Wow! Nightline tonight (Wed) looks revealing and bad for BushCo...

[CoffeeCat]

I rec'd this in my email today. I thought others might be interested in the topic of tonight's Nightline. I'm very interested in what this man has to say. ---Cheers!

"There's a reckless arrest policy, and there's a tremendous amount of humiliation that follows that arrest policy, and I strongly believe that one of the major reasons that the insurgency is growing is because when detainees are released they come out and they're looking for retribution." -- Cyrus Kar

------------------


Part of my job as a producer in Los Angeles is to book "first" interviews for ABC News. I helped to do that for "Good Morning America" in late July when Cyrus Kar, a Los Angeles documentary filmmaker, had just returned home from a harrowing experience in a U.S. detention camp in Iraq, where he was filming. Kar is an American citizen and Navy veteran, and a supporter of the war. He was arrested in Iraq as a suspected terrorist. His story was checked out within days by the FBI, yet he was held by the U.S. military for nearly two months. His family brought in the ACLU. The perfect ending to a perfect nightmare.

The requisite scramble of reporters and hot-heeled booking producers ensued; the series of quick, live network interviews concluded. But when you've experienced the level of fear and abandonment Kar felt as he sat day after day in solitary confinement, the sound bites don't always roll off the tongue. The three-minute live interviews don't do the story justice. I watched Kar's interviews and saw his eyes communicating something much deeper than a description of the facts. Over the following two weeks, Kar revealed to me at greater length his thoughts and feelings about his captivity and the war in Iraq. The shock of his experience was wearing off, the determination to speak out was settling in. He had a lot more to say.

We brought Kar to Washington to sit down in the studio with Ted Koppel and recount, in depth, not just the circumstances of his detention in U.S. custody, but his thoughts on how that detention may be emblematic of a larger problem in Iraq -- one that may continue to create a rise in Iraqi insurgency, and a rise in American deaths. Through his voice you hear the frustration at the slow wheels of justice. Through his eyes you see a sense of humiliation and betrayal from the inside out.

We found Kar and what he has to say compelling enough to devote the next two shows to it. Tonight, the story of his arrest, and what he thinks would save lives in Iraq. We hope you join us for both nights.

Dina Demetrius & the "Nightline" Staff
Producer

[NYC]

1. Thanks.

I'll take my television out of the closet for this.

[CoffeeCat]

5. LOL!!

I know what you mean. I rarely watch Nightline anymore.

I've totally given up on Larry King. He used to be semi-sane and neutral 25 percent of the time. The last 10 times I tuned in, he was talking about Aruba girl.

I hope that Nightline lives up to your expectations--especially when you are taking the time to extricate your tv out of the closet! That made me LOL...cuz it's funny and cuz I totally understand.

Happy viewing! :)

[NYC]

11. It's out! It's plugged in! It's on!

I'm ready for Nightline. :) Thanks.

[peekaloo]

2. kick

:kick:

[GeorgeBushytail]

3. This story is sad on so many levels

I hope telling the story brings him some peace.

[CoffeeCat]

8. From the description of the show...it sounds like he had major PTSD...

...from being detained.

It sounds like it took a while for the "shock" to wear off, before he could clear his head and discuss what happened. That's PTSD.

That really infuriates me. Those prison sound like complete hell-hole torture chambers. Even if they're not physically torturing everyone, the conditions sound horrific and unpredictable.

If they could do this to an innocent American--what are they doing to Iraqis? It chills the blood.

Many who leave Guantanamo--obviously innocent people--are demonstrating severe PTSD. Sometimes psychological torture can create worse scars than physical beatings. The scars are on the inside but they wreck havoc.

I can't believe people believed that Abu Graib was a "few bad apples" when it is evident that maltreatment and all kinds of torture is the norm for this sick administration.

Maybe tonight's show will help to reveal the truth and put a spotlight on one more BushCo crime.

[Inland]

4. Story was amazing, in NYT maybe a month ago.

[WiseButAngrySara]

6. TU for the PO. I'll watch. kick and nominated.......n/t

[wli]

7. there's a reckless arrest policy inside US borders, too

Not to mention gassings and peppersprayings and taserings and beanbagging. Live ammo probably coming shortly after the recently announced weirdo crowd control weapons are used to fry demonstrators.

[blue neen]

9. I'll be watching that.

Thanks for the heads up.

[VPStoltz]

10. "They brought in the ACLU..."

I wonder what they had to say about the ACLU before it helped them with there problem? The one Repug, * supporter I even admit to know blames EVERYTHING on the "fucking liberals and the ACLU."

[WiseButAngrySara]

12. On now...Thanks again! Gonna be good.............n/t

[aquart]

13. This is really rough to hear.

What the hell are we doing over there?

[gratuitous]

17. What are we doing? Exactly as some predicted

War has that dehumanizing effect on people, military and civilian alike. Once the military has invaded and created a hostile war of all-against-all situation, then every person has to be treated as a potential lethal enemy, regardless of their true nature or position.

And oddly enough, treating someone as an enemy tends to turn that person into an enemy. There's probably a complex psychological explanation for the phenomenon, but it's as sure as water is wet or fire is hot.

We're making enemies, pure and simple. That's what we're doing over there. As to the "why" of the situation, I'd wager that it's because it is in the best interests of some people -- financially or politically or some other interest -- to create more enemies in Iraq.

[NYC]

14. That was an excellent program.

I hope a lot of people saw it. He was a totally innocent American citizen. I would hope that the American citizens watching can feel empathy.

I'm assuming part two is tomorrow night.

Thanks for letting me know this was on.

[ginnyinWI]

15. I was riveted to my chair

Fascinating stuff. I will be looking forward to part two tonight!

[Misskittycat]

16. It was a very riveting show. n/t