The Abu Ghraib Photos Surface -- Slowly but Surely

The Daily Telegraph, on a roll since bringing down the British Parliament, describes the Abu Ghraib photographs that we are not allowed to see. These are, according to the Telegraph, documentary evidence of specific instances of sexual degradation and torture.

There are two important points about the Telegraph's revelations. The first is that these photographs can't and won't be kept secret. The second is that the British press has become one of the most effective back doors to the American media.

Mike Allen, in Politico's Daybook, speculates that the sexual nature of these photographs is precisely why President Obama, after initially signing on to the release of the more than 2,000 images, reversed course and is now actively on the side of suppression. His excuse is that the pictures might endanger American troops--i.e., they are so terrible that they are likely to foment a retaliatory rage among our enemies. Or, put another way, this is the proof that we're guilty of what they say we're guilty of, so we better hide it.

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Comments

[JohnSawyer]

Release of the remaining photos (and videos, if they still exist) will emphasize, even more than the first batch released in 2004, that it was a lie that the torture in Abu Ghraib was the unfortunate act of a little renegade group composed of Charles Graner, Lynndie England, the guy who took the photos of them in Abu Ghraib torturing prisoners, and a few other people there. It all happened under orders that trickled down from Bush Jr., Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc., through the CIA and Pentagon officers, etc. Lynndie England has said she, Graner, etc. were told to "soften up" the prisoners for the interrogation teams. Those interrogation teams weren't innocent of torture themselves--the idea was largely to share the load, so the interrogators wouldn't have to do the whole job.

Apparently the Bush Jr. administration wasn't satisfied with the Allies' performance during WWII, when it was good enough for our victory to not include torturing prisoners.

[JohnHKennedy]

"this is the proof that we're guilty of what they say we're guilty of"

Enough said. Release the photos.

And Indict those in the Bush Administration that allowed, ordered or practiced Torture.

Torture is indeed a Federal Capital Crime.

SIGN THE PETITION To Prosecute Them For Torture

http://ANGRYVOTERS.ORG

Over 250,000 have signed
Join them and call yourself a Patriot
.

[Trace Smith]

I agree 100% that Bush and his crooked cronies need to be investigated and indicted on whatever evidence comes to light. It's not just going to be torture that they'll go down for....wha­t I don't agree with is releasing the photo's. Not when we have innocent Men and Women in the Middle East. We don't have enough troops there to protect the ones there now against the rage that will transpire over this...alt­hough we do know rage is already building..­has been building over all of their crimes in the Middle East! From Murder, to Torture, to stealing monies and jobs away from the very people that deserve to have them..omg.­. I could go on and on and on....it sickens me that it took Americans this long to finally stand up for what is right when they KNEW what Bush and friends were doing!!!

[JustSayMaybe]

Yes, they would confirm that we're guilty of what we're guilty of. But everyone already knows that. VISUALS of it? A completely different problem. They become images on recruitment flyers/pos­ters/pamph­lets, they inspire immediate revulsion and anger, and "hit home" significantly harder than abstract knowledge. This is something universally human, this (sometimes out of proportion) response to visual stimuli. Think about criminal trials; I don't have the statistics handy, but trials involving video (and to a lesser degree photo) evidence are dramatically more likely to result in a guilty verdict than those that do not have visual evidence. If I tell you that, as an undercover cop, the defendant offered to pay me to kill his wife, it won't inspire the same deep disgust as video footage captured on a hidden camera of that same conversation.

[DrDemon]

-- > RELEASE !

---- > RELAX !

------ > RELATE!

-------- > REFLECT!

Then Get Over It !

[TekVahana]

This was reported on in 2004!. Five years later Merkins are finding out about looking in to it?

The rest of the world has known since then!

US general linked to Abu Ghraib abuse
Leaked memo reveals control of prison passed to military intelligence to 'manipulate detainees'
Julian Borger in Washington
The Guardian, Saturday 22 May 2004 02.00 BST
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/may/22/iraq.usa1

Reposted from:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/27/abu-ghraib-abuse-photos-i_n_208430.html?show_comment_id=24898709#comment_24898709

For the literate among Ya'll here's a link to a blog post that links to that and an archived copy from the Telegraph.co.uk filed: 09/05/2004 that has a very long URL that breaks if posted, but works in the blog's article.

[MarsAmbassador]

The threat this presents to our troops is not in the pictures, but in the fact it happened in the first place. I really wish people would understand that point. The pictures is a straw man debate that draws attention away from what we really did. Now it's not about if torture is right or not, but instead becomes 'is releasing photos right or not?'. The Constitution, state law, Geneva Conventions and Nuremberg Principles are pretty clear on what constitutes torture and a violation of international law. Just like we were pretty clear on condemning waterboarding as torture, and handing out DEATH SENTENCES over it, when it was done to us by the Japanese in WW2 and the Vietnamese/Chinese in Vietnam.

[plzchuteme]

Thanks. I'm so glad to see someone else who "gets it." It's not the pictures, but it's the acts that do the damage. Whether or not there are pictures or if we get to see the pictures doesn't mitigate what has been done and the damage it causes to the victims, to the perpetrators (no one is unchanged by torturing and abusing others) and to our society. The information about, and the allegations of abuse have no trouble getting out to our enemies; picture or no pictures.

[MinerSam]

What are you Kindegarden age?
They already released photos in 2004.

