Soldier who blew whistle on Abu Ghraib abuse wins JFK (*) award

[bemildred]

* = "profiles in courage".

BOSTON (AP) The Army soldier who blew the whistle on abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq received a special John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Monday, an award that recognizes acts of political courage.

Spc. Joseph Darby was the first to report abuse at the Iraqi prison, turning over photos that showed prisoners chained together in sexual poses, piled on the floor naked and forced to form a nude human pyramid.

Other award recipients Monday included Atlanta's first black woman mayor, Shirley Franklin. She was recognized for showing ``courageous leadership'' by raising taxes and cutting the city's payroll when she took office facing an $82 million budget deficit, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation said.

Former Texas state Sen. Bill Ratliff, a former lieutenant governor, was honored for being the only Republican lawmaker who publicly objected to his party's 2003 redistricting plan, which critics called divisive and overly partisan.

CBS

[Career Prole]

1. Good for Joe Darby.

Hopefully he and his family will be able to come out of hiding to accept the award. :(

[David Zephyr]

2. Congratulations Joseph Darby.

Hopefully, this special honor will embolden others who are fearful and intimidated to speak truth to power.

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Finally

some gets rewarded for doing the right thing. Congratulations Spc Darby.

[tanyev]

4. I wonder what his thoughts are on the

Newsweek/Koran spin.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Wonderful knowing there are still a few around who've not been silenced

Too bad they don't also bestow an UNPRIZE to all the media sources who will NOT cover anything which would reflect poorly on this hideous administration.

[Obamanaut]

6. I agree

with Mrs Darby. "...she believed her husband made the right choice exposing the abuse..."

Good for you, Joseph! I am a retiree of both the military and the department of corrections (correctional officer), and that sort of behavior has no place in either of my careers.

[LynnTheDem]

14. Thank you for both your services to this country...

and welcome to DU. :)

:hi:

[MGKrebs]

7. And congratulations to Mayor Franklin.

Go vote. Go run. Go lead. Go girl.

http://www.voterunlead.org/

[0007]

8. Hooray!!

[KittyWampus]

9. Darby's Integrity Matches That Of John Kerry. Both Men Were Willing

to speak out against deeply entrenched injustice within US Military & Civilian Command.

[riverwalker]

10. Bless you, Spc. Joseph Darby

and congratulations. Thank you for showing America what a hero really is, and what courage and integrity are.

"Joe is the type of person to take what is going on around him and be like, 'How would I feel if that was my wife?' ... He just could not live with himself knowing that that was happening and he did not do anything about it," she said.
What he saw on the CDs containing the photos, he said, "violated everything I personally believed in and everything I had been taught about the rules of war."

[Festivito]

11. Any award for officials who ordered all photos stopped?

Perhaps the Patute of Cowardice award for them.

And Profile of Courage for the good guys who I congratulate, since I am not able to hold my tounge about this administration either.

[jbnow]

16. The officials who ordered photos stop

are likely to get a medal of honor or be put in charge of solving international problems. bush honors and promotes the worst.

[Virginian]

12. The awards came out early...

I was under the impression they were awarded on JFK's birthday, May 29.

Wow, he was born in 1917... He would have been 88 this year. He has been gone now for almost as long as he lived.

[LynnTheDem]

13. TORTURE. "Abuse" is name-calling and spitting. RAPE, BEATINGS,

MURDERS are not "abuse".

TORTURE. It's what America does now.

[Inland]

15. And Bush throws in the prize of a one-way to Gitmo. nt

[paineinthearse]

17. Why is CBS 6 weeks late in reporting this?

See my post from April 5.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1372025

CBS = certainly behind the story.

[number6]

18. Bravo

;)

[thecai]

19. It DOES Take Courage To Blow The Whistle...

....with the huge risks of retaliation.
Fortunately, he had photographs for evidence, otherwise no one would have believed it nor admitted it.

[Darranar]

20. This courageous man and those like him make me think...

that humanity might have a chance to progress.

[NYC]

21. Well deserved.

Congratulations to Darby for doing the right thing.