ABUSE CRISIS: Homicide Investigations

The abuse crisis has moved past the simple humiliation of prisoners, to a number of possible homicide cases. 8 confirmed homicides and a number of possible homicides. 33 so far, how many more to come?

The US army has opened 33 criminal investigations into deaths of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan since December 2002, a senior Pentagon official said yesterday. The deaths include two already ruled as homicides and eight in which homicide is suspected.

news.ft.com.../StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1084907752465

and

Among cases involving Iraqi and Afghani detainees, only one U.S. soldier is known to have been disciplined. In that homicide case, in September 2003, a soldier shot and killed an Iraqi prisoner who was throwing rocks at him. The soldier was charged with using excessive force, reduced in rank and dismissed from the military. Another homicide case involved someone working for the CIA and has been turned over to the Justice Department.

www.philly.com...


There needs to be some serious but kicking in the U.S. military over this. This is not just the result of a few bad apples as some would have us believe, but rather it is a systemwide breakdown in discipline and ethics. This undermines our whole effort to restore democracy.

I predict that this, if nothing else, will cost Bush the election in November.

Let's start a Dump Rump pool. I say Bush will dump him on June 18th.


[Edited on 22-5-2004 by HowardRoark]

[Edited on 5-22-2004 by Valhall]