May 17, 2005 Demonize, Disguise, Divert Pinning the Blame on Newsweek By ROBERT JENSEN and PAT YOUNGBLOOD
If there is a political playbook for right-wing conservatives these days, it no doubt begins, "Step #1: Whenever possible, blame the news media."
What to do if the U.S. invasions/occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq have sparked resistance in those countries because people generally don't like being occupied by a foreign power that has interests in exploiting their resources and/or geopolitical value? Blame journalists.
That's exactly what the Bush administration and its rhetorical attack dogs are doing with the "scandal" over Newsweek's story on the desecration of the Quran at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo.
In a short item in its May 9 issue, Newsweek reported that U.S. military investigators had found evidence that U.S. guards had flushed a copy of the Quran down a toilet to try to provoke prisoners. This week, the magazine retracted, saying not that editors knew for sure that such an incident didn't happen but that, "Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Quran abuse at Guantanamo Bay."
Meanwhile, after the original story ran, Afghan and U.S. forces fired on demonstrators in Afghanistan, killing at least 14 and injuring many others.
The conventional wisdom emerged quickly: Newsweek got it wrong, and Newsweek is to blame for the deaths. The first conclusion is premature; the second is wrong.
First, it's not clear whether U.S. guards in Guantanamo or other prisons have placed copies of the Quran on a toilet or thrown pages (or a whole Quran) into a toilet. Detainees have made such claims, which have been reported by attorneys representing some of the men in custody and denied by U.S. officials. Newsweek's retraction is ambiguous, suggesting they believe the incident may have happened but no longer can demonstrate that it was cited in the specific U.S. government documents, as originally reported.
Given the abuse and torture -- from sexual humiliation to beatings to criminal homicide -- that has gone on in various U.S. military prison facilities, it's not hard to believe that the Quran stories could be true. Given that last month U.S. officials pressured the United Nations to eliminate the job of its top human-rights investigator in Afghanistan after that official criticized violations by U.S. forces in the country, it's not hard to be skeptical about U.S. motives. And given that even the human-rights commission of the generally compliant Afghan government is blocked by U.S. forces from visiting the prisons, it's not hard to believe that the U.S. officials may have something to hide.
Until we have more information, definitive conclusions are impossible. But if you go on a popular right-wing web site, you'll find the verdict that administration supporters are trying to make the final word: "Newsweek lied, people died."
Yes, people died during demonstrations, and political leaders in the Muslim world have cited the Quran stories to spark anti-U.S. feeling. But reporters outside the United States have pointed out that these demonstrations have not been spontaneous but were well-organized, often by groups of students. The frustration with U.S. policy that fuels these demonstrations isn't limited to the Quran incident, and to reduce the unrest to one magazine story is misleading. Indeed, Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a news conference last week that the senior commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Carl Eichenberry, reported that the violence "was not at all tied to the article in the magazine."
So, why the focus on the Newsweek story? It's part of the tried-and-true strategy of demonize, disguise, and divert. Demonize the news media to disguise the real causes of the resistance to occupation and divert attention from failed U.S. policies.
The irony is that the U.S. corporate news media deserve harsh criticism for coverage of the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- not for possibly getting one fact wrong, but for failing to consistently challenge the illegality of both wars and the various distortions and lies that the Bush administration has used to mobilize support for those illegal wars.
We should hold the news media accountable when they fail. But we should defend journalists when they are used by political partisans who are eager to obscure their own failures.
On 17 May 2005 10:45:01 -0700, "MrPepper11" <MrPepper11@go.com> wrote:
>May 17, 2005 >Demonize, Disguise, Divert >Pinning the Blame on Newsweek >By ROBERT JENSEN and PAT YOUNGBLOOD > >If there is a political playbook for right-wing conservatives these >days, it no doubt begins, "Step #1: Whenever possible, blame the news >media." > >What to do if the U.S. invasions/occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq >have sparked resistance in those countries because people generally >don't like being occupied by a foreign power that has interests in >exploiting their resources and/or geopolitical value? Blame >journalists.
The 14 Defining Characteristics Of Fascism Free Inquiry Spring 2003 5-11-3
Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:
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.
