Similarities Between Walker And Hersh

The organization of the essay is impressive. The introduction is effective in grasping the audiences’ attention. Mae begins the essay by giving information about the topic. She states that “[i]n 2004, when the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib became known, many Americans became concerned that the government was using torture as part of its interrogation of war-on-terror detainees.” This quote makes readers want to read further into the essay, and it also shows how the topic of essay is

Guantanamo Bay in Cuba houses some of the most dangerous people. The people being held have ranged in committing various crimes. What makes Guantanamo Bay well known is how the time period a detainee has spent in prison without a trial. While in prison for an extensive period of time, a detainee is bound to receive discipline for not following the guards. There are often a variety of different methods that the guards use to teach discipline to the detainees. All who follow Guantanamo Bay as institution often criticizes the measures taken. What makes Guantanamo Bay an ironic place to start this journey is because Guantanamo Bay is at the center of attention to a very important, controversial law passed in 2006. The controversial law was

The author provides dates of events during the course of the book during the early 2000s. There is an emotional appeal of how he was wrongfully treated and how he was terminated as a result of exposing some of the wrongdoings at Guantanamo Bay. I will use this source to share as an example of how this event at Guantanamo Bay impacted the presidency of George Bush and became a large media scandal for the history of his

By making multiple comparisons of Camp Greyhound to Guantánamo Bay, a correctional facility in Cuba notorious for its brutal mistreatment of its Muslim inmates, Eggers insinuates that Camp Greyhound, like Guantánamo, is a morally corrupt detention center, and that Zeitoun, a Muslim, is being victimized by the authorities that run Camp Greyhound. As his time in prison progresses, Zeitoun’s fear of becoming an innocent victim of racial profiling escalates-- his treatment at Camp Greyhound and the Hunt Correctional Facility had suggested to him that maybe it was not “...so improbable that he, like so many others, might be taken to an undisclosed location—to one of those secret prisons abroad...” (254) and that the Department of Homeland Security might have added his name to “...their roster of dangerous individuals.” (255) Eggers’ use of emotional diction effectively conveys Zeitoun’s uncertainty and worry of a worsening of his situation due to his race. The phrases “undisclosed location” and “secret prisons” carry an arcane connotation, reflecting both Zeitoun’s bewilderment and fear of the

The negotiation for the release of Bowe Bergdahl in 2014 is the subject of my review. Bergdahl was the last United States (U.S) prisoner-of-war from the war in Afghanistan captured in 2009 by the Haqqani network, an ally of the Taliban terrorist group (Wallbank and Ratnam 2014). Bergdahl was taken after leaving his Army post and held by his captives in Pakistan for five years (CBS NEWS). According to reports, Bergdahl left his post as a result of becoming disillusioned with the war effort following the death of a fellow soldier; leaving many, including some members of congress, to consider him as a deserter (Capehart 2014).

In the opinion piece, A sorry state? Written on 2nd of august 2007, Professor Janice Stevens opposes in an alarmed and critical tone that the treatment of David Hicks in Guantanamo Bay is a violation of human rights and that Australia’s response only shows that other citizens should be scared of themselves being held in such a state. In a sophisticated style the article addresses at an educated adult audience, or to those who are concerned about the treatment of their fellow citizens.

Guantanamo Bay, though started with good intentions, only highlights America’s negative side. Marine Major General Michael Lehnert, who played a significant role in the opening of Guantanamo, has drastically changed his opinion and said that it, “Validates every negative perception of the U.S.” (Sutton 1). One example of this occurred in 2006, when President Bush justified the use of “physical coercion” (torture) during interrogations (Fetini 1). Some of these torture methods include isolation, beatings, sleep deprivation, and general abuse. Other tactics such as disrespect for Islamic symbols or sexual provocation are used to encourage stress in detainees (Bloche 1). These immoral methods led to an international outcry. It was later remarked that the Cuban territory upon which Guantanamo is located is being used as a “concentration camp” of sorts (Fetini 1). Guantanamo and its unethical values are being recognized by nations around the world, displaying America in a bad light.

Speier writes, “brutal actions have fueled hatred abroad and provided potent imagery for terrorist propaganda” (3). Following this assertion, Speier did not fully justify how these “brutal actions,” which she only mentioned to be the force feeding of detainees that were on hunger strike, have created such emotions abroad (2). She also left the readers wondering how these actions are propaganda for terrorist. Although Speier does mention that dressing the journalist in the orange jumpsuit evokes Guantanamo’s imagery of the detainees, she does not develop the argument thoroughly (3). The lack of support impedes her purpose of making the readers appeal to fear, and instead makes them question in depth why she made such statement to begin with. Furthermore, Speier manages to poorly back up a quote from the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, which states, “[Guantanamo is] a ‘recruiting symbol’ for terrorist and jihadist,” which he saw as “the heart of the concern for Guantanamo’s continued existence” (3). Although Adm. Mullen has credibility on the topic because of his position, providing an underdeveloped example on how Guantanamo is actually used as a symbol to recruit terrorist makes her source’s credibility crumble as well as her whole

Tara Mckelevy’s interview with Lynddie England, the woman who was the center of the worldwide scandal at Abu Ghraib, shows how Dianne’s Benscoter’s explanations were at play when she committed the horrific acts. Mckelevy’s A Soldier’s Tale documented the story of Lynddie England, a “small town” girl who was “blinded” by love for a fellow soldier so she claims. Lynddie England was shown in photographs laughing, smiling, and gesturing at the Iraqi Prisoners as she humiliated and abused them. England was a young quiet girl who wanted an escape from her trailer park life. However, as she entered the warzone, loneliness, stress, and exhaustion dwelled upon her mind.

