1 “Red Cross supports original Newsweek Report of vandalized Qurans” http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,356663,00.html (IN GERMAN) TRANSLATION: “The US magazine "Newsweek" had to retract a story about the desecration of the Koran in the military prison Guantanamo under massive pressure from the US government. The journalists have now received support for their report from the International Red Cross. Geneva - A representative of the Internation Red Cross said today that it has informed the US authorities that members of the American military had abused the Koran. Such cases had occurred in the years 2002 and 2003, have since, however, been stopped, said the IRC representative Simon Schorno. The "Newsweek" report of the desecration of the Koran by US soldiers had led to anti American protests in the Arab world. In Afghanistan 15 persons were killed during these protests. At first "Newsweek" apologized for the article, but then retracted it under massive pressure from the US government.”

2 Red Cross told U.S. of Koran incidents http://mparent7777.blog-city.com/read/1291580.htm “The International Committee of the Red Cross documented what it called credible information about U.S. personnel disrespecting or mishandling Korans at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and pointed it out to the Pentagon in confidential reports during 2002 and early 2003, an ICRC spokesman said Wednesday. Representatives of the ICRC, who have played a key role in investigating abuse allegations at the facility in Cuba and other U.S. military prisons, never witnessed such incidents firsthand during on-site visits, said Simon Schorno, an ICRC spokesman in Washington. But ICRC delegates, who have been granted access to the secretive camp since January 2002, gathered and corroborated enough similar, independent reports from detainees to raise the issue multiple times with Guantanamo commanders and with Pentagon officials, Schorno said in an interview Wednesday.” Does anyone really believe that the Koran has not been methodically desecrated by the military?

3 "The report, dating back to last July, demonstrates how the old ICRC — respected, scrupulously neutral, and concerned with applying the traditional laws of war — is finally dead. It has instead become another typical "humanitarian" NGO, a cross between Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. It has a clear policy agenda to transform the traditional laws of war into something akin to the rules of domestic law enforcement, and is intensely anti-American and anti-Israel to boot." Oh yea,you bet, the IRC is completely unbiased with no agenda whatsoever/. I'd believe Newsweek way before the IRC. Why not quote al-Jazeera while your at it.

4 Read it and weep. This desecration shit has been going on for a while. Don't pretend otherwise.

5 Has the miltary denied the Newsweek report and/or desecration? The "retraction" I saw simply said the anonymous senior gov't source wasn't sure which offical report he read about it(Quran, toilet act) in. People are upset about the story but I don't think anyone has offically denied that it happened. I could be wrong, please provide a link.

6 An Iraqi Holding a Desecrated Copy of the Koran http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050516/323/fixbz.html Newsweek, you caved in to the White House just a bit too fast.

7 In U.S. Report, Brutal Details of 2 Afghan Inmates' Deaths http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/20/international/asia/20abuse.html?hp&ex=1116648000&en=6cca0512a38427c3&ei=5094&partner=homepage “At the interrogators' behest, a guard tried to force the young man to his knees. But his legs, which had been pummeled by guards for several days, could no longer bend. An interrogator told Mr. Dilawar that he could see a doctor after they finished with him. When he was finally sent back to his cell, though, the guards were instructed only to chain the prisoner back to the ceiling. "Leave him up," one of the guards quoted Spec_ialist Claus as saying. Several hours passed before an emergency room doctor finally saw Mr. Dilawar. By then he was dead, his body beginning to stiffen. It would be many months before Army investigators learned a final horrific detail: Most of the interrogators had believed Mr. Dilawar was an innocent man who simply drove his taxi past the American base at the wrong time.” Don't it just make ya proudernSHIT to be an American? See, here's the deal. The world knows the US Government is doing this Nazi shit. The world knows that the US people know the US Government is doing this Nazi shit. And, the world opinion of the people of the US will be based entirely on what the people of the US do to get the government of the US to obey the laws of the land and of the numerous international treaties that the US Government has signed regarding humane treatment of prisoners. The world is watching. What are you doing?