6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
Hal
> >That's exactly what the Bush administration and its rhetorical attack >dogs are doing with the "scandal" over Newsweek's story on the >desecration of the Quran at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo. > >In a short item in its May 9 issue, Newsweek reported that U.S. >military investigators had found evidence that U.S. guards had flushed >a copy of the Quran down a toilet to try to provoke prisoners. This >week, the magazine retracted, saying not that editors knew for sure >that such an incident didn't happen but that, "Based on what we know >now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military >investigation had uncovered Quran abuse at Guantanamo Bay." > >Meanwhile, after the original story ran, Afghan and U.S. forces fired >on demonstrators in Afghanistan, killing at least 14 and injuring many >others. > >The conventional wisdom emerged quickly: Newsweek got it wrong, and >Newsweek is to blame for the deaths. The first conclusion is premature; >the second is wrong. > >First, it's not clear whether U.S. guards in Guantanamo or other >prisons have placed copies of the Quran on a toilet or thrown pages (or >a whole Quran) into a toilet. Detainees have made such claims, which >have been reported by attorneys representing some of the men in custody >and denied by U.S. officials. Newsweek's retraction is ambiguous, >suggesting they believe the incident may have happened but no longer >can demonstrate that it was cited in the specific U.S. government >documents, as originally reported. > >Given the abuse and torture -- from sexual humiliation to beatings to >criminal homicide -- that has gone on in various U.S. military prison >facilities, it's not hard to believe that the Quran stories could be >true. Given that last month U.S. officials pressured the United Nations >to eliminate the job of its top human-rights investigator in >Afghanistan after that official criticized violations by U.S. forces in >the country, it's not hard to be skeptical about U.S. motives. And >given that even the human-rights commission of the generally compliant >Afghan government is blocked by U.S. forces from visiting the prisons, >it's not hard to believe that the U.S. officials may have something to >hide. > >Until we have more information, definitive conclusions are impossible. >But if you go on a popular right-wing web site, you'll find the verdict >that administration supporters are trying to make the final word: >"Newsweek lied, people died." > >Yes, people died during demonstrations, and political leaders in the >Muslim world have cited the Quran stories to spark anti-U.S. feeling. >But reporters outside the United States have pointed out that these >demonstrations have not been spontaneous but were well-organized, often >by groups of students. The frustration with U.S. policy that fuels >these demonstrations isn't limited to the Quran incident, and to reduce >the unrest to one magazine story is misleading. Indeed, Gen. Richard >Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a news conference >last week that the senior commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Carl >Eichenberry, reported that the violence "was not at all tied to the >article in the magazine." > >So, why the focus on the Newsweek story? It's part of the >tried-and-true strategy of demonize, disguise, and divert. Demonize the >news media to disguise the real causes of the resistance to occupation >and divert attention from failed U.S. policies. > >The irony is that the U.S. corporate news media deserve harsh criticism >for coverage of the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- not for >possibly getting one fact wrong, but for failing to consistently >challenge the illegality of both wars and the various distortions and >lies that the Bush administration has used to mobilize support for >those illegal wars. > >We should hold the news media accountable when they fail. But we should >defend journalists when they are used by political partisans who are >eager to obscure their own failures. > >---------- >http://www.counterpunch.org/jensen05172005.html
Stan De SD
2005-05-17 14:44:01 EST
"MrPepper11" <MrPepper11@go.com> wrote in message news:1116351901.770389.309470@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... > May 17, 2005 > Demonize, Disguise, Divert > Pinning the Blame on Newsweek > By ROBERT JENSEN and PAT YOUNGBLOOD > > If there is a political playbook for right-wing conservatives these > days, it no doubt begins, "Step #1: Whenever possible, blame the news > media."
So a news agency, blinded by its own political bias, feels compelled to run a story that results in inflamed passions, violence and death,can't be bothered to verify the volatile accusation the entire story is based around, can't accept blame for it's own actions?
