FREEDOM OF THE PRESS - AMERICAN STYLE

by george orwell Sun Mar 23, 2003 20:41

"Article 13 of the Third Geneva Convention says clearly that prisoners of war must at all times be protected... against insult and public curiosity," ICRC spokeswoman Nada Doumani told Reuters news agency."

To have "prisoners of war", you have to have a war ....

Now correct me if I'm wrong but listening to all the various tones of Bushspeak, Rumsfeldspeak and Blairspeak over the last week or so, I've never heard anyone say that they were at war with Iraq ....

These venomous hypocrites and whitened sepulchres have all insisted that it's just a perfectly normal military mission to secure a "regime change", nothing as vulgar a "war" .....

NOW LET THE SICK BASTARDS CHOKE ON THEIR OWN DOUBLESPEAK .... and pity the poor f**kers who died believing them .......

by iosaf (oracle duty jedi) Sun Mar 23, 2003 21:20

The TV companies have shown a certain sophistication perviously not seen in Iraq.
The coalition of newsagencies and arab TV journalists has meant that those pictures that by now many have seen in the West will rattle around the head.
One would think normally that a line up of a jewish soldier from Kansas, a afroamerican woman soldier from Texas, a specialist who qoutes his ID number also from Texas, that these prisoners were perfectly representative of the US War machine as it is percieved in US TV land.
Al Jazeera have shown Iraqi TV how to psy-op.

Three of the prisoners selected for the interviews reiterated that they were only followng orders.
One said he had been ordered only to return fire.
"I don't want to kill anyone".

He is a young man probably of below average educational attainment and from a economically disadvantaged background.
A state has clothed him, fed him and moved him accross the world to fight Bush's war on Iraq.

Rumsfeld now has the t-shirts that shall follow on his conscience as well.

by David Rynne Sun Mar 23, 2003 21:27

when i heard and Saw Mr Bush condemning Saddam for breaking the Geneva convention, Of all the racist pots.. Maybe he conveniently accidentally forgot about the concentration camps in Cuba where interned afghani prisoners are still being held, where torture techniques such as sensory deprivation have been carried out.
Oh, but, wait, they're not prisoners of war because they're not part of any national army, which explains why they're being held in a military compound.. because that's where any normal imperialist state would hide it's dirty laundry?

by george orwell Sun Mar 23, 2003 21:44

A guide to the mysterious language of Bushspeak (or Rummyspeak if you prefer) ...

International Law = a hinderance to America's self-interest which must be pushed aside (unless it can be used a stick to beat our opponents ......)

by T Dillon Sun Mar 23, 2003 21:46

Now that the Iraqis play the Saddam/CNN style media game with captured "Coalition Expeditionary Forces" (with "infomercials" at home I presume), we suddenly hear about the "dignity of POW's" from the Washington regime. Ah ha.. Guantanamo Bay maybe rings a bell for the cabal in Washington? These "detainees" at his majesty's disposal in Cuba have set the precedent in this "war against terror" if you'll pardon the paradox. Can the Americans now expect that their soldiers taken prisoner invading Iraqi soil should have any rights other than those delivered under the barrel of a gun and paraded before the cameras exactly like the Taliban some months back?

Dostun's Containers full of Taliban "terrorists" riddled to death with American weapons under the eyes of American overseers and then dumped in the desert. Humanitarian aid dropped as food packets in Afghanistan coincidentally the same size and colour as Rumsfeld's unexploded "cluster bomblets". Sudenly America speaks of ethics. Does Bush know what the word means? American history in its alcapone foreign policy shows a distinct false understanding of this most basic of human values.

Bush spat at Kyoto, laughed out loud at the idea of an International Court Of Justice, ripped the UN apart and insulted and threatened anyone still naive enough to believe and hope for international consensus. He has bribed more nations than Hitler invaded in this so called "coalition" and yet the Bush putsch junta tries to brainwash us with their concept of "ethics". Machiavelli is cool and as Michael Douglas said in "Wall Street" GREED IS GOOD!.

Darkness has descended upon America, its heart has grown bitter and cold. What a tragedy for all of us that the most likely outcome will be that Bush has simply replaced Hussein and America has mutated into Iraq.

T Dillon

by The Grand Inquisitor Sun Mar 23, 2003 21:49

>> "Three of the prisoners selected for the interviews reiterated that they were only following orders."

I seem to recall that that didn't stand up in court at Nuremberg .....

>> One said he had been ordered only to return fire. "I don't want to kill anyone".

So why is he dressed up in a military uniform participating in an invasion of a distant country in breach of international law ?

Just for fun ?

by the observer Sun Mar 23, 2003 22:10

This is how the US observes the Geneva Convention when dealing with its own "prisoners of war":

"America admits suspects died in interrogations
American military officials acknowledged yesterday that two prisoners captured in Afghanistan in December had been killed while under interrogation at Bagram air base -- reviving concerns that the U.S. is resorting to torture in its treatment of Taliban fighters and suspected al-Qaeda operatives.