Now it is not the time to inflame more Moslems (who are as susseptible to brainwashing as Americans under the Republicans and their Media appeasers). By releasing more pictures to the public.

Now is the time for commissions and prosecutions! Let the prosecutors use them behind closed doors as evidence IF NEEDED. But there is enough evidence without it. Dick Cheney admitted about ten days ago the Bush SIGNED OFF ON IT.

[Yermammy]

EXACTLY, Michael. Apparently the "evidence" is guilty but the offenders are NOT. This is pure hypocrisy and protectionism on Barack's part. Protecting war criminals (Bush, Cheney et alia) isn't a smart move.
War Crimes have NO statute of limitations. We're not going anywhere and we're waiting.

[chocolatecity]

How many generals have to say that it will definitely put our troops in greater danger for you to believe them. Even the general who said Bush committed war crimes does not want the pictures released. Do you need to see the pictures to know that Bush and his gang are war criminals. If we already knew that then what's the purpose of releasing the photos.

[Proxy]

The purpose is to make sure crimes are prosecuted.

The US hanged Japanese soldiers for doing this to American prisoners.

[LCLA]

The photos will eventually surface. I support the delay, at least until prosecutions are underway. Although we probably know pretty much what they will depict, we also know that a picture is worth a thousand words, and their release could the the equivalent of yelling, "Fire!" in a crowed theater by triggering even more acts of violent revenge.

[SD Indy]

What I'd like to know is what other nations have brought Shrub and Cheney up on war crimes, and which of those states are they not allowed to step foot in without being taken to prison?

[Emerald1943]

So far, Spain is the only one I have heard about.

[FrozenNorthObserver]

so far just Spain

[wijg]

"I want to emphasise that these photos that were requested in this case are not particularly sensational, especially when compared to the painful images that we remember from Abu Ghraib." ~Barack Obama

Seems they are President Obama.

[Weirdwriter]

I voted for a man I'd trust to be Commander-in-chief even if I didn't always know what was behind his decisions or agreed with 'em.

Let's ask the troops if the President's decision to delay the public release of those photos was a good idea.

Particularly when we already have all the evidence we need without the newest pics.

[Yermammy]

Hey genius. The President is NOT your "commander in chief". Unless you're in active duty military, you are mislabeling the President. Stop pushing the misnomer.

[magic3400]

Mr. President, you are about to have a major problem.

You look like you are covering for Bush/Cheney who may have covered up torture AND rape.

If you are going to play with in the pigpen you will get muddy, I hope you have a change of clothes!

[Epiphany2b]

Just asking, and maybe it's not relevant .. . but is it reasonable to demand the public release of evidence in an upcoming trial? Doesn't the prosecution want to keep some evidence out of the public arena? I realize the trial might never be "upcoming" but I would be concerned that if all these photos were made public and hashed over long enough, the horror of it all will be diluted and by time there is a trial many will be wondering what all the fuss is above.

[Yermammy]

Sorry, but there are many delusional people that think torture works, even though it's ILLEGAL and AGAINST our treaty obligations. Horrible pictures of torture will not "diffuse" over time- they'll outrage the public to DEMAND investigations!

[JohnSawyer]

Epiphany:

Are you kidding? You say "...the horror of it all will be diluted and by time there is a trial many will be wondering what all the fuss is above" [you must mean "about"]. Do you mean that you think that the type of torture depicted in the photos will become common practice, and so then people will describe concern over them as "fuss"?? Do people now describe today's continuing concern over the photos released in 2004, as "fuss"? No, people are still as disgusted at those photos as the day they were released.

And why, given such a crime, whose consequences are of importance to the entire world, and which occurred on the world stage (during one of the most contentious wars in modern memory, second only to the Vietnam war), should some of the evidence be kept out of the public arena? We are all the judge and jury of what happened, not just some hand-picked group whose judgement will be who knows what, especially since it seems clear there won't even be such a hand-picked group, at least not in the US.

[BigAl72]

Releasing the photos will create more risk for our servicemen and women abroad. They need to be kept secret at least for now. If they are released anytime soon than the members of the Bush administration who authorized the tortures need to be prosecuted and imprisoned ASAP.

[Diogenis]

Pres. Obama know what he is doing. To make the photos public will only create problems.

[RationalityPlease]

You're joking, right? Much of the rest of the world has long known the kinds of horrific things our nation has done. Only the American people who get their news solely from the MSM have been shielded from the truth. Being 37th in regard to press freedom does have consequenc­es...

Obama's decision has nothing to do with protecting our troops. The only way to make our troops safer is to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those who ordered torture and all who aided and abetted it.

[jmpurser]

I'm afraid he does know what he's doing. That means he's betraying the public who voted for him quite deliberately.

[magic3400]

I think like you, he does know what he's doing and he knows what those photos show, when (not if) they become public and if they are worst than the ABu Ghraib photos, he will have hitched his wagon to the Bush/Cheney wagon train...LO­OK OUT FOR THAT CLIIIIIIFT!

There is noway, on god's green earth, that I would allow my Presidency to be defined by and associated with George W. Bush, i don't care if it split the nation the nation apart, I would never allow my name to mentioned in the same breath as W.

[MountainPenelope]

I agree. I don't need to see the photos. The heinous acts committed by our troops are fully documented in other ways. Frankly, I find the thoughts ghoulish to say the least.

Of course, I don't stop at automobile wrecks either.

I firmly believe the photos will make an excellent recruitment tool for Al-Queda.

JMO.