Geo
2005-05-17 15:02:11 EST
MrPepper11 wrote: > May 17, 2005 > Demonize, Disguise, Divert > Pinning the Blame on Newsweek > By ROBERT JENSEN and PAT YOUNGBLOOD > > If there is a political playbook for right-wing conservatives these > days, it no doubt begins, "Step #1: Whenever possible, blame the news > media." > > What to do if the U.S. invasions/occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq > have sparked resistance in those countries because people generally > don't like being occupied by a foreign power that has interests in > exploiting their resources and/or geopolitical value? Blame > journalists. > > That's exactly what the Bush administration and its rhetorical attack > dogs are doing with the "scandal" over Newsweek's story on the > desecration of the Quran at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo. > > In a short item in its May 9 issue, Newsweek reported that U.S. > military investigators had found evidence that U.S. guards had flushed > a copy of the Quran down a toilet to try to provoke prisoners. This > week, the magazine retracted, saying not that editors knew for sure > that such an incident didn't happen but that, "Based on what we know > now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military > investigation had uncovered Quran abuse at Guantanamo Bay." > > Meanwhile, after the original story ran, Afghan and U.S. forces fired > on demonstrators in Afghanistan, killing at least 14 and injuring many > others. > > The conventional wisdom emerged quickly: Newsweek got it wrong, and > Newsweek is to blame for the deaths. The first conclusion is premature; > the second is wrong. > > First, it's not clear whether U.S. guards in Guantanamo or other > prisons have placed copies of the Quran on a toilet or thrown pages (or > a whole Quran) into a toilet. Detainees have made such claims, which > have been reported by attorneys representing some of the men in custody > and denied by U.S. officials. Newsweek's retraction is ambiguous, > suggesting they believe the incident may have happened but no longer > can demonstrate that it was cited in the specific U.S. government > documents, as originally reported. >
This paragrapah in and of itself is hilarious. If it's not clear whether the quran was thrown in the crapper then why make the allegation at all? Seems to me, just like the Rather incident, Newsweek wanted to get Bush on something so badly that they made relied on questionable sources. Newsweek got caught stpping on thier own collective dicks. Now, they are in damage control mode. Thier credibility is shot. And people like Jensen and Youngblood see fit to blame everyone except the one organization that fucked it up - Newsweek.
> Given the abuse and torture -- from sexual humiliation to beatings to > criminal homicide -- that has gone on in various U.S. military prison > facilities, it's not hard to believe that the Quran stories could be > true. Given that last month U.S. officials pressured the United Nations > to eliminate the job of its top human-rights investigator in > Afghanistan after that official criticized violations by U.S. forces in > the country, it's not hard to be skeptical about U.S. motives. And > given that even the human-rights commission of the generally compliant > Afghan government is blocked by U.S. forces from visiting the prisons, > it's not hard to believe that the U.S. officials may have something to > hide. > > Until we have more information, definitive conclusions are impossible. > But if you go on a popular right-wing web site, you'll find the verdict > that administration supporters are trying to make the final word: > "Newsweek lied, people died." > > Yes, people died during demonstrations, and political leaders in the > Muslim world have cited the Quran stories to spark anti-U.S. feeling. > But reporters outside the United States have pointed out that these > demonstrations have not been spontaneous but were well-organized, often > by groups of students. The frustration with U.S. policy that fuels > these demonstrations isn't limited to the Quran incident, and to reduce > the unrest to one magazine story is misleading. Indeed, Gen. Richard > Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a news conference > last week that the senior commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Carl > Eichenberry, reported that the violence "was not at all tied to the > article in the magazine." > > So, why the focus on the Newsweek story? It's part of the > tried-and-true strategy of demonize, disguise, and divert. Demonize the > news media to disguise the real causes of the resistance to occupation > and divert attention from failed U.S. policies. > > The irony is that the U.S. corporate news media deserve harsh criticism > for coverage of the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- not for > possibly getting one fact wrong, but for failing to consistently > challenge the illegality of both wars and the various distortions and > lies that the Bush administration has used to mobilize support for > those illegal wars. > > We should hold the news media accountable when they fail. But we should > defend journalists when they are used by political partisans who are > eager to obscure their own failures. > > ---------- > http://www.counterpunch.org/jensen05172005.html
H*@nospam.com
2005-05-17 15:19:09 EST
On 17 May 2005 12:02:11 -0700, "Geo" <taxpayer779@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> First, it's not clear whether U.S. guards in Guantanamo or other >> prisons have placed copies of the Quran on a toilet or thrown pages >(or >> a whole Quran) into a toilet. Detainees have made such claims, which >> have been reported by attorneys representing some of the men in >custody >> and denied by U.S. officials. Newsweek's retraction is ambiguous, >> suggesting they believe the incident may have happened but no longer >> can demonstrate that it was cited in the specific U.S. government >> documents, as originally reported. >> > >This paragrapah in and of itself is hilarious. If it's not clear >whether the quran was thrown in the crapper then why make the >allegation at all?
