Guantanamo: "Gulag of our times"

[Partial]

You must be a conservative....fuck.

Thats so stupid man. The key is moderation. I consider myself moderate. I believe all human beings were created equal regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. While that is a modern view, I also feel that government spending is out of control and all that money should be used to pay companies wanting to turn profit rather than have people pave my road for 6 months and pick their noses' instead of working. That's a conservative view. I think John Kerry is a moron for wanting to raise the minimum wage to 7 dollars. This is another conservative view. The key is moderation.

Are you in finance/accounting? I almost guarantee that later on in life you develop a conservative approach to economics and tax cuts, etc.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Who cares about the bastards at Gitmo. It's not like they were picked up off some street in America. These are enemy combatants. Let 'em rot. Too bad they didn't catch Zarqawi alive. A nice vacation at Gitmo would have been sweet.

Actually, according to reports most of them are "sold" to the US by Middle Eastern bounty hunters. When money comes into play, the playing gets greedy. In other words, any bounty hunter can simply accuse someone of having a link to Bin Laden and profit from it. The fact that of 500 or so detainees, only 10-12 have be charged with crimes shows that "Gitmo" search process is fallacious. Some detainees were imprisoned for years without charge. Many, likely innocent men, were tortured.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

You must be a conservative....fuck.

Thats so stupid man. The key is moderation. I consider myself moderate. I believe all human beings were created equal regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. While that is a modern view, I also feel that government spending is out of control and all that money should be used to pay companies wanting to turn profit rather than have people pave my road for 6 months and pick their noses' instead of working. That's a conservative view. I think John Kerry is a moron for wanting to raise the minimum wage to 7 dollars. This is another conservative view. The key is moderation.

Are you in finance/accounting? I almost guarantee that later on in life you develop a conservative approach to economics and tax cuts, etc.

I have taken the Politikal 101 class for general degree requirements. There are, in the US, the extreme liberals, which i belong too, the liberals, the moderate liberals, the independents (libertians), the extreme conservatives, the conservatives and the moderate conservatives.

For example, I am an extreme liberal whereas Rankis is a moderate liberal and St. Lou is a liberal.

You should take Politikal 101.

[Bossman641]

Thank you for that mind-blowing political lesson Tank.

[retailguy]

You must be a conservative....fuck.

Are you in finance/accounting? I almost guarantee that later on in life you develop a conservative approach to economics and tax cuts, etc.

[/quote]


So.... This is what has happened to me.. I guess I'm an Extreme Conservative....f____.

Tank, er Ty, does that make you an extreme liberal.....prick?

[Anti-Polar Bear]

Tank, er Ty, does that make you an extreme liberal.....prick?

Well, thats up for you to say.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE


AI Index: AMR 51/091/2006 (Public)
News Service No: 149
12 June 2006


USA: Independent investigation must be held into deaths of three Guantánamo detainees
Amnesty International today called for a fully independent investigation led by civilians into the deaths of three Guantanamo detainees after apparent suicides.

The organisation also called on the US government to give the group of five UN experts immediate and unrestricted access to the Guantánamo detention centre, and in particular allow the experts to talk privately with detainees.

The detainees who died have been identified as Saudi nationals Mane'i bin Shaman bin Turki al-Habardi al-'Otaybi and Yassar Talal 'Abdullah Yahia al-Zahrani, who was reportedly 17 when he was taken into custody, and Yemeni national 'Ali 'Abdullah Ahmed.

“This has been tragedy waiting to happen. A full independent investigation is a matter of absolute urgency particularly in the light of statements from high-ranking members of the US military and government, which risk undermining the investigation launched by the Naval Criminal Investigation Service,” said Rob Freer, Amnesty International’s researcher on the US.

The dismissal of the deaths of the three detainees by the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Colleen Graffy as “a good PR move to draw attention” shows a chilling disregard for human life.

Amnesty International is also deeply concerned by the statement from the Commander of Joint Task Force Guantánamo, Navy Rear Admiral Harry B. Harris that the three detainees had not killed themselves out of desperation, but as “an act of asymmetric warfare”.

“The Commander’s statement is entirely inappropriate, and is part of a pattern of official commentary on the presumed guilt of detainees who have never had an opportunity to challenge their detentions in a court of law,” said Rob Freer.

Furthermore, the military authorities have shown themselves to be oblivious to the psychological suffering of the detainees. Earlier, military psychiatrists reportedly reclassified suicide attempts as “manipulative self-injurious behaviour”, resulting in a decrease in the rate of suicide attempts officially recorded.

Detainees, including released detainees interviewed by Amnesty International, have spoken of the psychological impact of the isolation and indefinite nature of the Guantánamo regime -- conditions that Amnesty International has defined as amounting to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment prohibited under international law.

“Amnesty International has long been concerned that some Guantánamo prisoners are so psychologically damaged by being held for years on end without charge or trial that they are becoming suicidal,” said Rob Freer.

“President George W. Bush has it within his power to order an end to this human rights scandal now and to ensure that detainees are either brought to fair trial or released with full safeguards as a matter of urgency”.