8 Does anyone really give a damn even if it did happen? Except for American hating greg? Good Lord, it's ok to stick a crucifix in urine and call it "art," it's ok to smear the Virgin Mary in elephant dung and call it "art." I think we ought to flush the koran down the toilet and call it "art."

9 Red Cross Says It Told U.S. in 2002 About Alleged Mishandling of Koran http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/19/AR2005051901879.html “The International Committee of the Red Cross said yesterday that it repeatedly expressed concern to the U.S. government in 2002 and early 2003 about a series of credible detainee allegations that military guards at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba had mishandled and shown disrespect to the Koran.” You’re getting pummeled!

10 Greg, you are really a piece of work. No one disputes that at certain times our soldiers have acted wrongly. This ain't bean bag, it's war for crying out loud and these things occur in war. They did in WWII, they did in Viet Nam and Korea and they do in the war on terror. The big difference is the America hating self loathing attitudes of the MSM and people such as yourself who trumpet these failures as the rule rather than the exception. Your goals are transparent, to discredit the present administration and it's efforts to the greatest extent pssible. No one knows if "Crappergate" occured or not, we do know that the base source for the story was flawed therefor discrediting the credibility of the story itself. Unlike you, however, I tend to give our boys the benefit of the doubt untill it's proven otherwise. I take it you have never served in a time of war because you and your ilk have a tendency percieve combat as some sort of rugby match rather then the "kill the enemy and destroy his will to fight" operation it is in reality. We have 160,000 troops of which maybe a few dozen have committed wrongs. There is not an army in the world that could produce more admirable results. You don't hear of the hundreds, probably thousands of selfless acts performed by our guys. You would rather wring your hands and disparage your country and it's military over isolated incidents because it fit's conveniently into your preconcieved notions. I don't say this very often, but you sir ought to be ashamed of yourself. If you have a problem with the war and the administration, fine, rant what you feel is wrong with both to anyone who will listen. But to try and prove your point with specious arguments and hurtful distortions is depicable. It proves but one thing, you love your agenda more then your country, and in my mind that is unforgivable.

11 Traderrob, I love my country more than you do. My country has been taken away from me. Nothing illustrates this more than the fact that in the 1940's idividuals paid 19% of the income tax and the corporations paid 81%. Today those percentages have nearly reversed. This country is now for the multinational corporations, by the multinational corporations. A "multinational" corporation isn't really an American entity at all. You and your ilk have betrayed the American people. I'm pro-troop. Our troops were connived into a war by a mountain of lies spewed by both major political parties and the corporate media. We need to get the troops home asap. It's not the troops fault that Korans were desecrated, they were instructed to do so. Bush foolishly made this into a Crusade. In so doing he gave the green light to these sorts of incidents. You posted on this topic. You claim that Newsweek lied. And yet these same accusations have been shown to have merit by numerous prior reports, some of which I have provided you. Shame on you for not owning up to the truth. You filthy blood lusters aren't even remotely "American". This is Israel's war. Let them fight it for themselves.

12 U.S.: Religious Humiliation of Muslim Detainees Widespread http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HRW/d7d227aedfa4892cef6e86680f0caecd.htm “Human Rights Watch said that the dispute over the retracted allegations in Newsweek that U.S. interrogators had desecrated a Koran at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has overshadowed the fact that religious humiliation of detainees at Guantánamo and elsewhere has been widespread. "In detention centers around the world, the United States has been humiliating Muslim prisoners by offending their religious beliefs," said Reed Brody, special counsel for Human Rights Watch. On December 2, 2002, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld authorized a list of techniques for interrogation of prisoners at Guantánamo, which included "removal of all comfort items (including religious items)," "forced grooming (shaving of facial hair, etc.)," and "removal of clothing." Each of these practices is considered offensive to many Muslims. These techniques were later applied in Afghanistan and Iraq as well. The purpose of these techniques, Human Rights Watch said, is to inflict humiliation on detainees, which is strictly prohibited by the Geneva Conventions.” By going against the Geneva Convention we place our troops in greater danger.

