Pentagon Blocks Release of Abu Ghraib Images: Here's Why

[align=left]wow, i didn't hear rumsfeld say it's just a fun old time at camp guantanamo...if he thinks the pictures are blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhumane, i wonder how bad they really are?[/align]
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[align=left]Pentagon Blocks Release of Abu Ghraib Images: Here's Why [/align]
[align=left]Editor and Publisher/Greg Mitchell | July 26 2005
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[align=left]NEW YORK So what is shown on the 87 photographs and four videos from Abu Ghraib prison that the Pentagon, in an eleventh hour move, blocked from release this weekend? One clue: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Congress last year, after viewing a large cache of unreleased images: "I mean, I looked at them last night, and they're hard to believe.â?� They show acts "that can only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhumane," he added.
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A Republican Senator suggested the same day they contained scenes of â??rape and murder.â?� No wonder Rumsfeld commented then, "If these are released to the public, obviously it's going to make matters worse."

Yesterday, news emerged that lawyers for the Pentagon had refused to cooperate with a federal judge's order to release dozens of unseen photographs and videos from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq by Saturday. The photos were among thousands turned over by the key â??whistleblowerâ?� in the scandal, Specialist Joseph M. Darby. Just a few that were released to the press sparked the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal last year, and the video images are said to be even more shocking.

The Pentagon lawyers said in a letter sent to the federal court in Manhattan that they would file a sealed brief explaining their reasons for not turning over the material. They had been ordered to do so by a federal judge in response to a FOIA lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU accused the government Friday of putting another legal roadblock in the way of its bid to allow the public to see the images of the prisoner abuse scandal.

One Pentagon lawyer has argued that they should not be released because they would only add to the humiliation of the prisoners. But the ACLU has said the faces of the victims can easily be "redacted."

To get a sense of what may be shown in these images, one has to go back to press reports from when the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal was still front page news.

This is how CNN reported it on May 8, 2004, in a typical account that day:

â??U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld revealed Friday that videos and â??a lot more picturesâ?? exist of the abuse of Iraqis held at Abu Ghraib prison.

"â??If these are released to the public, obviously it's going to make matters worse,â?? Rumsfeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee. â??I mean, I looked at them last night, and they're hard to believe.â??

â??The embattled defense secretary fielded sharp and skeptical questions from lawmakers as he testified about the growing prisoner abuse scandal. A military report about that abuse describes detainees being threatened, sodomized with a chemical light and forced into sexually humiliating poses.

â??Charges have been brought against seven service members, and investigations into events at the prison continue.

â??Military investigators have looked into -- or are continuing to investigate -- 35 cases of alleged abuse or deaths of prisoners in detention facilities in the Central Command theater, according to Army Secretary Les Brownlee. Two of those cases were deemed homicides, he said.

"â??The American public needs to understand we're talking about rape and murder here. We're not just talking about giving people a humiliating experience,â?? Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters after Rumsfeld testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. â??We're talking about rape and murder -- and some very serious charges.â??

â??A report by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba on the abuse at the prison outside Baghdad says videotapes and photographs show naked detainees, and that groups of men were forced to masturbate while being photographed and videotaped. Taguba also found evidence of a â??male MP guard having sex with a female detainee.â??

â??Rumsfeld told Congress the unrevealed photos and videos contain acts 'that can only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhuman.â??â?�

The military later screened some of the images for lawmakers, who said they showed, among other things, attack dogs snarling at cowed prisoners, Iraqi women forced to expose their breasts, and naked prisoners forced to have sex with each other.

In the same period, reporter Seymour Hersh, who helped uncover the scandal, said in a speech before an ACLU convention: â??Some of the worse that happened that you don't know about, ok? Videos, there are women there. Some of you may have read they were passing letters, communications out to their menâ?¦.The women were passing messages saying â??Please come and kill me, because of what's happened.â??

