Jean Guernon <jguernon@globetrotter.net> wrote in message news:<Gbetc.16309421$Of.2721062@news.easynews.com>...

Woodswun a écrit:

In article <a2b35e99.0405252018.734b98e@posting.google.com>,

[quote] Poor military supervision of battle units may have been a
factor, according to the report.

Abuse of prisoners during interrogation and longer-term captivity,
however, was not systematic, the Red Cross concluded.

Indeed, the monitors said mistreatment typically ceased when prisoners
reached prison facilities. [end quote]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14011-2004May10.html

Well, apparently the Washington Post either has a completely different
interpretation of "part of the standard operating procedures" from everyone
else, or they were reporting this as second hand information.

Did you read the Washington post article Woods? I suggest you do. Then you tell
me if it is as nice as Steven makes it sounds.

Just so there is no confusion, I have condemned the abuse from the
start. The point I have tried to make is that what was shown in the
photos was NOT widespread. Yes, there was harsh treatment given to
*some* prisoners, as this quote from the Wall Street Journal
indicates:

"Ill-treatment during interrogation was not systematic, except with
regard to persons arrested with suspected security offenses or deemed
to have an intelligence value," the report said, according to the
newspaper.

That quote was repeated in several news sources, but apparently it was
not something *most* of the media wanted to place in their focus.

[quoting from a newspaper article]
Iraq looks different from the ground
JENNY SOKOL Register columnist

Humiliation. Torture. Hooded prisoners and jeering soldiers. The
images are horrific.

If my husband were not in Iraq right now, I might shake my head in
resignation. I might concur with the congressmen who proclaim this war
futile. But Blair is in Iraq, along with 150,000 other servicemen and
women working tirelessly to make it a better place.

Mercifully, after each skirmish, our troops aren't subjected to
doomsday pundits debating tactics. They don't hear the words of
bickering lawmakers, and more recently, haven't had to view the Abu
Ghraib prison-abuse photos daily.

Our troops are busy establishing stability in neighborhoods and
developing the kind of infrastructure that's critical to every
community. They're ensuring that there is an adequate supply of
electricity and water and are improving roadworks. They observe Iraqi
citizens exercising long-lost rights, including demonstrating freely
and establishing newspapers. As a result, their perspective differs
from ours at home.

Two Marines with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines are full of promise,
apparently because they're "on the ground," and witness progress each
day. Oftentimes, it may simply be in the form of a handshake from a
grateful citizen, subtle evidence that the hearts and minds of some
Iraqi citizens are being won over.

Just last fall, reservist Maj. Larry Kaifesh worked as a financial
adviser for Morgan Stanley in Costa Mesa. This spring finds Kaifesh in
Iraq, leading a civil-affairs team.

Despite the bleak situation painted in our daily news, Kaifesh is
refreshingly full of hope. "The citizens of Iraq are in such dire need
after being neglected for over 35 years." His spirits are buoyed by
the smiles of the Iraqi children who greet him daily. "The children
are the reason the coalition will succeed in Iraq. They haven't been
broken by a brutal dictatorship. They're excited about life and the
future."

Since March, the battalion has refurbished 11 schools. A women's
health clinic and a youth center are currently under construction.
Medical centers are being rebuilt and supplied. "With progress like
this," Kaifesh states, "it's no wonder the Iraqis are elated to have
the Marines working with them."
Kaifesh isn't alone in his positive observations. Lt. Karl Blanke,
executive officer of the mobile-assault company, says, "It's amazing
to see how at ease the Iraqi people are since we completed our
operations in Fallujah. When you ask them where the insurgents are,
they say they all went to Fallujah during the fighting and never
returned."

Granted, Blanke doesn't have his finger on the pulse of the situation
throughout the country. But he doesn't need to. In the area he deals
with on a daily basis, he is encouraged by what he sees.

"As we patrol through the neighborhoods at night," he continues, "we
see families relaxing outside, no longer fearing for their lives. It's
a wonderful sight."

A wonderful sight indeed, and one I wish we could all see. [end quote]

http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=94520§ion=LIFE