For one thing there are about 60 lawsuits presently pending that make that very allegation.
> Seems to me, just like the Rather incident,
Secondly, the Rather "incident" was clearly true, Bush, was, in fact, AWOL, so the real issue is not reporting the truth, it's about the US government's increasing ability to stifle the press.
Hal
>Newsweek wanted to get Bush on something so badly that they made relied >on questionable sources. Newsweek got caught stpping on thier own >collective dicks. Now, they are in damage control mode. Thier >credibility is shot. And people like Jensen and Youngblood see fit to >blame everyone except the one organization that fucked it up - >Newsweek. > >> Given the abuse and torture -- from sexual humiliation to beatings to >> criminal homicide -- that has gone on in various U.S. military prison >> facilities, it's not hard to believe that the Quran stories could be >> true. Given that last month U.S. officials pressured the United >Nations >> to eliminate the job of its top human-rights investigator in >> Afghanistan after that official criticized violations by U.S. forces >in >> the country, it's not hard to be skeptical about U.S. motives. And >> given that even the human-rights commission of the generally >compliant >> Afghan government is blocked by U.S. forces from visiting the >prisons, >> it's not hard to believe that the U.S. officials may have something >to >> hide. >> >> Until we have more information, definitive conclusions are >impossible. >> But if you go on a popular right-wing web site, you'll find the >verdict >> that administration supporters are trying to make the final word: >> "Newsweek lied, people died." >> >> Yes, people died during demonstrations, and political leaders in the >> Muslim world have cited the Quran stories to spark anti-U.S. feeling. >> But reporters outside the United States have pointed out that these >> demonstrations have not been spontaneous but were well-organized, >often >> by groups of students. The frustration with U.S. policy that fuels >> these demonstrations isn't limited to the Quran incident, and to >reduce >> the unrest to one magazine story is misleading. Indeed, Gen. Richard >> Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a news >conference >> last week that the senior commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Carl >> Eichenberry, reported that the violence "was not at all tied to the >> article in the magazine." >> >> So, why the focus on the Newsweek story? It's part of the >> tried-and-true strategy of demonize, disguise, and divert. Demonize >the >> news media to disguise the real causes of the resistance to >occupation >> and divert attention from failed U.S. policies. >> >> The irony is that the U.S. corporate news media deserve harsh >criticism >> for coverage of the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- not for >> possibly getting one fact wrong, but for failing to consistently >> challenge the illegality of both wars and the various distortions and >> lies that the Bush administration has used to mobilize support for >> those illegal wars. >> >> We should hold the news media accountable when they fail. But we >should >> defend journalists when they are used by political partisans who are >> eager to obscure their own failures. >> >> ---------- >> http://www.counterpunch.org/jensen05172005.html
Ouroboros Rex
2005-05-17 15:23:44 EST
"Stan de SD" <standesd@earthlink.net> wrote in message news:RXqie.3245$Ri4.497@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net... > > "MrPepper11" <MrPepper11@go.com> wrote in message > news:1116351901.770389.309470@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... >> May 17, 2005 >> Demonize, Disguise, Divert >> Pinning the Blame on Newsweek >> By ROBERT JENSEN and PAT YOUNGBLOOD >> >> If there is a political playbook for right-wing conservatives these >> days, it no doubt begins, "Step #1: Whenever possible, blame the news >> media." > > So a news agency, blinded by its own political bias,
lie
feels compelled to run > a story that results in inflamed passions, violence and death,
Blame the messenger. lol
can't be > bothered to verify the volatile accusation the entire story is based > around,
lie
> can't accept blame for it's own actions?
lol As per usual, Stanley resides safe in his warm fuzzy blanket of delusion.