â??Basically what happened is that those women who were arrested with young boys/children in cases that have been recorded. The boys were sodomized with the cameras rolling. The worst about all of them is the soundtrack of the boys shrieking that your government has. They are in total terror it's going to come out.â?�

[align=left]are these vets conspiracy theorists? if they hate freedom so much they should just get the fuck out.[/align]
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[align=left]2,000 vets call for release of more Abu Ghraib photos [/align]
[align=left]Raw Story | July 26 2005
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[align=left]Veterans for Common Sense (VCS), a nonpartisan veterans' organization with 12,000 members, called for a commission to investigate torture allegations today, in response to the Pentagon refusal to release photos and videos from Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, the group said in a release Monday. Details follow.
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In an open letter, signed by more than 2,000 veterans and supporters (including 5 flag-rank officers and more than 200 commissioned officers), the veterans urged Congress and the President to "commit -- immediately and publicly -- to support the creation of an independent commission to investigate and report on the detention and interrogation practices of U.S. military and intelligence agencies deployed in the war on terror."

Charles Sheehan-Miles, a 1991 Gulf War veteran and the group's executive director, said, "Once again the administration is fighting to prevent any possible public accountability for its policies, instead choosing to blame it all on the troops. To court-martial privates while high ranking officials get promoted is damaging to the very principle of command responsibility and undermines the U.S. military."

Veterans for Common Sense is co-plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of human rights and civil liberties groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights. The lawsuit has generated thousands of pages of documents in the last year documenting torture, abuse and in some cases murder in U.S. detention centers.

Individuals who have seen the photos and videos, including some members of Congress and journalist Seymour Hersh, have reported they include scenes far worse than anything released from Abu Ghraib thus far, including rape and the videotaped beating of a prisoner. The courts had ordered the Pentagon to release the photos by Friday, July 22, but the Pentagon filed a last minute brief attempting to block their release.

Sheehan-Miles said, "The Pentagon is doing everything it can to prevent the release of these graphic images, because they know that if the U.S. public were to see the true scope of the abuses, the demands for an independent investigation would be too strong to be ignored."

lets see the videos

Didnt you see the fried chicken and bananas?

They're living in a resort. grow up, pisshead. the government loves you. now take this shot, it'll protect you from terrorists.

yeah, amsterdam, let's see them...from rumsfeld's and others' comments...i don't think that's going to happen, they're obviously trying to hide something.

of course, we can read the army's own report and read about what's going on...but who wants to waste their time reading some boring 40 page report...when there's football on the telescreen.

there was some abuse that happened,nothing big.thats why the story flopped after it was put through the ringer and seen to be for the most part bullshit,like the rove story to.

get your club-gitmo t-shirt.i got mine.

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Originally Posted by amsterdam

get your club-gitmo t-shirt.i got mine.

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Donald Rumsfeld approved.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Congress last year, after viewing a large cache of unreleased images: "I mean, I looked at them last night, and they're hard to believe.â?� They show acts "that can only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhumane," he added.

blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhumane...for people who haven't been charged for a single thing...the real taliban and al-qaeda were 'accidentally' flown out of afghanistan and paid in gold bars on US c-130's...the government said it was an accident. then they arrested a bunch of kids and front line goat herders to be publicly tortured. wow, i hope we get this freedom one day.

i just don't understand why some iraqis wouldn't want it.

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Originally Posted by pisshead

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Congress last year, after viewing a large cache of unreleased images: "I mean, I looked at them last night, and they're hard to believe.â?� They show acts "that can only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhumane," he added.

blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhumane...for people who haven't been charged for a single thing...the real taliban and al-qaeda were 'accidentally' flown out of afghanistan and paid in gold bars on US c-130's...the government said it was an accident. then they arrested a bunch of kids and front line goat herders to be publicly tortured. wow, i hope we get this freedom one day.

i just don't understand why some iraqis wouldn't want it.

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Stop it, pisshead. i dont like your terrorist threats. you declarin war on my country, boy?

Now get back to printing those "support the troops" stickers or i'll be forced to report you to homeland security

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Originally Posted by nicholasstanko

Donald Rumsfeld approved.

