Right after the news came out that 3 detainees at Gitmo died of suicide last weekend, US Middle East propaganda ministress Karen Hughes' deputy Colleen Graffy told BBC that the suicides were a "good PR move to draw attention" and "a tactic to further the jihadi cause." Facing strong condemnations from the Arab and Islamic press at the blatant callousness to human lives and the outcries at the possible human rights violations by the US, the State Department had to do some damage countrol, i.e., to distance itself from the comments by its top official. "I would not say that it was a PR stunt," said the State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, "We have serious concerns any time anybody takes their own life." It turned out one of the three detainees who committed suicide was due to be released but had not been told so. An American law professor who represents some of the foreign prisoners at Gitomo told the BBC World Service that Mani Shaman Turki al-Habardi al-Utaybi, a Saudi national, was among 141 prisoners due to be released. Utaybi had not been informed of being declared "safe person, free to be released" only because US officials had not yet decided which country he would be sent to, according to his lawyer. He said his client killed himself out of hopelessness, adding that many other Gitmo detainees felt similarly hopeless. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5069230.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5070952.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5073634.stm http://www.guardian.co.uk/guantanamo/story/0,,1795867,00.html?gusrc=rss What a way to win hearts and minds.
Wait - I think that just blew my mind. So, the jihadists committing suicide is a victory for the jihadists?
More Gitmo news Rumsfeld expels US media from Guantanamo Bay The United States military has ordered all independent media off the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base following the suicides of three detainees, RAW STORY has learned. Writing for the Miami Herald, journalist Carol Rosenberg stated Wednesday morning that the military had "ordered all independent news media off the base by 10 a.m. Wednesday, and had arranged a flight to Miami to expedite their departure." "A directive from the Office of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld," prompted a two-sentence email that was sent to reporters from the Herald and the Los Angeles Times, which stated: "Media currently on the island will depart on Wednesday, 14 June 2006 at 10:00 a.m. Please be prepared to depart the CBQ [quarters] at 8:00 a.m." That was the entirety of the email, according to the Herald. An auto-reply email from Rosenberg after an inquiry from RAW STORY indicated that she was still en route from Guantanamo and could not be reached for comment, and the Herald news desk claimed that Rosenberg was the only one to receive the memo. A Pentagon spokesman has since confirmed the order to Editor and Publisher, but has said it was not related to the journalist's news reports. "While admitting that Gordon's piece had caused "controversy," he asserted that the move was related to other media outlets threatening to sue if they were not allowed in," Editor and Publisher wrote. Essentially, the Pentagon says that it began receiving complaints from other news agencies who felt the Herald and the Times were getting more access than they were. Given two options -- to allow more reporters, or to remove the existing reporters -- they chose the latter. Pentagon press officer J.D Gordon told the online trade publication that the Herald and Times reporters were invited to cover tribunals at the base but subsequently filed stories on the suicides after the tribunals were cancelled. A third journalist, a photographer for the Charlotte Observer, was on the island to produce a piece on the homegrown camp commander. After stories began appearing regarding the suicides, the Pentagon arranged the 10 a.m. flight to Miami. "The correspondents came down to the base on Saturday to cover the aftermath of the suicides, at the invitation of the admiral in charge of the prison," Rosenberg wrote. "The Pentagon canceled the invitation Tuesday night, despite protests from the newspapers." DEVELOPING.... http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Rumsfeld_expels_US_media_from_Guantanamo_0614.html
ACLU asserts Bush Administration trying to keep Guantanamo from public view Responding to reports that journalists are being forced to leave Guantánamo Bay naval base, the American Civil Liberties Union today sharply criticized the Bush administration’s determination to "further remove the conditions at the detention facility from public view" in a release. Their release follows. # “If the United States wants to restore its credibility as a democracy in the eyes of the world, it should be inviting journalists in, not kicking them out,” said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. “Our government insists it has nothing to hide, but its actions show otherwise,” he added, noting that according to news reports the government took nearly three days to notify the lawyers for the detainees of their clients’ deaths. According to press reports, a two-sentence e-mail was sent to reporters for The Miami Herald and Los Angeles Times, citing a directive from the Office of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, which stated: “Media currently on the island will depart on Wednesday, 14 June 2006 at 10:00 a.m. Please be prepared to depart the CBQ [quarters] at 8:00 a.m.” Overcoming Pentagon objections, the correspondents went to the base on Saturday to cover the aftermath of the suicides at the invitation of U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr., the admiral in charge of the prison. The Pentagon canceled the invitation Tuesday night, despite protests from the newspapers. “The shroud of secrecy surrounding Guantánamo Bay must be lifted, with independent access to and monitoring of the facilities on an ongoing basis,” Romero continued. “This monitoring should not only include access by journalists and human rights experts, but medical treatment for the detainees, especially those who have chosen to engage in hunger strikes as a way to draw attention to their conditions of confinement.” In an unexpected departure, earlier this week President Bush said at a press conference with the Danish prime minister that he believed the Guantánamo detainees “ought to be tried in courts here in the United States. We will file such court claims once the Supreme Court makes its decision as to whether or not -- as to the proper venue for these trials. And we're waiting on our Supreme Court to act.” In fact, the Bush administration has vigorously urged the Supreme Court to block access to federal courts for the Guantánamo detainees, insisting that they appear before military tribunals that, in the ACLU’s view, do not guarantee either independence or impartiality and are inconsistent with the Geneva Conventions and international law. The ACLU has long criticized the military commissions that have been used to try the 10 detainees at Guantánamo. The remaining 450 detainees have not been charged with any crime and are being held indefinitely. “The military commissions set up by President Bush have been a sham from their inception,” Romero said. “They are not legal, not fair and not representative of the American system of justice. All detainees charged with crimes deserve an open and fair hearing, and those not charged should be immediately released.” “The core underlying injustices of the Guantánamo Bay facility need to be remedied before other lives are lost,” Romero warned. “The detention and lack of fair trials goes against the America we hold in our hearts and our minds.” http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/ACLU_asserts_Bush_Administration_trying_to_0614.html
Here's an idea: 1. We close the place down. 2. We send the innocent little darlings to your place to stay. 3. If you have any children, they can babysit them.
