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Contractors Are Cited in Abuses at Guantanamo »
Posted by: Spadecaller 1 year, 7 months agoWashington : Breaking News /Thursday, January 4, 2007 New allegations of detainee abuse at Guantanamo Bay released by the FBI on Tuesday put private contractors at the center of interrogation operations, raising questions once again about where they fit in the military's chain of command.
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Comments: 28
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SwArPi
Jan. 4, 2007, 2:12 p.m.once again contractors have much, much more power than we ever thought! These chain of command issues are coming to the forefront, as these companies seem to have as much power in wartime as the armed forces themselves do. I wonder if it is honestly a CEO of some sorts telling the generals what to do ... and no, i don't consider Bush a CEO :)
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nativestorm
Jan. 4, 2007, 2:15 p.m.from boot camp, where civvie contractors cut hair, tend to lawns and hand out uniforms to prisoner detainment and more, we find our military shortchanged at the expense of our national prestige abroad. Stop this, Mister Bush!!!
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Amazing1
Jan. 4, 2007, 2:17 p.m.Let us not split hairs here. Instead of arguing about chains of command and who did what, we need to look at WHAT WAS DONE!
The whole pack of 'em is guilty of allowing the torture to go on. Some of them participated, some only witnessed, some of them ordered, some obeyed. It matters not. We are getting bogged down in the old "let's-point-the-finger game." Enough already. Close down Gitmo. Don't go building a big fancy-ass complex just to try 75 detainees. Surely there are buildings here in the US that could be used.
And the torture, inhumane treatment and disrespect of the Koran must stop. We must not stoop to the level of which we accuse them. We need to rise above that. Take the high road. That is what we used to stand for. And my fondest wish is that we return to that standard.
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Beau7890
Jan. 4, 2007, 2:21 p.m.Until we do take the high road (and I'm sure I'll get blasted out here for this later), we're really not that different from the terrorists.
And if anyone reading doesn't buy that, how about this:
How are we proving that our way is better than theirs? How does this help win the "hearts and minds" of fundamentalist Muslims? And if we don't win those "hearts and minds," how can this fight ever end?
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Spadecaller
Jan. 4, 2007, 2:35 p.m.Your are right, Amazing1. Let's get a perspective of what has been done and what is happening to detainees at Guantanamo Bay. This must not be delayed. Torture and inhumane treatment must be addressed before anything else.
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JustCallMeV
Jan. 4, 2007, 8:20 p.m.Amazing1: Correct! That is part of the "blame game". Pointing fingers so their careers or pensions won't get tarnished. If is good for politicians, then you can't expect anymore from the military or its contractors.
The Geneva Convention is thrown right out of the window on every aspect in dealing with detainees. They have been given the secret hand-shake with an all-knowing wink to "do what has to be done" - BUT DON'T GET CAUGHT! So the "alternative interrogation methods" which remain illegal, are put into practice.
All just another embarassing, hypocritical episode in the "War on Terrorism" saga. All it does is instill international hatred and contempt for the US and its "imperial" policies.
-V-
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Beau7890
Jan. 4, 2007, 2:17 p.m.Once again, a little less secrecy and a little more independent oversight would have helped. I couldn't put it better than Peter Singer did in the article:
"These are incredibly sensitive and important government jobs. That's why you're supposed to have a very clear and public chain of command," said Brookings Institution scholar Peter W. Singer. "But now there's a confusion about proper roles."
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white-pawn
Jan. 4, 2007, 2:21 p.m.I'm no legal expert or anything, but if contractors from private companies are responsible for abuses, couldn't not only the individual who committed the abuse, but also the company be sued in a civil suit if not a criminal case? A couple of class action lawsuits might shut some of these contractors down.
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Spadecaller
Jan. 4, 2007, 2:24 p.m.Yes, I believe the rule of law for the private sector makes them vulnerable to civil law suits and criminal statutes, as well.
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Spadecaller
Jan. 4, 2007, 2:22 p.m.From the Article:
Taken together, the documents suggest a greater role for contractors than was previously known, and contracting experts said they indicate a further blurring of the limits on how much responsibility the private sector can carry in doing the public's work.
In the FBI documents:"civilian army contractor was in charge of the Army's interrogators." The agent reported being shown a bearded detainee with duct tape covering much of his head. Asked about it, the contractor "laughed and stated that the detainee had been chanting the Koran and would not stop," the documents said.
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ind06
Jan. 4, 2007, 3:22 p.m.Affiliated Computer Systems supplied interrogators and strategic debriefers? Affiliated Computer Systems? Sounds like a CIA shell game. The whole thing sounds like the CIA posing as private contractors, who else would be allowed to give the military commands?
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Spadecaller
Jan. 4, 2007, 3:47 p.m.So you noticed! They may be coming to do some work at your house next.
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jordan11
Jan. 4, 2007, 4:35 p.m.The people running this nation are idiots. Oh dear, what in the world is it going to take for people to wake the hell up?
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Eagle_Eye
Jan. 4, 2007, 6:50 p.m.So why does all of this not surprise me?
ind06, I think you are right about government agencies posing as private contractors, Hallibutron is proof of that.
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flyrod
Jan. 5, 2007, 8:59 a.m.Private Contractors? Who's kidding who. As in Viet Nam private contractor is just another name for CIA. Private contractors can't be held accountable for violating the Geneva Convention. I don't have a lot of sympathy for the people housed at GTMO but its time for more oversight. I don't think humanity towards an enemy is out of the question either.
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okitech
Jan. 5, 2007, 9:32 a.m.the gov gets what it pays for....lowest bidder always wins. wonder which company had the contracts
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Beau7890
Jan. 5, 2007, 11:45 a.m.If only the lowest bidder always won. Unfortunately, for the most part over the past six years, the most well-connected bidder always won.
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samsara15
Jan. 5, 2007, 10:30 a.m.How would you you like to work for a company that directed the torture of prisoners? The workplace really has gone to Hades.
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bubba2
Jan. 5, 2007, 10:34 a.m.This is ALL I have to say about "torture" -
- Hanging someone from the ceiling in shackles for hours and hours
- Stripping someone naked and putting them in extreme cold or extreme heat for hours and hours
- Smearing fake menstrual blood on someone
- Stripping someone naked and leaving them in a small cell where they have to lie in their own urine and feces
- Duct-taping someone's head so that they can't speak (or pray)
- Beating up someone so badly that they die as a result
- "Water-boarding" someone as part of an 'interrogation'
If ANYONE thinks that doing these things to ANY human being is ok, then they are hateful, sick, deluded, and they have NO morals.
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bubba2
Jan. 5, 2007, 11:17 a.m.No argument.
With the exception of the head-chopping, your statement reinforces the sad fact that the United States is NO better than any other country or 'regime' regarding the treatment of 'prisoners' or 'detainees'.
We now stoop to their level instead of maintaining any sort of integrity or honor or honesty.
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JustCallMeV
Jan. 6, 2007, 12:28 p.m.I think they call that HYPOCRICY! It starts from the top down.
-V-
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OldRusty
Jan. 7, 2007, 8:24 p.m.Who is footing the bill for Shehan, and the ACLU was started by communists.. and are they still supporting them? enought said.
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