Support The Troops But only Those Who Have a High Rank

This really pisses me off. The Bush Administration claims that anyone who is or was against the Iraq War just doen't support our troops. That is a wrong assumption. One does not mean the other. I was against the Iraq War from the beginning. I am not for pulling out until the right time and now is not it. I have always supported the troops and am a veteran myself.

Now when it comes to the abuse of prisoners and the use of torture, the same bush administration that claims it supports our men and women in uniform are letting the lower ranked soldiers take all the rap for the mistreatment of prisoners. In several or most of the cases of abuse, the soldiers were acting in accordance with orders from superior officers and even from private contractors hired by the CIA for millions of taxpayer dollars.

Why has this administration allowed GI Joe and Jane take the fall while shielding the private contractors and higher ranking officers who gave the orders? Is this an example of how we should support our men and women in uniform?

From the Guardian: A US army officer was guilty of negligent homicide in the death of an Iraqi general during an interrogation, a military court ruled on Saturday.

Chief warrant officer Lewis Welshofer is the highest-ranking army officer tried on murder charges arising from the Bush administration's campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was found not guilty of murder and faces up to three years in prison when sentencing takes place today.

The court heard that Welshofer caused the death of Major General Abed Hamed Mowhoush by putting him head-first into a sleeping bag, tying electrical cord around him, straddling him and covering his mouth. Welshofer was also found guilty of negligent dereliction of duty, which carries a sentence of up to three months. He was acquitted on charges of assault by a jury made up of army officers.

Yes, Chief Warrant Officers are the highest ranking officers to participate in or give orders to mistreat or abuse or torture prisoners. We are supposed to believe that?

Welshofer was interpreting an email from superiors sent in August 2003, three months before Mowhoush died. The email, from Captain William Ponce, said: "The gloves are coming off, gentlemen ... we want these individuals broken. Casualties are mounting."

A subsequent memo from Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, the commanding officer in Iraq, authorised new interrogation techniques including, Welshofer claimed, the sleeping bag method.

Now, notice that neither of these officers are responsible, only the one carrying out the orders. If I tell you to beat someone up and you go do it, I guess I'm not guilty of a crime.

Mowhoush's death came two days after he was beaten with rubber hoses by Iraqi contractors working for the CIA. Welshofer was present at that interrogation. The next day, he held Mowhoush while water was poured on his face. A day later, Mowhoush died after being put in a sleeping bag by Welshofer.

I guess the private contractors actions were legal, while this soldier's copying those same type of actions was illegal.

This is called supporting our troops? Shielding higher ranking officers from responsibility and hanging soldiers out to dry? Shielding private companies who are getting millions of taxpayer dollars from any liability while prosecuting the soldiers that help them?

This post is not even addressing the question as to what techniques we should be using in interrogations there. This post is simply asking if these techniques are being carried out by private contractors and security companies, why are they being shielded from prosecution while our soldiers are going on trial? And if these interrogationtechniques/abuse/torture is being ordered by high ranking officers, why are they not standing up for the soldiers who serve under them?

Either the abuse and torture is legal or is not. If it is legal, then stop prosecuting soldiers who do it. If it is illegal, prosecute those who are really responsible and let the soldiers go.

More things that just piss me off