Hey Stanley, were you whining about possible bloodshed when the Koran-in-the-toilet news first came out a year ago? lol
Ouroboros Rex
2005-05-17 15:29:37 EST
"Geo" <taxpayer779@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:1116353319.637830.106840@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... > > MrPepper11 wrote: >> May 17, 2005 >> Demonize, Disguise, Divert >> Pinning the Blame on Newsweek >> By ROBERT JENSEN and PAT YOUNGBLOOD >> >> If there is a political playbook for right-wing conservatives these >> days, it no doubt begins, "Step #1: Whenever possible, blame the news >> media." >> >> What to do if the U.S. invasions/occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq >> have sparked resistance in those countries because people generally >> don't like being occupied by a foreign power that has interests in >> exploiting their resources and/or geopolitical value? Blame >> journalists. >> >> That's exactly what the Bush administration and its rhetorical attack >> dogs are doing with the "scandal" over Newsweek's story on the >> desecration of the Quran at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo. >> >> In a short item in its May 9 issue, Newsweek reported that U.S. >> military investigators had found evidence that U.S. guards had > flushed >> a copy of the Quran down a toilet to try to provoke prisoners. This >> week, the magazine retracted, saying not that editors knew for sure >> that such an incident didn't happen but that, "Based on what we know >> now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military >> investigation had uncovered Quran abuse at Guantanamo Bay." >> >> Meanwhile, after the original story ran, Afghan and U.S. forces fired >> on demonstrators in Afghanistan, killing at least 14 and injuring > many >> others. >> >> The conventional wisdom emerged quickly: Newsweek got it wrong, and >> Newsweek is to blame for the deaths. The first conclusion is > premature; >> the second is wrong. >> >> First, it's not clear whether U.S. guards in Guantanamo or other >> prisons have placed copies of the Quran on a toilet or thrown pages > (or >> a whole Quran) into a toilet. Detainees have made such claims, which >> have been reported by attorneys representing some of the men in > custody >> and denied by U.S. officials. Newsweek's retraction is ambiguous, >> suggesting they believe the incident may have happened but no longer >> can demonstrate that it was cited in the specific U.S. government >> documents, as originally reported. >> > > This paragrapah in and of itself is hilarious. If it's not clear > whether the quran was thrown in the crapper then why make the > allegation at all?
That was done by the US investigators.
Seems to me, just like the Rather incident, > Newsweek wanted to get Bush on something so badly that they made relied > on questionable sources.
Nope - just sources vulnerable to threats from the Bush administration, apparently.
> Newsweek got caught stpping on thier own > collective dicks. Now, they are in damage control mode. Thier > credibility is shot. And people like Jensen and Youngblood see fit to > blame everyone except the one organization that fucked it up - > Newsweek.
Poor Geo, his lies are getting so predictable. Unfortunately for him, The Koran was thrown in the toilet by Americans. He seeks, like any Nazi would, to draw attention away from this through the administration smokescreen. lol
Detainees' lawsuits also allege desecration By Toni Locy, USA TODAY
Current and former detainees have been alleging for more than a year that American soldiers in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have desecrated the Koran.
The claims are made in some of the 65 lawsuits that have been filed in U.S. District Court in Washington on behalf of nearly 180 detainees, as well as in accounts given to human rights workers.
For instance, a lawsuit filed this year in Illinois by the American Civil Liberties Union against Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recounts a claim by a detainee in Iraq who says soldiers allowed a military dog to carry the Islamic holy book in the animal's mouth.
Another lawsuit filed in Washington in January on behalf of 12 Kuwaiti detainees held at Guantanamo Bay alleges that American soldiers tore up the Koran and threw pages into toilets as part of a humiliation tactic....
The Center for Constitutional Rights, a New York-based civil liberties group that represents several detainees in lawsuits, says that interviews with detainees and government documents have revealed a systemic use of religious abuse as an interrogation tactic to humiliate prisoners.
In a statement Monday, the group says that the abuses include sexual taunting, depriving detainees of long pants during prayer times, deliberate interference with prayers, wrapping a prisoner in an Israeli flag, desecration and mishandling of the Koran and, most-recently, religious slurs directed toward prisoners' attorneys....
U.S. troops' handling of the Koran is not a new issue. It was a key cause of detainees' first hunger strike at Guantanamo in 2002, says John Sifton, a researcher with Human Rights Watch in New York.
Detainees had alleged that a soldier had thrown the Koran on the ground. Military commanders at Guantanamo Bay responded to the hunger strike by making significant changes in conditions at the prison regarding religious practices, Sifton said.
Some of the allegations, while never verified, get broad circulation. For example, In December, a former detainee in Afghanistan was quoted in a Moroccan newspaper as saying that American soldiers tore pages from the Koran and threw them in toilets, according to a BBC translation of the article....
