Wednesday, May 12, 2004
REPUBLICAN OUTRAGED OVER OUTRAGE,ADVOCATES TORTURE
By I.L. Newcombe
Senator James Inhofe (R-OK)has expressed outrage at the outrage expressed over prisoner abuse by American soldiers in Iraq. He went on to advocate the full use of torture against anyone in U.S. custody, except those imprisoned for traffic violations.
Inhofe's support for torture is not surprising. The Senator represents Oklahoma, a long-time client state of neighboring Texas. At least one Inhofe constituent, with slightly more eloquence than her Federal representative, disagreed.
Asked about his colleague's pro-torture position, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), a torture victim, smiled and said, "That's just James. Everyone knows he's a dick. He rides the small bus to the Capitol every morning."
Iraqi prisoners also criticized Inhofe's characterization of the inmates. Said Ahkmed Mubbar, "I can't speak for the others, but I was just J-Walking. Next thing I know, I'm in a naked human pyramid."
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By I.L. Newcombe
Senator James Inhofe (R-OK)has expressed outrage at the outrage expressed over prisoner abuse by American soldiers in Iraq. He went on to advocate the full use of torture against anyone in U.S. custody, except those imprisoned for traffic violations.
"I'm probably not the only one up at this table that is more outraged by the outrage than we are by the treatment," Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican and an outspoken conservative, told a U.S. Senate hearing probing the case.
In heated remarks at odds with others on the Senate Armed Services Committee who criticized the U.S. military's handling of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, Inhofe said American sympathies should lie with U.S. troops.
"I am also outraged that we have so many humanitarian do-gooders right now crawling all over these prisons looking for human rights violations, while our troops, our heroes are fighting and dying," he said.
"These prisoners, you know they're not there for traffic violations," said Inhofe, whose senatorial Web site describes him as an advocate of "Oklahoma values."
"If they're in cellblock 1-A or 1-B, these prisoners, they're murderers, they're terrorists, they're insurgents. Many of them probably have American blood on their hands and here we're so concerned about the treatment of those individuals."
Inhofe's support for torture is not surprising. The Senator represents Oklahoma, a long-time client state of neighboring Texas. At least one Inhofe constituent, with slightly more eloquence than her Federal representative, disagreed.
Cindy Shea, 41, who works in advertising in Edmond, Oklahoma, said of Inhofe's comments: "I wouldn't say those are Oklahoma values. ... I don't think Oklahomans believe in injustice to anybody. I don't think the treatment there is reflective of the values held by the majority of Americans. I think what happened there is horrendous. It's the biggest mess ever."
Asked about his colleague's pro-torture position, Senator John McCain (R-AZ), a torture victim, smiled and said, "That's just James. Everyone knows he's a dick. He rides the small bus to the Capitol every morning."
Iraqi prisoners also criticized Inhofe's characterization of the inmates. Said Ahkmed Mubbar, "I can't speak for the others, but I was just J-Walking. Next thing I know, I'm in a naked human pyramid."
