted, or exposed to unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind."

All that week, Pentagon officials continued to cite the Geneva Conventions, and Rumsfeld drove them home again with an explicit message to Iraqi government officials. "The coalition POWs that you are holding must be treated according to the Geneva Conventions," he warned. "And any Iraqi officials involved in their mistreatment, humiliation or execution will pay a severe price."

Rumsfeld and the military brass were talking nothing less than war crimes prosecutions. Now they've changed their tune. With ever more horrific American prison photos filling the world's newspapers, magazines, and TV screens, the Pentagon portrays our far greater humiliation, coercion, and even torture of Iraqi prisoners as only a terrible excess, the isolated work of a few rotten apples.

The hypocrisy is galling, and the rest of us - soldiers and civilians alike - will pay for it should we fall into enemy hands. The Geneva Conventions do not enforce themselves. Americans can expect humane treatment only if our enemies can expect it from us.

But can they?

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Woop. There it is. With this Berg stuff happening, that last bolded sentence above is prophetic. This story is not yet a linked article, but will be after 8pm ET. Keep an eye out for it, and do yourselves a favor: Whenever you see Steve Weissman's name, read the article. This guy does great work.

where should I send it to you?

william.pitt@truthout.org

Yeeeeeeehhhaaaahhh! Is this information HOT!!!

but this author seems to imply that our "enemies" mistreatment of our soldiers and civilians (the beheading, the faluja incident, ect) is somehow caused by our failure to abide by the geneva conventions. That is BS in my opinion. Other than that I like the article.

It seems that what we are doing to others is simply being done to us. Lets face it we deserve it.

Great article. :thumbsup:

Yes of course - Weissman.

This Universal Declaration of Human Rights

as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article I

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

(skipping)

Article 5

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

and so on, and so on.... http://www.udhr.org/UDHR/default.htm

viz., the beheading, claimed to be by an Al Qaida group. But many other US personnel, including Jessica Lynch, have not fared so badly in Iraqi hands. We know what's happened to Iraqis in US hands: in a widespread way, over considerable time. I suspect one would be better off as an American in Iraqi hands than as an Iraqi in American hands. There is no evidence, to date, that most Americans held by Iraqis are being or will be mistreated. Don't assume that Iraqis will stoop as low as the Bushistas have -- they may, but they may not.

And good find, Will! Excellent. We NEED more good writers putting the Good Guys' views on paper.

I subscribe to Truthout through the Dem-CA groups. I look forward to more!

Why doesn't the UN step in. I just don't trust criminals to investigate themselves.

Contains some good stuff I can include in a Letter to the Editor, with permission of course.

Or is it also limited as HawkerHurricane found the DU was when he was still in? My, who'd think the US military would censor/limit time on liberal sites but not on RW sites. Any of you military DUers have any experience with the situation?

We need to make sure the uniforms get the story too.

I only found ONE location in the military that limited my access to DU... The Internet Cafe at 32nd Street Naval Station, San Diego.

My ship never restricted my access. Nor did the Internet Cafes in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and Port Hueneme.

And yet at the Hearings today the Military Intellegence folks trotted out their list of "approved" techniques, including what sounded to me like sleep deprivation for three days and putting people in - I think their word was "stressful" positions (I can imagine what that might mean) for up to 45 minutes...a length of time that would certainly be "coercive" in many "stressful" positions I can think of....all supposedly in accord with Geneva Conventions according to "their" lawyers. Was this also the list that had "dogs" on it? I remember it as being read as just that one word -dogs- with no further explication.

We have been able to read accounts all over the internet of horrific treatment of Iraqis by regular forces since the onset of this invasion. And yet somehow it is a surprise to members of the committee that abuses occured in Intellegence operations? I guess the words Chile, Nicaragua, Salvador, Iran...etc. etc. etc. dont' ring the same bells for our Oversight Senate Committee as they do for some of the rest of us.

will we pre-emptively invade the Netherlands?

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