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CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. The Marine commander who built the Guantanamo Bay prison said Thursday the U.S. lost the "moral high ground" with its brutal treatment of prisoners, and the facility should be closed as quickly as possible.
It was the first time Maj. Gen. Michael Lehnert publicly acknowledged his doubts, although he said he did make his concerns known through the appropriate chain of command.
Lehnert, 58, was commander of Joint Task Force 160 when it was assigned to build prison cells in 2001 at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba to hold designated "enemy combatants" from Afghanistan and elsewhere.
He said he was given little guidance from the Pentagon, but he did have his staff read the Geneva Convention, the international agreement governing treatment of prisoners.
"I wanted to run it close to Geneva Convention rules," Lehnert said. "Our job was to take them out of the fight, and once we had done that, I felt we had a moral responsibility to take care of them."
Lehnert now oversees seven West Coast Marine bases. He retires Tuesday.
We need to let these detainees loose in the Blue States.
Marine who built Gitmo: US lost moral high ground - Yahoo! News
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. The Marine commander who built the Guantanamo Bay prison said Thursday the U.S. lost the "moral high ground" with its brutal treatment of prisoners, and the facility should be closed as quickly as possible.
It was the first time Maj. Gen. Michael Lehnert publicly acknowledged his doubts, although he said he did make his concerns known through the appropriate chain of command.
Lehnert, 58, was commander of Joint Task Force 160 when it was assigned to build prison cells in 2001 at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba to hold designated "enemy combatants" from Afghanistan and elsewhere.
He said he was given little guidance from the Pentagon, but he did have his staff read the Geneva Convention, the international agreement governing treatment of prisoners.
"I wanted to run it close to Geneva Convention rules," Lehnert said. "Our job was to take them out of the fight, and once we had done that, I felt we had a moral responsibility to take care of them."
Lehnert now oversees seven West Coast Marine bases. He retires Tuesday.
Thoughts? Surprised this is the first I heard about this.
Marine who built Gitmo: US lost moral high ground - Yahoo! News
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. The Marine commander who built the Guantanamo Bay prison said Thursday the U.S. lost the "moral high ground" with its brutal treatment of prisoners, and the facility should be closed as quickly as possible.
It was the first time Maj. Gen. Michael Lehnert publicly acknowledged his doubts, although he said he did make his concerns known through the appropriate chain of command.
Lehnert, 58, was commander of Joint Task Force 160 when it was assigned to build prison cells in 2001 at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba to hold designated "enemy combatants" from Afghanistan and elsewhere.
He said he was given little guidance from the Pentagon, but he did have his staff read the Geneva Convention, the international agreement governing treatment of prisoners.
"I wanted to run it close to Geneva Convention rules," Lehnert said. "Our job was to take them out of the fight, and once we had done that, I felt we had a moral responsibility to take care of them."
Lehnert now oversees seven West Coast Marine bases. He retires Tuesday.
Thoughts? Surprised this is the first I heard about this.
I have dozens of muslim friends from just about every muslim country you can name.
One thing all of them admired about America was our adherence to the rule of law and due process for anyone arrested.
Something that most didn't have in their native countries.
But since 9/11 their veiws dramatically changed.
News reports and revelations about the treatment and torture of prisoners in Gitmo, Abu Ghraib; and the kidnapping of people all over the world, euphemistically call "renditions" by our government.
Now most see the United States as no different than the strong man dictatorships that rule their home countries.
Yes, America has lost the moral high ground; and it will take a long time to ever gain it back.
I have dozens of muslim friends from just about every muslim country you can name.
One thing all of them admired about America was our adherence to the rule of law and due process for anyone arrested.
Something that most didn't have in their native countries.
But since 9/11 their veiws dramatically changed.
News reports and revelations about the treatment and torture of prisoners in Gitmo, Abu Ghraib; and the kidnapping of people all over the world, euphemistically call "renditions" by our government.
Now most see the United States as no different than the strong man dictatorships that rule their home countries.
Yes, America has lost the moral high ground; and it will take a long time to ever gain it back.
At this point I would say it has more to do with the spin that was and is still presented in their (and some of our) medias than the actual news itself.
I have dozens of muslim friends from just about every muslim country you can name.
One thing all of them admired about America was our adherence to the rule of law and due process for anyone arrested.
Something that most didn't have in their native countries.
But since 9/11 their veiws dramatically changed.
Now most see the United States as no different than the strong man dictatorships that rule their home countries.
QUOTE]
You should educate your freinds if they see no difference in our leaders than dictatorships, as you know there is big difference.