Not only are the prisoners abused and neglected but they are also isolated for most of the time they serve. Along with the abuses already listed, they deny medical and family visits, food, and pay for prisoners (“Background Note: Cuba” 6). The people of the United States may find out about these horrid interrogations, they have much more to learn. Many people are shocked to find out the Pentagon has denied claims of any abuse in Guantanamo, although the people at the Pentagon admit to finding cases of the torture (Ardiente 2). To authorities this scheme acts as a minor problem, and it’s apparent they aren’t making it as much of a concern as they should. Techniques for interrogation were considered to be life threatening conditions that should not be tolerated by any presidential administration (Woodward 1). Detainees’ had no trial and no charges to bring to court so they went on many hunger strikes to protest (“Guantanamo Bay” 3). As a response to the prisoners’ hunger strikes, the American officials made the detainees undress completely, and they force fed them (Greenberg 5).

Six years turned him from flat-out angry to something more like constructively critical. He cast himself as the monitor of the prison regime. He was that eternally complaining customer who keeps returning to the restaurant anyway. His rage, scalding in the free world, cooled into a kind of nagging. He was Polunsky’s little gadfly: a reviewer of its food, a chronicler of what criminals led dignified than he did, an explainer of its overly bureaucratic processes. In his blog posts, he might disclose such things as the organogram of the prison, or the winding path that complaints followed, or the financial arrangement by which the county paid the state for keeping inmates until the death warrant was signed.”(Giridhardas

Throughout the last 15 years of operation, Guantanamo Bay has faced endless criticism from both international countries and the US. The biggest issue is the legal “black hole” that exists at Guantanamo Bay and the concern over interrogation techniques and torture. We are able to torture prisoners because of how George W Bush described the war. “Bush thought it was a new kind of war and that this meant the Americans didn’t need adhere the rules of the Geneva Convention,” explains Professor Honigsberg from the University of San Francisco. The convention says prisoners of war must be treated humanely during a war. “But Bush didn’t call them ‘prisoners of war’ but ‘enemy combatants’. This was how a

"Throughout my detainment in the solitary cells, there was an interrogation every two or three days, During these interrogations, we were subjected to many psychological and physical torture methods. One of these methods was that you are kept naked, handcuffed, [a] hood [is put] on your head, then they would bring a big dog. You hear the panting and barking of the dog very close to your face, ( Hassan).” An innocent Al Jazeera journalist named, Salah Hassan, was imprisoned and tortured at Abu Ghraib, a central prison used by U.S federal agencies. Innocent refugees like Hassan experienced extreme abuse techniques by U.S officials such as the of sleep deprivation, forced “feeding”, exams with abuse, standing for several hours on sore limbs,

By including this vision of closing Guantanamo as a part of his presidential campaign, Obama gained great support from the public. Once elected, Obama acted on his promise to close Guantanamo on his second day as President, shown by Scott Horton in his article on Guantanamo, “He (Obama) created an inter-agency task force to advise him on the specifics of this process and to create future guidelines for the detention of terrorism suspects captured abroad,” (1). The overall shift in opinion on Guantanamo in both citizens and high-up leaders of the country, however, was a result of many factors occurring around the time of Obama’s election. First, while Guantanamo processes and descriptions were long held from the public under war time confidentiality, more information leaked out as the war settled down, including a basic description of Camp X-ray, which was, “consisting of small cages with chain-link sides, concrete floors and metal roofs, offering scant shelter from the elements, and with very basic sanitary facilities,” (Living Conditions). Methods of torture also became more nationally known, reinforcing the shifting opinion against Guantanamo. Finally, one of the largest reasons for Obama’s push to close Guantanamo was due to the lack of empirical evidence proving detainees guilty (Horton 12). Holding these

On March 19, 60 Minutes aired the interview of Holly Williams, a news correspondent with Mohamedou Slahi, an author and ex-prisoner at Guantanamo prison. He explained his personal “enhanced interrogation” program that was approved by then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Specifically he claimed that “he was interrogated for 70 straight days, almost around the clock.” Throughout the 70 days he experienced complete isolation in “the fridge”(small holding cell that is cold), two hours of sleep, and much more inhumane acts. As the interviewee said, “they broke me. I told the captain, that the boss of my team” even though that information was false. Slahi was merely protecting himself from any more cruel and unusual punishments. Although some people believe that Slahi’s book can be humorous, Slahi insists that the now illegal form of interrogation or torture is an invalid way to gain information. All things consider Slahi states, that torture works “giving false confessions” but doesn't work with “giving good intelligence.” In sum,