Letters to the Editor
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Harsh treatment?
"...During the same period, detainee Mohammed al-Kahtani suffered from what Army investigators have called "degrading and abusive" treatment by soldiers who were following the interrogation plan Rumsfeld had approved. Kahtani was forced to stand naked in front of a female interrogator, was accused of being a homosexual, and was forced to wear women's underwear and to perform "dog tricks" on a leash. He received 18-to-20-hour interrogations during 48 of 54 days..."
"...On Dec. 2, 2002, Rumsfeld approved 16 harsher interrogation strategies for use against Kahtani, including the use of forced nudity, stress positions and the removal of religious items...."
So for over forty days and some nights, someone called Kahtani a fag and made him wear women underwear on his head. Big deal. They took his Koran away. Again, big deal. Dog tricks on a leash is too vague to make an opinion. Parading him around naked in front of the opposite sex is pushing the limit. The only clearly abusive behavior was forcing him into stressful positions.
Name calling and embarassing prisoners aren't something worth condemning Rumsfeld over and detracts from actual abuse like holding prisoners in painful positions. Real torture is beating prisoners with wire cables, shock their genitals with car batteries, or raping them. Condemn Rumsfeld if the military does those things to its prisoners.