No hoods. No electric shocks. No beatings. These Iranians clearly are a very uncivilised bunch

[ProudDad]

"I share the outrage expressed in the British press over the treatment of our naval personnel accused by Iran of illegally entering their waters. It is a disgrace. We would never dream of treating captives like this - allowing them to smoke cigarettes, for example, even though it has been proven that smoking kills. And as for compelling poor servicewoman Faye Turney to wear a black headscarf, and then allowing the picture to be posted around the world - have the Iranians no concept of civilised behaviour? For God's sake, what's wrong with putting a bag over her head? That's what we do with the Muslims we capture: we put bags over their heads, so it's hard to breathe. Then it's perfectly acceptable to take photographs of them and circulate them to the press because the captives can't be recognised and humiliated in the way these unfortunate British service people are.

It is also unacceptable that these British captives should be made to talk on television and say things that they may regret later. If the Iranians put duct tape over their mouths, like we do to our captives, they wouldn't be able to talk at all. Of course they'd probably find it even harder to breathe - especially with a bag over their head - but at least they wouldn't be humiliated.

And what's all this about allowing the captives to write letters home saying they are all right? It's time the Iranians fell into line with the rest of the civilised world: they should allow their captives the privacy of solitary confinement. That's one of the many privileges the US grants to its captives in Guantánamo Bay."

http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2007/03/31/guardian-unlimited-comment-is-free-call-that-humiliation-terry-jones/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.guardian.co.uk%2Fcommentisfree%2Fstory%2F0%2C%2C2047128%2C00.html&frame=true

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tblue]

2. They're not stupid. They know that * is baiting them, but they ain't bitin'!

[liberal N proud]

3. Isn't amazing that these monsters as the government portrays them are not torturing their captives?

I find it truly amazing that the public continues to believe the propaganda about how terrible the Iranians are and we must stop them when it is the US doing torture and mistreating of people.

[Jcrowley]

4. Of savages and their civilizers

[William769]

5. Fuck Iran then bomb the hell right out of them! NT.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cali]

6. This is, at best, a nice poke in the eye to bushco

and blair for their monumental hypocricy. But, the author has no idea how these folks are being treated. It's obvious they're being coerced. And here's a bit of recent history: After their release in 2004, the 8 sailors captured by Iran, stated that among other unpleasant experiences, they had been put through mock executions. That's certainly psychological torture.

[ProudDad]

8. You DO know who the Pythons are?

I didn't think I'd need to put the :sarcasm: thingie in my OP.

Of course, like most satire Jones' is based in fact. I doubt that the Iranians have treated those sailors nearly as badly as bush has treated nearly EVERY hostage of the bogus "war on terror" let alone the phony "war on drugs"!

[cali]

11. Yes, that's why I noted it was a poke in the eye

to bushco.

And although I hope that the high profile nature of these prisoners will keep them relatively unharmed, you might want to recall the fate of the Canadian woman journalist who was arrested and beat to death while in detention in Iran.

No doubt, bushco has treated prisoners horribly and with utter disdain for their human rights, but if you think Iran is any better, you're deluding yourself.

[ProudDad]

15. It depends on how you count

Are the Iranians capable of the same kind of crimes as the U.S. and Britain? -- Yup...I don't delude myself about what all governments are capable of doing.

Have they done so in this case? -- Nope, it doesn't appear that they have.

Have they tortured and murdered NEARLY as many folks as the U.S. has? Ever? -- Not EVEN CLOSE...

[cali]

21. We don't know what they've done in this case.

And of course they haven't wreaked the kind of havoc that GB and the US have. They don't have the power to do so, but these types of comparisons are so spurious, they're hardly worth pursuing.

[ProudDad]

24. Actually contrasting the Iranian treatment

of these British Sailors with U.S. treatment of "detainees" at Guantanamo and Abu Graib is definitely worth pursuing.

[stillcool]

12. this story?

8 British troops on way out of Iran
Marines, sailors were held after straying into Iranian waters


Updated: 8:05 p.m. ET June 24, 2004

LONDON - Britain said on Thursday eight naval personnel freed by Iran after being held since Monday for straying into its waters, had left the British Embassy in Tehran and were departing the country.
------------------------------------------
British diplomats earlier took custody of the eight and flew with them to Tehran from the gulf area, where they were held on Monday after straying into Iranian waters from Iraq.

-------------------------------------------------

The eight were held in the sweltering province of Khuzestan in Iran’s oil-rich southwest after they were seized on the Iranian side of the Shatt al-Arab waterway, or Arvand River, along the Iran-Iraq border while delivering a patrol boat to Iraq's new river police.

