The Men Who Stare At Goats Author Jon Ronson Nov 4, 2009
" He loved the movie, and he loves Jeff Bridges, who plays him in the movie. Obviously George Clooney didn't hurt either. George Clooney is like an antiseptic bandage, he kind of heals all wounds. So have you seen the film yet? I've seen it four times. I really love it. The second half of my book is quite dark there's a lot of jokes in the first half and not many in the second half and what George Clooney and director Grant Heslov decided to do was make it a much more sweet-natured, slightly... (Time.com)
Refugees turn their backs on Iraq Nov 4, 2009
Leila recounts how her husband was held in Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad for nine months as American forces questioned him on the whereabouts of Saddam - a result of his former job working in the former president's palaces ... "When my husband was taken away, basically kidnapped, I went to Abu Ghraib where he was being held. I came across an American priest and explained to him I was Christian and that I wanted to know where Bassam was. When I saw him I thought he would want to help with both of... (Asia Times Online)
Book restores the late Pat Tillman's humanity Nov 1, 2009
But all was not as it seemed, and we eventually learned that Tillman was the victim of not only friendly fire but also a government coverup aimed at deflecting the bad press erupting over the atrocities at Abu Ghraib prison that happened to become public the week after he was killed. In his meticulously researched new book, Jon Krakauer uses his straightforward-but-engaging storytelling to lay out the litany of missteps -- broken military protocol, misguided commands, botched communications,... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA -- Sports)
Shades of Abu Ghraib Oct 31, 2009
I WAS lecturing in Camden, South Carolina, when the news of Abu Ghraib first broke. Nobody around me seemed to pay much attention. (The American Conservative)
Our nation is in trouble and some are throwing mud for sport Oct 30, 2009
Graham also said that torture does not work in the long run, calling the Abu Ghraib scandal the biggest mistake we made in the war. The way you beat this enemy is you show differences at every moment, he said, despite the fact that when you re trying to apply the Geneva Convention to al Qaeda, people look at you like you re from the moon, since you re applying a standard to them that they would not apply to you. (Cameron Observer, MO)
The Grating Communicator Oct 30, 2009
(Although he did spend three weeks at a Berlitz course in Arabic honing his pronunciation of "Abu Ghraib" to razor-sharp prissiness. . (Human Events Online)
The pain of torture can make the innocent seem guilty Oct 27, 2009
The findings also shed light on the Abu Ghraib scandal, where prison guards tortured Iraqi detainees. Prison guards, who are close to the suffering of detainees, see detainees as more guilty the more they suffer, unlike the more distant general public. (EurekAlert!)
Soldiers accused in marriage scam for benefits Oct 27, 2009
Abu Ghraib appeal centers on confusion at prison. A female soldier who was photographed giving a smiling "thumbs-up" beside a pyramid of naked Abu Ghraib detainees should have her criminal conviction overturned because parading prisoners in the nude was apparently Army policy, her lawyer told the military's highest court Wednesday. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Iraq casualties Oct 25, 2009
Baddick, part of a rescue dive team, drowned as he tried to rescue Sgt. Darrin K. Potter, whose vehicle had overturned and entered a canal near Abu Ghraib Prison in Baghdad, Iraq on September 29, 2003. Sgt. Potter also died. (CNN -- Specials)
Inside U.S. War Prisons Oct 25, 2009
Abu Ghraib abuseDisturbing photos sparked outrage in 2003 ... Interactive CNN toured a U.S. detention facility in Iraq where officials say they've put in safeguards to prevent a repeat of Abu Ghraib-type abuses. (CNN -- Specials)
Why listen to discredited ex-veep? Oct 23, 2009
His legacy includes Abu Ghraib and a policy that condoned torture of terrorist suspects; the Valerie Plame scandal; unwarranted surveillance of U.S. citizens; and, just before leaving office, the collapse of the global economy ... Gen. George W. Casey succeeded Sanchez, who lasted only a year in Iraq after presiding over the Abu Ghraib fiasco. (Herald Online, SC -- Opinion)
Is There "Hope" for Shepard Fairey? Oct 22, 2009
This is the Economist's use of the infamous Abu Ghraib photos, taken by American military personnel, which TV, newspapers, and magazines repurposed without hesitation ... The photographs in the Abu Ghraib scandal were the story; what might have otherwise been an infringement of copyright is permitted so that the news can be reported ... A third idea, suggested by my Abu Ghraib example, suggests that fair use is a safety valve that prevents copyright from curbing free speech or freedom of the... (Slate)
How Popular Should America Want To Be? Oct 16, 2009
