NYT: Gitmo suicides appear to have been politically motivated
posted at 7:10 pm on September 17, 2006 by Allahpundit
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Patterico overstates things when he says the article “confirms” it, but all available evidence does point in that direction.
The medical staff tried to more closely monitor detainees with mental-health problems. But that screening apparently did not factor in the possibility that the men might have been determined to kill themselves for other reasons — like loyalty to a cause…
What the men hoped to communicate by their deaths may have been contained in brief notes they left behind in Arabic. The notes have not been made public, and a Navy investigation into the suicides continues. But military leaders at Guantánamo were not waiting on its outcome. They concluded immediately that the suicides were a blitzkrieg in the detainees’ long campaign of protest. At a news conference hours after the suicides, the new Guantánamo commander, Admiral Harry Harris, described them as an act of “asymmetric warfare.”
I wish I could snark on lefties for having scoffed at the PR motive and for being naive about the fundies’ commitment to jihad, but the truth is, even people on the front lines get taken. Money quote from Col. Mike Bumgarner, the warden at Gitmo, who thought he could reach a separate peace with them by treating them more humanely:
“We tried to improve their lives to the extent that we can — to the point that we may have gone overboard, not recognizing the real nature of who we’re dealing with,” he said. “I thought they had proven themselves. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I did not think that they would kill themselves.”
Bumgarner said he could not discuss the suicides because of the Navy’s continuing investigation. But several officials said that the three detainees had taken advantage of some of the colonel’s quality-of-life reforms, including the nighttime dimming of lights and the availability of extra clothing. There were also indications that Ghassan al-Sharbi, the colonel’s onetime interlocutor, had helped plan the suicides, two of the officials said.
He had to dim those lights, though, didn’t he? After all, “are we going to be like the enemy, or are we going to be the United States of America?”
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When the suicides first took place, and they were discribed as “asymetrical warfare” by military people, some on the left derrided that as being totally ridiculous. This seemed to confirm to them that Gitmo was some horrible place that was so brutal that even tough jihadists were killing themselves out of dispair.
I never understood that.
If jihadis are so willing to kill themselves with suicide attacks involving planes and bombs to attack us, is it totally beyond belief that they would do the same thing in order to put pressure on us in Gitmo?
It seems believable to me.
EFG on September 17, 2006 at 7:29 PM
Sounds to me like the Slimes had been investigating in the hopes of being able to cast blame at/on our Heroes, but after the time and money spent they could only ‘discover’ what we already knew.
No wonder that they are going broke.
DannoJyd on September 17, 2006 at 7:31 PM
How about this. Those jihadists got tired of swallowing down their balls from their throats that they decided to put a turniquette around their necks to hold down their balls permanently.
Shooting a helpless and elderly nun from the back is just plain serpentile and cowardly. This is no longer individual trait but characteristic of an evil and inhuman religion. These barbarians just proved Pope Benedict XVI’s point!
Libs, pull your heads out of the sand!
TrueKatipunero on September 17, 2006 at 9:21 PM
That’s too nice/elegant for them – morally, their heads are in a latrine. See the award the movie about shooting the President got…
Entelechy on September 17, 2006 at 10:11 PM
Well, I don’t care what the left says—I honestly feel that 85% have absolutely no respect for those in the military, they think the absolute worse, they’re getting excited about a potential death penalty for the Haditha case. I’m sure some of the lefty trolls will be around here telling me I’m stupid and don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. Well, I do know what I’m talking about. As a former Soldier I truly feel that you cannot support the troops if you do not support their actions. I would also like to know from the lefty trolls why is it we only see bad news coming from Iraq and no news coming from Afghanistan until the Spring Offensive? Why is it that you people are the first to paint the military with the wide brush of shame based on the actions of a few mf’ers (pardon my language I rarely use that word) from Abu Grahib? Why do you feel that if the we’re nice to the terrorists they’ll be nice to us? Do you remember Pvt’s Menchacha and Tucker? Are you even aware that there is another Soldier missing? Do you know the name of the only Soldier to win the Congressional Medal of Honor for OIF? Sure, you can google it but I’ll save you the trouble: Sgt. Paul Smith, Third ID. But you probably all know the names of the gang of fools from Abu Grahib. Like DannoJyd, I too believe the old, grey skank was looking for a way to make the military look bad. It seems to be the lefty way. Yes, the Holy Father’s point is proved once again. The left also continues to carry their water, sad, sad, sad!
Catie96706 on September 17, 2006 at 10:24 PM
Catie – i totally agree with you on your post, but the reality is that the liberals will always side with the terrorists. to them this country is alot worse than Al-Qeada & Bush is worse than Bin Laden. no conserative or independent will ever convince these morons that the terrorists are trying to kill every single american & destroy this country. liberals believe that if we’re nice to the terrorists, then they will be nice to us. that’s the liberal thinking in this country. i hold the democrats personally responsible for 9/11 & about 3,000 dead people, if the weasel Clinton had done his job to kill Bin Laden, 3,000 people would still be alive today. so when the democrats continue to blame Bush for not paying attention to the warnings about 9/11. they’re the ones who are truly responsible.
Starblazer on September 18, 2006 at 12:58 AM
Starblazer wrote:
Exactly.
As for anybody committing suicide while held at Gitmo? I could care less.
georgej on September 18, 2006 at 1:11 AM
If anyone has ever read the book Catch Me If You Can, you will know that there is at least one thing the French do right (or at least, they did when he was there). That one thing is prison. Apparently, if you are put in prison in France, you are put into a concrete box, the dimensions of which are just short of the height of an average person. There is no light, the floor is recessed from the cell block, so you step down into the cell. Obviously, there are no windows in the cell and the door is solid steel. You get a bucket, do do with what you will. You get three meals a day, though at random times so you can’t keep track of the hours, these meals consist of bread, soup and water. Basically a prison term consists of you sitting in that box, waiting for your term to be up. As I heard it, a year is the maximum sentance, and not many people survive that sentance.
With all of that in mind, we really need to redesign Club Gitmo.
Wolfman on September 18, 2006 at 7:16 AM
If China ever introduced a State religion, I’d put all my money on Islam. It fits them to a t.
Coronagold on September 18, 2006 at 11:48 AM
Heh, it would only be expensive PR if they valued life.
Cary on September 18, 2006 at 12:15 PM
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