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yup,they are funny as hell.people around chicago laugh their ass off when they read it.

i know nich...i need to start reapplying my double think and force myself to watch speeches of george bush until i realize how the world works...i better leave the country because i hate freedom so much first though.

can't we have some chinese slave make our flags and bumper stickers instead? too much effort. we call this 'capitalism.' then i can go into walmart where a decade ago it was made in America...not since Pa Walton died though...greedy kids.

i can proudly walk into walmart as the American flag waves above my head, as the surveillance camera behind the cage watches me.

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Originally Posted by amsterdam

yup,they are funny as hell.people around chicago laugh their ass off when they read it.

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i wonder if any of the detainees facing rape and murder and torture get some kind of discount. why do you guys wear those shirts? how is it funny? :confused:

because the claims against gitmo and abu ghraib are soooooooooooooooooo over blown ITS FUNNY AS HELL!!

i know...it's actually pretty disgusting, isn't it?

but then again, you can turn on rush limbaugh and be disgusted any day.


you know...rush limbaugh would always make comments when clinton was president about how there would be a school shooting before gun control legislation...totally serious...so it should be clear he's just a hghly paid shill...he's paid more than his show makes...that should send off alarm bells.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Congress last year, after viewing a large cache of unreleased images: "I mean, I looked at them last night, and they're hard to believe.â?� They show acts "that can only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhumane," he added.

rush is #1 in L.A. and New York.that should scare some of you.

wheres the video of the new revelations about torture?

ask lord rumsfeld...write him a letter and see if he answers!

the funny thing is that Alex Jones actually gets comparable ratings to Rush Limbaugh. and he's only on about 50 small stations around the country.

and he routinely beats Bill O'Reilly in ratings too.

gimme a break.

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Originally Posted by pisshead

ask lord rumsfeld...write him a letter and see if he answers!

the funny thing is that Alex Jones actually gets comparable ratings to Rush Limbaugh. and he's only on about 50 small stations around the country.

and he routinely beats Bill O'Reilly in ratings too.

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Your comparing Alex Jones to Bill O'Reilly....can't stop it.....oh GOD....here it comes...BWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH

ummm, i was comparing their 'ratings'...i'm sure you've taken some kind of media class and know what ratings are...maybe not.

we could compare their hair color or weight or eye color if you want?

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Originally Posted by pisshead

ask lord rumsfeld...write him a letter and see if he answers!

the funny thing is that Alex Jones actually gets comparable ratings to Rush Limbaugh. and he's only on about 50 small stations around the country.

and he routinely beats Bill O'Reilly in ratings too.

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NO,he dosent.sounds like another new york slimes inflating their ratings to make themselves feel better.

In some other group I they say the videos contain soldiers eating babies and such in front of inmates, raping children and whatnot. Sounds like a BS story to me. Not buying it.

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Originally Posted by pisshead

we could compare their hair color or weight or eye color if you want?

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I hope thats all you were comparing! Besides that, ol' boy Alex Jones wouldn't make a pimple on any credible jounalists ass! :D

total bs trying to revive a dead story.there was some abuse(mild).just another lame attempt trying to hurt W.

the funniest part is,if we held another election today,Bush would SMOKE any dem on the ticket.

that's why he gets 20+ million individual user hits a month, right?

still isnt even on the same level as Rush.jones is a nobody compared to Rush.if alex was that popular he would work for the times or be a reporter on cnn or msnbc.

I don't know, you watch the news and Hillary is really the shit these days! :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by pisshead

that's why he gets 20+ million individual user hits a month, right?

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And of course he makes NO money at this! :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Psycho4Bud

I don't know, you watch the news and Hillary is really the shit these days! :rolleyes:

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good,i hope they do hype hillary and she runs.

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Originally Posted by amsterdam

because the claims against gitmo and abu ghraib are soooooooooooooooooo over blown ITS FUNNY AS HELL!!

