Ray Taliaferro is talking about something terrible!

[patrioticliberal]

Military Hides Cause of Women Soldiers' Deaths
Marjorie Cohn, t r u t h o u t

January 30, 2006

In a startling revelation, the former commander of Abu Ghraib prison testified that Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, former senior US military commander in Iraq, gave orders to cover up the cause of death for some female American soldiers serving in Iraq.

Last week, Col. Janis Karpinski told a panel of judges at the Commission of Inquiry for Crimes against Humanity Committed by the Bush Administration in New York that several women had died of dehydration because they refused to drink liquids late in the day. They were afraid of being assaulted or even raped by male soldiers if they had to use the women's latrine after dark.

The latrine for female soldiers at Camp Victory wasn't located near their barracks, so they had to go outside if they needed to use the bathroom. "There were no lights near any of their facilities, so women were doubly easy targets in the dark of the night," Karpinski told retired US Army Col. David Hackworth in a September 2004 interview. It was there that male soldiers assaulted and raped women soldiers. So the women took matters into their own hands. They didn't drink in the late afternoon so they wouldn't have to urinate at night. They didn't get raped. But some died of dehydration in the desert heat, Karpinski said.

Karpinski testified that a surgeon for the coalition's joint task force said in a briefing that "women in fear of getting up in the hours of darkness to go out to the port-a-lets or the latrines were not drinking liquids after 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and in 120 degree heat or warmer, because there was no air-conditioning at most of the facilities, they were dying from dehydration in their sleep."

MORE: http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m20112&l=i&size=1&hd=0

[cornermouse]

1. Cover-up is quicker and easier than actually fixing the problem.

This seems to be the Bush presidency modus operandi.

[laruemtt]

2. i heard that too. why does it

not surprise me one bit. these monsters are beyond evil.

[oasis]

3. The women were afraid to report this condition to their superiors?

[juliana24]

8. They must be afraid to for some reason, but why is the question...

...more then likely some sort of retaliation, I suspect.

This story has to hit the MSM soon !

[China_cat]

17. Women in the military who report rapes

by male colleagues (or superiors) can look forward to a courtmartial and dishonorable discharge.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. Well, well, well. How incredibly interesting.

Now I understand why conservatives were so opposed to allowing women on the front lines. There's a lot of secrets that the military seems to keep.

[patrioticliberal]

5. Ray was asking how we can possibly support the troops

[juliana24]

10. Too bad the women couldn't cover each other before they were attacked...

and shoot the rapists) square in the pants, where it hurts!

[verdalaven]

23. Yes, I wondered that too,

why they don't go to the latrine in groups, or are they as at risk in a group as they are alone?

My sister-in-law heard from a mother of a nurse stationed in Iraq that rape is way too common a problem and that all women (including those working in the hospitals) watch their backs 24/7. Makes me wonder about the men. Does this mean that the majority of men of any culture in any given situation given carte blanche will rape? I hope that isn't what it means. I'd like to think that most people are inherently good and will not commit a crime just because they can get away with it.

[Tigress DEM]

29. Ratio. Men totally outnumber them. If they see 1 or 2 women w/guns,

then 8 or 9 sneak up out of the dark and surround them.

These are the group of men who were picked for duty that involved torture and sexual depravity towards the prisoners. Some may have been involved in raping young boys in range of their parent's hearing to "break the parents so they could get information from their interrogations" so I'm thinking this isn't typical military action but a hand picked group that wouldn't object to the kind of orders they got and a CO who figured raping their female counterparts was really a fantasy come true for most of the women anyway.

I think most military personnel would be horrified to find out about this. Most serve honorably and wouldn't think of raping and enemy combatant because it dishonors the uniform. Now do they get drunk and head to the red light district which may have women who were forced into prostitution because war is hell and they need/want escape? Many probably do that, but would not do more than entertain the idea of forcing your own. Harrassment goes with the territory, but I'm sure that full out rape isn't standard military proceedure.

[OnRee]

6. Let me ask you something, please....

How do you know the political leanings of the soldiers who did the raping? (And, thus, how do you know the political leanings of those overseas--guards, provost, commanders, officers, medical corps, fellow enlisted etc.--that might've been motivated to cover it up?)

I mean, it might be easiest to assume they were pubbies but, here on DU, I've heard it stated that the majority of our troops in the field are Democrats, so those things would seem to contradict each other...


