Priests Face Prison for Exposing Torture in Arizona

[donsu]

http://counterpunch.com/norrell06072007.html


Two Roman Catholic priests, Jesuit Fr. Steve Kelly and Franciscan Fr. Louie Vitale, are willing to go to prison to expose the fact that young soldiers at Fort Huachuca are being trained to torture. Further, one of those young soldiers has already committed suicide after going into the prisoners' cages as an interrogator in northern Iraq.

At the time of their arrest, Kelly, 58, and Vitale, 74, sought to deliver a letter to the military commander at Fort Huachuca. When they were halted, they knelt in prayer and were arrested.

This case, however, is not just about two priests charged with trespass. It is not just about Fort Huachuca.

These priests are armed with a message about the proliferation of U.S. torture, secret prisons, depleted uranium and prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba who are never charged. It is about torture and the United States violation of the Geneva Conventions.

This case is about how U.S. torture is increasing terrorism in the world.
-snip-
---------------------------

america, the country that tortures

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Priests showing tremendous courage--

In the news for the RIGHT reason for once.

[burrowowl]

33. Remember the Berrigan Brothers

These priests seem to be in the same age group.
Idiot Benedict wants to do in Liberation Theology!

[Jackpine Radical]

36. Indeed, as a Cheesehead of the "right" age

I remember the Berrigans. And the Maryknoll Sisters. And some nuns who are active today in our local antiwar and social justice movement.

[burrowowl]

38. My Father was working for ICAO

International Civil Aviation Organization to set up Air Traffic Control in Guatemala during the Ray-Gun years and when a Maryknoll priest was shot down and killed delivering medicine to a Guatemalan Indian village, Ray-Gunners wanted him to say it was engin failure. My Father said looks like engine failure from several 50 caliber shells and did not sign off accidental engine failure. Good thing he was working for the United Nations.

[zanne]

44. And conservatives everywhere were screaming....

"Separation of Church and State"! And "Those priests shouldn't be allowed to get involved in politics"! Now, they're instructing priests and ministers to reprimand anyone who doesn't vote Republican.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

2. THIS is not my country!!!

This is NOT my country!!!

:cry:

THIS IS NOT MY COUNTRY!!!

[Deep13]

24. Jesus Christ, no kidding.

:mad:

[malaise]

3. Good for them n/t

[The Straight Story]

4. wow - a postive thread about some christians. It'll sink like a rock :)

But not before I give it a kick ;)

[immoderate]

12. Christians are OK. It's Christianity that's the problem.

These men have a conscience, and are worthy of praise. Religions supercede conscience.

--IMM

[WinkyDink]

14. It is specifically Catholic priests. They are continuing the work of the Berrigan Brothers.

[TankLV]

45. It's more specifically THESE particular Catholic Priests, as opposed to the rest of the lot...

Too many of rest of the lot are trying to undermine democracy...and are busy diddling little boys...

The "church" aparently has decided that some things are worth prosecuting - we're still waiting for the "church" to get around to prosecuting the pedophile priests they're HIDING IN THE VATICAN...

[Deep13]

23. That's because we are shallow and can't see that this would be brave...

...no matter what their religion was.

[Connonym]

40. Aw come on, even us godless heathens can appreciate this

:-P I'll give 'er a kick as well

[Name removed]

5. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[dogday]

6. I have so much respect for these Priests

This needs to be exposed for what it is... A human being who does not want to inflict torture upon another

[AspenRose]

7. Jesuits rock.

Where there are issues of peace and social justice, they'll be there.....nice to see a Franciscan in there too!

[etherealtruth]

29. Jesuits rock

No doubt in my mind about that

[myrna minx]

8. Wow. True Christian values in action.

They are very brave men. I mourn for my country. It's a good thing the MSM is all over this. :sarcasm:
http://news.google.com/news?um=1&tab=wn&hl=en&q=Jesuit%20Fr.%20Steve%20Kelly%20and%20Franciscan%20Fr.%20Louie%20Vitale

[jtrockville]

9. The afterlife (whatever it may be)...

will have a special place of honor for Fr. Louie Vitale. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Fr. Steve Kelly, but I've met Fr. Louie on several occasions and I hold him in the highest regard.

[MrPrax]

10. The suicide...

"...It was the life and death of a young soldier from Flagstaff, Arizona, that gave them the inspiration and now, the fortitude.