When America comes to stand for something that most Americans think is bad--the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. service members at Abu Ghraib comes to mind--the United States suffers a loss of esteem that Americans themselves may agree is at least partially justified ... The main effect of the photos from Abu Ghraib was indeed to galvanize disapproval of the United States in a way that made life more difficult for Americans. (CBS News)
Soldier appeals Abu Ghraib conviction Oct 15, 2009
WASHINGTON - A female soldier who was photographed giving a smiling thumbs-up beside a pyramid of naked Abu Ghraib detainees should have her criminal conviction overturned because parading prisoners in the nude was apparently Army policy, her lawyer told the military s highest court yesterday. Defense attorney Frank J. Spinner also told the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces it was like a fraternity-type prank when former Army Specialist Sabrina D. Harman helped place a hooded detainee... (Boston Globe)
Abu Ghraib Appeal Centers On Military Confusion Oct 15, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A female soldier who was photographed at Abu Ghraib prison giving a smiling "thumbs-up" beside a pyramid of naked detainees says she hopes her appeal to the military's highest court will exonerate all whose reputations were tarnished by the scandal. Former Army Reserve Specialist Sabrina Harman spoke to The Associated Press before her hearing Wednesday in Washington in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. (13WMAZ.com, GA)
The unseen reactions to Obama's Nobel Oct 12, 2009
MP Nunan - An American Ex-Pat in America - True/Slant. or to Shape Your News. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Rush Limbaugh's Lip Meets Soros Cash in NFL Bid: Scott Soshnick Oct 12, 2009
Limbaugh compared the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib to an initiation ceremony for Skull & Bones, the secretive society at Yale University. And he once said the should buy a liquor store so that its members could practice robberies. (Bloomberg -- Columnists)
Congress Set to Act to Keep Abuse Photos Hidden Oct 12, 2009
The government made much the same argument to prevent the release of 87 photographs and other images of detainees at detention facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, including Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq ... The ACLU, in seeking the other pictures, said the government had long argued that the abuse at Abu Ghraib was isolated and was an aberration. (Newsmax)
Don't cry for terrorists; remember 9/11 instead Oct 11, 2009
If Mr. Morgan considers waterboarding and photographing of nude Abu Ghraib detainees "torture," he should look into the unspeakable conditions at almost every local, state, and federal prison, where inmates are raped on a daily basis and suffer beatings, degradation, and humiliation. I guess George Bush and Dick Cheney are to be held responsible for those acts, as well. (Fredericksburg.com, VA)
Congress set to decide on prison abuse photos Oct 11, 2009
This 2003 photo obtained by the Associated Press shows a detainee in a cell at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad ... The government made much the same argument to prevent the release of 87 photographs and other images of detainees at detention facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, including Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. (Boston Globe)
Female writer revisits torture in Iraq Oct 10, 2009
When the initial interrogations were over, she was transferred to the infamous Abu Ghraib ... Zangana spent the next six months in Abu Ghraib and then a prison for prostitutes, which she claims was an attempt to humiliate her. (MSNBC -- International)
Stryker team at Schofield will deploy to Iraq Oct 9, 2009
The 4,300 soldiers with Hawaii's Stryker Brigade returned in February and March from 15 months in northern Baghdad, Taji, Tarmiyah and Abu Ghraib. The brigade has about 400 of the 19-ton Stryker armored vehicles. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Former Army dog handler in Abu Ghraib case appeals his conviction Oct 9, 2009
Ex-soldier appeals Abu Ghraib conviction ... WASHINGTON - Lawyers for a former Army dog handler convicted of abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq told the US military s highest court yesterday that he was only following orders when he let his dog bark and lunge at prisoners ... The case against Michael J. Smith was the first one in the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal to go before the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in Washington. (Boston Globe)
How Twitter is changing the way wars are fought Oct 5, 2009
