US Torturers use Shannon Warport!

by pc Tue May 18, 2004 16:07

maybe when people are saying things or painting posters they should write US Army or US gov instead of just US i always try to remember to say USAF out of shannon.... might be important point re bush demos

the greatest challenge for the bush protests will be this anti-american slander on us...

by aunty US Tue May 18, 2004 16:56

I meet some americans recently who told me that they loved coming to Ireland,
and that they had been in France recently where they were constantly insulted
and that they felt that Irish people were far more polite and pro america in its war on terror.
So keep on grovelling.

by karen Tue May 18, 2004 17:27

interesting idea and obviously taps into the disgust and horror that most of the public have felt over the issue of torture in Iraqi prisons, but i can't help feeling that this sort of display is slightly offensive in some way. The shock generated by the original release of photographs of Iraqi detainees being tortured was incredibly powerful and i think those images had an incredibly important influence over people all over the world, however, you have to wonder where to draw the line. I mean in essence, these pictures are of people being both physically and sexually abused, and while i do feel it was important that they were published i also think that the media frenzy regarding the photographs that followed was so overwhelming that it showed complete insensitivity towards the actual victims themselves. The frantic rush to publish more and more new, and more graphic photographs was a little disturbing, and it seems that the subjects of the pictures have been forgotten in the meantime. Flicking throught the papers you'll notice that while the perpetrators of the tortures face is often blurred out the victims very rarely is. This obviously has a particularily shocking effect on the reader but i mean, where do you cross the line between highlighting an incredibly important issue and exploiting those who suffer because of it? Exploitation might be a bit harsh, but there certainly is some degree indulging in a 'pornography of the poor'.
With regards to the demonstrator dressed as an abuse victim, i would suggest that he/she may have taken it a little too far. Obviously, this is a huge issue for the anti-war movement and anyone concerned over human rights in Iraq but human rights also imply a right to dignity and respect which i do not feel the detainees at Abu Gharib have been afforded. By all means raise awareness (although you'd have to be living in a bubble not to be aware of this issue), but don't feed into the media frenzy. The focus should be on how do stop these atrocities from continuing to happen.

by Gaillimhed Wed May 19, 2004 10:28

Like it or not i think the poor unfortunate individual who was hooded and wired up in abu ghraib has become a symbol of the american occupation, just like that famous footage of the guy being shot in the head in Vietnam or the burning buddhist monk. Such is the way of the world, without these images we would not have to face the barbarity of the action carried out on our behalf. I think they do more good than harm.
Yer man up on shop street? I dont know, maybe a bit over the top, my six year old was really confused about it all (i dont know kiddo, maybe hes a wizard) but it gave the american tourists a good idea of how there country's occupation force is beginning to be viewed,
-as arrogant swaggering racist Nazi war criminals.

by Lone gunman Wed May 19, 2004 11:07

of seeing a protest from the anti war...er ....sorry anti American in any shape or form groups about;

The Russian treatment of Muslims in Chechya? Which would make Abu Ghraib like a 5star holiday camp.

The current mistreatment of Kosovan Serbs bythe Muslims in Kosovo where the UN and NATO[including IRISH troops] are standing idly by letting ethnic riots occur[Which BTW ALL mainstream media is remarkeably silent on].

The refusal of the Vietnamese govt to finally come clean on the issue of American POWs/MIAs,as to where they are buried or if still alive,and if so,where are they?

The torture of the Tibetians by the Chinese?

The "enquiry methods" of our own Provo "nutting squad" and where they buried the bodies of their victims?

Or is that just too un PC for the looney left.Who really are just looking for any Yank bashing excuse??

by randm input Wed May 19, 2004 11:44

That the US government will stop prentending it has any moral authority whatsoever?

Any chance the US govt will apolgise for Vietnam? Or nuking Japan? Or invading Grenada? Or the Haiti coup? Or perhaps it will apologise for sponsoring the Contras, various anti-Cuban terrorists, facilitating the 1973 Chile coup, trying to oust Chavez, Panama, its support for Caucescu, the mujaheddin, Iraq (pre-91).... oh i can't be arsed to type it all it out.

by Mr Angry Wed May 19, 2004 13:50

outside the embassies of various middle Eastern, African and Far eastern governments who use torture too - or is your moral outrage only confined to the activities of the US??
(don't forget Turkey !!)

by Divine One Thu May 20, 2004 05:38

I suppose that you are out pounding the pavement at every embassy of a country that tortures?

Let me make an assumption: you have probably not moved your fat arse to protest anything.

Since we are mere mortals and not God, we have to prioritize our political activities

Everyone does it. George Bush does it. He prioritizes invading and occupyiing oil rich nations with little military capabilty.

I think that others can allowed to prioritize protesting US torture without a bogus charge of hypocrisy.

by Hilal Thu May 20, 2004 09:22

New pictures released today show two U.S. Torturers giving the thumbs up over the dead body of Manadel al-Jamadi after he was beaten to death in the showers of Abu Ghraib prison.

by anti-war Fri May 21, 2004 21:46

do russian weapons pass through ireland on their way to chechnya?

of course we're opposed to the situation in chechnya, tibet, etc. but we can only do so much.

i don't see you protesting against them

because you're a hypocrite

and if we were protesting these things you'd be complaining and calling us anti-russian etc.

why do you spend so much time here making inconsistent arguments?

why don't you go do something?

are you lonely lone gunman?

i'm sure you could find some friends if you
would just turn off the computer and go outside