13 "History," Hegel said, "is a slaughterhouse." And war is how the slaughter is carried out. If we believe that the present war in Iraq is just and necessary, why do we shrink from looking at the damage it wreaks? Why does the government that ordered the war and hails it as an instrument of good then ask us to respect those who died in the cause by not describing and depicting how they died? And why, in response, have newspapers gone along with Washington and grown timid about showing photos of the killing and maiming? What kind of honor does this bestow on those who are sent to fight in the nation's name? The Iraq war inspires these questions. An Iraqi comforts a wounded fellow civilian who was shot in the arm and chest by U.S. troops after not heeding warning shots. photo: David Leeson/The Dallas Morning News The government has blocked the press from soldiers' funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. The government has prevented the press from taking pictures of the caskets that arrive day after day at the Dover Air Force Base military mortuary in Delaware, the world's largest funeral home. And the government, by inferring that citizens who question its justifications for this war are disloyal Americans, has intimidated a compliant press from making full use of pictures of the dead and wounded. Also worth noting: President Bush's latest rationale for the war is that he is trying to "spread democracy" through the world. He says these new democracies must have a "free press." Yet he says all this while continuing to restrict and limit the American press. There's a huge disconnect here. More than 1,600 American soldiers have died in this war that began a little over two years ago. Wounded Americans number about 12,000. No formal count is kept of the Iraqi civilian dead and wounded, but it is far greater than the military toll. But can you recall the last time your hometown newspaper ran a picture spread of these human beings lying crumpled at the scene of the slaughter? And when was the last time you saw a picture of a single fallen American soldier at such a scene? Yes, some photos of such bloodshed have been published at times over the span of this war. But they have become sparser and sparser, while the casualty rate has stayed the same or, frequently, shot higher. At the moment, five GIs die every two days. Some readers may object to my use of the word slaughter. I do respect other points of view. But I served in the military, and as a reporter I covered several wars—in India, Vietnam, and Cambodia. I came away persuaded that whether one considers a particular war necessary or misguided, the military goal in armed combat is always to kill and thus render helpless those on the other side. That being the case, what is a government's basis for depriving the public of candid press coverage of what war is all about? How else can voters make informed decisions about a war their government has led them into? The true reason why a government—in this case, the Bush administration—tries to censor and sanitize coverage is to prevent a public outcry against the war, an outcry that might bring down the administration. The photographs that accompany this piece are not gratuitously violent. They are merely real. All but one were taken by David Leeson, a highly regarded photographer at The Dallas Morning News. He and his Morning News colleague Cheryl Diaz Meyer were awarded the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in breaking-news photography "for their eloquent photographs depicting both the violence and poignancy of the war with Iraq." Zahraa Ali, four years old, lies in the burn unit of a Baghdad hospital. Her family was hit by an aerial bombing attack while driving. Her parents, 24-year-old brother, and nine-year-old sister died. Zahraa eventually died. Only her three-month-old sister survived. photo: David Leeson/The Dallas Morning News I realize there are other sides to the story. One is the government's side. President Bush says that none of the government's actions can be characterized as censorship or intimidation of the press. He says he is merely honoring the fallen by protecting the privacy of their families in their time of grief. A New York Times columnist—his name is not needed; the issue is what's important—offered another slant a week ago. He called for less coverage of the war's violence because the press was "frantically competing to get gruesome pictures and details for broadcasts and front pages" at a time when there is "really nothing new to say." He seemed to think the use of these "gruesome pictures" was on the rise—though others in the media-watching industry, such as Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post, have been recording a decline. The Times columnist said the press was, wittingly or not, assisting the "media strategy" of the suicide bombers and their leaders. A columnist, of course, is permitted to offer up pretty much any opinion he or she chooses, but still it's very odd to see a journalist—since we historically have always pressed for transparency—recommending that information be left out of stories. He insisted he was "not advocating official censorship" but simply asking the media for "a little restraint." Also, he cited the press controls used by former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani as a model for achieving "restraint." Giuliani, the column said, had told his police department "to stop giving out details of daily crime in time for reporters' deadlines," in order to keep "the day's most grisly crime" off the 11 o'clock television news. An Iraqi civilian, struck in the head by shrapnel from an aerial bombing, collapses, and an army medic rushes over to help. photo: David Leeson/The Dallas Morning News I don't hold much esteem for the usual crime-and-catastrophe formula on most late-news shows, but I have even less for contentions that withholding information from the public is good for them. Because we are a country of diverse culture groupings, there will always be differences of view, about war photographs and stories, over matters of taste and "shock" issues. But, while the reporter or photographer must consider these impact and shock issues his primary mission has to be one of getting the story right. And getting it right means not omitting anything important out of timidity or squeamishness. When I would return from a war scene, I always felt I had to write the story first for myself and then for the reader. The goal was to come as close as possible to make the reader smell, feel, see, and touch what I had witnessed that day. "Pay attention," was my mental message to the reader. "People are dying. This is important." A generation later, the photographer David Leeson, whom I talked with on the phone, has similar passions. He said: "I understand the criticisms about blood and gore. I don't seek that. When I approach a body on the ground after a battle, I'm determined to give dignity to that person's life and photograph him with respect. But sometimes, as with my pictures of child victims, the greatest dignity and respect you can give them is to show the horror they have suffered, the absolutely gruesome horror." Leeson went on: "War is madness. Often when I was in it, I would think of my work as dedicated to stopping it. But I know that's unrealistic. When I considered the readers who would see my photos, I felt I was saying to them: 'If I hurt inside, I want you to hurt too. If something brings me to tears, I want to bring you to tears too.' " I don't see any place for "restraint" in this picture.