Then again militaries have to contend for the first time with their young soldiers having access to mobile phones, digital cameras and laptops, and so perhaps it is actually losing some of the control it once had over the secrets of the battlefield, as events in Abu Ghraib in Iraq showed. And what does it mean for accountability, when any individual can post manipulated footage on YouTube, or information on a blog site which hasnt been subjected to some of the rigorous fac 00004000 t checking... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Profiles: Connecticut's War Dead Oct 5, 2009
Army Sgt. David Travis Friedrich of Naugatuck, a member of the 325th Military Intelligence Company in Waterbury, died Sept. 20, 2003 when mortars hit a U.S. base near the Abu Ghraib prison on the western outskirts of Baghdad. He was 26 years old. (FOX61, CT)
The reluctant poster boy of the protests Oct 4, 2009
Other bloggers declared it comparable to abuses at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, while still others said police were following correct procedures by photographing suspects to create a record ... "I don't want to become a symbol, but I can already feel that happening. A couple of times people have compared it to Abu Ghraib. One guy even argued with me about it. But I wasn't wearing a hood and it wasn't as intense.". (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Thousands identify Guinea bodies Oct 3, 2009
Page last updated at 16:18 GMT, Friday, 2 October 2009 17:18 UK. Some people were able to recognise their loved ones. (BBC News -- Africa)
The inside story of Abu Ghraib Oct 3, 2009
One of the icons of abuse of the Iraq conflict was the torture that look place in the Abu Ghraib prison. A person at the centre of this was former Army reservist Lynndie England. (BBC News)
Probiotic health claims dismissed Oct 3, 2009
Page last updated at 09:48 GMT, Friday, 2 October 2009 10:48 UK. Lactobacillus bulgaricus is one of the probiotics found in health drinks and yoghurts. (BBC News -- Health)
Star treatment Oct 3, 2009
Page last updated at 23:08 GMT, Friday, 2 October 2009 00:08 UK. Communist China's founding lauded in film. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Indian shot for public urination Oct 3, 2009
Page last updated at 08:39 GMT, Friday, 2 October 2009 09:39 UK (BBC News -- South Asia)
Kanye West cancels US tour Oct 3, 2009
Page last updated at 09:45 GMT, Friday, 2 October 2009 10:45 UK. Kanye West cancels American tour. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Moving plight Oct 3, 2009
Page last updated at 23:41 GMT, Friday, 2 October 2009 00:41 UK. Feeling like fish out of water. (BBC News -- Africa)
European angst Oct 3, 2009
Page last updated at 10:04 GMT, Friday, 2 October 2009 11:04 UK. Tories' German alliance strained. (BBC News -- Europe)
Torture? It's simply indefensible Sep 30, 2009
Detainees at Abu Ghraib were humiliated unmercifully, and the evidence shows that the torturers seemed to enjoy doing it. Can you imagine someone torturing detainees by day and then going home at night to his wife and children. (Fredericksburg.com, VA)
Al-Qaida-linked inmates escape Sep 26, 2009
Earlier this month, inmates at Abu Ghraib prison rioted for two days to demand better conditions and the replacement of prison staff they accuse of mistreatment. The prison, where abuses by U.S. troops helped fuel anti-American sentiment in Iraq, has been handed back to Iraqi control and reopened in February. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
5 Questions: Iraq a humbling experience for Carlisle soldier Sep 26, 2009
I was near Baghdad, stationed at Camp Liberty, which is near Abu Ghraib. There is fighting in Afghanistan right now, but Iraq seemed calmer. (Carlisle Sentinel, PA)
When Defenses Go Down Sep 25, 2009
Location: AZ Reply # 1 Date: Sep 25, 2009 - 3:49 AM EST SUZANNE FIELDS Is this the same gal who said, "The soldiers that abused Muslims at Abu Ghraib prison were brought to trial after the U.S. army itself exposed the scandal.". But, the fact is that in the real world the scandal was exposed by the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations, and those responsible were not held accountable at the time. (Townhall.com)
‘The Cantabrigians’ shares a few residents’ favorite things Sep 25, 2009
Chief of staff, National Association of Government Employees; Iraq War combat veteran Flynn, a retired US Army Colonel, was the commander of Abu Ghraib after all the abuses, he says. The Army had developed new standards and new disciplinary actions to try to make life better for everybody there. (Boston Globe)
Book on Pat Tillman has political tones Sep 24, 2009
On April 28, CBS' "60 Minutes" ran the story about the torture and abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Meanwhile, U.S. Marines were engaged in a fierce rear-guard action as they attempted to withdraw from Fallujah. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Krakauer's 'Glory' recounts Pat Tillman's uncommon valor Sep 24, 2009
Krakauer blames the cover-up on military bungling and what he says was the Bush administration's desire to exploit Tillman's death with a gung-ho fallen-hero tale to divert attention from scandalous disclosures soon to emerge from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Tillman indeed was a fallen hero who, while alive, shunned all efforts to make him the poster boy of a global war against terrorism. (USA Today -- Life)
