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| quote: | Originally posted by biodigit
Not until he's done searching for the WMDs, behind the furniture in the oval office  |
Just read Bush's speech. Fairly well done with one small tiny problem - a very pathetic attempt at an apology. In fact, there was none whatsoever.
Now I know Bush probably shouldn't feel compelled to show his own personal responsibility in this whole matter, nor am I going to argue that he is directly responsible (though allowing private contractors to do so much military work like translation and interrogation should have never been allowed, thus he might be somewhat indirectly responsible). So it is understandable that Bush shouldn't apologize personally. But it didn't even seem like he apologized for sympathetic reasons for the atrocities done on these prisoners, and I found that disturbing.
One other thing - unfortunately this does look like the tip of the iceberg. I pointed out that military intelligence and the CIA likely encouraged such interrogations is pretty damning. Well I think another damning issue is surfacing, and that is the private contractors taking over military actions. Specifically, the translation and esp. interrogation of Iraqi prisoners.
The problem with this privatization issue is that it is somewhat difficult to prosecute these contractors. They are not in the military, so the jurisdiction of our military cannot touch them. If they are US citizens, we have international policies set up since our invasion of Panama and arrest of Noriega to arrest and prosecute U.S. citizens who break international laws here in the U.S. However, some of these contractors are NOT U.S. citizens, and they are either subject to whatever laws are in their country and/or subject to disciplinary action of their hired companies. Unfortunately, some companies such as Titan have taken very little, if any, disciplinary action at this time, even with U.S. citizens (an excerpt):
| quote: | Contractors Implicated in Prison Abuse Remain on the Job
By JOEL BRINKLEY and JAMES GLANZ
NEW YORK TIMES
Published: May 4, 2004
WASHINGTON, May 3 — More than two months after a classified Army report found that two contract workers were implicated in the abuse of Iraqis at a prison outside Baghdad, the companies that employ them say that they have heard nothing from the Pentagon, and that they have not removed any employees from Iraq.
For one of the employees, the Army report recommended "termination of employment" and revocation of his security clearance. For the other, it urged an official reprimand and review of his security clearance.
But J. P. London, chief executive of CACI, one of the companies involved, said in an interview on Monday that "we have not received any information or direction from the client regarding our work in country — no charges, no communications, no citations, no calls to appear at the Pentagon."
Ralph Williams, vice president for communications for Titan, the other company, also said Monday that the company has heard nothing, and that none of Titan's workers have been recalled.
Military spokesmen in Washington and Baghdad said Monday evening that they had no information on whether the workers were still on the job or why the report had not been conveyed to the companies......
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/04/i...ast/04CONT.html |
Although this seems like a strange communication (or stonewalling) issue from the Pentagon, it highlights the problems with disciplinary action on these private contract workers.
I certainly hope for our sake that proper disciplinary action and prosecution is taken on these individuals. Our credibility and image is being splattered all over the Arab networks.
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Whence September dusk grows crisper still,
with leaves all crimson conquered,
I yearn to shout,
and dance about,
and stick pickles in my honker...
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