Mike Spann

[Nlighten1]

Remember this asshole? The CIA agent who got killed during a prison uprising in Afghanistan. With the recent revelations about torture maybe we need to revisit the history of our dead "hero".

[stopthegop]

1. perhaps...but it might be good to do so

before labelling him an asshole...IMO

[Nlighten1]

4. But

he was an asshole.

[stopthegop]

5. how do you know that? eom

[Nlighten1]

9. Apparently you don't know anything about him.

Why don't you go and dig up some information about exactly what he was doing in that jail and make your own judgement.

[bluestateguy]

2. We don't know that

Let's not pass judgement before getting all the facts.

[jobycom]

3. That was one story even back then

That Michael and David had been torturing prisoners to interogate them. The claim was that they would blindfold them in groups, then interogate one, pointing guns at them. If I recall, they would fake a prisoner's death to crack the others, or something like that. This led to one group grabbing Spann's gun and shooting him with it, which led to the prison uprising that the US put down by shelling the unarmed prisoners from outside the walls for three days.

No one cared much because our press managed to equate "Afghani" with "Terrorist," so there was no story.

[Nlighten1]

6. Exactly.

I wonder if there are any ties between Spann and "Wild Bill".

[DUreader]

8. some of us remember the video of the torture

asshole he was

[jobycom]

7. link

http://www1.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow?art_id=2012523207

http://www.xs4all.nl/~stgvisie/VISIE/schurkenstaat1.html

http://www.theexperiment.org/articles.php?news_id=1599

Basically saying that Spann was threatening the POWs with death.

[displacedtexan]

10. Truly wicked quote from Spann's Walker Lindh interview...

only a few hours before Spann's death.

Dave : The problem is, he’s got to decide if he wants to live or die and die here. We’re just going to leave him, and he’s going to f—cking sit in prison the rest of his f—cking short life. It’s his decision, man. We can only help the guys who want to talk to us. We can only get the Red Cross to help so many guys.

Spann : Do you know the people here you’re working with are terrorists and killed other Muslims? There were several hundred Muslims killed in the bombing in New York City. Is that what the Koran teaches? I don’t think so. Are you going to talk to us?

Walker does not respond.



http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3067386/

[KharmaTrain]

11. CNN Ran A Documentary On The Spann/Lindh "Meeting"

I think it was a free-lancer who was in the prison during the battle and there's a segment that shows Spann rounding up prisoners and then a scene with him and Lindh. I'm certain the video exists.

Spann was one of a few Americans on the scene. The Prison was under the control of one of the Afghan warlords...and it was his men who were doing most the fighting and interogating.

Let this episode remain as it is. We're not out to paint the military as all-evil, we need many of these folks on our side if we're going to get out of our current mess.