Soldier testifies conditions at Abu Ghraib were deplorable

[rainbow4321]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D880ST8O0.html


Abu Ghraib prison took a toll both on its thousands of inmates and the relatively few soldiers who guarded them, according to a witness who testified in the penalty phase for a military policeman who has pleaded guilty to abusing detainees.

Army Maj. David Dinenna, a leader of Sgt. Javal Davis' military police battalion, called conditions there "deplorable," with shortages of food, water and clothing as well as frequent mortar attacks and prisoner flare-ups.

"It was filthy, with rodents, rats, wild dogs and trash and an overpopulation of prisoners," Dinenna said Wednesday
Dinenna said he sent many e-mails seeking more supplies and more guards, who often were not replaced when MPs moved to other assignments.

The result, he said, was more work and heightened stress for those left at Abu Ghraib. He estimated that there were roughly 100 inmates for every guard on duty. However, under cross-examination, Dinenna agreed that guards at other U.S.-run detention facilities in Iraq faced similar conditions but didn't abuse prisoners

[Borgnine]

1. Half of Americans cheered at those Abu Ghraib pictures.

This will never be a true scandal, because half of the country have become as twisted and vile as the torturers themselves.

[Jamastiene]

2. Precisely,

or really probably more than half at this point. So many Americans have become out and out Nazis and worse yet are proud of it.

[shrike]

4. God, I love that picture

I know it's off-topic, but ...

[AlCzervik]

7. i love that pic!

[Rose Siding]

3. Eighteen months

"The former guard faces a maximum 6 1/2 years in prison for his crimes, but defense lawyer Paul Bergrin has said that the plea deal caps Davis' sentence at 18 months."

[saigon68]

5. 18 MONTHS FOR KILLING THIS POW----Amazing !!!!!!

[lumpy]

6. Fine example of young

American womanhood. Hope she enjoys having her grinning face plastered all over the internet. I hope this perverted female will live with this picture to a remorsefull end.

[rainbow4321]

8. Guilty soldier says today: "I'm not a perfect soldier — I'm not G.I. Joe,"

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D881DLM00.html


Sgt. Javal Davis pleaded with jurors Thursday for leniency for his wrongful acts at Abu Ghraib, saying that he hoped a few minutes of poor judgment would not end his Army career.

"I'm not a perfect soldier — I'm not G.I. Joe," Davis said during a sometimes tearful explanation of events leading up his abusive treatment of detainees at the prison in November 2003. "Everyone wants to be, but we all make mistakes. ... I don't want to see (his career) go down the drain for some foolishness."

He has admitted stepping on the hands and feet of detainees and that he later fell with his full weight on them. Davis, who is about 6-feet-1 and weighs nearly 220 pounds, has blamed his crimes on job-related stress.

A psychology professor testified earlier in the day that Davis was a typical soldier whose mistreatment of detainees was triggered by the prison's violent atmosphere and a lack of military discipline among guards.

[rainbow4321]

10. His defense attorney: He's been "punished enough"

Note the lawyer's comment at the bottom...maybe he should ask the soldier why HE didn't have sympathy for the Iraqi victims while THEY were (literally) on the ground getting beaten.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PRISONER_ABUSE_DAVIS?SITE=TXSAE&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT



Defense lawyer Paul Bergrin implored the jury of four Army officers and five senior enlisted men to go lightly on Davis, saying he is a good man and a good soldier who has already been punished enough for a brief lapse in judgment.

Bergrin said Davis will forever have a felony conviction on his record, and that he has performed 10 months of menial duties, including painting curbs and picking up trash, while confined to a U.S. base in Iraq after his arrest.

"How much more do we kick him when he's down on the ground?" he asked.

[gratuitous]

11. Ah yes, the "punished enough" plea

Sgt. Davis is 27 years old, and the time he spent torturing and abusing prisoners in his custody is an infinitessimally small portion of that life span -- are we going to lock the poor man away for years just because of one small mistake? Boo, hoo, hoooooo.

Besides, he has spent 10 months of his time since then painting curbs and doing other menial work! The poor guy has been punished enough.

Golly, cry me a river.

"Brutal and cowardly" was the prosecution's characterization of Sgt. Davis's actions, and I have to agree.

[thecai]

9. Similar to America

The prison conditions at Abu Ghraib are not much different than the conditions here in America. Read "The Rock" and "Texas Prison Abuse", et al, on my webpages.