Bombings Across Iraq Kill 11 Sep 24, 2009
A medical official at Abu Ghraib hospital confirmed that the blast killed a woman and two children who were 9 and 13 years old. Though violence has eased across Iraq overall, attacks have persisted in Baghdad and the restive city of Mosul in northern Iraq. (Fox News)
New twist on government control of data: use of subpoenas Sep 23, 2009
In addition, they contend, this administration has used the rubric of national security to cover up controversial activities - from the Abu Ghraib prison abuses to the National Security Agency's domestic wiretapping. "[National security has] been abused to shield high-level political leadership on the torture issue. It's been used as a way to intimate the press [and] create a climate of fear and intimidation about government employees to dissuade whistle-blowers," says Romero of the ACLU.. (Yahoo News -- Privacy Issues)
‘Losing the News’ assesses sweeping changes in journalism Sep 23, 2009
It was not mainstream media that brought us the most explosive footage of the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police, the prison abuses at Abu Ghraib, or the recent Iranian government repression of student demonstrators. The unanswered question in this book is more about finding the news than losing it: Can a passionate citizenry armed with cellphones and blogs be as powerful, or as righteous, as a lone ink-stained wretch with a reporter s pad and a deadline. (Boston Globe)
Letters to the editor Sep 22, 2009
On the ACORN scandal ("Obama says probe is warranted," Sept. 21), this should be a no-brainer for progressives, just as the torture at Abu Ghraib prison should have been for conservatives. Both should be condemned by all, and those who uncover such practices should be thanked by all. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Focus on transparency Sep 22, 2009
No doubt these and other photos would feed anti-American propaganda, as did the stomach-turning images of abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. It's doubtful, however, that they would provide much additional traction for enemies who already portray the United States as a nation of torturers. (Brainerd Daily Dispatch)
Detainee abuse continues at Bagram Sep 22, 2009
According to an internal military investigation of the prisoner abuse cases at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, which triggered worldwide outrage when it became public in 2004, the practices there were inspired by the treatment of inmates at Bagram. Hundreds of innocent inmates. (Salon)
Desert prison Sep 22, 2009
A former Bucca detainee, Katheer Majid, says that even if Bucca was not Abu Ghraib, it was still abuse to keep him there for three years without trial. He was accused of carrying out sectarian killings for the Mehdi army militia. (BBC News -- Americas)
At last, fair rules for prisoners Sep 21, 2009
WHEN PRESIDENT Bush decided that the Geneva Conventions would not apply to prisoners taken in Afghanistan, he effectively disavowed long-accepted rules for how civilized nations deal with captives taken during war - and he laid the groundwork for the abuses of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. Now President Obama is fulfilling his pledge to bring the Geneva rules back. (Boston Globe -- Editorial)
The $1,300 mission to fell ACORN Sep 19, 2009
"When I saw these videos, I couldn't help thinking, this is the Abu Ghraib of the Great Society," said Breitbart, who put the videos on BigGovernment. com. (MSNBC -- Politics)
US military training Iraqi prison guards Sep 18, 2009
CAMP CROPPER, Iraq -- As the U.S. military prepares to hand over the remnants of its detention system to the Iraqi government next year, it is training Iraqi wardens and guards to ensure that changes it made after the Abu Ghraib scandal remain in place ... The commander in charge of America's detention facilities in Iraq has spent the five years since the abuses at Abu Ghraib trying to change the doctrine guiding U.S. detainee operations ... Abu Ghraib, where abuses of prisoners by U.S. troops... (Albany Times Union)
* US military closes Camp Bucca desert jail in Iraq Sep 18, 2009
The closure of Bucca is the first major step in shutting down a detention system that was tainted by the Abu Ghraib scandal. The facility began as a small tent camp for prisoners of war just after the March 2003 invasion, with little more than concertina wire to keep those captured from escaping. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
Frost: Justice system is imperfect Sep 18, 2009
The greater the power, the greater the potential for abuse, [witness the explosion of] torture, from Abu Ghraib to Guantanamo [and] Bagram. A government has no greater power over its [citizens] than the death penalty. (Lincoln Journal, MA)
U.S. closes military prison in Iraq Sep 17, 2009
