Sunday, July 10, 2005

More Guantanamo Outrage

crossposted at Booman Tribune

The commanding officer of Guantanamo Bay prison was relieved from duty on July 9th due to "allegations of inappropriate management practices" [Duh!]

From the Boston Globe:

The officer, Captain Leslie J. McCoy, who had commanded Guantanamo since March 2003, was the subject of an investigation into inappropriate personnel and administrative practices unrelated to the base's detention camp for suspected terrorists.

[snip]

McCoy was relieved of his duties Saturday by Rear Admiral Annette E. Brown, the region commander, who had ''lost confidence in his ability to effectively lead," Dooling said.

The military is already trying to spin this as being unrelated to detainee practices. They are refusing to give any details to the "allegations", but they are obviously strong enough to merit a transfer.

It's not a secret that the United States is using torture practices to extract information from "terrorists". We are seeing widespread deterioration of our justice system as a result of the Republican Administration. How do they respond? By pretending that there isn't a problem.


Inmates from the US-led war on terror held at the prison camp at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba are well treated, play outdoor sports, and have access to a broad Muslim-approved menu, a US senator who traveled to the site said.

US Senator Pat Roberts, a conservative Republican from Kansas, said on "Fox News Sunday" that he just returned from visiting the Guantanamo detention site.

"They have a Muslim menu down there of 113 dishes," said Roberts, chairman of the US Senate Intelligence Committee.

"I saw them playing soccer. I saw them playing ping-pong. I saw them playing ... I think it was volleyball," he said.

AFP via Yahoo - emphasis mine


Face it folks, we will continue to torture people until enough of us call for change. We have to summon the energy to fight back hard against the spin.

"THEY'RE TERRORISTS! YOU SUPPORT THE ENEMY!"

Well, here's a good start for a rebuttal: "They're not all guilty in Guantanamo"

The Pentagon has determined four more prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, no longer pose much of a threat and plans to release them, a senior official said Friday.

No information on those four was available. The State Department is making arrangements to send them to their home countries, said Rear Adm. James M. McGarrah, who oversees the reviews of prisoners and whether they should remain at Guantanamo, told reporters at the Pentagon.

Their fate was determined by a quasi-judicial process called an administrative review board, which the Pentagon created after human rights groups complained about the indefinite nature of the detentions at the U.S. naval base.

LA Times - emphasis mine


Keep fighting everyone! We're making a difference. For starters, add your name to the list here. Make a stand for justice.

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