Alyssa Peterson, 27, was a Mormon missionary who wanted to do something good with her life. She was good at languages and thought by joining the military, she could serve humanity. She was trained as an interrogator at Fort Huachuca and sent to northern Iraq. She was assigned as an interrogator to a US air base in Tal Afar.

"After twice in the cages, she became suicidal," Vitale said. "She did end up committing suicide."

Peterson's suicide on Sept. 15, 2003, was not revealed by the military. It was exposed by news reporters using the freedom of information act. This was before the torture atrocities of Abu Ghraib were exposed..."

OP link

The one's who don't feel suicidal are the one's coming home.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

11. last sentence = aweful thought

they'll prolly run for office,...as republicans

[Solly Mack]

13. Remember this....from 2004-related to Abu Ghraib/Fast/Fort Huachuca

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/attack/36025.php

"Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast, who was Pappas' superior and the chief of military intelligence in Iraq, was not faulted individually, and was praised in one part of the report for improving intelligence collection and saving U.S. lives during a period in the Iraqi insurgency last fall.

However, another section of the report found that the command team Fast was part of in Iraq failed to set clear policies and standards at the prison and that the resulting uncertainty was an indirect factor in some of the abuses.

Another Abu Ghraib investigation released Tuesday reached a similar conclusion: It found that Fast failed to properly advise her boss what policies and procedures were needed to properly run intelligence operations at the prison and elsewhere in Iraq

Fast, who has not been recommended for any discipline, is due to become the new commander of Fort Huachuca and its military intelligence school, though some have voiced doubts about putting her in charge there before all Abu Ghraib investigations are done. Several inquiries on the prison abuse are still in the works.

Also this:

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/08/Worldandnation/Report_steers_clear_o.shtml

"But except for one brief mention, the 55-page report contains nothing about the role of the top military intelligence officer in Iraq, Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast. As head of intelligence for the U.S. command in Baghdad, Fast was in charge of interrogators at Abu Ghraib, where prisoners were beaten, sodomized and photographed in sexually degrading positions."


Also, one of the female interrogators at GTMO - left the Army after some of the tactics used were exposed (to include the infamous fake menstrual blood episode) - this same female interrogator went to work for a private contractor that held a contract with - Fort Huachuca - to help train future military interrogators.

I'm looking for the link now that tells of her leaving the military and joining the private contractors.

[TygrBright]

15. Marching orders for Inauguration Day, 2009:

As soon as the swearing-in is over and before getting dressed for the shindigs:

Send cars for the JCOS, SecDef, and all Intel chiefs. Get their asses lined up in the Oval Office.

Present them with Executive Order #1:

All torture, under ANY euphemism ("stress-assisted interrogation techniques, bleah...) ceases IMMEDIATELY.

All training facilities for interrogators that rely on torture to be shut down, and all members of the service trained in such techniques reassigned to desk jobs in the States and never again assigned to active duty in a combat zone.

No further "rendition."

NO cooperation with prisoner rendition, extradition, etc., with regimes that employ torture.

Develop training programs for all serving individuals in the military forces and intelligence services about why torture is both ineffective/inefficient, and morally and legally opprobrious to America, as well as UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

Develop strong UCMJ and Intel service regulations spelling out severe sanctions for those service members engaging in torture, and provide training for the JAG corps and legal corps of the intel services in how to investigate, prosecute, and punish such offenses.

Having handed over Executive Order #1, inform them that their asses are grass if its not implemented immediately, fully, and effectively by themselves and their successors. And that you'll expect a report from them by the end of June detailing the implementation.

No discussion. No argument. No exceptions. Period.

Thank you and get out. See you at the parties.

The American people and our Constitution will settle for nothing less.

implacably,
Bright

[AikidoSoul]

16. Catholic priests and nuns often put themselves in harm's way to protest political wrongs

Theirs was an act of courage, justice, love and decency .. the real message of Christianity.

[Morgana LaFey]

31. Well, the rightwinger Catholics don't so much (if at all)

And sad to say, there are plenty of those to go around.

[Solo_in_MD]

17. Title is more that a little disengenuous

The priest were refused entrance to the base and were arrested. They do not "Face Prison for Exposing Torture".

[Marnieworld]

18. ER had a brilliant story about this sort of thing

It had a Vet in the ER who had been a translator during Interrogations who attempts suicide in the ER. When he was being contained he shouted in Farsi and later explained that it was what he had to translate again and again in Iraq. "Please don't hurt me. I did nothing wrong. God have mercy."