International pressure for the closure of the detention centre has been mounting.

Three years ago, the International Committee of the Red Cross – the only outside organization with access to the detainees – took the unusual step of making public its concern that the indefinite detention regime at Guantánamo was having severe psychological repercussions on the detainees.

Last month the United Nations Committee Against Torture joined the growing calls for closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention facility, concluding that this indefinite detention without charge is itself a violation of the Convention against Torture.

Amnesty International reiterates its call for closure of Guantánamo Bay, which must be carried out without transferring the lawlessness elsewhere. There must be full disclosure of all other US “war on terror” detentions, which should be brought into full compliance with international law. Those detainees who are to be released but cannot be returned to their countries because they risk of grave human rights abuses must be offered protection by the USA. Other countries, if necessary, should assist.

The organization also reiterates its call for a full independent commission of inquiry into all aspects of the USA’s detention and interrogation policies and practices in the “war on terror”, including renditions and secret detentions.

In another development apparently related to the deaths, on 10 June, John D. Altenburg, the Appointing Authority for Military Commissions, issued an order staying all proceedings by military commission. Pre-trial hearings had been scheduled to occur this and next week.

Amnesty International opposes the trials by military commission, which fall far short of international standards for fair trial. The organization continues to call on President Bush to rescind the Military Order of 13 November 2001 establishing the commissions. He should not wait for the US Supreme Court to rule on the issue.

[Fosco33]

Who cares about the bastards at Gitmo. It's not like they were picked up off some street in America. These are enemy combatants. Let 'em rot. Too bad they didn't catch Zarqawi alive. A nice vacation at Gitmo would have been sweet.

He wouldn't have made it to Cuba. Likely, he'd be held in secret locations in Amman or eastern deserted parts of Jordan like Chemical Ali and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed - aka 9/11 Mastermind. I'd love to see people cry out that these deuce bags should be treated as good as their friends in Cuba.

I'd recommend everyone think about the USS Cole, Afrian embassy attacks, Spain train bombing, London subway bombings, Phillipine night club bombings, NYC, DC, etc, etc, etc....

Do you honestly think that if Osama captured Rummy that he'd even make it out with his head attached to his body??? This is not a reason to promote torture but more to realize we're not fighting a conventional war.

[RashanGary]

I saw something on Foxnews and they made this place out to be some country club. They talked about how everyone was gaining weight and just shooting the shit....Apparently it's not all fun and games liek Bill O'reily reported huh?....

[Anti-Polar Bear]

I saw something on Foxnews and they made this place out to be some country club. They talked about how everyone was gaining weight and just shooting the shit....Apparently it's not all fun and games liek Bill O'reily reported huh?....

Fox news is as fucking conservative as a conservative fuck. I rarely watched Fox news anymore.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Actually, according to reports most of them are "sold" to the US by Middle Eastern bounty hunters. When money comes into play, the playing gets greedy. In other words, any bounty hunter can simply accuse someone of having a link to Bin Laden and profit from it. The fact that of 500 or so detainees, only 10-12 have be charged with crimes shows that "Gitmo" search process is fallacious. Some detainees were imprisoned for years without charge. Many, likely innocent men, were tortured.

I stopped reading at Actually. Again, I couldn't care less about the terrorists at Gitmo. They'll have their military tribunal. Let 'em rot.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

I'd recommend everyone think about the USS Cole, Afrian embassy attacks, Spain train bombing, London subway bombings, Phillipine night club bombings, NYC, DC, etc, etc, etc....

Those are all sad events and I hope from the bottom of my heart every single idiot responsible for those events are brought to justice.

But you just can't ignore the thousands of innocent Iraqis who perished as a result of a few evil doers. You cannot ignore the fact that hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent humans are being tortured.

Bush can fight the war on terror all he wants, and I support that, but to do so at the expense of thousands of civilians is truly wrong, imo.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

I stopped reading at Actually. Again, I couldn't care less about the terrorists at Gitmo. They'll have their military tribunal. Let 'em rot.

Think about it in another way then. You are an innocent family man. Some thug kidnaps you and simply said you belongs to that group, and then sold you to a foreign army. You are taken to nonrestrictive prison where due process of law is meaningless, and there you are miserably tortured.

Yeah, I guess i shouldn't care about you too.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

"Thus, across the world, the USA has progressively woven a clandestine 'spider's web' of disappearances, secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers, often emcompassing countries notorious for their use of torture. Hundreds of persons have become entrapped in this web."

Council of Europe Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, 7 June 2006.

[Fosco33]

"Thus, across the world, the USA has progressively woven a clandestine 'spider's web' of disappearances, secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers, often emcompassing countries notorious for their use of torture. Hundreds of persons have become entrapped in this web."

Council of Europe Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, 7 June 2006.

Sounds like we're taking advice from The Art of War - I wonder what this read up on al-Qaeda would look like considering the secret cells and other tactics. What else are we supposed to do - just ignore them and take the high, 'moral' road?