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when i was posting the links to the pics, i came across one photo with an iraqi woman being raped by three american soldiers.

it actually looked like a bad porn movie, and there's nothing to back it up as authentic. but i wouldnt be surprised if it were real. i mean, dont listen to donald rumsfeld when he says that the photos were really disturbing.

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Originally Posted by XTC

In some other group I they say the videos contain soldiers eating babies and such in front of inmates, raping children and whatnot. Sounds like a BS story to me. Not buying it.

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i never heard about babies being eaten, but there are an alarming number of reports about detainees dying as a result of torture and being sodomised.

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Originally Posted by amsterdam

total bs trying to revive a dead story.there was some abuse(mild).just another lame attempt trying to hurt W.

the funniest part is,if we held another election today,Bush would SMOKE any dem on the ticket.

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With a 42% approval rating, you seem to portray that as a good thing.

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Originally Posted by amsterdam

still isnt even on the same level as Rush.jones is a nobody compared to Rush.if alex was that popular he would work for the times or be a reporter on cnn or msnbc.

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No he wouldnt. Alex hates the mainstream media because they're controlled by fascists.

Just the fact that as an INDEPENDENT he gets ratings on par with the "big boys" just proves that many people listen and take heed to his words. If alex packed up from gcn and went to one of those networks, he'd be a hypocrite.

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Originally Posted by Psycho4Bud

And of course he makes NO money at this! :rolleyes:

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i'm pretty sure it's nowhere near the millions of dollars rush makes.

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Originally Posted by nicholasstanko

i'm pretty sure it's nowhere near the millions of dollars rush makes.

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I'm sure it's not either, but he surely is trying like hell to get there. Keep up the buying Nic! :D

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Originally Posted by Psycho4Bud

I'm sure it's not either, but he surely is trying like hell to get there. Keep up the buying Nic! :D

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i havnt bought anything. pisshead offered his username and password so i could see the info.

i've gotten everything alex has to offer and it didnt cost me a dime. it only took a few minutes to entertain someone else's view.

if you'd like, i remember pisshead offering the same info to anyone that asked. why dont you try to link up with him, before going bwaaaahhhhh again.

or is it because you're a feeble old man that is scared of knowing that in his senior years, he has been lied to over and over.

not much time to do anything about it eh, psycho? it's okay. just live out the last few years of your ignorant life blissfully unaware of what kind of world your grandkids will have to grow up in. you'll be dead, so it wont matter.


Glad to see you support the family as much as you do the troops. God help them both.

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Originally Posted by nicholasstanko

i havnt bought anything. pisshead offered his username and password so i could see the info.

i've gotten everything alex has to offer and it didnt cost me a dime. it only took a few minutes to entertain someone else's view.

if you'd like, i remember pisshead offering the same info to anyone that asked. why dont you try to link up with him, before going bwaaaahhhhh again.

or is it because you're a feeble old man that is scared of knowing that in his senior years, he has been lied to over and over.

not much time to do anything about it eh, psycho? it's okay. just live out the last few years of your ignorant life blissfully unaware of what kind of world your grandkids will have to grow up in. you'll be dead, so it wont matter.


Glad to see you support the family as much as you do the troops. God help them both.

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I'm ignorant...Mr. History Major! BWAAAAAHHHHHH
So its not bad enough you spew the shit your to damn cheap to buy it for yourself.....HUMAN SPUNGE! Don't like the government but happy to take the freebees, Love Alex Jones but to damn cheap to buy your own subscription. Hows it feel to be a taker Nic...oh yah, you give a good line of shit! :D

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Originally Posted by Psycho4Bud

I'm ignorant...Mr. History Major! BWAAAAAHHHHHH
So its not bad enough you spew the shit your to damn cheap to buy it for yourself.....HUMAN SPUNGE! Don't like the government but happy to take the freebees, Love Alex Jones but to damn cheap to buy your own subscription. Hows it feel to be a taker Nic...oh yah, you give a good line of shit! :D

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pisshead offered the info to me. i didnt ask for anything to be given to me. You probably knew that, but the mind grows frail as it grows older, right psycho. :cool: