June 15, 2005
DICK DURBIN (via Reg Jones):
Senator Richard Durbin, June 14, 2005, Congressional Record
“…When you read some of the graphic descriptions of what has occurred here--I almost hesitate to put them in the RECORD, and yet they have to be added to this debate. Let me read to you what one FBI agent saw. And I quote from his report:On a couple of occasions, I entered interview rooms to find a detainee chained hand and foot in a fetal position to the floor, with no chair, food or water. Most times they urinated or defecated on themselves, and had been left there for 18-24 hours or more. On one occasion, the air conditioning had been turned down so far and the temperature was so cold in the room, that the barefooted detainee was shaking with cold. ..... On another occasion, the [air conditioner] had been turned off, making the temperature in the unventilated room well over 100 degrees. The detainee was almost unconscious on the floor, with a pile of hair next to him. He had apparently been literally pulling his hair out throughout the night. On another occasion, not only was the temperature unbearably hot, but extremely loud rap music was being played in the room, and had been since the day before, with the detainee chained hand and foot in the fetal position on the tile floor.
If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags , or some mad regime --Pol Pot or others--that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners.
No air conditioning and loud music? It sounds more like a Jersey Shore beach house than the Killing Fields. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 15, 2005 12:24 PM
And for the opposing viewpoint, we have Rep. Duncan Hunter last weekend on Fox News Sunday:
"Now, how do we treat these people? I sent down yesterday for the menu from Guantanamo so that the average American could understand how we're brutalizing people in Guantanamo, and I've got it right here. For Sunday, they're going to be having -- let me see -- orange glazed chicken, fresh fruit grupe, steamed peas and mushrooms, rice pilaf...
But the point is, we treat these people very well. We supply every one of them with the Koran. We supply them with oil. We supply them with prayer beads. Five times a day on the prison system, we do the call to prayer with arrows pointing in the direction of mecca and assist them in their prayer ritual."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,159236,00.html
PS - I try never to miss the group gab segment when both Brit Hume and Juan Williams are on together. It is hysterical watching Brit b*itch-slap Juan silly.
Posted by: Rick T. at June 15, 2005 12:53 PMI dunno, but 'orange glazed chicken, fresh fruit grupe, steamed peas and mushrooms, rice pilaf' would make a nice last meal before a war criminal (which the detainees most certainly are) gets a blindfold, cigarette and bullet in the chest.
Posted by: JonofAtlanta at June 15, 2005 1:16 PMYou have to admire the delusionary naivete of politicians who think the American people give a damn how we treat murderous psychopathic savages.
Posted by: Matt Murphy at June 15, 2005 1:42 PMMatt wrote, "You have to admire the delusionary naivete of politicians who think the American people give a damn how we treat murderous psychopathic savages."
Patrick Ruffini made the same point the other day, wondering why the DNC and the media (but I repeat myself) is willing to play such a potentially losing hand.
Posted by: Ed Driscoll at June 15, 2005 1:58 PMAs long as it's not on the television, Americans are cool. If someone can sneak in a digital minicam, then Gitmo's on the way out.
Posted by: at June 15, 2005 2:05 PMGet it on camera and you've got a hit tv show--we want these guys tortured
Posted by: oj at June 15, 2005 2:08 PMYes, as long as we don't have to see it.
Posted by: at June 15, 2005 2:37 PMEd Driscoll:
Because they're nuts. Just look who they elected chairman.
Posted by: Matt Murphy at June 15, 2005 2:47 PMI heard a middle-aged to older woman on Rush today say (quite heatedly) that she called Durbin's office to let them know he is a 'traitor' and a slimy SOB. And Durbin probably thinks he is Haing Ngor for speaking out as he did.
I'll bet if Howard Dean and this crew could get on a plane and fly to Guantanamo Bay, they would. All the while thinking that they were going to knock Bush down 5 points in the polls.
Me, I'd be satisfied to let Pelosi and Boxer alone with some of the detainees for 30 minutes. Or Stevens and Souter and Ginsburg. Reality would bite.
Posted by: jim hamlen at June 15, 2005 3:48 PMRush also made the completely irrelevant and yet totally devastating point that our troops are wearing combat armor in 130 degree heat in Iraq.
It's interesting that conservatives are discussing Durbin's comments with such relish. If he hadn't added the nonsense at the end about Hitler and Pol Pot, no one would have paid any attention. Some college girls probably would have been upset about leaving a detainee in 100 degree heat. It's the nonsense at the end that makes this newsworthy, and a great Republican talking point.
Posted by: David Cohen at June 15, 2005 4:25 PMOJ's right. It would be hit TV. Its only the blue state elite who cares and they aren't wrestlemania fans either.
No one has been tortured yet. All of the above does not constitute torture. Discomfort yes, torture no.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at June 15, 2005 10:18 PMI think Dick Durban is GREAT. I admire him for his courage. The prisoners at Gitmo are not all criminals, many are innocent. Shame on AMerica for allowing torture just because an arab is not as important to them as an american. Just as Jefferson meant by equality that all rich male whites are equal. You guys seem to think that all AMericans are equal. Denying basic freedoms to people is not something you should be proud of. Shame on you!
Posted by: Zainab at June 16, 2005 7:51 PMI think Dick Durban is GREAT. I admire him for his courage. The prisoners at Gitmo are not all criminals, many are innocent. Shame on AMerica for allowing torture just because an arab is not as important to them as an american. Just as Jefferson meant by equality that all rich male whites are equal. You guys seem to think that all AMericans are equal. Denying basic freedoms to people is not something you should be proud of. Shame on you!
Posted by: Zainab at June 16, 2005 7:51 PMZainab: What makes you think we treat American prisoners any better?
Posted by: David Cohen at June 16, 2005 9:13 PMIf nothing else, there's probably less rape.
Posted by: oj at June 16, 2005 10:34 PMHow many of the 520 or so are Arab?
Over 200 have already been released. 10-12 have been re-captured in battle or killed. Care to let any more go? I don't.
We could set up camp on Little Diomede and dare them to swim to Russia. But, of course, Putin would shoot them.
We could send them to Antarctica. Or Diego Garcia. Or Riyadh. Perhaps Tierra del Fuego. Or Novaya Zemlya. Or even Tehran.
Or we could put them in the lockup in D.C. (to follow David's line of thinking). See if they survive.
This issue is a sure loser for the Democrats. What are they angling for, the terrorist vote? The career criminal vote? The fifth column vote?
Posted by: jim hamlen at June 16, 2005 10:47 PM