Response to Standard Operating Procedure

Response to Standard Operating Procedure

            Standard Operating Procedure is a documentary film directed by Errol Morris.  The film is about the Abu Ghraib U.S. military prison in Iraq that held suspected terrorists during the U.S. occupations of Iraq, and the massive scandal that took place there.  Former military personnel who worked as guards in the prison were interviewed about what they did at Abu Ghraib and how prisoners were treated, and the film also showed pictures and videos of the daily operations at the prison.  The message of the film is never directly stated, as the creators of the film never appear in it to tell the viewers what they want people think about this issue.  Director Errol Morris leaves the content of this film entirely up to the interpretation of his audience, requiring viewers to form their own opinions on how Abu Ghraib was run.  Despite not being told what we’re supposed to think of the film, the images shown, and the interviews of soldiers who worked there clearly present the injustices that occurred at Abu Ghraib prison.

            After the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Abu Ghraib was made the main prison and interrogation center for suspected terrorists and Iraqi military personnel, which later became the center of a massive scandal that extended to the highest levels of the military.  Images and videos were leaked that shows the prison guards doing highly questionable things to inmates.  Pictures taken from the prison frequently show things such as; prisoners being stepped naked and being handcuffed into stressed positions, prisoners being forced to wear bags and women’s panties over their heads, guards forcing a group of naked inmates to form a human pyramid, and even a prisoner who was beaten to death during an interrogation.  Video footage shows guards sicking attack dogs on one inmate, and guards forcing a group of prisoners to masturbate in front of them.  One soldier who was interviewed said that they also blasted loud music to disrupt the inmates pray times.

            Standard Operating Procedure also shows the interviews of soldiers who were assigned to work in the prison, including some who became infamous when they were mentioned in news reports on the scandal.  They spoke about their actions towards the prisoners, interrogation tactics, how they were ordered to do these things by higher-ups, the secretive nature of their “superiors”, and the attempt at a cover-up.  These interviews reveal other disturbing acts of our military in Iraq.  One a soldier said that they did sweeps at night and arrested all fighting-age males whether or not they were suspected of a crime.  Others said that they tried to hide the death of one inmate at the hand of interrogators, and that they were ordered to destroyed the evidence of prisoner abuse.  Some of the soldiers that appeared in the film were sentenced to time in prison for their actions at Abu Ghraib, and even some who had no part in the abuse, but were present when these acts occurred. 

            Some of the interviewees claimed that they were following orders from their commanders, because they believed that the actions shown in the film were effective methods for interrogation.  They thought that the techniques shown in the movie, would break the prisoners and cause them to divulge valuable information that would help the U.S. military in the Iraq war, and that would save American lives.  Most people however, think that torture, abuse, and humiliation are the wrong approaches for getting information out of people.  When human beings are put through these ordeals, most of them will say anything to stop their interrogators from harming them. Information gained in this manner is often times untrue or incomplete.  

Response to Democracy Now news report: 10/17

Response to Democracy Now Report: 10/17/11

            The Democracy Now: War and Peace Report that aired this Monday covered national and international topics including: the global protests against bank and corporate greed, armed conflicts in Africa, the dedication of the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, the new Alabama immigration law, and the continuing unrest in the Middle East.  There were many positive and encouraging stories in this new segment, which is a rare occurrence nowadays.   The positive events however, need to be taken with a grain of salt, because they also expose many of the dark things that are taking place in the Unites States and the across the globe.  The common theme shared by these events, most notably the protests taking place around the world; is the disgruntled majority of the global population uniting and speaking out against the power-holding minority.  Demonstrators taking part in these protests are upset because they feel as though the top 1% in many countries, are sacrificing the well-being of the other 99% for selfish reasons. 

            The Occupy Wall Street protest that started about a month ago is still occurring and has grown exponentially.  This demonstration has ignited a global movement that has inspired protesters to take to the streets in 1,500 cities worldwide.  The largest such protest on Monday took place in Rome, where 200,000 joined in the city’s streets.  It is still unclear as to what exactly these protesters want to happen, and they have not yet united in demanding common solutions.  The protesters do agree that the practices of the major banks, corporations, and public policy makers; are sabotaging the opportunities and well being of the other 99% of the population.  They believe that the greed and financial interests of the elite 1% have trumped the needs of the general population in government policy making, and that this needs to change.  Many famous figures have joined in support of the protesters: documentary filmmaker Michael Moore in New York, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in London, actor and activist Danny Glover in Oakland, and Princeton Professor Cornell West in Washington D.C., among others.

            Demonstrations in U.S. have been met with hostility by government and law enforcement.  Hundreds of peaceful protesters have been arrested across the U.S., simply for refusing to leave from the areas they were protesting in.  One women in New York City who was trying to withdraw her money from Citi Bank, was arrested and dragged away by police for no apparent reason.  New York mayor Michael Bloomberg considered forcing the protesters to leave their spot, and Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said that; “The protestors shouldn’t blame Wall Street, it is their own fault if they don’t have jobs and that they’re not rich.”  President Obama however, did speak in support of the protestors while giving a speech at the dedication of the new MLK memorial in Washington D.C.

           

Other stories that caught my attention was the U.S. sending troops to Uganda, and a federal appeals court blocking part of the harsh Alabama immigration law.  The United States has deployed 100 special operations soldiers to Uganda to help fight the rebel leader Joseph Kony.  Kony is maniacal madmen who forces child soldier to fight for him, and there is no doubt that the world would be better without him in it.  However, Uganda was recently the site of a massive oil discovery, which leads me to question the true motives of this troop deployment.  The new Alabama immigration law faced a setback, when a federal appeals court said that it could no longer question the citizenship of public school students.