Another Gitmo Stooge Bites the Dust

I am going to miss Col. Moe he was like the gift that kept on giving... Moe was in charge of the military prosecutions for the Guantanamo kangaroo tribunals... he also saw himself as the military's spin master for Guantanamo .... But trouble started to brew in the inner circles when Moe took a little time off for medical reasons... and Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann (legal adviser to the administration overseeing the trials) realized he could be in-charge.

It seems that Hartman and Moe looked at things differently and Moe didn't think he should have to listen to Hartmann, even though Hartman outranks him (doesn't sound very military like does it?.... But you see the dispute was about something very important to Moe, the Guantanamo PR plan and Moe took his job as chief Gitmo propagandist seriously. It was an important job because the military has this little credibility problem with Guantanamo and they were working long and hard on a PR plan to convince people that the Guantanamo tribunals will be fair...but it is kind of hard to show that they will be fair because, well because nothing about Guantanamo is fair... or legal. No matter how you cut it, having a trial with secret evidence isn't fair... not to mention little things like being charged with "crimes" that weren't even against the law until years after you were originally picked up, or using evidence that was tortured out of you.... Or tortured out of someone you don't even know but used against you....and a host of other problems... it makes it kind of hard to prove your innocence when the deck is stacked so far against you that you don't even know what the government is claiming you did, not to mention what evidence they might have....

So how do you get people to believe the unbelievable? How to you get the public to think that holding people in horrific conditions, going on six years without charges, is somehow the old American way? Moe's PR idea was to start with the hearings for the "low value" detainees. Those men with insignificant charges against them (you might be asking yourself exactly why we having been holding people in the cruelest of conditions if they only face insignificant charges.... ???). Anyway Moe's line of thinking (?) was that most of the evidence could be disclosed in the "insignificant cases" and so it will look as though these are fair and open proceedings ...as long as people don't ask the obvious question "Is that all there is?"

Anyway, Hartmann wanted to start with the higher profile cases and maybe even allow for more plea deals (perhaps like the first Gitmo prisoner who was charged, Australian David Hicks? Hicks we were told was the worst of the worst of the worst...then they finally got around to charging him and setting up a tribunal, the only charge to stick was not even against the law until years after Hicks was picked up...so after five years in our Guantanamo hell.. branded by the military as the "worst of the worst," what happens? Hicks' attorney worked out a plea deal of 8 mos in jail which he is serving in Australia (with an American muzzle over his mouth until after the Australian elections)... so figure that one out!) Aside from the fact that the "high value" cases can also result in the question "why have we been holding and torturing them all these years" the other problem is that they rely on secret evidence and/or evidence obtained under torture. Some in the military fear that even the asleep at the wheel American public might not think these types of trials instill much in the way of confidence.

So how should the military deal with this PR nightmare? Col. Moe made what I thought was his first promising suggestion... he suggested that both he and Hartmann resign and let someone else figure it out. I thought that was a good start....two down, too many to go. If we could just get them all to resign then maybe we could deal with the issue of the men at Guantanamo the old fashion way... I mean the really old fashion way, as in 1215 AD... It's called Habeas Corpus Moe resigned on Friday, Hartmann remains....But anyway, at least Moe is gone and now I can get to know Hartmann...

http://gtmoblog.blogspot.com/

Comments

[backhandpath]

Thanks.
I just realized from reading your post that Gitmo is actually for us here in this country to see, otherwise it really would be secret.

At first I had thought the administration wanted the terrorists to see the tough and horrible conditions from Gitmo PR but now I realize that it is We The People who are the intended targets for this marketing.

It serves two purposes:
1) We get to see "Something" being done to punish the nefarious terrorists--legal or not.

2)Much more importantly, We The People receive our "Shock" conditioning.
We get our fix.
Our Buzz to accept mistakes, like torture, as not mistakes...yet, or the corruption of due process--much worse than the out-right denial.
We get to see the law destroyed in the name of Gitmo...at least they're trying? Mistakes will be made?

The point here is that if they wanted to haul anyone around the world anywhere to do what ever they wanted they could & would & have.

They never really needed Gitmo for this.
Gitmo is a propaganda machine, a tool of Shock Doctrine.
They need Gitmo for us.

[Marnie1]

Excellent points.

[alfrede]

Hi,

The "bottom line" is that Osama Bin Laden and his inner circle are still "at large" in the Pakistan/Afganistan border region.

It is unfortunate that after establishing Guantanamo because it would supposedly be outside of US Courts jurisdiction, the Administration has floundered in its "prosecution" of those being held there.

It is tough to make things up as you go and it now appears that the Administration will try to run out the clock and leave this "problem" to the next President. What else could explain the long delays in "prosecuting" those being held?

In the meantime, the US reputation as a nation of laws (rule of law, habeas corpus) is where? The US did pretty well prosecuting the Nazis after WW II. Perhaps the Republican candidates for President would like to comment on how the US and its allies dealt with the Nazis after WWII and how the Republican Party has dealt with those being held at Guantanamo.

I don't recall any of the Nazis tried at Nuremburg being tortured prior to their trials.

This Administration appears to be worn out and packing their bags with the countdown clock continuing to tick.

What do U think???

[iswearington]

what does it say about a nation...when it tolerates locking human beings in cages and torturing them on a daily basis under the most abysmal conditions.we might as well have given the nazis a free pass.when the jack-booted truncheon wielding black uniformed legions march up to your door...kick it in and beat you into a coma...while your wife and children stare in shock and horror...and then march you off to sit beside poor winston...in room 101...they ..these beaters...will be yourselves.

