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Essay
Who do we blame for Abu Ghraib?
I don’t know how or why but for some reason I new already what the picture was about when first looking at it. I regonised the uniform all to familiary, and from the past had learnt of the goings on in Abu Ghraib. We had six choices, 3 consisting of video and three of images, most people have questioned how and why this Lynndie England image is media?Stating the obvious it’s a picture first of all so that being media alone. This is media because the illegal torture that had been going on , came out threw newspaper articles,radio and television, those being a from of media , therefore Lynndie England being a product of the media. The media can say anything it wants, its a force of opinion that everyone reads about and looks up to. You rely on the media to be honest but we all know this isn’t the case at all.
The media gave us Lynndie England, one of the main characters involved in this. They showed us a 20 something woman, who had been convicted for abusing detainees. Did she have no morals? or no remorse while she smiled with a thumbs up next to a dead detainees body? Who do we blame? from the information gathered, the persons involved in Abu Ghraib able to be blamed for a lot of the ongoing, were in charge of the abandonment of the Geneva Conventions, that was John Yoo, George Bush, Dick Chaney (vice president), Donald Rumpsfeld and the 2 star General Geoffrey Miller, they all abused their positions and took full advantage of the situation. John Yoo and his team of lawyers decided to create their own rules, the main one to follow being “its only considered torture, if there is organ failure or death”. This rule was given an ok by George bush himself, the president at the time. If the man who is in charge of america gives this “rule” a go ahead, is no one sat back thinking “what the hell is going on”. That newly created rule ment that prisoners could be beaten within a second from their life ending, it also means they could be completely and horrifically tortured. George bush allowed US troops to torture people, he did warn everyone “we will do whatever necessary to get the information we need” so maybe we are the foolish ones to not assume something like a racist battle, in a prison would start. There are no clear indications on who we should blame, I suppose the members in charge, they are the people right at the top who authorised and said OK to everything. We should also blame the pentagon, they had received countless documents, but in turn denied everything, about merely turning a blind eye, eventually the public finding this out. In one of my current blogs the saying “too many cooks spoil the broth” as one of my blog entries because this is a prime example. The people that we relied on to be in charged failed us, if George Bush had asked the American nation if they would allow torture to be used, the majority would have said no, but he didn’t he took the responsibility into his own hands, (rightly so he is the president…) and had the final word, but we rely on him to make the right choice. This was a select men’s choices not ours. Every single one involved had the same views and ideas. There for letting it become as bad as it wanted to.
” President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other top officials have long claimed that the abuses at Abu Ghraib were the disconnected acts of a small number of socio paths”
George Bush faced a number of interviews during 2002-2004 dictating in a familiar manner why we need to go to and why we need to fight, he told us why constantly, we where under threat because of the “nuclear bombs” throughout the whole time that men have been serving in Iraq and Pakistan never have one nuclear missile been found. It seems that Mr Bush had an underlying intention of wanting to control this, he wanted to control a place, a nation and a race, because he could. That’s all this, abusing people and torturing them is showing them, that they are in charge, they have the right to do it because they said no, no other reason its a power trip.
There are Two sets of people in this, there are the people in higher authority such as George Bush Etc, and then there was Lynn die Charles and the others at the 1A and 1B (interrogation part of prison) station in Abu Ghraib prison. The people doing the torturing rather than the people authorising it. There where thousands or videos and images leaked onto the internet demonstrating the levels the prison guards where going to, it was horrific and utterly humiliating. This was familiar we had seen it before with the Nazis, KKK’S and dictators in the past.
Overall Abu Ghraib is a prime demonstration when the media fails us. It covered people up, allowed them to deny having anything to do with it such as John Yoo who wrote the news laws and George Bush who even on file, all over the internet has openly spoken about the going on and the torture before everything go out of hand, suddenly its no longer their faults. The ongoing war in Iraq has left a bad taste in everyone’s mouths, also heightening terrorism and tension between races and cultures. We have never and I don’t think will ever learn from the mistakes in the past, these were civilians like you or me. Forced into interrogation with no choice and made to admit things we had no idea about. Abu Ghraib and the people involved will now go down in history for this, and have to live with it, For that this is their faults.
Essay Summary
For my essay:
Introduction: i wil explain why i choose the image and what my first initial thoughts where.
Body: Who can we blame for this and why ?
Conclusion: My initial reaction to the body in my essay
intertexuality
- Intertextuality (Quotation)
- Paratextuality (Title, Footnotes, Captions, narrations)
- Architextuality (Genre identification)
- Metatextuality (Critical commentary on another text)
- Hypotextuality (Another text or genre is transformed or extended by this text)
- Hypertextuality (Direct connections to other words e.g. through hyperlinks)
Answering initial questions
1. Who is Lynndie England, What is her Background?
I looked at her past, and some of the details we are accesable to make sense, but when watching he in interviews, she just comes across as so cold hearted, and spiteful, she never openly regrets anything she did while at Abu Ghraib, just that she was “stupid enough to be there”
2. What is Abi Ghraib?
A prision which eventually became the heart of the Abu Ghraib scandal.
