Republican Congressman Steve King: Iraq prisoner treatment just "hazing"

[Eric J in MN]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&nci...


DES MOINES, Iowa - Republican Rep. Steve King says the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers was little more than "hazing."

In a statement in Friday's Des Moines Register, the Iowa congressman said the mistreatment at Abu Ghraib prison does not compare to what Iraqi insurgents have done to Americans.


"The dismembered and charred corpses of American contractors dangling over the Euphrates River, in comparison to the abuse committed by a few soldiers at Abu Ghraib, are like the crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer compared to those of Heidi Fleiss," King wrote. "What amounts to hazing is not even in the same ballpark as mass murder."
-----------------------

Do the 25 prisoners the US beat to death count as just hazing?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Right wing ideas

are that if contractors are killed, that's terrible because they were Americans. Iraqis are subhuman in their book, and can be treated any way any sadist desires.

And people wonder why the world doesn't like the US. Who likes an arrogant bully?

[Alerter_]

25. we need to release the photos before the Democrats cover it up

As long as the Republicans can get away with lying about the TORTURE, RAPE, and MURDER that are depicted in the pictures, they will continue to shrug it off as "hazing".

Why are the Democrats helping to cover it up?

[petersjo]

2. This guy is a right-wing whacko

He represents a district in far SW Iowa that has a history of electing far-right-wing whackos. He led the crusade against gays and lesbians while he was in the Iowa legislature. He's nuts.

[spanone]

3. I'm sure he's compassionate and conservative. Politics sucks.

[Morning Dew]

5. Jerks like him

should volunteer for some Abu Ghraib style hazing.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. I wouldn't fluff off his comments. This sadistic perception is very

endemic in fraternity colleges. Then when these "leaders" move up through the job market and reach positions of authority, they show the same disrespect for other people.

[maggrwaggr]

6. by saying that he just signed his one-way ticket out of Washington

what a horrible human being

[maggrwaggr]

7. print this picture out and send it to him

Tell him if this is just a little harmless "hazing", I sure don't want to party with him.

Here's his address:

Washington Office:
1432 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-1505
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Main District Office:
607 Lake Ave.
Storm Lake, IA 50588
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]



Sarah Haider, a wounded eight-year-old Iraqi girl, sits in a hospital bed after her house was destroyed in an overnight air strike, which killed her both parents, in Najaf, May 12, 2004. U.S. troops killed at least 20 militiamen loyal to rebel Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in fierce fighting in the Iraqi city of Kerbala, a senior U.S. military officer said. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/040512/...

[neebob]

8. Sure, if you believe fraternities, sororities, and chearleading squads

kick down the doors of the homes of people who had no idea they wanted to join in the middle of the night, hold everyone at gunpoint, throw pee-pee-pooey smelling hoods over the heads of their unwilling pledges, drag them off to prison, strip them naked, etc., etc., etc.

[maggrwaggr]

9. Here's what I wrote to the Des Moines Register

You can write them too, just click here:

http://DesMoinesRegister.com/help/letter.html


All of Iowa should be ashamed of Congressman Steve King.

He compares torture and rape of Iraqi prisoners, 70 - 90 percent of whom were picked up by mistake according to the Red Cross, as justifiable because of "what they did to us".

For him to compare rape and torture to "fraternity hazing" is mind-boggling. Just where the heck did King go to college? What fraternity did he belong to? If he and his frat brothers engaged in such acts, picking up people off the street, imprisoning them against their will, raping them with broomsticks and dragging them around on dogleashes, well, they should all STILL be in jail.

I am shocked that Iowa, a state I've always had a lot of respect for (my Dad grew up in southern Iowa near Centerville), would elect such a horrible human being as their representative to Congress.

[Mel]

10. here's my reply from the LBN thread from yesterday

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
Here's what we can

A) Contact King and tell him what we think of his BS
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]


check this out
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11083291&BRD=... ...

He criticized Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry for giving aid to the enemy for his criticism of President Bush's foreign policy, including the war in Iraq.

"Kerry is anti-military," King said.

He supports the elimination of the Internal Revenue Service and the creation of a national consumption tax at the retail level, King said.

