U.S. must release Abu Ghraib pictures

[alonzomourning23]

NEW YORK (AP) -- Pictures of detainee abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison must be released despite government claims that they could damage America's image, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein said terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan have proven they "do not need pretexts for their barbarism."

The American Civil Liberties Union sought the release of 87 photographs and four videotapes as part of an October 2003 lawsuit demanding information on the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody and the transfer of prisoners to countries known to use torture. The ACLU contends that prisoner abuse is systemic.

Brutal images of the abuse at the prison have already been widely distributed, but the lawsuit covers additional photos not yet seen by the public.

Gen. Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, had maintained in court papers that releasing the photographs would aid al Qaeda recruitment, weaken the Afghan and Iraqi governments and incite riots against U.S. troops.

Hellerstein said in his 50-page opinion that he respected Myers' arguments but noted, "My task is not to defer to our worst fears, but to interpret and apply the law, in this case, the Freedom of Information Act, which advances values important to our society, transparency and accountability in government."

The U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, which argued the case for the government, did not immediately comment on the ruling.

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/LAW/09/29/abughraib.photos.ap/index.html

 

[E-Z-B]

I heard there's some sick pictures in there, like soldiers raping children. Funny how the military hasn't already ordered an investigation into these new pictures yet.

 

[evanft]

FOIA for the win!

 

[Cheese]

I believe one of these might be the Lyndie England porno tape, they can keep that.

shutter.

 

[MrBadExample]

[quote name='Cheese']I believe one of these might be the Lyndie England porno tape, they can keep that.[/QUOTE]
I don't want to see her penis.

 

[alonzomourning23]

[quote name='Cheese']I believe one of these might be the Lyndie England porno tape, they can keep that.

shutter.[/QUOTE]

What the hell happened to her? It's not like she was ever attractive, but lately she looks like she gained 60 pounds and her head swelled up.

 

[mykevermin]

She's pregnant.

 

[alonzomourning23]

[quote name='mykevermin']She's pregnant.[/QUOTE]

I keep forgetting that. But still, look at her face, it swelled to twice its size. There's a lot more than baby there.

 

[mykevermin]

Nah.

 

[SpeedyG]

A good donkey Punch will do that to ya...

 

[mykevermin]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170889,00.html

Bill O'Reilly falsely brings up that a Newsweek piece caused 15 people to be killed in Afghanistan is suggest that releasing these photos will cause those fighting our soldiers to become more enraged, and thus, violent.

Bill O'Reilly makes this claim, while ironically quoting Richard Myers' claim that there's nothing new in these pictures.

So, there's nothing new, yet the old news, the stuff we have apparently already seen before, is sufficient to incite further violence against United States troops? Who the is dumb enough to buy that argument? PAD?

 

[alonzomourning23]

[quote name='mykevermin']http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170889,00.html

Bill O'Reilly falsely brings up that a Newsweek piece caused 15 people to be killed in Afghanistan is suggest that releasing these photos will cause those fighting our soldiers to become more enraged, and thus, violent.

Bill O'Reilly makes this claim, while ironically quoting Richard Myers' claim that there's nothing new in these pictures.

So, there's nothing new, yet the old news, the stuff we have apparently already seen before, is sufficient to incite further violence against United States troops? Who the is dumb enough to buy that argument? PAD?[/QUOTE]

Well, I think I can understand that logic. There's nothing new, but it will bring the issue to the forefront again, it will show new images of things we already have seen, and promote the idea that it takes place on a much wider scale (since there are more images) than he believes is accurate.

 

[MrBadExample]

[quote name='mykevermin']Bill O'Reilly falsely brings up that a Newsweek piece caused 15 people to be killed in Afghanistan is suggest that releasing these photos will cause those fighting our soldiers to become more enraged, and thus, violent.[/QUOTE]
And why aren't they blaming the soldiers who commited the acts in the pictures? Not ALL of the soldiers, mind you, just the few who apparently cannot treat prisoners humanely. They are the ones to blame if this stirs up insurgents.

 

[mykevermin]

[quote name='MrBadExample']And why aren't they blaming the soldiers who commited the acts in the pictures? Not ALL of the soldiers, mind you, just the few who apparently cannot treat prisoners humanely. They are the ones to blame if this stirs up insurgents.[/QUOTE]

Blame soldiers or the structure of the military that turns a blind eye or blatantly lies ("a few bad apples")?