~~ snip ~~
from http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-05-16-claims-detainees_x.htm
Dan Clore
2005-05-17 18:57:53 EST
Stan de SD wrote: > "MrPepper11" <MrPepper11@go.com> wrote in message > news:1116351901.770389.309470@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... > >>May 17, 2005 >>Demonize, Disguise, Divert >>Pinning the Blame on Newsweek >>By ROBERT JENSEN and PAT YOUNGBLOOD >> >>If there is a political playbook for right-wing conservatives these >>days, it no doubt begins, "Step #1: Whenever possible, blame the news >>media." > > So a news agency, blinded by its own political bias, feels compelled to run > a story that results in inflamed passions, violence and death,can't be > bothered to verify the volatile accusation the entire story is based around, > can't accept blame for it's own actions?
Newsweek let a Bush administration official see the story for comment before it was published. No criticism of it then.
So now Newsweek retracts the allegation that some Pentagon report says this happened. But that doesn't mean it didn't happen:
News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
Guerrilla News Network http://www.guerrillanews.com/headlines/2883/Newsweek_Got_Gitmo_Right [The story includes many links.--DC] Newsweek Got Gitmo Right Mon, 16 May 2005 09:43:44 -0500 Summary:
The toilet incident was reported in the Washington Post in a 2003 interview with a former detainee from Afghanistan: Tarek Derghoul, another of the British detainees, similarly cites instances of Koran desecration in an interview with Cage Prisoners. Desecration of the Koran was also mentioned by former Guantanamo detainee Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost. It wasn't Newsweek that has caused the unfortunate deaths in Afghanistan, it's the White House policy on secrecy at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and the continuing violation of the prisoner's human rights.
By Calgacus Republished from Antiwar Newsweek caves in to the White House gag rule, but the evidence can't be erased.
Contrary to White House spin, the allegations of religious desecration at Guantanamo published by Newsweek on May 9, 2005, are common among ex-prisoners and have been widely reported outside the United States. Several former detainees at the Guantanamo and Bagram prisons have reported instances of their handlers sitting or standing on the Koran, throwing or kicking it in toilets, and urinating on it. Prior to the Newsweek article, the New York Times reported a Guantanamo insider asserting that the commander of the facility was compelled by prisoner protests to address the problem and issue an apology.
One such incident (during which the Koran was allegedly thrown in a pile and stepped on) prompted a hunger strike among Guantanamo detainees in March 2002. Regarding this, the New York Times in a May 1, 2005, article interviewed a former detainee, Nasser Nijer Naser al-Mutairi, who said the protest ended with a senior officer delivering an apology to the entire camp. And the Times reports: "A former interrogator at Guantanamo, in an interview with the Times, confirmed the accounts of the hunger strikes, including the public expression of regret over the treatment of the Korans." (Neil A. Lewis and Eric Schmitt, "Inquiry Finds Abuses at Guantanamo Bay," New York Times, May 1, 2005.)
The hunger strike and apology story is also confirmed by another former detainee, Shafiq Rasul, interviewed by the UK Guardian in 2003 (James Meek, "The People the Law Forgot," Dec. 3, 2003). It was also confirmed by former prisoner Jamal al-Harith in an interview with the Daily Mirror (Rosa Prince and Gary Jones, "My Hell in Camp X-Ray," Daily Mirror, March 12, 2004).
The toilet incident was reported in the Washington Post in a 2003 interview with a former detainee from Afghanistan:
"Ehsannullah, 29, said American soldiers who initially questioned him in Kandahar before shipping him to Guantanamo hit him and taunted him by dumping the Koran in a toilet. 'It was a very bad situation for us,' said Ehsannullah, who comes from the home region of the Taliban leader, Mohammad Omar. 'We cried so much and shouted, "Please do not do that to the Holy Koran."' (Marc Kaufman and April Witt, “Out of Legal Limbo, Some Tell of Mistreatment," Washington Post, March 26, 2003.)
Also citing the toilet incident is testimony by Asif Iqbal, a former Guantanamo detainee who was released to British custody in March 2004 and subsequently freed without charge:
"The behavior of the guards towards our religious practices as well as the Koran was also, in my view, designed to cause us as much distress as possible. They would kick the Koran, throw it into the toilet, and generally disrespect it." (Center for Constitutional Rights [.pdf], Aug. 4, 2004.)