A spokesman for the base confirmed that the official cause of death of the two men was "homicide," contradicting earlier accounts that one had died of a heart attack and the other from a pulmonary embolism.

The men's death certificates, made public earlier this week, showed that one captive, known only as Dilawar, 22, from the Khost region, died from "blunt force injuries to lower extremities complicating coronary artery disease" while another captive, Mullah Habibullah, 30, suffered from a blood clot in the lung that was exacerbated by a "blunt force injury."

U.S. officials previously admitted using "stress and duress" on prisoners including sleep deprivation, denial of medication for battle injuries, forcing them to stand or kneel for hours on end with hoods on, subjecting them to loud noises and sudden flashes of light and engaging in culturally humiliating practices such as having them kicked by female officers.

While the U.S. claims this still constitutes "humane" treatment, human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have denounced it as torture as defined by international treaty. The U.S. has also come under heavy criticism for its reported policy of handing suspects over to countries such as Jordan, Egypt or Morocco, where torture techniques are an established part of the security apparatus. Legally, Human Rights Watch says, there is no distinction between using torture directly and subcontracting it."

March 7/The Independent/Britain

by double standard - c/o reuters Sun Mar 23, 2003 22:21

In the United States, President George Bush said the Iraqi footage of U.S. troops was an "interesting contrast" with U.S. pictures showing Iraqi troops surrendering "gleefully, happily."

Iraqi television pictures of killed and captured U.S. troops were "disgusting," U.S. Army General John Abizaid told a news conference at Central Command headquarters, "but they would not weaken American resolve."

He attacked Arab satellite news channel Al Jazeera for having broadcast the pictures which were shot by Iraq television and urged other networks not to display them.

"I would say the pictures were disgusting. I don't think that these pictures will damage either the psychology of our soldiers, the morale of our soldiers or the steadfastness of our government or the resolve of our people. We're a pretty tough people."

Abizaid added when questioned by a reporter from Al Jazeera that "I'm very disappointed that you would portray those pictures of our servicemen."

"I saw that and I would ask others not to do that. I regard the showing of those pictures as absolutely unacceptable," the three-star lieutenant general told the briefing at Central Command headquarters in Qatar.

A British military spokesman also condemned the TV pictures. The CNN network said it had taken an editorial decision not to show the images.

by Sean Moylan Sun Mar 23, 2003 22:23

Guantanamo. Guantanamo. Guantanamo.

by Nothing Sun Mar 23, 2003 22:53

It's funny that the US is condemning all this happening when just on Friday it released photos of Iraqi prisoners of war, like the one of an American soldier giving water to an iraqi soldier when another one holds a gun to his head. I haven't heard anyone mention the irony of that.

But it is interesting to note that on this thread, although people have rightly condemned the hyprocricy of the US, not one person was condemned the Iraqis for actually breaking the Geneva Convention. Shouldn't people be more even handed?

by The Grand Inquisitor Sun Mar 23, 2003 23:40

Let us try to restore some sense of balance as requested and admit that parading captured soldiers on TV is a breach of the Geneva Convention ... therefore Saddam Hussein richly deserves a slap on the wrist ... these poor GI's must be traumatised beyond repair at the thought that the whole non-American world has seen them naked - and it was not a pretty sight .......

Now get real: the US has invaded Iraq unilaterally without any international approval in order to effect a "regime change"....

Have they even declared a "war" ?
Rmember that under the US constitution declaration of WAR is a prerogative of CONGRESS not of the President ...
So has the US even had the good grace to declare a war in accordance with its own constitution ?
Personally I'm not convinced - but open to correction on that point.

Saddam and his henchmen may well have violated the letter of the Geneva Convention or even its spirit, but the sad fact of the matter is that by starting this "war" the oligarchs of the US and UK have destroyed the whole post WW II framework of internation law.

This war - if you can call it a war - is an incredibly dirty piece of business ON BOTH SIDES -and mark my words it will get even dirtier ...

Expecting the Iraqis to adhere to niceties and not to milk the event for its full propaganda value is quite frankly a little naive ......

The US (and its UK codpiece) wanted this war - now it has got it - and as far as I am concerned its oligarchs can choke on their own weasel words .....

I don't claim to be unbiased, I just gave you my opinion ............

by The Grand Inquisitor Sun Mar 23, 2003 23:48

While it may not be very nice to parade prisoners of war in front of the TV cameras is it really so inhumane in comparison to how the US treats its POWS (cf. references above to Guantanamo).

What I am trying to say is I can accept that Iraq may have breached the Geneva Convention .... but when such accusations come from that devious shitbag Rumsfeld .... well to put it mildly they lack credibility .....

Face facts, the ruling cabal of the US doesn't give the proverbial flying f**k about the Geneva Convention .... it's just livid about the fact that their little "regime change" adventure may not be the pushover they had hoped for .....

by Ailin Mon Mar 24, 2003 01:45

``The difference here is that these are Americans,'' NBC News spokeswoman Allison Gollust said.

by madeline albright Mon Mar 24, 2003 10:51

AMERICA IS THE INDISPENSIBLE NATION .....