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Home Front
U.S. Delegation Visits Guantanamo
2003-07-28
A congressional delegation has visited the prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay amid complaints of abuse by inmates. The six representatives toured the U.S. Navy base in Cuba on Saturday, viewing interrogation rooms and discussing techniques for questioning, said Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Maryland. Two of 16 Afghan prisoners who were released a week ago said that they were beaten, kept restrained or placed in cold, overcrowded rooms. The U.S. military has denied mistreating inmates.
"... and then they turned me into a newt!"
"Oh, really?"
[pause] "Well, I got better!"
Ruppersberger, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said military officials took him into interrogations rooms and explained what techniques they used. He said he was not present for any questioning and did not see any evidence of abuse. ``They went to great lengths to show us the how they (interrogations) were handled,’’ Ruppersberger said by phone after returning to Washington.
Where do they find cold rooms in Guantanamo? Turn down the air conditioning?
The United States holds about 660 prisoners from 42 countries on suspicion of links to the al-Qaida terrorist network or Afghanistan’s ousted Taliban regime. None have been allowed to meet with attorneys.
Recalling where they got most of these goobers, I have visions of camo-clad battlefield attorneys, rushing through live fire to represent new clients in shootouts. Kinda goes beyond ambulance chasing, doesn't it?
U.S. authorities have released about 70 detainees and moved about 120 to a medium-security wing where they get more exercise, books and other liberties for cooperating in interrogations. ``The entire operation is very impressive,’’ Ruppersberger said.
Not that we’ll get any bonus points from Amnesty Intl for that.
The prison’s location at the U.S. naval base at the eastern end of Cuba puts the detainees out of the jurisdiction of American courts and constitutional protections, a situation that has been criticized by leftist apologist lawyers and self-serving human rights groups. Ruppersberger, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said he saw interrogation rooms but was not present for any interrogations.
Posted by:Steve White

#7  Not defending Sherieff Joe,Baba(I think the guys is an ass,seems like every few months an inmate is"accidently" killed)I was just compareing the"inhumane" conditions at Gitmo to those in Tent City.
Although I do agree that habitual criminals should not be given easy time.
Posted by: raptor   2003-7-29 8:41:42 AM  

#6  Raptor -- Yeah, but don't forget all the money Maricopa County has had to pay out because of him. (Note: I work for one of the other law enforcement agencies in Maricopa County.....thank God he's not my boss.) Comparing the guys running Gitmo to him is almost insulting.

Never thought I would see the day that air conditioning was cruel and unusual punishment! First, we eeeeeevilllll Merkins feed them so that they put on an average of 13 lbs, but then we give them climate controlled rooms! What diabolical torture will we think of next?
Posted by: Baba Yaga   2003-7-28 5:38:21 PM  

#5  Do a Goggle on Sherieff Joe Arpio,Maricopa County Sherieff.
Tent City(always have vacancies).

Joe's philosophy:"If tents are good enough for our troops in the Gulf,tents are good enough for criminals"
Inmates get green balony sandwiches,3 times a day and pay .50cents/per meal.

Remember folks Phoenix,Az is in the middle of the Sonran Desert.Tempature over the last few weeks has been between 111-118degress(f).
Posted by: raptor   2003-7-28 4:17:03 PM  

#4  "Two of 16 Afghan prisoners who were released a week ago said that they were beaten, kept restrained or placed in cold, overcrowded rooms."

Which was it? Were you beaten, restrained or placed in cold, overcrowded rooms?
Posted by: Tibor   2003-7-28 12:08:53 PM  

#3  SOG475 - My reaction exactly after I wrote it! I don't drink, really (made Saudi a LOT easier), but I sat down with a cup of coffee and a snifter of Bailey's (only alky I have) and thought about it for a few minutes before I submitted. Too funny... Hey, credit where due, right? In a perverse way.
Posted by: PD   2003-7-28 12:06:36 PM  

#2  Placed in cold, overcrowded rooms? It's Cuba, we call it air conditioning. If we didn't have it, they'd bitch about the heat. And I thought they were bitching about solitary, not overcrowding. Get your stories straight, assholes.
Posted by: tu3031   2003-7-28 11:15:01 AM  

#1  They're still breathing - and that's significant. It's what they can be thankful for - and what they can curse, if it suits them.

I was very happy to read that just mentioning Gitmo was an effective opening play in interrogations in Iraq. Very Sweet. I hope the legend grows (Thank you BBC, CNN, AI, ACLU, et al - keep it up!) - and scares the Holy Shit out of the asshats - and all the potential asshats out there.

Every society that hopes to survive, given the available lethality, needs a lever, a boogie man, an Alcatraz, a Gitmo, a deterrence. It seems Gitmo serves us well for this particular breed of vermin. Cool.

Thx, Mr Congressman for the fair and honest assessment of the professionalism with which the US Military runs Gitmo - you earned your pay, for a change. Those soldiers earn it every day.
Posted by: PD   2003-7-28 8:29:10 AM  

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