The Reality of the U.S. occupation

[Akrasia]

Todays democracy Now show focuses on interviews of a number of Iraq Veterans and their experiences during the war

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl? ... 12/1335208

It's worth watching if you want to know what is really going on in Iraq.

The reports detail systematic humiliation, brutality arrests assaults and murders by soldiers on raids, patrols and convoys.

The soldiers openly admit that the vast majority of the people targeted by the occupation troops were completely innocent, mostly because of faulty intelligence and heavy handed techniques designed exclusively to protect the safety of the troops with little or no regard for the effects on the Iraqi citizens

[The OD]

Todays democracy Now show focuses on interviews of a number of Iraq Veterans and their experiences during the war

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl? ... 12/1335208

It's worth watching if you want to know what is really going on in Iraq.

With all due respect Akrasia, some people just dont want to know whats really going on and no amount of persuading them will work. Why, only the other day I was watching a chimplike person appealling to the american public about how his splurge needed more time to work?

Bizarre really.

[Aindriu]

The soldiers openly admit that the vast majority of the people targeted by the occupation troops were completely innocent, mostly because of faulty intelligence and heavy handed techniques designed exclusively to protect the safety of the troops with little or no regard for the effects on the Iraqi citizens

Sounds like the same debacle as internment in the north turned out to be.

[st333ve]

Well the EU had the balls to call the british savages, and prosecute them for torture in ireland.
I doubt theyll stand up to america in the same way.

[clareman51]

GWB's frightening lack of knowledge about the world led to the neocons taking advantage and pushing for the Iraq invasion.
That this has filtered down to day-to-day operations on the ground is not in the least surprising.

[Aindriu]

Just watching these interviews. Both men are now highly critical of GWB and clearly see themselves as having been occupation troops.

[Citizen]

Well the EU had the balls to call the british savages, and prosecute them for torture in ireland.
I doubt theyll stand up to america in the same way.

Not the EU st333ve.

The ECHR was the forum for that case.

Very different.

[st333ve]

Well the EU court then, you know what i mean.

December 1977, the court ruled that the government of the United Kingdom was guilty of "inhuman and degrading treatment", of men interned without trial, by the court, following a case brought by the Republic of Ireland.

Will the brits and yanks get an investigation, and a slap on the rist from the echr?

[Aindriu]

Well the EU court then, you know what i mean.

December 1977, the court ruled that the government of the United Kingdom was guilty of "inhuman and degrading treatment", of men interned without trial, by the court, following a case brought by the Republic of Ireland.

Will the brits and yanks get an investigation, and a slap on the rist from the echr?

St333ve this is nothing to do with the Brits - watch the programme. The ECHR has no jurisdiction over the USA so they will not be able to act. The only body that can is the UN and Bush will just tell them to feck off.

[Citizen]

The European Court of Human Rights is nothing to do with the EU but I know what you mean. It deals with upholding rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights which are supposed to be respected by all the member States of the Council of Europe. Which is almost every country in the European continent including Russia and Turkey (both of which are big time losers in the Court as it happens)

The US is not party to the European Convention on Human Rights but the UK is.

Lately I think the UK Courts decided that the British soldiers in Iraq were bound by the Convention even though they are a long way from Europe. That means they are supposed to treat people in Basra carefully or risk facing Court action in Britain or in the ECHR in Strasbourg.

The UK government is not too happy about that. No surprise there. So watch out for developments which could indeed echo December 1977's result.