I was incredibly moved by the telling of this story, a real story for so many translators, of the experience of actually having to speak the cries of the tortured. Truly becoming those souls' voices and how that can harm someone.

The whole war is a war crime. Every soldier by just being there and involved is being harmed. I truly respect, admire, and appreciate those Priests. We need more translators, Drs, psycholgists and all of the other professionals needed to effectively "interrogate" to come forward and speak the truth. This madness must end. :grr:

[FloridaJudy]

19. See my sig line

These two qualify.
K&R

[MasonJar]

20. I totally disagree. Christianity is not the problem; the problem is

some of the people who profess to be Christians.

[dogday]

21. Some have a hard time separating the two

Those who profess to be are killing the name Christianity.... That simple.... It's a shame really...

[Deep13]

25. People who profess to be Christians = Christians

I grant that Christianity is a diverse group and that most practitioners are regular, normal people. Still, to be a Christian, the Christian religion requires only that one be baptized and profess acceptance of Jesus Christ as savior. So saying that some people who have a difference of opinion are not Christian is a little disengenuous. After all, a perusal of Rapture Ready will show that they say the same thing about liberal Christians.

[Clovis Sangrail]

22. kick

[Deep13]

26. I'm an atheist and say, "RIGHT ON!"

This was an act of courage. All President Dumbass has to do is say "enemy combatant" and no one will ever see them again. While I have no love of the Church, the fact is clergymen have on occasion stuck their necks out to protest abuses of power. Hitler had a special place at Dachau for priests. Perhaps they knew that the fact that they are priests will draw increased attention to the crimes of the government. If so, I'm all for it. They are talking truth to power whatever their profession and whatever their private thoughts.

[lvx35]

27. Everybody bows to something.

Looks like these guys have decided to bow to something bigger than coercion or fear. Good for them.

[hankthecrank]

28. K&R Good work

Takes bigger B---- to be for peace. Its easy to follow the chip man

[april]

30. what is the date on this story?

[Mark Twain Girl]

32. Now these men are some heroes, putting themselves on the line for human rights

Said as a very strong atheist, too. Much respect for these individuals.

[earth mom]

34. Good for them! I don't care what religion they are-they are doing the right thing!

What I'm outraged about is that Congress chooses not to Impeach, and thereby allowing this and so many other crimes to continue. :grr:

Who's next up for torture, I wonder? All of us here on DU because we're speaking out?! :scared:

[libodem]

35. One of the things that troubles me so much

Is that these interrogators, if they have any conscience at all, will have to live with what they have done. Or die with it. Suicide seems like a natural progression of the crime spree set in motion by this Terrible Administration. Everybody down the chain of command is punished for following orders. I live with a great deal of chronic pain. I have tremendous compassion for the abused and the suffering of detainees. It's so wrong to hurt people who are locked up, and then put in chains and leg irons, and hoods. In other words to abuse the helpless. And in so many cases innocent. What chutzpa these two Priests have. My heart is with them. My all of the NeoCon Administration and their supporting characters burn in Hell. There has to be a special place in Hell just for them. I wish that Cheney would have to trade places with just one of these victims and live through what he himself has ordered done to other human beings. this is NOT my America. It has been stolen from all of us.

[Deep13]

42. Wish I could K&R your post. nt

[skyounkin]

37. **

Good for them!!

If there is anything I can do to help them let me know!

[pingzing58]

39. I want to also help. Let us know how! n/t

[lonestarnot]

41. kick

[druidqueen]

43. Praise God

When I read this type of things about Catholic priests,  I am
proud to be a Catholic.

Father John Dear, S.J. (who has been arrested & imprisoned
75 times) has had his trial for protesting at Los Alamos
nuclear weapons factory postponed now for the second time.  He
will no go on trial in September.  During one of his lengthy
imprisonments, he was a cell mate of Daniel Berrigan.

As a Catholic, we are all called to promote peace....Jesus was
a true non-violent pacifist who commanded us to LOVE our
enemies,not bomb them.

Each and every person should follow the narrow path of peace
and nonviolence.  As Dr. Martin Luther King sop eloquently
said:  "It's not a question of nonviolence verses
violence, it's a question nonviolence or non-existence."

We must all strive to be the beloved daughters (or sons) of
the God of peace & nonviolence.

[TexasLawyer]

46. Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

--Beatitudes