Re: Military shares public's declining support for Bush, war

How do you KNOW she lied?

but back to the topic:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/11/28/151943/75
Here's a story that will disappear until bloggers start talking about
it. U.S. interrogator Tony Lagouranis, reports widespread torture and
abuse throughout Iraq.

He admits:
- frustrated US soldiers torture Iraqi families at length in their
homes - including flesh burning, bone breaking, and ax attacks - with
impunity
- no matter how obvious their innocence, detainees are always treated
as guilty and sent to Abu Ghraib
- officers filed unfounded reports to bolster the claim that Fallujah
dead were foreigners
- actually the Fallujah corpses included numerous women and children
- Lagouranis's multiple official abuse reports, ignored by CID and
commanders for over a year, were suddenly re-filed after he appeared on
Frontline
- torture has produced no useful intelligence, and efforts to legalize
it are "the worst thing we could do"


This confirms not just detainee reports and Abu Ghraib evidence, but
reports from U.S. soldiers like Sgt. Greg Ford and Capt. Ian Fishback,
the West Point graduate who complained of murder and abuse condoned in
Iraq - ignored by commanders, Senator Bill Frist, and many others for
17 months until he went public to Human Rights Watch. Fishback's
letter was read by *** Durbin and John McCain in the Senate the day
the Anti-Torture Amendment passed 90-9.


A Matter of Honor


Wednesday, September 28, 2005; Page A21

The following letter was sent to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Sept.
16:

Dear Senator McCain:


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I am a graduate of West Point currently serving as a Captain in the
U.S. Army Infantry. I have served two combat tours with the 82nd
Airborne Division, one each in Afghanistan and Iraq. While I served in
the Global War on Terror, the actions and statements of my leadership
led me to believe that United States policy did not require application
of the Geneva Conventions in Afghanistan or Iraq. On 7 May 2004,
Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's testimony that the United States
followed the Geneva Conventions in Iraq and the "spirit" of the Geneva
Conventions in Afghanistan prompted me to begin an approach for
clarification. For 17 months, I tried to determine what specific
standards governed the treatment of detainees by consulting my chain of
command through battalion commander, multiple JAG lawyers, multiple
Democrat and Republican Congressmen and their aides, the Ft. Bragg
Inspector General's office, multiple government reports, the Secretary
of the Army and multiple general officers, a professional interrogator
at Guantanamo Bay, the deputy head of the department at West Point
responsible for teaching Just War Theory and Law of Land Warfare, and
numerous peers who I regard as honorable and intelligent men.

Instead of resolving my concerns, the approach for clarification
process leaves me deeply troubled. Despite my efforts, I have been
unable to get clear, consistent answers from my leadership about what
constitutes lawful and humane treatment of detainees. I am certain that
this confusion contributed to a wide range of abuses including death
threats, beatings, broken bones, murder, exposure to elements, extreme
forced physical exertion, hostage-taking, stripping, sleep deprivation
and degrading treatment. I and troops under my command witnessed some
of these abuses in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

This is a tragedy. I can remember, as a cadet at West Point, resolving
to ensure that my men would never commit a dishonorable act; that I
would protect them from that type of burden. It absolutely breaks my
heart that I have failed some of them in this regard.

That is in the past and there is nothing we can do about it now. But,
we can learn from our mistakes and ensure that this does not happen
again. Take a major step in that direction; eliminate the confusion. My
approach for clarification provides clear evidence that confusion over
standards was a major contributor to the prisoner abuse. We owe our
soldiers better than this. Give them a clear standard that is in
accordance with the bedrock principles of our nation.

Some do not see the need for this work. Some argue that since our
actions are not as horrifying as Al Qaeda's, we should not be
concerned. When did Al Qaeda become any type of standard by which we
measure the morality of the United States? We are America, and our
actions should be held to a higher standard, the ideals expressed in
documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Others argue that clear standards will limit the President's ability to
wage the War on Terror. Since clear standards only limit interrogation
techniques, it is reasonable for me to assume that supporters of this
argument desire to use coercion to acquire information from detainees.
This is morally inconsistent with the Constitution and justice in war.
It is unacceptable.

Both of these arguments stem from the larger question, the most
important question that this generation will answer. Do we sacrifice
our ideals in order to preserve security? Terrorism inspires fear and
suppresses ideals like freedom and individual rights. Overcoming the
fear posed by terrorist threats is a tremendous test of our courage.
Will we confront danger and adversity in order to preserve our ideals,
or will our courage and commitment to individual rights wither at the
prospect of sacrifice? My response is simple. If we abandon our ideals
in the face of adversity and aggression, then those ideals were never
really in our possession. I would rather die fighting than give up even
the smallest part of the idea that is "America."

Once again, I strongly urge you to do justice to your men and women in
uniform. Give them clear standards of conduct that reflect the ideals
they risk their lives for.

With the Utmost Respect,

-- Capt. Ian Fishback

1st Battalion,

504th Parachute Infantry Regiment,

82nd Airborne Division,

Fort Bragg, North Carolina

.

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