Diplomats visited them Wednesday and said they had been well looked after.

Iran’s Arabic-language Al-Alam channel had shown the men blindfolded and forced to walk in single file earlier in their detention.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the eight traveled from the Persian Gulf area to Tehran with British consular officers.

"I'm told that they are in very good spirits and were well cared for," he said in a brief statement. He said they would be taken to the British Embassy. He did not specify where they would then go.------------------------------------------------

TV apology
Two of the Britons appeared on Iranian television Tuesday night apologizing for mistakenly entering Iranian waters.

[muntrv]

7. Yep, those Iranians treat the British sailors the way they do 'cuz they hate

the British and Amurkin ways.

[rgbecker]

9. Make it the top Priority: Close down Gitmo Now! n/t

[MH1]

13. I feel really stupid to ask this, but compelled. Have any BRITISH been linked to torture?

I am troubled that the treatment of prisoners by the US is being used to justify the treatment of British prisoners by Iran.

And yes, for the record - forcing a woman to wear a headscarf is APPALLING. Whether it's "humiliating", depends on her. But there is NO.JUSTIFICATION.WHATSOEVER.

Don't get me started on headscarves. Someone wants to wear one, who am I to tell them they shouldn't? Someone wants to wear a confederate flag plastered on the back of their denim jacket, who am I to tell them they shouldn't?

But don't tell someone they have to. Especially not a prisoner of war, detainee, kidnap victim, whatever the heck you want to call them.

[ProudDad]

25. The answer is

YES!

UK forces taught torture methods

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1212197,00.html

UK troops held torture contests, Iraqi claims

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=862202004

UK aid funds Iraqi torture units

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,1520419,00.html


Just a quick google found these...

[Broadslidin]

14. Surely, the US Imperialists are Taking Good Care of the 5 'Disappeared' Iranians

So what,
the Iraqi government knew of and recognized
the 'disappeared' as Iranian diplomats
who were establishing an Iranian conciliate office.

[ProudDad]

16. Not to mention the Cuban 5

http://www.freethefive.org/

Still in prison for defending their country against the Florida Cuban Fascists...

[William769]

17. I guess lobbing heads off & stoning women to death & killing homosexuals

Is a civilized bunch. :eyes:

[madrchsod]

18. other than cutting off peoples heads(maybe)

tell just how different is the usa and iran?

[stillcool]

20. Texas?.....................n/t

[SOS]

27. Do you favor bombing Saudi Arabia?

They do the same.

[William769]

28. If they take hostages, yes.

I have no love for Saudi Arabia either.

[DanWithAngel]

19. more "but they did it first" excuses

since when did adults start using this to excuse others of wrongdoing? I hope the people
using the actions of others to justify iran's actions are not raising any children.

this approach is no better than an eye for an eye where all of society goes blind.

[cali]

22. Indeed.

The line but the U.S. is worse, used as an excuse for all transgressions by all other nations, is not a good arguement.

[ProudDad]

23. What part of

:satire: don't you understand???

Who's excusing any transgressions.

It's a very sloppy debating technique to put words into people's mouths.

[DuaneBidoux]

26. Don't fool yourself, where the light isn't shining there is no way they are better and probably...

substantially worse. The shitty behavior of our own leaders and our lost faith in them is hindering our ability to honestly see these people for what they are (by these people I do mean their leadership, not the people). Do they have lots of good reasons to fear and distruct Bush? Absolutely. But on one thing conservatives in this country are right: Islamic fundamentalism is radical and dangerous. Unfortunately Shrub's behavior has done nothing but strengthen their hand (I guarantee you that if our military wasn't bogged down in Iran and stretched to the limit they would not have taken British hostages whether or not they were in their own waters). We are substantially weakened by Bush's actions and they know it.

[ileus]

29. I agree: Iran the model society...

[Marrah_G]

30. Trying being a woman in their society

Then come talk about how civilized Sharia law is please. Just because Bush has fucked up doesn't make Iran some bastion of human rights. If you believe those statements put out by the sailors I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. Anyone with half a brain can tell those letters were dictated by some Iranian official. You have absolutely no way of knowing if they were under threat or harm or if they are being treated well. If they come home safe and THEN say these things, then that is very different.

[mmonk]

31. The sad thing is that we and the Brits will

always have to wonder about how our prisoners will be treated. While we worried before, we will have to worry more now that we treat prisoners brutally.

[kineneb]

32. hey, folks, it is satire!

by a Python, no less.

Go look up Monty Python, for goodness sake.
Sheesh, read the whole post and check out the author.

Satire, folks, satire.

Now, go find me a shrubbery.