The closure of Bucca is the first major step in shutting down a detention system that was tainted by the Abu Ghraib scandal ... Reforms after Abu GhraibAfter the abuses at Abu Ghraib, the U.S. military implemented a series of reforms, and authorities at Bucca strove to make it a model facility, with closer oversight by commanders and better training for guards. (MSNBC -- Race)
Guards' behavior compared to Abu Ghraib scandal Sep 16, 2009
A member of a federal commission investigating wartime spending said Monday that photos showing private security guards in various stages of nudity at drunken parties may be as damaging to U.S. interests in Afghanistan as images of detainee mistreatment at Abu Ghraib were in Iraq. More News. (San Francisco Chronicle)
What Iraqi Journalist Who Threw Shoes at Bush Had to Say, Muntadhar al Zaidi, McClatchy Sep 16, 2009
Latest Political Stories. Latest World Stories. (Harper's Magazine)
Telling tragic tales Sep 16, 2009
But the tragic tales are front and center, from the imam's description of being tortured at Abu Ghraib to the mother's account of losing most of her family ... But the tragic tales are front and center, from the imam's description of being tortured at Abu Ghraib to the mother's account of losing most of her family. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
The accused often draw on 'attack twist' Sep 16, 2009
His outfit reports that, with American oversight gone (albeit that the Americans committed their own shameful abuses in such places as Abu Ghraib prison), Iraqi police and security people are again pulling out fingernails and beating detainees, even those who have already made confessions ... "Could a police state return?The Shia-led government has overseen a ballooning of the countrys security apparatus. Human-rights violations are becoming more common. In private many Iraqis, especially... (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
Kabul Embassy Security Co. Admits Error Sep 15, 2009
Also at the hearing, a member of a federal commission investigating wartime spending said the photos may be as damaging to U.S. interests in Afghanistan as images of detainee mistreatment at Abu Ghraib were in Iraq. Dov Zakheim, a former Pentagon comptroller, said the photos are circulating heavily on the Internet and give Muslims in Afghanistan a negative image of the United States and make the jobs of American officials there all the more difficult. (CBS News)
Embassy guard photos evoke Abu Ghraib Sep 15, 2009
WASHINGTON - Photos showing private security guards in various stages of nudity at drunken parties may be as damaging to U.S. interests in Afghanistan as images of detainee mistreatment at Abu Ghraib were in Iraq, members of an independent panel investigating wartime spending said Monday. The photos widely circulating on the Internet show guards, hired by ArmorGroup North America to protect the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, engaging in lewd behavior and sexual misconduct, giving Muslims in Afghanistan... (MSNBC -- International)
Inmate amnesty promise ends riot at Abu Ghraib Sep 13, 2009
Abu Ghraib prison inmates rioted for a second straight day Friday to demand better conditions, setting fire to mattresses and seizing an assault rifle from a guard before authorities said the situation was brought under control ... The facility is now back under Iraqi control and has been officially renamed the Baghdad Central Prison, though locals still refer to it as Abu Ghraib. (San Francisco Chronicle)
* Prisoners riot, start fire at Abu Ghraib prison Sep 13, 2009
Prisoners riot, start fire at Abu Ghraib prison ... Prisoners started a fire during a riot at Iraqs Abu Ghraib prison, US and Iraqi officials said, resulting in some injuries before wardens began evacuating the jail that became notorious for US detainee abuse ... Namir Mohammed, a local council member in western Baghdads Abu Ghraib district, said the inmates set fire to mattresses on Thursday following a search of the facility for mobile phones and banned drugs or medication. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
joint op-ed published today Sep 12, 2009
We have seen American troops die at the hands of foreign fighters recruited with stories about tortured Muslim detainees at Guant;namo and Abu Ghraib. And yet Cheney and others who orchestrated America's disastrous trip to ``the dark side'' continue to assert -- against all evidence -- that torture ``worked'' and that our country is better off for having gone there. (Harper's Magazine)
Closing Guantanamo will be a mistake Sep 12, 2009
But there's no warrant for the popular conflation of Gitmo and Abu Ghraib, as if the two are synonyms. Closing Gitmo will not reverse the wretched evil of the Iraqi facility where US soldiers abused Iraqi prisoners. (Christian Science Monitor)
In Iraq's prisons, a culture of abuse Sep 12, 2009
Inmates at Abu Ghraib rioted Thursday and Friday ... After the exposure of abuses at Abu Ghraib, American officers are eager to point out measures to ensure proper treatment of Iraqi prisoners. (Christian Science Monitor)
