Controlling the News. Part 40

“A decision has been made to not, repeat not, publish the new digital pictures taken in the prison in Iraq. We had a committee overview of this project and it was pretty well unanimously decided that they were too graphic for our readership. Additional input: The so-called “torture” of Iraqi pows was not accidental nor the result of poor military leadership. The specific orders for this brutality in Iraq is based entirely on standing orders at Gitmo for identical procedures. These procedures were specifically ordered and approved by Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, “after consultation with intelligence specialists.” Orders for this date back to the Afghanistani invasion, were and still are operative at Gunatanamo and also were applied in Iraq. The orders came from Rumsfeld via his deputy, Cambone. Standing orders are to “soften up” prisoners by brutal and demeaning treatment.

Overseeing these “treatments” are serving agents of the Central Intelligence Agency. These agents, who are now operating throughout combat zones, are under specific instructions to institute procedures against prisoners that will force them to give full cooperation to American authorities. Specifically also, photographs and videos are to be made of abused prisoners to show to future detainees in order to psychologically “soften them up” without the necessity of beating them or using the standard electric shock devices on them. The CIA agents, who are authorized to wear standard military dress but without any badges of rank or identification, are placed in control over military personnel by specific order of Secretary Rumsfeld’s office. They are answerable to no military authority but take their instructions from both Langley and the Pentagon.

Also used in these “exercises” are “contractors” who, as we know, are private individuals who work entirely outside military control and are answerable only to the Rumsfeld people. Even if they shoot down Iraqi civilians in plain view of the media, they cannot be subject to military law and the military command is under strict instruction not to take any action against them. It is obvious from this that the fallout will be immense.

For one thing, the professional US military leadership is appalled by the consequences about known sadists and torturers operating within the framework of the American military but without any oversight whatsoever. General [redacted] said to me personally that “we will not be blamed for all of this goddam KGB shit,” and “if Rummy wants people’s toenails pulled out, let him do it himself.”

Bush will not, and cannot, dismiss Rumsfeld. In the first place, the President’s personality is such that he will never admit either in private or especially in public that he was wrong in his actions.

In the second place, Bush is basically controlled by his own staff and the ruthless militancy of Rumsfeld is a strong factor in this sorry mess. In spite of official attempts to censor these additional pictures, they will not succeed. We will not publish them for reasons stated above but others will. They will certainly get onto the internet and then the whole world will see them. The fear is that they will leak out in small batches, thus prolonging the agony(1). If they are going to make them public, it is better to put the whole stinking mess out right away and long enough before the elections in November. That way, they can be dealt with and there will not be a cumulative and escalating effect. The Bush people are narrow-minded and ideological to a degree and, to be blunt, have been eagerly digging their own political graves for some time now. The problem is that they will take a lot of others with them if they are allowed to continue.

Therefore, we ought, as a matter of self-preservation, to adopt a position of criticism towards the Administration. The degree of this criticism ought, in my opinion, to be based on what positions other areas of the press and television media are taking. Fox is hopeless, of course, because Rupert has his pointy head up Bush’s ass to a repulsive degree but other segments of the media are not as sycophantic. Rupert and his crew are giving sycophancy a very bad name!…”


In an interview in late 2003 with Brit Hume of the FOX Network, President Bush said in response to a question about how he learned about world news, the President said, “The best way to get news is from objective sources, and the most objective sources I have are people on my staff who tell me what’s happening in the world.” Aside from confirming stories that the President does not read any newspaper nor even watch what passes for television news, it means that Bush understands what his staff wants him to understand, nothing more and nothing less.
www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a902.htm

(1) New Iraq Prison Photos Emerge
www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=1841

Also see:
Controlling the News Part 38
www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=1731
Controlling the News April 8, 2004
www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=1709
Controlling the News April 1, 2004
www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=1673
Controlling the News March 24, 2004
www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=1657
Controlling the News March 12, 2004
www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=1614
Controlling the News: Media Monopolies
www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=1608
Controlling the News February 12/13
"www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=1536"
Controlling the News Part 35
"www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=1470"
Controlling the News Part 33
"www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=1425"
Controlling the News Part 30
"www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=1388"
Controlling the News Part 22
"www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=1200"
Controlling the News Part 21
"www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=1163"
Bush Has to Go
"www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=1150"
Sensational Memos Lift the Lid on News Control
"www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=982"

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Last updated 04/06/2004

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