Bush's English Language Command Is Torture.
Our beloved President In A Bubble recently stated it was absurd to label our Gitmo and Abu Ghraib prison facilities gulags. His statement intrigued me since awareness his readings extended into Russian literature past the teletubbies is surprising or perhaps he picked it up from Valentin Putin. Either way, its doubtful he really understands what a gulag is. A gulag is commonly defined as a system of prisons and labor camps especially for political prisoners, in the old Soviet Union or any place or situation regarded as like such a prison. Hmmm, methinks George has got it wrong again. It would seem Abu Ghraib automatically qualifies under this definition with Gitmo not very far behind with recent revelations. Sadly, our President has bit the big wrong once again, but will never admit it. To admit such would risk being called, just like Arnuld says, "a girly man." And George W. Bush is the gosh darn best Maine Texan who can't ride a horse, tell the truth or admit a mistake.
There needs to be a distinction made from legitimate interrogation techniques and perverted cruelty. What was seen at Abu Ghraib was beyond the pale of conventional military doctrine with only the small fry being punished. The military is guided by numerous directives including the rules of land warfare which our leaders have conveniently forgotten. There's no doubt the same occurred at Gitmo according to what the Army finally admitted today. Any time one sees sexual humiliation, among other things, indicates the system has suffered a breakdown and only pathos results. The inability to break someone mentally and resorting to primitive techniques indicates not only a lack of discipline, but overall inability to achieve results through knowledge, skill and guile.
Secondly, its very hard to generalize about doing to "them" what they are doing to us. Who is exactly "them?" According to statements made by the Secretary of Defense and reinforced by the President, "them" are basically anyone in the warzone appearing to be Muslim, who are all terrorists anyway, possessing no rights under signed treaties. The White House and SecDef did a turnaround on this, but the damage had already been done. Convince the average scared undertrained GI the other side, "them" is inhuman and the results. Beware whenever any president relates how much we value life and the other side doesn't.
Bravado comments are a typical kneejack reaction to anyone who doesn't understand the nature of guerrila warfare. Its ugly with no boundaries; unforeseen combat anytime, anywhere, at any moment with a duration of seconds. The US response with conventional military strategy instead of trained counterinsurgency forces is reminiscent of Vietnam. The inevitable result is chaos and wholesale slaughter of innocents and guilty alike>the old "kill them all and let God separate them" syndrome. Troops trained in COIN are the necessary ingredient for any success in Iraq and Afghanistan; not conventional troops who will react as negatively to "search and destroy" as their predecessors did in Vietnam. Send the people trained for the job to do the job; anything else is a disservice to our troops and nation.
Lastly, much is read regarding the validity of torture, but how many of those uttering these remarks have ever seen it? How many have underwent it? My training in the military had a special block where torture was applied in a most realistic fashion to force understanding of what being captured meant. I won't belabor the details, but can relate it wasn't pleasant. Try this...stand against a wall, move back approximately four steps and then place your forehead against the wall. Stay that way for 3, 4 or 5 hours until your head feels like it will explode; all the time constant music or speeches are blaring; a light is constantly on; you stand in your own urine or feces; and interrogators constantly yelling in your ears. This is minor, but chances are many of you couldn't endure much less talk about it later. Your head will ring for days!!!
Finally, torture was used widely in Vietnam beyond the norm ranging from bamboo under the fingernails to the Bell Telephone hour-placing portable telephone electrical wires on the testicles and then ringing which sent a heavy electrical jolt for Uncle Sam. It didn't matter whether they were VC or not, some just enjoyed doing it. GIs are no different from anyone else when placed in uncompromising situations without adequate leadership-they resort to whatever is needed to get the job done regardless. GIs flung ration cans at Vietnamese children since they were "them," not human, inflicting injury and death. Sad, but true and seen by many including my good friend, Shawn, who threw a c-rats can forcing the child to fall under the wheels of a 4X4. He is 100% disabled from PTSD and other afflictions stemming from his Vietnam experiences and still wakes after seeing the child's face in his persistent dreams. An incident 35 years old just happened today to him and many others.
Don't go into a war like Iraq with moral platitudes, place the US on a pedestal, send over those untrained in interrogation, incarceration or even the Geneva Convention, subject them to the rigors of guerilla warfare, place them in no-win positions between CIA-MI-White House-Outsource Operatives with conflicting orders and then expect good things to happen????!!!! This is like sending out half-way trained police officers to get the job done and then turn your backs when the bad happens. And it would. I would expect those of you who glorify this type of unprofessional perverse cruelty to fully support increased DVA hospital funding where many of these young men and women will end up with severe mental afflictions as a result of what they have seen and done. Let us hope they won't be deserted like many have by the DOD and VA in the past. This that to those is already ocurring to those injured physically, but not much is said about that. Supporting the troops is a 100% committment, not just the glory supposed to be with it.
If the current administration wanted the post-war job to be done right, then they would have dispatched the most highly trained, most motivated,educated in Arab language/studies and exceedingly capable people to do the job instead of those given makeshift assignments just to fill a slot. Shoddy leadership seeps downward until theh inevitable result is chaos like the final years of action in Vietnam. Again you have the willing led by incapable doing a job for the ungrateful. They went into battle witout enough water, ammunition, armor, medical supplies and god knows, what else. If you support the troops, demand the very best for them-no substitutes. There is no substitute for leadership and our wonderful servicemembers don't have it. The actions of a few miscreant officers and enlisted unfairly characterize those whose service is honorable. The brave ones are overshadowed by the perverse actions of a few whose superiors develop a coverup inflicting damage to our military, nation and world standing. Please, forget the rhetoric and demand leadership to correct the darkness threatening to envelop us again. Its time for the President and others to get out of the bubble for a good dose of reality.
By the way, if you don't believe our military is in crisis, check on what just happened on the USS Nimitz; and the hazing exerted on naval vessels in the war zone. Its symbolic.....