The New York-based campaign group Human Rights Watch says it has uncovered evidence that three more prisoners have died in US detention in Afghanistan.
In a damning open letter to US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, it says the US is continuing to fail to investigate abuses or punish the guilty.
And the beat goes on… I mean beatings. There is not even anything really left to say about this issue any more. It makes me proud to be an American.
What it calls the "government's failure to hold its personnel accountable for serious abuses has spawned a culture of impunity among some personnel".
Its letter to Donald Rumsfeld says there are fewer complaints now relating to the main US detention centre at Bagram airbase north of Kabul.
However, allegations of "abuse and arbitrary detention" continue to emerge from what are known as "forward operating bases" - smaller posts normally in frontline areas.
It does make it easy for me to come up with content for these pages. Just open up the BBC and link to a couple articles, add sarcastic comment, link to the Message Boards, and move on to the next item.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4092073.stm
Showing posts with label Donald Rumsfeld. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Donald Rumsfeld. Show all posts
Monday, December 13, 2004
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Many, Many, Many Things...
Okay, then...
I'll start with some words on the whole Rumsfeld "You go to war.." deal that I posted in response to another blog.
I totally agree that it is a crime that the soldiers feel that the government is not doing all that they can to protect them in the war. And I do believe that a large number of them feel that way... My proof, none. Just my gut. But I haven't seen numbers on either side of this issue.
However, it turns out that the soldier who asked the question about armor that is getting all of this attention was there guarding a reporter who prompted him to ask this question.
Is it still a valid question? Of course.
Were the audience's enthusiastic cheers when the question was asked legitimate? Sounded like it to me.
But I am afraid that the conservative elements in the media will use this as an excuse to invalidate the question itself. And that is sad. If there is no issue, then prove it. If there is, then something needs to be done. I am tired of everyone avoiding the debate of real issues because they do not like who asked the question, etc.
So, that is out of the way...
Next... There are two issues I've decided just to stay the hell away from... The Ukraine and the Terror Bill. These are very complicated things that are potentially world changing in their long term effects and I just don't feel that any brief babble I would post about them would be worth anything.
Then... The Bush Cabinet, V 2.0
Okay, this is an issue that I want to get into. I want to make snarky comments about Condi. I want to run through the old faces and the new names and turn in my two cents. But every time I am about to get started, another turnover occurs.
I read somewhere that the turnover in this cabinet was about par for the second term, but this is starting to seem a little weak to me. I haven't seen the current count, but I know that there was another this morning and it has reached the point where I have lost track.
Anyway, everyone needs to take a look at these people and if you don't like them, scream at your reps in Congress about it. Just because the President wants to give these people jobs doesn't mean that Congress has to give them jobs.
But, more on that later...
I have a list of issues I want to discuss. Unfortunately, it is not with me at the moment, so there is my excuse to move on for the moment.
I'll start with some words on the whole Rumsfeld "You go to war.." deal that I posted in response to another blog.
I totally agree that it is a crime that the soldiers feel that the government is not doing all that they can to protect them in the war. And I do believe that a large number of them feel that way... My proof, none. Just my gut. But I haven't seen numbers on either side of this issue.
However, it turns out that the soldier who asked the question about armor that is getting all of this attention was there guarding a reporter who prompted him to ask this question.
Is it still a valid question? Of course.
Were the audience's enthusiastic cheers when the question was asked legitimate? Sounded like it to me.
But I am afraid that the conservative elements in the media will use this as an excuse to invalidate the question itself. And that is sad. If there is no issue, then prove it. If there is, then something needs to be done. I am tired of everyone avoiding the debate of real issues because they do not like who asked the question, etc.
So, that is out of the way...
Next... There are two issues I've decided just to stay the hell away from... The Ukraine and the Terror Bill. These are very complicated things that are potentially world changing in their long term effects and I just don't feel that any brief babble I would post about them would be worth anything.
Then... The Bush Cabinet, V 2.0
Okay, this is an issue that I want to get into. I want to make snarky comments about Condi. I want to run through the old faces and the new names and turn in my two cents. But every time I am about to get started, another turnover occurs.
I read somewhere that the turnover in this cabinet was about par for the second term, but this is starting to seem a little weak to me. I haven't seen the current count, but I know that there was another this morning and it has reached the point where I have lost track.
Anyway, everyone needs to take a look at these people and if you don't like them, scream at your reps in Congress about it. Just because the President wants to give these people jobs doesn't mean that Congress has to give them jobs.
But, more on that later...
I have a list of issues I want to discuss. Unfortunately, it is not with me at the moment, so there is my excuse to move on for the moment.
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