Judge: Frat Could Face Torture Charges

[Placebo]

A judge raised the possibility that four fraternity members could be charged with torture in the death of a 21-year-old pledge, comparing the alleged hazing death to the torture of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers.

Butte County Superior Court Judge Robert Glusman said Friday that a summary of facts in the legal motions filed by attorneys appeared to support that charge, which would carry a potential life sentence.

"U.S. soldiers were charged with torturing Iraqi prisoners for doing far less than what happened in that basement," Glusman said.

The four members of the now-defunct Chi Tau house at Chico State University are currently charged with involuntary manslaughter and hazing, which carry a maximum of four years in prison if convicted.

More...

Oy.

[depakid]

1. Water intoxication... wow

That's pretty hard to do- but as the article shows, it does happen.

My recollection is that a similar thing happened to a distance runner in (Atlanta?) not too long ago. Just goes to show you that even water has an LD-50.

[Miss Chybil]

2. How ironic. Limbaugh compared torturing Iraqis to frat house

pranks and now frat house hazing is being compared to torturing Iraqis. Weird. I don't understand how people find so much joy in hurting each other.

[iamjoy]

3. Becaue They Are Evil

Only an evil person finds pleasure in the pain of others.

[Skip Intro]

7. Helping dilute what "torture" is, just like this headline.

Torture - the torture of anohter human being - BY AMERICA - is just too terrible. There is an effort to make it seem like fun and games. I think, at the core of that headline, is someone who wants to help feed that illusion.

My gut says the regime is about to lose the fight to keep the torture pics secret, and this is the best they can come up with for a pre-emptive strike - to get the word out, the impression out, that torture isn't torture, its just playing around.

Not sure how well it would hold up for some freepers. We're talking about torture, for Christ's sake. You'd think even the most devout bushie would have a line, and that torture would be on the other side of it.

But that's what this is, I just feel it. An effort to soften what the word torture means. Rush and this writer and who knows next.

[Iowa]

9. Excellent post!

I think you nailed it.

[Miss Chybil]

11. I don't think the judge was trying to dilute anything. I think what

happened to this kid was horrific and he used Abu Ghraib as a measure of just how horrific it was. Torture is horrific no matter the torturers, or the tortured.

[Skip Intro]

12. The headline that came to be is helpful to that effort, imho.

A lot of people, or many people, read just the headlines, and form a view of what is from that, so the wording of the headline, imho, on this subject that doesn't get cable treatment, is suspect in that it puts what many percieve as pranks on the same level as torture.

I don't think that's happenstance.

[Voltaire99]

13. Maybe. You do realize headlines...

...are the prerogative of the publisher. This story could run under a hundred different headlines today.

This statement by the judge, however, might support your thesis:

"U.S. soldiers were charged with torturing Iraqi prisoners for doing far less than what happened in that basement," Glusman said.

I disagree with the judge. The use of dogs, sexual violence, beating, and other physical degredation in Iraq by US soldiers seems to me worse than what the poor dead frat pledge suffered ("They are accused of forcing Matthew Carrington, 21, to drink large amounts of water while performing calisthenics in the frigid basement as part of initiation rite on Feb. 2. Carrington collapsed and died of heart failure due to water intoxication").

On a last note, I hope you're right about the photos being released. I expect the White House to flout the ruling and trash the data.

[melnjones]

14. I'd have to agree with you...

I wonder if the frat guys even realized that water intoxication exists. Few people do. They may have just been trying to make him have to urinate badly. I can't question the intentions of those who tortured the prisoners though.

[robertarctor]

4. Chico frat-rat assholes

I'd say they oughta be drafted, but no one deserves that under this chimp dictator.

[Porcupine]

5. My Home Town!! Chico CA. Where spoiled white kids.....

torture each other. We had an incident where a high school girl was gang raped and violated with a pool cue while her female friends watched. These kids burn buildings, drink to death, engage in arson, rape, murder and mahyem.

Then me and my crew go clean it up. Yuck. I had to tear out the carpet where a guy blew the brains out of a buddy at a "party." I clean up after meth labs, and party houses and fires started by alcoholic 18 year olds. I've pulled 200 empty liquor bottles out of a three bedroom apartment. I've seen kids leave shotguns lying around like they were baseball bats. I could go on for days.

[Placebo]

8. Wow.

Who knew it was that bad? You'd think that more money would = more common sense...but it appears there's no correlation.

[Jack Rabbit]

6. I'd live to see this headline:

FRAT BOY FACES TORTURE CHARGES

[Porcupine]

10. This is actually a REDUCTION in the level of mahyem!!!

No one died. We've had more than a few incidents recently where somebody did die; usually involving alcohol.

Funny, but nobodys' died yet in town from marijuana intoxication.