14 Let's call it Crapperquiddick.

15 For the most part, those in Gitmo, were not uniformed combatants and as such do not enjoy Geneva Convention status. I suspect you know that greg, but never let a fact get in the way of a good anti-American rant. We could hang them all tomorrow and still be under the letter of the law.

16 Iran Said to Be Smuggling Nuclear Matter http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/20/AR2005052000842.html?referrer=emailarticle “ Iran is circumventing international export bans on sensitive dual-use materials by smuggling graphite and a graphite compound that can be used to make conventional and nuclear weapons, an Iranian dissident and a senior diplomat said Friday. Graphite has many peaceful uses, including steel manufacture, but also can be used as a casing for molten weapons-grade uranium to fit it to nuclear warheads or to shield the cones of conventional missiles from heat.” HERE WE GO AGAIN! DO YOU SEE THE PATTERN HERE?

17 "For the most part, those in Gitmo, were not uniformed combatants and as such do not enjoy Geneva Convention status."-Defense Guy Well I guess the Bulgarian helicopter pilot who was murdered got what he deserved.

18 Defense Guy, Same question... Have you offered up your kids to fight this war?

19 It's a volunteer army greg. Do you know what that word means? It's a big one.

20 DG My question still holds. Will you answer?

21 If I have any kids, it is none of your business greg. The attempt to distract attention from the facts I offered is noted.

22 DG I thought as much. Your silence speaks volumes.

23 As does yours. You can't compete in a rational presentation of facts, so you do what you always do. Obfuscate and attempt to change the subject.

24 DG I replied to your post in full. What do you want? How come you won't send your kids off to fight this war?

25 Have you stopped beating your wife?

26 WTF? IDIOT!

27 answer the question greg. Why won't you answer?

28 Check this out. Good old British soldiers in Iraq. http;//putfile.com/media.php?n=way_to_armadillo

29 Actually, DG, greg beats his wife just in case she might be jewish. Meanwhile, greg, you still are evidently too stupid to recall that the protections of the Geneva Convention don't apply to illegal combatants. And that is what your allies are, illegal combatants.

30 So greg, how long did you serve in the military? What? You never served you say! Imagine that, another chickenshit liberal asking others about their service, when you yourself are too cowardly to serve. As for me, I'm a Desert Storm vet with over ten years service, medically disabled. I served my country, what have you done? I think the best service you could do your country would be to eat a bullet.