3. Who and what was involved with the torture at Abi Ghraib?
6 people where convicted for the trouble in Abu Ghraib but plenty more where involved.
4. How did this come to the media attention?Who was involved with the exposure of the torture?
The exposure of the torture was firstly submitted through the letter box of the Pentagon, by an anonymous character.
5. Where and what has happened to the where abouts of Lynndie England now and fellow convicted? Lynndie now lives her life with her son,
Graner is still serving charges, and others convicted are living their lives as normally as possible.
6. Is there any Justification to this situation?
there is no real justification, when studying tortue methods,and looking at the milgram theory, where people lose sight of what is right and wrong in this enviroment, stil can not and does not justify their actions. Because the stuidies ive looked at often give you a chance to empathise and feel sorry for them it makes you question if its ok or not. There is obviously no justifaction though
7. Why did lynndie become the face of Abi Ghraib when countless others were involved?
Lynndie England became the main source of talk because she was a female, and that she was involved with charles graner, so they had this story to build up around. A couple torturing people together. A women torturing people? did she have no morals or mercy, as woman we are expected to feel sorry and attach ourselves to people, to feel sorry for someone in pain and to want to “mother” them.
8. why was this torture able to happen in what we consider to be a safe and trusting environment?
This torture happened because their was complete confusion on who to follow, the people enflicting torture where under immense presure to deliver confessions, there was no hep for the leaders. if they did not deliver their jobs would be considered and authority questioned.
Bibliography
Bibliography In order, Earliest Date from bottom.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0217-05.htm
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25.10.10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvHd9i_ayiw&feature=related
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18.10.10 http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/news/latest/lynndie-england-1
Convictions.
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Abu Ghraib Leaked Report Reveals Full Extent of Abuse
� 1,325 images of suspected detainee abuse � 93 video files of suspected detainee abuse � 660 images of adult pornography � 546 images of suspected dead Iraqi detainees � 29 images of soldiers in simulated sexual acts |
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by Suzanne Goldenberg
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While Pfc. Lynndie England’s case remains in limbo, seven Army reservists have been convicted of abusing detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison.
Spc. Sabrina Harman, 27, of Lorton, Va., the other remaining soldier charged in the scandal, is scheduled for trial at Fort Hood next week. She faces up to 6½ years in prison if convicted of conspiracy, maltreating detainees and dereliction of duty.
The others previously convicted:
- Charles Graner Jr., 36, of Uniontown, Pa., is the only defendant to go to trial. Prosecutors described Graner, who is said to be England’s ex-boyfriend, as the ringleader of a group of Abu Ghraib guards who mistreated Iraqi detainees. He was photographed giving the thumbs-up sign behind a pile of naked detainees and ordering them to masturbate. He is serving a 10-year prison sentence at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., after he was found guilty in January. Last month he married Megan Ambuhl, 30, of Centreville, Va., a former Abu Ghraib guard who pleaded guilty to failing to prevent or report maltreatment of prisoners. She was accused of watching prisoners being abused and helped set up the photograph of England holding a naked prisoner by a leash. Ambuhl was discharged from the Army without serving prison time.
- Ivan Frederick, 38, of Buckingham, Va., was sentenced to 8½ years in October after pleading guilty to conspiracy, dereliction of duty, maltreatment of detainees, assault and committing an indecent act. Frederick admitted he helped place wires on a detainee’s hands and told him he would be electrocuted if he fell off a box. He was a staff sergeant, making him the highest-ranking soldier to serve prison time in the case.
- Jeremy Sivits, 25, of Hyndman, Pa., pleaded guilty last May to four counts for taking pictures of naked Iraqi prisoners being humiliated, including some of the photographs that triggered the scandal. The former guard was sentenced to a year in prison.
- Roman Krol, 23, of Randolph, Mass., admitted pouring water on naked detainees and forcing them to crawl around the floor at Abu Ghraib, and throwing a foam football at them while they were handcuffed. After pleading guilty, Krol was sentenced in February to 10 months in prison.
- Armin Cruz, 24, of Plano, Texas, was sentenced to eight months in September after pleading guilty to conspiracy and mistreating prisoners. Cruz was accused of forcing naked prisoners to crawl along the floor and handcuffing men together.
- Javal Davis, 27, of Roselle, N.J., received a six-month sentence after pleading guilty in February to assault, dereliction of duty and lying to Army investigators. Davis admitted stepping on the hands and feet of handcuffed detainees and falling with his full weight on top of them.No matter how must time is served it will not make up for what they did, in an way shape or form it doesnt seem like what they are serving is enough time anyway.
- 26.10.10 http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0217-05.htm
26.10.10 http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0217-05.htm
Tortured: Lynndie England Book.
