Soldier's Family Set in Motion Chain of Events on Disclosure (Hackworth!)

Hackworth involved!!!

CUMBERLAND, Md., May 7 — Ivan Frederick was distraught. His son, an Army reservist turned prison guard in Iraq, was under investigation earlier this year for mistreating prisoners, and photographs of the abuse were beginning to circulate among soldiers and military investigators.

So the father went to his brother-in-law, William Lawson, who was afraid that reservists like his nephew would end up taking the fall for what he considered command lapses, Mr. Lawson recounted in an interview on Friday. He knew whom to turn to: David Hackworth, a retired colonel and a muckraker who was always willing to take on the military establishment. Mr. Lawson sent an e-mail message in March to Mr. Hackworth's Web site and got a call back from an associate there in minutes, he said.

That e-mail message would put Mr. Lawson in touch with the CBS News program "60 Minutes II" and help set in motion events that led to the public disclosure of the graphic photographs and an international crisis for the Bush administration.
It is still not entirely clear who leaked the photos and how they got into the hands of a "60 Minutes II" producer. What is clear, however, is that the furor over the photos is unlikely to dissipate any time soon.

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/08/national/08IMAG.html

He seems to hate the fucking military brass as much as some of us do.

Hating f'ing incompetent idiots is a direct result of loving the grunts.

Stan Goff is right behind him! We need to leave Iraq! And we need to do it honorably, saying we are so sorry all the way out.

He wouldn't touch it.

that guy is so full of shit

many others,

My GOD....now the question is? Who else had seen this and did nothing????

{Congress both parties, Bill O'Reilly and}...so even the hearings are a lie...which members were contacted in Congress?


Rummy says the whole world was notified about the investigation in January...sure..the press release was nondescript. He tells part of the truth...but not the whole truth. It's also called a sin of omission.

Rumsfeld says the whole world knew in January..why did Bush go on TV and say he didn't know until he saw it on the news? Why isn't this being brought up? Inquiring minds want to know..

Hackworth had received hundreds if not thousands of letters from deployed soldiers complaining of conditions well before the "Stars and Stripes" morale survey was published.

He's quick to respond to letters sent, if only a brief e-mail comment.

Mr. Frederick appears to be in Maryland. I wonder if he had gotten in touch specifically with his representative, Roscoe Bartlett (R). If he did, and Bartlett did nothing, he could be the recipient of some unpleasant media attention.

Here's Bartlett's commentary on his website about the abuse:

“The photographs of Iraqi prisoners that have been distributed worldwide and news reports from investigations conducted thus far describe and depict treatment at the hands of Americans that is unacceptable by any standard of human decency.

“This crisis presents our country with the necessity and an urgent opportunity to demonstrate that America is a nation with a government based upon the rule of law.

“More than the individuals currently facing charges and being investigated are affected. Every American, especially those serving in harm’s way, and America is now on trial in the court of public opinion.

“For individuals who have been charged with wrongdoing, I would urge everyone to remember, respect, and repeat that America’s Constitution guarantees American citizens the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law.

“From the information that I have received, much more investigation is necessary to determine the extent and level of responsibility and culpability for systemic failures in management and leadership that created the environment in which heinous abuses occurred.

“A number of investigations are underway that may shed light on these systemic failures. In the court of public opinion, America must regain our credibility and restore our reputation with Iraqis and others by proving that America will uphold the rule of law and that Americans are held to account for their actions.”


http://www.bartlett.house.gov/newsarticle.asp?RecordID=368

Did the Congresspeople conteacted receive photos also and still cover up? Dean was right! this Bush administration is 'worse than Watergate."

“For individuals who have been charged with wrongdoing, I would urge everyone to remember, respect, and repeat that America’s Constitution guarantees American citizens the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law."

Bwahahahaha! What a joke! Maybe Bartlett should call the Chimp and let him in on this. Bush has been designating people as 'terrorists' just on his say-so and throwing them into our outsourced prisons to rot for the past 4 years. No "innocent until proven guilty" for him.

How do these people get through the day without their heads exploding?? :argh:

"Blame America first"

They labeled us with that a long time ago. Some of us, for some stupid reason, have striven to live up to that. Now ya got pukes blaming America, are we gonna let them get away with it?

They hate Hackworth like cockroaches hate the light.

and have turned their fury on Hackworth.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1131788/posts

but what a bunch of lunatics!

Blaming the messenger, as usual. They think the problem isn't illegal, immoral torture being committed by US soldiers, the problem is that people blew the whistle and the media showed the pictures.

Damn, they are stupid. Do they honestly believe that everyone in Iraq and throughout the Middle East didn't already know what was going on long before 60 minutes showed the pictures? I have no doubt the people of Iraq knew full well, and probably believed far worse.

The White House and Pentagon were only going out of their way to keep us from finding out, they could give a rat's ass about public opinion throughout the world. However, it's an election year so they are forced to care about public opinion at home.

To blame the whistleblowers or the media for any Iraqi anger is so backwards. If anything, this gives us a chance to gain some ground with them, to show them we aren't all "bad cops".

At least the freepers are consistent in taking the wrong side of an argument.

Gonna have to come back to this in the morning..as I am ready to crash (so I am selfishly posting so it will show up in MY POSTS - g'nite everyone)

One of the most successful counter-insurgency tacticians in US military history, Hackworth has no tolerance for this kind of crap. To win against guerillas, you must win the hearts and minds of the population. Torture ain't gonna do that ...

That's exactly what we're fighting now.

just like he said

He really helps those who serve.

He's been around the block, and read the book, including Appendix J:

Army FM 34-52 INTELLIGENCE INTERROGATION

Brilliant military man.

Trying to take care of the troops, as usual, against corrupt politicians.

