Torture is a privilege of the elite

[brainshrub]

Torture is a privilege of the elite

This morning the New York Times (NYT) revealed that the US has been operating a torture center in Iraq run by a cadre of elite US solders called "Task Force 6-26." According to online Editor and Publisher:

'NYT' Sunday Bombshell: Secret U.S. Torture Site in Iraq

Just in time for the third anniversary of the Iraq war, The New York Times offers a bombshell account Sunday on a secret U.S. torture facility in that country that remained in business even after the Abu Ghraib abuses became known.

The article by Eric Schmitt and Carolyn Marshall reveals that an elite Special Operations forces unit took one of Saddam Hussein's former torture centers near Baghdad Airport and made it their own. They called it the Black Room.

Where have we heard the phrases "elite", "forces" and "torture" before? Let me give you a little hint:



Back in 2003, when war hawks were proclaiming how morally superior American forces were to Saddam's elite Republican guard and Fedayeen, FOX News reported:

Videotape Shows Saddam's Men Torturing Iraqis

A grisly videotape showing acts of torture carried out by Iraqi Republican Guard and Saddam Fedayeen militiamen has been declassified and obtained by Fox News. <snip>

Though at times improperly termed an "elite" unit, the Fedayeen was a politically reliable force that could be counted on to support Saddam against domestic opponents, according to GlobalSecurity.org.

The lesson here is that when a government wants to enforce an inherently immoral policy, they need a group of people who are willing to act immorally. It doesn't matter if it's El Salvador, the Soviet Union or Iraq.

Torturers are not born, they are made. One of the first steps in training such a force is to convince them that they are part of an elite group that can operate outside the law. Then give them a cool sounding name, shorter tours of duty and perhaps even let them ignore military dress code as if it were casual-Friday in a civilian office:

Before and After Abu Ghraib, a U.S. Unit Abused Detainees*

Many of the American Special Operations soldiers wore civilian clothes and were allowed to grow beards and long hair, setting them apart from their uniformed colleagues. Unlike conventional soldiers and marines whose Iraq tours lasted 7 to 12 months, unit members and their commanders typically rotated every 90 days.

Apparently, the only rule this elite torture unit had was to avoid leaving permanent marks or making the victim bleed.

Task Force 6-26 felt free to bash prisoner's heads with rifle butts, spit on them, strip people naked and throw cold water on them to cause the sensation of drowning, or use the victims as paint-ball target practice.

The world may never know what other horrible things this elite unit did in the name of protecting American values.

You remember American values? Weren't those quaint?

I don't want to hear war-hawks claim this torture was an isolated case of a few over-zealous US troops. When a military base has posters proudly proclaiming: NO BLOOD, NO FOUL; we aren't talking about a few bad apples.

We are talking about a sick tree.



At this point you might be expecting a stock rant about the Bush Administration and their lack of humanity. But you know what?

This isn't about the Bush Administration anymore.

This is about us: All of us.

These tactics are being used in our name, with our tax dollars. Supposedly to protect all of us.

Forget you are reading a Liberal website for a moment. I want to speak to you not as a Democrat, but as a human being.

I want to speak to you as someone who is willing to die to defend your freedom, because I know you would be willing to the same for me. We are in this together.

The US has trained an elite force of professional torturers.

How long do you think it will be before these thugs are given legal sanction to come after us?

Do you think I'm exaggerating?

I was raised Catholic, I know my religions history. During the inquisition the Catholics also claimed that "the Church does not shed blood." This is why the Jesuits, an elite force, would work under the Spanish crown.

The Inquisition started by persecuting people the public didn't like: Such as Jews ... but it didn't take long for those tactics to spread. Special operations forces have been used to torture people for centuries - this is nothing new.

To repeat:

The US has trained an elite force of professional torturers.

We are either Americans, and we do something about it. Or we are not.

What are we going to do about it?



This article was originally posted here: www.brainshrub.com/torture-elite

* I no longer link to the NYT because they place a re-direction limit on their articles. If the NYT feels they are too good for bloggers, then I'm not going to do them any favors.

[benddem]

1. This morning on NPR

Ann Garrols (sp?) the woman who stayed in Iraq and relayed stories before and during the beginning of the war, interviewed her driver. The stories he told were frightening, but one bothered me terribly. He was stopped by US Marines and searched. When he got back in his car 8500 (he said dollars) were missing. It was money he was supposed to pay his employees. 3 years later he still hasn't gotten the money back. The judge advocate at first refused to speak with him, then said he would and made an appt. for him. They wouldn't let him in the Green Zone cause he didn't have an escort. He tried another time, but was also rebuffed. Is this how we win the hearts and minds. The top level of the military in Iraq, the Pentagon and the WH must be held to account for all this. Using paintball on prisoners, what in god's earth are they thinking?

[FormerDittoHead]

2. The media hates America and is destroying everything we stand for....

...I read that quote from someone in military intelligence yesterday...

This country has been taken over.

The people ARE standing up.

The people ARE against this war.

The people ARE against this president.

But another 'agenda' is being served...