These are serious claims; if someone or group is going to be accused of rape, I want to see something pretty concrete to back it up--I know boys who've done a tour of duty--sometimes 2--over there. I'd sure hate for their moms to be reading something that pointed their way. We're just having a conversation about it--but it wouldn't be just that to THEM. :scared:

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Why did you assume that I'm talking about recent resistance from

conservatives? I've been around since the 60s, and as far as I can remember, conservatives have ALWAYS been against allowing women on the front lines.

I don't ever recall making any comment about the rapists' political affiliation. You pulled that one out of your own grey cells, so slap yourself on your own pointy head for me, will you?

[OnRee]

9. Perhaps you're right...

However, I really can't see anyone here posting a post like that if they truly thought it was our Democrats raping fellow female soldiers and engineering a cover up of it.

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. This newsgroup is all about looking at all kinds of news sources.

Just stick around. We're not afraid to kick the Democrats in the ass when they deserve it.

[Pacifist Patriot]

20. LOL! The last 16 hours or so ought to be proof enough of that.

I do believe I myself have used the word traitor to describe a life-long Democrat and hard-working public servant.

[warrior1]

11. Wouldn't

water you've drank during the day come off you in sweat? I'm not sure how much you would urinate if it was always this hot? I'm just saying. Where are the woman's advocates in the services? This is sad.

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. No question about it. This needs further research.

Oh, oops. Did I say research? I meant study. Oh, double oops. Did I say study? Another naughty word for the times. I guess an investigation is out of the question too.

Well, someone be sure to write the memoirs in ten years time when it won't help anyone.

[juliana24]

15. Not all.The body has to flush impurities out and maintain electroltye..

levels, so some water has to come out, as urine, through the kidneys.

[Pacifist Patriot]

21. This is where dehydration can be toxic as well as causing other

problems. Besides the obvious need for water throughout the human body, we need to excrete our waste products. The inability to urinate sufficient quantities is definitely a danger.

[Pacifist Patriot]

19. I can understand why someone would make the claim that

being opposed to women in the military is a conservative stance. As for who is doing the cover-up, I think it is certainly fair to look at the Republicans. Who is the Commander in Chief?

I didn't think the political affiliation of the rapists was mentioned, but a culture of cover up is usually top down. Regardless of whether Joe MP is a democrat or a republican means nothing if people further up the chain of command are ordering him to write something else on his reports.

[juliana24]

12. Don't these women have guns and a spotlight? Shoot the bastards first!

This is how the Armed Services allows women to serve???

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. It is pretty shocking.

I wonder if I'll ever get to the point where nothing will shock me anymore?

[DemReadingDU]

18. link on Truthout

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013006J.shtml

[GreenPartyVoter]

22. Oh my word!

[Caretha]

24. I have a question

Something about this story doesn't make sense. Why not have a bucket in the women's barracks to urinate in at night? Seems pretty simple to me. Women aren't normally that modest about things like that around other women, so I don't believe that would be a problem at all.

[Tigress DEM]

30. Could face disciplinary action ...

If the CO was so uncooperative with actual reports of rape and the "rape hotline" was only an answering machine.... it probably means that rational attempts had been made to circumvent the issue and failed.

If the CO wanted to help them, he would have put lights around the porta potties, posted a guard who could be trusted to protect them or move one closer to their barracks so they could watch each other's backs.

If he wanted to make them miserable he could have poured the piss out of the bucket onto the women the following morning at inspection and sent them on a 5 mile hike in 120 degree heat stinking of their own piss.

It is all lunacy. Those families who coughed up the dough to buy their loved ones in the army body armor may wind up screwing those soldier's families out of death benefits if they die with that armor on (because they are out of standard uniform) at time of death.

Nothing under Bush makes rational sense. It's insane.

[Toots]

25. I thought they carried guns over there..

:shrug:

[Az_lefty]

27. They do, but the weapons are cleared when you enter the camp.

On Edit: if this is a known problem they could have arranged security at night in the area between the sleep tents and latrines. There's no excuse for this to be an ongoing problem.

[benburch]

26. Listen to the achive of Today's Lizz Brown Show...

The third hour has an interview with a retired general about this matter that you ought to hear. Archive will post by noon CST.

[BuyingThyme]

28. kcik

[donsu]

31. kick

nt