Lt. Gen. Lance Smith, deputy commander of forces in the region, testifying Friday before Congress, said he was still unclear how that happened. "It was a surprise that it got out," General Smith said.

Military officials were aware of two disks with photographs on them that were part of continuing investigations, one in Iraq and another in Washington, he said.

"That was the limit of the pictures, and we thought we had them all," General Smith said

Myers and Smith were both at the witness table. It was Smith's job to keep the lid on the mess for the military, by hiding and stonewalling the evidence so no one would be "embarassed" by the revelations of Sodomy, Anal Rape of children and Murder.

Their FEAR WAR SOCEER MOTHER'S don't Understand Military CROTCH SNIFFING

http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,351132,00.jpg

All one needs to do is READ the report from Taguba. It is all in there, who needs the visuals for cripes sakes. I can't wait to see, Myers, Sanchez, Miller and Rummy leave in DISGRACE!

Frme MG Taguba's report

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4894001

6. (S) I find that the intentional abuse of detainees by military police personnel included the following acts:

a. (S) Punching, slapping, and kicking detainees; jumping on their naked feet;

b. (S) Videotaping and photographing naked male and female detainees;

c. (S) Forcibly arranging detainees in various sexually explicit positions for photographing;

d. (S) Forcing detainees to remove their clothing and keeping them naked for several days at a time;

e. (S) Forcing naked male detainees to wear women’s underwear;

f. (S) Forcing groups of male detainees to masturbate themselves while being photographed and videotaped;

g. (S) Arranging naked male detainees in a pile and then jumping on them;

h. (S) Positioning a naked detainee on a MRE Box, with a sandbag on his head, and attaching wires to his fingers, toes, and penis to simulate electric torture;

i. (S) Writing “I am a Rapest” (sic) on the leg of a detainee alleged to have forcibly raped a 15-year old fellow detainee, and then photographing him naked;

j. (S) Placing a dog chain or strap around a naked detainee’s neck and having a female Soldier pose for a picture;

k. (S) A male MP guard having sex with a female detainee;

l. (S) Using military working dogs (without muzzles) to intimidate and frighten detainees, and in at least one case biting and severely injuring a detainee;

m. (S) Taking photographs of dead Iraqi detainees.

Their justification is the POW'S are only RAG Heads

who attended lynchings. 'They're only -----s.' Not like us decent folks.

It does not make them a majority or right.

who turns a blind eye to truth and then out of the side of mouth sez he's with the people and an independent voter.

"Among some prison personnel in Iraq, the photographs were apparently an open secret. "Some soldiers in Iraq had them — I'm hearing that soldiers were showing them to everybody," Mr. Lawson said. He said he did not have the original photos and did not turn them over to anyone.

The photographs have now turned soldiers like Mr. Lawson's nephew, Staff Sgt. Ivan Frederick, and Pfc. Lynndie R. England into graphic symbols of military abuse. But for Mr. Lawson, they are evidence of a complete breakdown in training and authority in the Iraqi prison system.

He shared his frustration in his March 23 e-mail message to Mr. Hackworth's Web site, writing: "We have contacted the Red Cross, Congress both parties, Bill O'Reilly and many others. Nobody wants to touch this."

This family needs to out the members they contacted??? Why did these members remain silent???

I am sorry to learn that there were Democratic Congresspeople who were told about this and did nothing! Makes me wonder what we fight for.
It at least have been the Congressional leadership. Who does Hackworth usually contact? OMG!

contact that family to find out as many families have been contacted by concerned citizens. These names need to get out.

I want to know WHO also. This is despicable.

So all the "Shock & Outrage" in Washington right now is a little 'fake'?

"Congress both parties". Wow.

and misdomenors and should be tried and convicted! Including media, Congress, and other government officials. Believe me, the word will get out now about who was told. How shameful.

and O'Reilly will act as innocent and concerned when in reality, he's known awhile!

I would like to know who and when!

"The irony, Mr. Lawson said, is that the public spectacle might have been avoided if the military and the federal government had been responsive to his claims that his nephew was simply following orders. Mr. Lawson said he sent letters to 17 members of Congress about the case earlier this year, with virtually no response, and that he ultimately contacted Mr. Hackworth's Web site out of frustration, leading him to cooperate with a consultant for "60 Minutes II."

"The Army had the opportunity for this not to come out, not to be on 60 Minutes," he said. "But the Army decided to prosecute those six G.I.'s because they thought me and my family were a bunch of poor, dirt people who could not do anything about it. But unfortunately, that was not the case."

to DENY that your nephew was "simply following orders".

17 members of Congress. WHICH ONES?

This is shameful. What complicit and/or spineless bastards.

He is a true non-partisan, and I give him mad props for that.

He does good work.

Weanie soldiers that is. Military Intelligence is at the top of his list for being "weanies".

One thing Hackworth is, he's a professional soldier & you're right, he does damn good work.

"I spoke with Colonel David Hackworth. He is, of course, author of “Steel My Soldiers‘ Hearts.” And his Web site, SFTT.org, has been covering this abuse story for months now. I asked him how this kind of thing can happen in the military."

How could a website be covering this for months and the media remained mum?

Here's a link to the transcript.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4900317/

Ain't that the truth?

Thanks for linking the transcript.

--------

"Guess what, we're in a hell of a mess, and the only answer out of this thing is to make sure that we quickly train an Iraqi security force and get our people out of that fire, pull them back until the Iraqis can take over. We're in kind of a catch-22 bad situation. There is no easy answer."

story for months. I didn't see what Scarborough was talking about.

middle" - Hackworth is a nut case. What has he actually ever accomplished as "the champion" of Vet causes?

Defending a bastard like Frederick would be right up his alley.