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 . '/' . substr('9781888996821',-6,3) . '/' . '9781888996821' . '.jpg'; ?>)
By Chris Abani
$14.20
By Wellford Wilms
$25.00
$35
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Pat Buchanan appeared on “The Daily Show” on Monday to explain his theory of Mexico’s secret plot to recapture the Southwest using an army of hardworking immigrants who, he claims, don’t like English or America.
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This week’s edition of Truthdig-flavored videos includes a “Daily Show” spot-on satirical interview with a discharged gay Army linguist; a classic Bill Maher broadside on President Bush; and Jon Stewart asking Bill Clinton how to defeat Hillary.
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Legislation put forward by the Bush administration this week would legalize the same torture techniques recently banned by the Army. By selectively interpreting the Geneva Conventions, the legislation would allow CIA operatives and even the Army, should it decide to revert to previous rules, to conduct interrogations using unsavory methods.
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Associated Press
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Yielding to pressure from humanitarian groups, Congress and the Supreme Court, the U.S. Army will release a new field manual that affords all detainees protection from torture under the Geneva Convention. The new document will ban several ?interrogation? methods that have drawn criticism, including simulated drowning and the use of dogs to terrorize detainees.
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That’s the only conclusion we at Truthdig can come to when faced with these facts: Recruiters are increasingly admitting neo-Nazis and skinheads into the military, and the number of soldiers kicked out of the military for being gay rose 11% over last year.
Also, allegations of harassment and outright crimes committed by military recruiters are up. (story or .pdf report)
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A number of American troops from the same unit in Iraq recently discovered they were all suffering from a mysterious set of illnesses. Though their doctors couldn?t determine the source of the sickness, the soldiers came to believe their exposure to depleted uranium munitions was to blame, and decided to sue the U.S. Army.
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That’s the number of Arabic linguists who have been discharged from the Army for being gay. Fifty-five. (We missed this fact when we blogged about the latest dismissal—interview here—but it’s so shocking we felt we had to bring it up now.)
If the military were serious about winning Iraqis’ hearts and minds, it would find a way to keep most of these linguists in the service.
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From ABC News
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He had one of the most sought-after skills in the entire U.S. arsenal: a working knowledge of Arabic. And the Army discharged him for being gay—after subjecting him to witch-hunt-style questioning. ABC News interviews him. (Earlier: original story)
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The Army National Guard?s top general said Tuesday that more than two-thirds of his brigades are not combat-ready. Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum went on to say the problem would cost as much as $21 billion to fix.
Posted on Aug 2, 2006
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A decorated sergeant and Arabic language specialist was discharged after an investigation determined that he was gay. He alleges his commanding officer blatantly violated the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, and that investigators asked him if he had close friends who were gay, and if he was involved in community theater.
Thank goodness our military is on top of things. We’ve got too damned many Arabic linguists in the service these days.
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flickr.com
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The Ethiopian army has crossed into Somalia as tensions build between the transitional Somali government and the Islamic militia that controls Mogadishu.
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We’re a bit late to this story, but we couldn’t let it go un-blogged.
HUURAH!
You know the old saying: You can overbill some of the government agencies all the time, all the government agencies some of the time…but you can’t, apparently, charge $45 for a case of soda and get away with it forever.
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Need more evidence that our military is stretched too thin? Its ranks reportedly are now being filled with the kind of military ambassadors particularly unsuited to the task of winning foreign hearts and minds.
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The annual cost of replacing, repairing and upgrading Army equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan is expected to more than triple next year to more than $17 billion, according to Army documents obtained by the Associated Press.
And we still can’t find the money for schools, healthcare, environmental-technology research ... oh, never mind.
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Benjamin Brink / Newshouse News
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The youth is signed up for dangerous front-line service, but did not even know there was a war going on until last fall—after he was approached by the recruiter. An internal Army investigation is underway, but such recruiting abuses are systemic. (Via Bring It On!)
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It’s not just insurgent attacks but also incompetence and mismanagement by entities like Halliburton and the Army Corps of Engineers that are holding back the rebuilding of Iraq.
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After two years and roughly $200 million expended, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects to complete only 20 out of 142 primary health centers. The World Health Organization’s rep calls it “shocking.”
Posted on Apr 2, 2006
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From Salon.com
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Sgt. Michael Smith (pictured above threatening an Abu Ghraib detainee with a dog) becomes the ninth soldier to be convicted for detainee abuse. He faces over eight years in prison.
To date, no high-ranking officials have been charged with crimes stemming from the abuses.
Posted on Mar 21, 2006
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From Salon.com
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Salon presents a horrifying new gallery of 279 photos and 19 videos of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib.
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AP
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By Blair Golson The Army is set to open a criminal investigation into the death of the former NFL star and Army Ranger. Sort the facts for yourself with Truthdig’s related articles, photos and movies.
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From the U.S. Army
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The military originally said the former NFL player was killed by enemy fire, but it turned out he was shot by his fellow Rangers. Now a lawmaker is alleging a possible coverup by the Army.
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From Paramount Pictures via Yahoo.com
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The versatile 57-year-old actor will play an Army medic who struggles to resume his normal life in “Home of the Brave.” | story
This is one of the first big-budget films to deal with the ongoing conflict.
Posted on Feb 13, 2006
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In at least two instances, American forces have seized wives of insurgents as a means of “leverage.” | story
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Charlie Riedel / AP
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Whoa, whoa, whoa, dock those Swift Boats! It’s not a liberal Democratic senator making the charge. It’s a retired Army officer working for the Pentagon. | story
Posted on Jan 24, 2006
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The move comes in the wake of a New York Times report that shamed the military over the issue. | story
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A maverick U.S. Army major finds that some of his Iraqi counterparts have fewer scruples about going “over the line” while interrogating suspected insurgents. U.S. News & World Report has the story.
Posted on Jan 1, 2006
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Too Soon to Tell: The Case for Hope, Continued
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