The claim that U.S. troops at Bagram prison in Afghanistan urinated on the Koran was made by former detainee Mohamed Mazouz, a Moroccan, as reported in the Moroccan newspaper, La Gazette du Maroc. (Abdelhak Najib, "Les Américains pissaient sur le Coran et abusaient de nous sexuellement," April 12, 2005.) An English translation is available on the Cage Prisoners site (which describes itself as a "nonsectarian Islamic human rights Web site").
Tarek Derghoul, another of the British detainees, similarly cites instances of Koran desecration in an interview with Cage Prisoners.
Desecration of the Koran was also mentioned by former Guantanamo detainee Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost and reported by the BBC in early May 2005. (Haroon Rashid, "Ex-Inmates Share Guantanamo Ordeal," May 2, 2005.)
Calgacus has been employed as a researcher in the national security field for 20 years.
-- Dan Clore
My collected fiction, _The Unspeakable and Others_: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1587154838/thedanclorenecro/ Lord Weÿrdgliffe & Necronomicon Page: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/9879/ News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
Strange pleasures are known to him who flaunts the immarcescible purple of poetry before the color-blind. -- Clark Ashton Smith, "Epigrams and Apothegms"
The PhAnToM
2005-05-17 19:51:58 EST
Dan Clore wrote: > Stan de SD wrote: > > "MrPepper11" <MrPepper11@go.com> wrote in message > > news:1116351901.770389.309470@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... > > > >>May 17, 2005 > >>Demonize, Disguise, Divert > >>Pinning the Blame on Newsweek > >>By ROBERT JENSEN and PAT YOUNGBLOOD > >> > >>If there is a political playbook for right-wing conservatives these > >>days, it no doubt begins, "Step #1: Whenever possible, blame the news > >>media." > > > > So a news agency, blinded by its own political bias, feels compelled to run > > a story that results in inflamed passions, violence and death,can't be > > bothered to verify the volatile accusation the entire story is based around, > > can't accept blame for it's own actions? > > Newsweek let a Bush administration official see the story > for comment before it was published. No criticism of it then. > > So now Newsweek retracts the allegation that some Pentagon > report says this happened. But that doesn't mean it didn't > happen: > > News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo > > Guerrilla News Network > http://www.guerrillanews.com/headlines/2883/Newsweek_Got_Gitmo_Right > [The story includes many links.--DC] > Newsweek Got Gitmo Right > Mon, 16 May 2005 09:43:44 -0500 > Summary: > > The toilet incident was reported in the Washington Post in a > 2003 interview with a former detainee from Afghanistan: > Tarek Derghoul, another of the British detainees, similarly > cites instances of Koran desecration in an interview with > Cage Prisoners. Desecration of the Koran was also mentioned > by former Guantanamo detainee Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost. It > wasn't Newsweek that has caused the unfortunate deaths in > Afghanistan, it's the White House policy on secrecy at > Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and the continuing violation of the > prisoner's human rights.
No. It's the murderers who caused these "unfortunate deaths".
Stan De SD
2005-05-17 21:32:59 EST
"Dan Clore" <clore@columbia-center.org> wrote in message news:3evb8dF589iaU2@individual.net... > Stan de SD wrote: > > "MrPepper11" <MrPepper11@go.com> wrote in message > > news:1116351901.770389.309470@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... > > > >>May 17, 2005 > >>Demonize, Disguise, Divert > >>Pinning the Blame on Newsweek > >>By ROBERT JENSEN and PAT YOUNGBLOOD > >> > >>If there is a political playbook for right-wing conservatives these > >>days, it no doubt begins, "Step #1: Whenever possible, blame the news > >>media." > > > > So a news agency, blinded by its own political bias, feels compelled to run > > a story that results in inflamed passions, violence and death,can't be > > bothered to verify the volatile accusation the entire story is based around, > > can't accept blame for it's own actions? > > Newsweek let a Bush administration official see the story > for comment before it was published. No criticism of it then.
Ever consider that the "Bush administration official" probably knew nothing about it, and unlike know-it-all loudmouth liberals, wisely decided not to comment on it?
> So now Newsweek retracts the allegation that some Pentagon > report says this happened. But that doesn't mean it didn't > happen:
If you make the accusation, it's you responsibility to back up your assertion that it happened, not play Dan Clore weasel games...