[Mark Bernadiner]

I am surprised how Americans and Europeans try to protect islamofascists who killed Americans and Europeans and turn their blind eyes and keep silence when westerners must be protected from muslims" deadly attacks around the world. Obviously, Americans and Europeans have primitive education in history as they compare Gitmo to Soviet GULAG. You, people, have no concept of patriotism, not a bit. I understand now why America has won no war after WWII. We have deal with global islamofascism, which ultimate goal is to create global Caliphate and put entire world under islam control. We must be united against islam in order to defeat it and save western civilization.

[Conservativeslayer]

So you think somehow that muslims will take over America and the world, forcing everyone to convert or die? Please do explain how that will happen. I'd love to hear it. In America, a country that is 90% Christian, muslims are a tiny percentage of the population. Yet you believe that small minority is going to over power the vast majority of Christians and impose Islam on all of us. IF you think that is actually going to happen, let me know. I got a bridge in Brooklyn I'll let you have real cheap.

[CountdownToImpeachment]

FASCIST PIG!

[CountdownToImpeachment]

Mark Bernadiner SUPPORTS THE 14 POINTS OF fascism.
2.) Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights: Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
One of the worst things you'll ever read about your government
We are now a torturing police state: Bush signing into law that will get rid of habeas corpus, allow hearsay evidence, and allow the President to determine what is allowable torture.
Bush Offers Himself Amnesty for Human Rights Crimes
Bush threatens to veto $442b defense bill if Congress investigates detainee abuses.
Guantanamo Judge: "I don"t care about international law. I don"t want to hear the words "international law" again. We are not concerned with international law."
Rumsfeld to approve new guidelines that will formalize the administration's policy of imprisoning without the protections of the Geneva Conventions and enable the Pentagon to legally hold "ghost detainees,"
US 'preparing to detain terror suspects for life without trial'
U.S. oks evidence gained through torture
July 1, 2003: U.S. Suspends Military Aid to Nearly 50 Countries: because they have supported the International Criminal Court and failed to exempt Americans from possible prosecution.
US has at least 9000 prisoners in secret detention

[CountdownToImpeachment]

3.) Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause: The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

Congressman: Muslims 'enemy amongst us'
SB 24, Ohio law to muzzle "liberals"
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum has joined a conservative Washington think tank, where he will found and direct a program called "America's Enemies."
Sean Hannity creates weekly "Enemy of the State" segment on his new program
Fox radio hosts suggests putting liberal commentators and activists in concentration camps.
World history textbook used by seventh-graders at Scottsdale"s Mohave Middle School was pulled from classrooms mid-semester amid growing right criticism of the book"s unbiased portrayal of Islam
Rallies planned against 'Islamofacism': Event to 'unify all Americans behind common goal'

[Deke]

To Mark Bernadiner, the only comment I've read so far under this blog that is turning a blind eye is you, I've only read 4 so far but needed to comment on your's because its such primitive thought and blindly out of touch with actual reality to think the way you sound like you think, that it trully scares me to the bone. The way you (I say "you" as I'm Canadian) and Canada is going about terrorism in a much more civil way, very similar to this linki I'm providing here http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071008/ts_nm/britain_iraq_afghanistan_dc;_ylt=AoyKB8Lv7Di3hEW3MyzSQ5qs0NUE . This story currently is on front page of Huff as well. I can't agree more with their findings, it seems so obvious that the way the biggest powers in the world ie. US/Britain etc are fighting this terrorism problem seems so naturally ass-backwards, it's stunning that there isn't enough people in the USA that realize and/or care enough about such an important topic that they can't overpower the repub's and create a new path / gameplan much like the Oxford study above suggests.It seems so obvious to me and to most Canadians that would be the way to go. Diplomacy is a powerful tool for peace and security.

[TheHandyman]

So you addle-brained morons parrot this BS without a single nano-second of thought and no truth and expect the rest of us to swallow your nonsense. I'm a Viet Nam Veteran. I spent 12 months from 1968 to 1969 flying into Laos and Cambodia when my President said we weren't doing any such thing. I have about 7 medals awarded to me by my government and you want to say I'm no Patriot because I also won't buy the crap this administration sold you? So are you writing from Iraq? Are you guarding convoys running to Baghdad like a couple of my friends are? Or are you just sitting around watching O'Liely and listening to Limpballs and that is your kind of Patriotism? Yeah, I thought as much! By the way, we actually won Grenada, and Panama if you want to call them wars. The GOP does but what the f..k do they know, they don't serve either!

[Kansas Evans]

My respect, Handy.

[anotherpatriot]

And let's not forget what they did to an AMERICAN CITIZEN--Joseph Padilla. They held him for three years without charge, trial, and tortured him to the point of severe brain damage. He was unable to assist in his own defense when he finally did go to trial. He was convicted on lesser charges because the government apparently didn't have evidence to support the charges of a dirty bomb that put him in Gitmo originally. A psychologist testified on behalf of the defense that Padilla had been so mentally damaged and traumatized from the torture and abject fear of his jailers that being sentenced to prison was a welcome relief. Now just how many of his constitutional rights were violated--if Buscho could do this to one American.....

[Kansas Evans]

I read this whole Gitmo story in a book about turn of the 20th century Russia. The novel was titled KOLYMA TALES, maybe? What I never understood was how the underlings and the public could by into such show trials. I still don't understand.

What happened in Russia and what happens today are junk; but, at least in Russia, there was an active resistance party.

[Kansas Evans]

I remember reading about Gitmo in college.

Only, it wasn't the US's Gitmo, it was some Russian prison at the turn of the 20th century. I, being the idealist I am, wondered how anyone could take the trials seriously. How the ones carrying out the interrogations could take it seriously. I had no problems with the thought that someone would order it, just that someone would carry it out.

I always knew US got