Product Description
Lynndie had this book made to show her side. I cant really comment on this, it speaks for its self, apparently it did not sell well.
Lynndie Interview: Her side.
Hillary Anderson with her conversation with lynndie enland.
She was the centre of the scandal.
Red: Lynndie England
Purple: Hilary Anderson
“America sees me as this villain, this monster because i was in a photograph for like a split second in time”
She is now on anit depressants and noone will employ her, she lives for carter her five year old son.
she has created a scrap book for her son of all of the scandal so he is not hiding or lying to him.
She has greying hair at 26 years old.
She hates going out in public, but when she does she expects people to whisper.
Interview takes places in a bar in her hometown, she is sat casually with her hair scraped back smoking and having a beverage.
When she arrived to Baghdad in 2003 detainees where already being abused.
When first seeing the abuse she did question it, but was told “yea this is what needs to be done, do whatever they say”
She was not meant to be on the detainee hard site, her job was in administrations, she would visit during the night shifts to visit her boyfriend corporal Charles grainer,
I think alot of people want to no what your realy like ?
“well im a pretty nice generous person you can talk to me about anything, if you needed the shirt of my bck i would give it to you”
how could you have done this? and not though it was wrong what is wrong with you ?
“because i keep telling you guys when we got there, we did question this, and they said yes this is ok in the army and military your gunna think ok obviously this is ok because my chain command my superior says its ok, and im not going to be the one to question that”
your blaming it on orders from above you, on your boyrfriedn and on the government
“yea but im trying to put it all into perspective”
my question is do you have any shame for your role in this or not?
o yea cus im like the black mark, the black sheep of the army.
your ashamed of the fact the military made you look bad? but your not ashames of what was actually going on their is that what your saying?
“it was what we were supposed to be doing, we where doing what we where told to , i dont feel bad about that”
Why did you do that?
“Because like I said grainer pulled the if you love me card then do this, and I guess on some levels i didn’t want to disappoint him, just because the hell leave me an I will feel alone in this war zone.
Grainer’s past consisting of a history of abuse was the supposed ring leader.
Do you accept any responsibility for this yourself?
“yea cus i was dumb enough to be there”
What is your view, your personal view about stripping people naked and degrading them, do you think that that an expectable thing to do to as you put it soften us detainees? Do you think thats ok ?
“Compared to what they would do to us? That’s like nothing, compared, cus if you think about it at the same time they were cutting our guys heads of, burning their bodies, driving them through the streets of Baghdad and hanging them of bridges, and this? This happens at colleges and dorms rooms or whatever, here in the us all the time, or even maybe not this picture, but similar humiliation tactics, and physical excursion, you know everyone goes through that’s kind of stuff in boot camp or the military”
these were yano people who were caught in bar rolls, they where regular prisons most of them so i ask you again do you think its ok to strip people naked and to degrade them?
“For softening up tactics, if it helps get whatever information they might have… sure”.
Court didn’t see it that way, she was sentenced to three years in jail, she got out after serving half of that grainer is still serving a ten year sentence,
inspite of fresh assertions that the former security of defence Donald Rumsfeld was responsible for abuses across American bases, no one more senior has yet been charged.
I think what alot of people want to no is what your really like?
“well im a pretty nice generous person if you talk to me about anything , if you need the shirt of my back ill give it to ya”
she is now on antidepressants and no one will employ her what she lives for is carter he five year old son
the boys farther is grainer, lynndie had to leave her child with her mother whilst she was in jail, his childhood innocence wont last long because soon he will start asking questions,
Ihave all the news papers and stuff, me and my mom saved to do a scrap book,really don’t no. On either the whole prison scandal thing or his farther.
how could you have done this and not thought that’s this is wrong , what is wrong with you?
“because I keep telling you guys when we got there, we did question this, and they said yea this is ok in the army in the military your think ok obviously this is ok because my chain command my superior says it’s ok ,and I’m not gunna be the one to question that,
Your blaming it on orders from above, on your boyfriend on the government
yea but I’m trying to put this all into perspective.
My question is do you have any shame for your role in this?or not?
“Oyea cus im like the black mark, the black sheep of the army”
You ashamed of the fact you made the military look bad? But your not ashamed of what was actually going on their is that what your saying ?
“it was what we where supposed to be doing, we where doing what we where told to do, i don’t feel bad about that”
25.10.10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGjeavuAxAI
25.10.10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvHd9i_ayiw&feature=related
Lynndie, A Baby boy and the Farther in Prision.
No matter how many interviews we read or films we see we will never really no Lynndie England the explanations for her actions remain a mystery, as humans we often lose sight of what is right and what isn’t. She has tried to get on with her life living as normal as possible, but knowing deep down she will forever been seen as the “black sheep of the army”. Lynndie now has a child with Charles their relationship staying strong and she continues to visit him in prsion. Stating that one day she will have to tell their son what happened, finding this unavoidable. They brought it on themselves things like this should be exposed and this is what the media is for on the plus side and negative.
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