31 The following quote represents the viewpoint of the handful of Muslim people that I know personally. I agree wholeheartedly with this viewpoint, but I could not have articulated it nearly as well. I found this at michigan-conservative.squarespace.com. "As a Muslim, I am able to purchase copies of the Quran in any bookstore in any American city, and study its contents in countless American universities. American museums spend millions to exhibit and celebrate Muslim arts and heritage. On the other hand, my Christian and other non-Muslim brothers and sisters in Saudi Arabia--where I come from--are not even allowed to own a copy of their holy books. Indeed, the Saudi government desecrates and burns Bibles that its security forces confiscate at immigration points into the kingdom or during raids on Christian expatriates worshiping privately. The Saudi Embassy and other Saudi organizations in Washington have distributed hundreds of thousands of Qurans and many more Muslim books, some that have libeled Christians, Jews and others as pigs and monkeys. In Saudi school curricula, Jews and Christians are considered deviants and eternal enemies. By contrast, Muslim communities in the West are the first to admit that Western countries--especially the U.S.--provide Muslims the strongest freedoms and protections that allow Islam to thrive in the West. Meanwhile Christianity and Judaism, both indigenous to the Middle East, are maligned through systematic hostility by Middle Eastern governments and their religious apparatuses. The lesson here is simple: If Muslims wish other religions to respect their beliefs and their Holy book, they should lead by example." Mr. al-Ahmed is director of the Saudi Institute in Washington.

32 "As for me, I'm a Desert Storm vet with over ten years service, medically disabled."-Gluteus Maximus It's quite apparent that your medical disability is a mental problem. Psycho!

33 For the first time, greg comments within his only area of expertise - mental illness. Seen any joos crawling out of the walls lately, greg?

34 If this "desecration" did in fact occur, it was two years ago. Why then did Newsweek decide to report on it now? It was an issue already brought up when it occurred even before the Abu Graib abuses cropped up. Greg, do you not question why the Newsweek staff thought it would be a good idea to revisit a two year old issue? Probably not. But, you know what? I do want to know why. The lame reason they gave (other news outlets already reported on it) just doesn't cut the mustard. You know, if Newsweek wanted to they could be just about the first on the block to do a "real" story on the Van Gogh murder which resulted from Hirsi Ali's movie "Submission". No one else seems to have been very interested. We didn't see rioting in any Muslim countries over that. It was a much bigger, harder and overt slap in the face to Muslims than any mishandling of a Quran. But no, it doesn't put "Americans" in a bad light so it's not newsworthy. Even Van Gogh's colleagues who shout at the top of their lungs about freedom of expression have nothing to say. Why does Newsweek think allegations of a minor issue two years old is more important? No one, no one, has come forward with a first hand account of such stories involving the Quran except the prisoners. Not the IRC not the exprisoners' lawyers, no one. The only source of information on this is the prisoners. Doesn't this bother you in the least, Greg? And before you answer that question and give your explanation why, remember who reported the Abu Graib abuses. It wasn't the prisoners, lawyers or any other human rights group. It was a conscientious American.

35 loserweek descrates American flag take picture of flag in trash can says america is dead http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/05/newsweek-america-is-dead.html

36 "Tillman’s parents lash out at Army Handling of Ranger’s death called a ‘sign of disrespect’" http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7946201/ “Former NFL player Pat Tillman's family is lashing out against the Army, saying that the military's investigations into Tillman's friendly-fire death in Afghanistan last year were a sham and that Army efforts to cover up the truth have made it harder for them to deal with their loss. More than a year after their son was shot several times by his fellow Army Rangers on a craggy hillside near the Pakistani border, Tillman's mother and father said in interviews that they believe the military and the government created a heroic tale about how their son died to foster a patriotic response across the country. They say the Army's "lies" about what happened have made them suspicious, and that they are certain they will never get the full story.” The Pat Tillman story was a lie. The Jessica Lynch story was a lie. The Todd Beamer story was a lie. If you heard it from the government, it’s likely a lie.