Molly Ivins: Neo-Con Man

[Dudley_DUright]

Let's get real. On Fox So-Called News, former Army Sgt. Tony Robinson was allowed to claim without contradiction that what happened at the prison at Abu-Ghraib was no worse than "fraternity hazing." Rush Limbaugh concurs.

Let me speak up on behalf of the Kappa Sigs, K.A.s and even Dekes (where only "minor" branding incidents occurred when George W. Bush was the head Deke at Yale). This is straight from the report of Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba:

"Between October and December 2003, at the Abu Ghraib Confinement Facility, numerous acts of sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses were inflicted on several detainees. This systematic and illegal abuse of detainees was intentionally perpetrated by several members of the military police guard force. ... The allegations of abuse were substantiated by detailed witness statements and the discovery of extremely graphic photographic evidence ... including the following acts:

Punching, slapping and kicking detainees; jumping on their naked feet; Videotaping and photographing naked male and female detainees; Forcibly arranging detainees in various sexually explicit positions for photographing; Forcing detainees to remove their clothing and keeping them naked for several days at a time; Forcing naked male detainees to wear women's underwear; Forcing groups of male detainees to masturbate themselves while being photographed and videotaped; Arranging naked male detainees in a pile and jumping on them; A male MP guard having sex with a female detainee; Using military working dogs to intimidate and frighten detainees, and in at least one case biting and severely injuring a detainee; Taking photographs of dead Iraqi detainees; Breaking chemical lights and pouring phosphoric liquid on detainees; Beating detainees with a broom handle and chair; Threatening male detainees with rape; Sodomizing a detainee with a chemical light and perhaps with a broomstick."

There it is. Just face up to it, and quit making excuses. I have spared you much disgusting detail.

more...

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=16905

[aquart]

1. Liz, you SURE this is different from fraternity hazing?

Because even though people dismiss hazing as a trivial rite of passage, sadistic, brutal, humiliating, and occasionally fatal episodes is why so many campuses have tried to ban it.

[Dudley_DUright]

2. Who is Liz?

:shrug:

[ixion]

6. Yes, this is different without a doubt

Having gone through fraternity hazing I can tell you for sure that the abuse the Iraqis suffered at the hands of US troops is not at all the same thing.

First and foremost: Franternal hazing is VOLUNTARY!!

Second: Franternity hazing is not done at gunpoint.

Third: It's culturally acceptable here, and is not in Iraq, or any other Islamic nation for that matter. Applying our cultural beliefs to all other cultures is one of the arrogant traits that got us into this mess.

Fourth: This was held in a prison, and was by far much worse in overall intesity. Most frat deaths you mentioned come from pledges drinking to much, and succumbing to alcohol poisoning. Not dying from the actual physical abuse.

[Miss Authoritiva]

3. Bunco International

"So why did the neo-cons trust (Chalabi), despite his record? My theory is there is a terrible naivete about neo-cons that often deludes them into believing what they want to be true."

Naivete is not the word. The neo-cons got swindled by Chalabi the way every sucker gets swindled by a con artist: they got greedy -- greedy for time, access, and opportunity.

[Disturbed]

4. Dispicable scumbags.

"Using military working dogs to intimidate and frighten detainees, and in at least one case biting and severely injuring a detainee; Taking photographs of dead Iraqi detainees; Breaking chemical lights and pouring phosphoric liquid on detainees; Beating detainees with a broom handle and chair; Threatening male detainees with rape; Sodomizing a detainee with a chemical light and perhaps with a broomstick."


Anyone that lightens this up as hazing, blowing off steam or pranks is a dispicable scumbag.

[wildwww2]

5. You have described Ru$h and his ditto cult to perfection.

After all Ru$h is the perfect scumbag. If there ever was such a thing.
Peace
Wildman
Al Gore is My President