U.S. tries to undo Koran-story harm (AP/AFP)

[Up2Late]

(Spread the word abroad! The United States government respects all religious faiths, because the State Department Says so, Dammit!)

U.S. tries to undo Koran-story harm

The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2005

WASHINGTON Moving to undo damage it says was caused by a Newsweek article alleging U.S. desecration of the Koran, the State Department is telling its embassies to spread the word abroad that the United States government respects all religious faiths. In a two-page cable sent Monday night to all U.S. diplomatic posts, the department told ambassadors to inform host governments and local media that Newsweek magazine had retracted its report, which said that investigators had found evidence that interrogators at the U.S. naval prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, desecrated the Muslim holy book.

The Pentagon has found nothing to substantiate the allegations, the cable noted, adding, "The U.S. government will continue to investigate all credible allegations of misconduct and will take action against those responsible if the allegations are substantiated." On Monday, Newsweek retracted the report in its May 9 issue after officials in the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department criticized its publication and its use of an anonymous source.*

(clip)

Daniel Klaidman, the Washington bureau chief of Newsweek, said Tuesday in an interview on CBS television that he did not think anybody involved in preparing the article would be fired. "We think that people acted responsibly and professionally," Klaidman said. "There was no malice, no institutional bias, just a mistake that was made in good faith." The article was written by Michael Isikoff, an investigative reporter, and John Barry, a national security correspondent for the magazine.

(Clip)

(and, here's the kicker, Scottie telling Newsweek how to "get with the program" and be a "Team Player" and what to write, or else.)

In recommending an action plan for the magazine to undo its damage, McClellan said "Newsweek can clearly explain what happened and why they got it wrong, particularly to the people of the region."

"They can also talk about the policies and practices of the United States military," McClellan said. "Our United States military goes out of its way to treat the Holy Koran with great care and respect," he added. "There are policies in place for detainees when it comes to the Koran. They're provided copies of the Koran and they are provided opportunities to worship freely.

(more at link above)

*Please Note: The sentence above that is in italic is SPIN, provided to the U.S. and now World Media by an unknown source. This was never issued in a printed, video or audio form that I can find. If you have a copy, I'd be happy to see it, and NO, "news reports" OF the report (like the 1000's reported, but never seen, on Monday) don't count.
If still confused, please read what I posted at this link:
<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1787795&mesg_id=1787795>

[aquart]

1. Maybe they shouldn't have doused the Korans.

Just a suggestion.

[NightOwwl]

2. Yada, yada, yada. We've seen it all before.

From an article dated 4/25/05 by JoAnne Mariner: "A year ago, when the first photos appeared of U.S. soldiers beating and sexually humiliating detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, President George W. Bush expressed horror and disgust. Recognizing the damage that the abuses had done to the image of the U.S. abroad, he promised, in an interview broadcast to the Arab world via the Pentagon-funded TV station Al-Hurra, that the crimes would not go unpunished. In the coming months, he affirmed, "those mistakes will be investigated, and people will be brought to justice."

So a couple of low-level grunts were scapegoated. BFD. I don't think this is what the Iraqis or the rest of the world had in mind when Bush talked about justice.

OK, next!

"WASHINGTON Moving to undo damage it says was caused by a Newsweek article alleging U.S. desecration of the Koran, the State Department is telling its embassies to spread the word abroad that the United States government respects all religious faiths. In a two-page cable sent Monday night to all U.S. diplomatic posts, the department told ambassadors to inform host governments and local media that Newsweek magazine had retracted its report, which said that investigators had found evidence that interrogators at the U.S. naval prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, desecrated the Muslim holy book."

Sure, I believe you. No on ever desecrated the Koran. Because this administration never lies. Even though a year ago the damage to our reputation was caused by all those beatings, sodomy, torture and murder. But you will fix it. Just like you fixed it by scapegoating a couple of low level grunts, except this time you will scapegoat the media this time.

But here's what you seem to forget. The buck stops at the top. This will all come back to haunt you one of these days. And I am so looking forward to watching you go down.

[cornermouse]

3. Now what was the name of that general who went around the

churches in uniform?

And does the White House remember the torture photos of which we saw only a few?

What respect has this White House shown to anyone?

[LynnTheDem]

4. BULLSHIT.

Newsweek did no damage, it reported what's been reported for the past 2 years.

And the world knows it.

You're just LYING AGAIN, Scotty.

[Danieljay]

8. Funny, thats the first thing that came to my mind too....

EOM

[sattahipdeep]

5. American values

"Inside the Wire"

May 1, 2005

He told 60 Minutes about one interrogation in particular, in which
he translated for a female interrogator who was trying to break a
high-priority prisoner a Saudi who had been in flight school in
the United States.

"As she stood in front of him, she slowly started to unbutton her
Army blouse. She had on underneath the Army blouse a tight brown
Army T-shirt, touched her breasts, and said, 'Don't you like these
big American breasts?'" says Saar. "She wanted to create a barrier
between this detainee and his faith, and if she could somehow sexually
entice him, he would feel unclean in an Islamic way, he would not be
able to pray and go before his God and gain that strength, so the next
day, maybe he would be able to start cooperating, start talking to her."

But the prisoner wasn’t talking, so Saar said the interrogator increased
the pressure.

"I think the harm we are doing there far outweighs the good, and
I believe it's inconsistent with American values," says Saar.
"In fact, I think it's fair to say that it’s the moral antithesis
of what we want to stand for as a country."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/28/60minutes/main691602.shtml

[Toots]

6. "it’s the moral antithesis of what we stand for as a country"

:shrug: we know this to be true but how many supposed Christians acknowledge this?

[sattahipdeep]

7. American Hypocracy* At Work

http://www.dissidentvoice.org/May05/Williamson0517.htm

In an interview with Amy Goodman...

A technique was used in the interrogation booth
where sex was used as a weapon to create a wedge
between the detainee we were speaking with and his
faith. For example, more specifically, the female
interrogator I worked with that day sought to
sexually entice the detainee. The logic behind that
was that if he would be sexually attracted to her, he
would feel unclean, and therefore, she believed, in
Islam, he would be unable to go back to his cell and
pray. One thing she additionally did in order to
humiliate him and also to make him feel unclean was
wipe what was red ink on his face, but it was done in
a way that he believed it was menstrual blood. All of
this again was in an attempt to create this wedge
between himself and his religion . . . .

If U.S. interrogation practices went this far, what's the likelihood of a
single copy of the Qur'an being flushed down a toilet?

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/05/04/1342253

[sattahipdeep]

9. A bounce....

:kick: