Comments on: The Story of Prisoner 200343

Cohen: American Detainee Shares Familiar Story Of Mistreatment By U.S. Forces In Iraq

[getcentered]

The neo-con's and the military industrial complex have really done it to us with this Iraq war.

I'm starting to think that the people that started this war in Iraq don't really want it to end. Why?
PROFITS, MONEY, COMMERCE?
If the war stops now then they won't sell as many bullets and guns or get to steal all the oil from the country.
IS IT ALL ABOUT MONEY AND INDUSTRY?

This is the only reason, our men and women were ordered to die in Iraq I can come up with.

GOP/Republicans/conservatives/neo-cons are the worst leaders a country could be duped into voting for. They have made a fool out of everyone who voted for them. From our president all the way down to the crappy school board who wants to teach "Intelligent Design" to our children. These people are DUMB and CRAZY! The neo-con generation needs to STAY at HOME and watch TV, and STAY OUT OF GOVERNMENT.

[huskerarmy]

"On these missions we do not see a civil war, we do not see sectarian violence, and we never see any reporters there to tell that side of the story."

VikinGI,

Are you suggesting that there is no civil war or sectarian violence? Do not loose track of the underlying problem with the Iraq war. There is no basis for it. In spite of your humanitarian efforts and good deeds, even if all was as peachy smooth as some on the right would like us to believe, the war itself does not make sense. There are no WMD's, Iraq had nothing to do with 911, the war has become a cause celeb for recruiting new terrorists, the present government has close ties to shiite fundamentalists and will likely gravitate over time towards Iran, the entire region is more unstable then ever. Things are going to get much worse. The lesson of Viet Nam was that we cannot be the worlds policemen and invade every non-democratic country around the globe. We seemed not to have learned anything from that war.

[huskerarmy]

Excellent post itchybrain! It always amazes me when those who arrogantly claim to love America more than the rest of us take the freedoms we are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights so tentatively.

[sharncedar]

Is it worse to kill a whole country or to pretend afterwards you were doing the right thing? Which is the greater evil, I don't know, the whole thing makes me sick.

It is just like Vietnam, isn't it, we can say "support the troops" but we don't even recognize you guys, the killer monsters we've created. There is no way we can make it OK, because it isn't OK. There were no WMD's in Iraq, there was no declared war, there was no provocation, so everything we've done is flat-out murder.

[sharncedar]

"Some times it takes a bomb, some times it takes a cartoon"

C'mon, dude. You dropped millions of tons of bombs on that country, dismantled the government intentionally down to a low level (didn't do that to Japan after WWII, for example, it was pure stupidity), and killed thousands of people with sniper fire just for walking down the street.

Look what happened to America say New Orleans, with the rioting and looting if there is even a mild breakdown of security. You guys smashed that country to bits, then let them get up and smashed them again and agin.

There is nobody responsible for the carnage in Iraq but you are your friends (and those who gave the orders). I know you guys were just trying to do your job, but you pulled the trigger, man, don't try to pretend there is nothing wrong with it. Like human life doesn't even matter.

[itchybrain]

A few points notblue...

1) The very freedoms you mention are in jeapordy not because we should treat people with at least a little respect, they are in danger because you would gladly give them away to ease your mind.

2) Our human dignity, civil rights, and respect for life is not our weakness, it's the source of our strength. It takes a lot of courage to maintain ones values in the face of such adversity. To become like them is a cowardly act that sells out our birthright and shames our country.

3) I'm not a Democrat, I'm a lifelong Republican who is horrified by what this country has become under the present administration. Apparently I do have some liberal leanings because I'm disgusted with the lies and the torture and the degradation of our freedoms in the name of being free.

And by the way, 'liberal' is not a curse word to be spit out of ones mouth like it was something that tastes bad. It is an opposing philosophy that at least 50% or more of the people in this country follow that deserves to be aired and discussed. We would all be better off if people opened their ears instead of their mouths.

[vikinggi]

Rafterman,

Thanks for the kind words and for proving my point.

It sure must appear that the bad outweighs the good in Iraq when viewed from your livingroom sofa.

Yes, many of my fellow soldiers have lost their lives - Don't you dare think for a second that we do not feel the pain and loss having our buddies torn from us.

As for us being responsible for wrecking Iraq in the first place, let us not forget how simple it is to wreck things. Some times it takes a bomb, some times it takes a cartoon, sometimes it just takes a rumor about koran mistreatment.

It is just frustrating to see my fellow Democrats (yes I said fellow) misrepresent all that is happening over here in Iraq. It is all frustrating to see how many also believe anything negative which is fed to them.

So many are blinded by their hatred of our President (or the military) that they cannot see any good news presented to them, or who simply choose to live in denial of anything which may be positive about our presence here.

[grumpas]

I am sick to death of people like you notblue who live off in the twilight zone with fascist George! You spend your time spouting how much you love this country while you systematically try and destroy it with practices that have never been a part of this country! You try to dismantal a democratic government run by the people, for one run by a few blow hards who have not clue what they are doing! You try your best to rewrite the Constitution to suit your agenda! I have yet to hear one of you mention that we invaded Iraq over lies (one of the best reasons I can think of to hate us and everything we stand for)! You "Rabid Republican Conservative's" have almost destroyed this country I know and love! Maybe when the job is finished the lot of you will be happy rotting in one of Bush's CIA detention camps around the world! Stuck forever more in a system you helped to create!

[rafterman1]

"I'm not a coward and it's liberals like you that may cost us our freedom."

You want to preserve our freedom by destroying it - by limiting it? Yeah, that makes sense.

"I love America and what it stands for,"

What does America stand for? I thought it was freedom, human dignity, civil rights and respect for life. Yet, below, you said these things were a weakness.

"however, our enemy wants to destroy our civilized society."

Which is exactly what they will do if we let them rewrite our laws to limit freedom. You are doing exactly what the terrorists want - to be afraid of our own freedom.

"They see our human dignity, civil rights, and respect for life as our weakness."

They may see it that way, but it is our strength. It's frightening how just one big attack was enough to have people who in the past would rather die than give up their freedoms (when Repubs were true conservatives) suddenly hand the "keys to the Constiution" to anyone willing to rewrite it to promise security. Good thing you all weren't around when Pearl Harbor got attacked. We'd probably be a Communist country today after our Contitution would have been scrapped.

[notblue]

Itchybrain, I'm not a coward and it's liberals like you that may cost us our freedom. I love America and what it stands for, however, our enemy wants to destroy our civilized society. They see our human dignity, civil rights, and respect for life as our weakness.