He was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2002.</snip>

B) King's up for re-election I say we make sure that doesn't happen!
Let's
Joyce Schulte is running against King here's a link to her web site
http://www.schulteforcongress.com /

I say we support her, send her donations and let her know that King is out of step not only with Iowans but with Americans we don't support torture and we don't consider it to be frat pranks!
http://www.schulteforcongress.com /

[Eric J in MN]

11. I contributed 50 bucks to the Joyce Schulte campaign (nt)

nt

[maggrwaggr]

15. I just wrote him and told him I was too

We should make an example out of this guy.

Either him or Inhofe, we should crucify one of these fuckers.

[AlCzervik]

12. It's confirmed for sure now

that republicans get their talking points from Limbaugh. I think Rep. Peter King of New York said pretty much the same thing and Inhofe is in the same league.

[Eric J in MN]

13. a Congressman who echoes rightwing talk shows

A Congressman who echoes rightwing talk shows, just what America doesn't need.

[maggrwaggr]

14. Yes, Rush Limbaugh is running the right-wing

Isn't that nice?

Was he ever elected?

Didn't think so.

Time to impeach the fucker. Permanently.

[AlCzervik]

16. Well he was made an

honorary member of the us house of Representatives in 94.

[maggrwaggr]

17. huh? Are you serious?

it's time we reversed that, if it's true.

Who the fuck does he "represent"?

[AlCzervik]

18. As a heart Attack!

104th congress..http://www.universitydaily.net/vnews/display.v/ART/2003...

[Eric J in MN]

20. An MSNBC bio of Rush Limbaugh also said he was made an honorary

An MSNBC bio of Rush Limbaugh also said he was made an honorary Congressman.

The MSNBC "Headliners and Legends" series they show on weekends.

[PretzelWarrior]

19. not countenancing insurgents behavior...but charred people wre

DEAD ALREADY! THey didn't burn them alive the way US Soldiers did Vietnamese villagers back in the day. THese mercenaries were shot up. THen their truck was set on fire. Then the charred remains were hung.

On the other hand, our people are sodomizing, beating, and undoubtedly killing Iraqi prisoners who have no way to fight back as prisoners.

IT is disgusting. THis congressman should go back home...get caught for some of his crimes...and then get "hazed" by some guards in Iowa prisons.

[KayLaw]

21. Another one

He took his stand and if you didn't know what he stood for before, now you do.

[gold_bug]

22. here's my list so far...

Republican Senator James Inhofe said he is outraged that there is a public outrage over the torture. "I'm probably not the only one up at this table that is more outraged by the outrage than we are by the treatment."

Rush Limbaugh said the prison guards were "having a good time," "blow some steam off" and said the prisoner abuse was "brilliant" and mimicked a barking in describing photo of Iraqi prisoner terrorized by guard dogs .

May 13. Oliver North said it's "the kind of thing that you might find on any college campus nowadays" .

May 14. Michael Savage said "And I think there should be no mercy shown to these sub-humans. ... Instead of putting joysticks, I would have liked to have seen dynamite put in their orifices and they should be dropped from airplanes."

May 15. Republican Rep. Steve King says the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers was little more than "hazing."

I might need to add Zell Miller, I think he backed Inhofe's comments.

[goddess40]

23. hazing is voluntary...

idiots allow this to go on because they want to belong to some group. As I see it I don't think these pow's were signing up for anything.

[Eric J in MN]

24. that is one important difference. they also don't

that is one important difference. they also don't sodomize pledges with broomsticks or put electrodes on their genitals.

[spanone]

26. Put a light stick up his ass and see how he feels.

[baldguy]

27. Right. An Kujo is is a friendly family pet.

[Classical_Liberal]

28. He's is a dispensationalist that didn't show

his true far right colors until after he was elected. He is a one termer. Iowans aren't fundies. They are moderate republicans, and mostly antiwar.

[seabeyond]

29. this is why the other pictures need to come out

with repugs now creating a story just hazing. the world has to see the rape and murder is not, just hazing

[donsu]

30. if american college kids are doing this, then we are in big trouble

nt