Monday, February 13, 2006

Wow! According to John Simpson


Let's recapitulate briefly. According to the US Department of Defense, only 8% of the prisoners at Guantanamo were al-Qaeda fighters, and only 5% of them were captured by the Americans themselves.

The overwhelming majority of the others were handed over to the Americans by people who could reasonably be called bounty hunters.


Is this true?

1 comment:

John Powers said...

"Shocked, not surprised."

As a very ordinary American, I've probably said the same thing as the spokesman for al-Fahila quoted in the piece.

The policies of the Republican monopoly on power are shocking to me, nevertheless do reflect an idea of the world that's popular enough to get them elected.

Of course the politics of it are important but G.W. Bush's face and D. Cheney's sneer are multipied millions of times over by American people who are inured to sadism and drunk with power--because we can.

The polite distinction between president Bush and Ameircan people doesn't cut it. It's not Bush who must change but the hearts and minds of the American people. Collectively we are very sick and words ought not to be minced about it.