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[Ian Meyer <ianmeyer AT mac.com>]

Prisoner of War?!?

Didn't you hear that the fighting was over months ago?

So he had to be taken hostage...i mean, its not like there really is a 
war going on or anything

~ian


On Apr 19, 2004, at 3:22 PM, Thomas Beckett wrote:

> I've been thinking the same thing, Alan.  "Hostage" schmostage.  More 
> Bushite newspeak.
>
> TaB
>
> Alan MacHett wrote:
>
> > and now to stir things up...
> > So there's this kid, some private, captured in Iraq (along with the
> > several civilian contractors).  The media keep referring to him as a
> > hostage.  I take issue with that for two reasons.
> > First, in that the Geneva Conventions were drafted at a time when war 
> > was
> > massive and "conventional", it leaves little consideration for 
> > "irregular"
> > forces.  Rather, it doesn't give them much legitimacy.
> > There is no Iraqi military to speak of, so anyone with a gun shooting 
> > at
> > Americans *must* be a thug or a terrorist.  Bah!  Granted, most of 
> > them
> > probably are, but we seem to be ignoring that perhaps there are Iraqis
> > making an attempt at a militia, to defend their country.  This 
> > captured
> > private is a prisoner of war.  There's a war going on, and just 
> > because we
> > don't see camo' uniforms and Iraqi flags doesn't mean there isn't some
> > sort of military.
> > Secondly, and this really is the more important point, by not
> > acknowledging him as a POW ourselves, we give it to these Iraqis to 
> > also
> > not call him a POW.  In essence, we're allowing them to strip him of 
> > POW
> > status.  That has a great deal of bearing under the Conventions.  
> > Granted,
> > again, I don't think it would much matter either way as far as how 
> > they
> > treat him, but we sure as hell shouldn't be giving public authority to
> > them to not call him a POW.
> > just my $0.02,
> > Alan
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