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Sexcapades at Guantanamo

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Detainees
Posted on Sun Mar 13, 2005 at 12:25:04 AM EST
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Higher ups at Guantanamo are being investigated for sexual misconduct. If adultery between officers and other American personnel is all that's involved, what a waste of time and resources. Who cares? Why don't they investigate the prisoner complaints of torture and the reasons for the numerous suicide attempts instead?

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    Sexcapades at Guantanamo | 17 comments (17 topical)
    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#1)
    by wishful on Sun Mar 13, 2005 at 07:52:12 AM EST
    Maybe yes, maybe no about who cares about adultery between officers at Gitmo. However, it indeed shows a breakdown in adherence to rules that heretofore had been well respected and duly acted upon when found out. Look at the big picture. Once one is above all rules: rules against torture, rules against rendition, rules against one's right to be charged and given at least a show chance to defend oneself for continued detention, then one is also above rules that only are created and enforced internally wrt its own members, to maintain an organization within its defined sense of right and wrong. That applies even if others not in the organization don't agree that the rules are worthy ones. As many like to point out, they knew the rules against adultery among officers when they joined.

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#2)
    by Rich on Sun Mar 13, 2005 at 08:08:31 AM EST
    Yeah, excellent investigative and prosecutorial discretion displayed by military authorities at Gitmo. As with Muslim chaplain Captain James Yee we're suppose to understand from Wishful's reasoning that all criminal violations of the UCMJ and Geneva Conventions flow from adultery. The only mistake in this absurd scenario is prosecuting the lowly enlisted guy for adultery in the first place and the latter is called hypocrisy not criminality. So yes, let's ignore the fact we're running an American gulag for Muslims in contravention of US and international law. Adultery, just like smoking marijuana, always leads to much more serious criminal behavior. Jesus Christ!

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#3)
    by wishful on Sun Mar 13, 2005 at 08:33:16 AM EST
    rich, I must not have been clear. My only point is that the military system has broken down completely under this administration, from breaking the most insignificant of rules, to breaking the most serious of laws, including those prohibiting torture and murder. The subject rule-breaking is a symptom of and consistent with the larger picture of lawlessness that is being tolerated (at best) in our military.

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Mar 13, 2005 at 09:59:59 AM EST
    It sounds like a sideshow attraction to me with salacious details that the Infotainment industry will report ad nauseum while less titillating, but more serious, stories about the dismantling of democracy will languish. These matters are to national interest what the Peterson trial was to our judicial system. A convenient distraction. Pablum for the masses. Will we get to see more nudity? Anybody wearing a leash in these infractions? But I also agree with wishful that there is a breakdown in the military. We will see the directives that contributed to the breakdown in twenty to fifty years.

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Mar 13, 2005 at 10:45:48 AM EST
    wishful - Please, be accurate. Do you really believe that sex between military members started in January of 01? Such activities can be very bad for morale, and lead to a greatly reduced ability to carry out the mission. There s a reason that they are called: An Officer and a Gentleman

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Mar 13, 2005 at 11:12:13 AM EST
    well yes fools who think that this is a free nation and who are acting under order will always become scapegoat of the Rats in washington. stop bush before he kills millions of us, do the research on who and what bush ism its not a conspiracy its in the open and you can't see it his connection are known his ideals are murder of a nation for his own reasons.

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#7)
    by wishful on Sun Mar 13, 2005 at 06:15:19 PM EST
    PPJ, I think it probably started before the institution of written/recorded history. I did not claim otherwise. The fact that rules were broken before Bush's exulted rule does in no way absolve the rampant rule breaking going on under his watch. With the incredible number and seriousness of documented examples of much, much rule-breaking and pre-emptive and after-the-fact rule-changing in this area, that we have grave problems at the highest levels.

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Mar 13, 2005 at 06:40:06 PM EST
    wishful - What "rules?" The post is about sexual misconduct, and how the writer, I assume TL, believes it should be ignored/not reported because it is a smoke screen. TL may be correct, but sexual misconduct in the military is a serious matter, and is treated as such. The military has not, and I hope never does, accepted the mantra of all politicians before, and after, Clinton, that sex between members of an organization is a private matter. As the military knew, and corporations have come to learn, it is not. It leads to poor discipline at best, and a complete breakdown of organizational responsibility at worst. As for your "larger" claims about military misconduct in the war zones and trying to tie that to Bush, that is just BHAW. You offer no proof.

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Mar 13, 2005 at 08:31:28 PM EST
    as long as the officers are not on watch or standing duty and in private quarters they should be able to shag like two hound dogs in a wool sock. The government should not control private sexual behavior as long as it is done on our own time. I spent two years on a military ship and the sex was plenty. Those who desired to have sex did and those who didn't could find other recreational activities. I found no problems.

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#10)
    by Ray Radlein on Sun Mar 13, 2005 at 10:26:32 PM EST
    In the case of Yee, the adultery charges were a desperate last gasp effort to get something out of the prosecution. That's not exactly new; it's been a favored use of that corner of the UCMJ for ages. If one wants to be optimistic, one could assume that these charges are being pursued in an effort to get leverage to use towards a fuller investigation of the abuses carried out there. If one wishes to be pessimistic, one could assume that they are being pursued in an effort to get leverage to use to shut potential whistle-blowers up. Alternately, these are things that got kicked up during the course of the otherwise unrelated prisoner investigations, and someone at DOD doesn't think they should look the other way on them.

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Mar 14, 2005 at 06:06:36 AM EST
    Lenny - You are about as wrong as wrong can be, and I hope you are no longer in the Navy. First, there is no such thing as your "own time" when you are in the military. Especially if you are on board a ship. Secondly, sexual activities leads to problems. We have jealousy and unwanted pregnancies for starters. Jealousy leads to anger, fights, uncooperation, and other issues. None of that is needed in a military operation. Unwanted pregnancies leads to loss of trained personnel, who are difficult to replace. And the families who remain at home do know about it. That adds to their concern, and to their stress, which is communicated to the service persons in a variety of ways. This all leads to low morale. Low morale during any type of stressful operations, especially during battle conditions, leads to sloppy performance. Sloppy performance means, among other things, poor maintenance. Poor maintenance means someone gets killed. In somecases, a lot of peiople.

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Mar 14, 2005 at 08:49:43 AM EST
    You offer no proof.
    unless it's your ideas no level of proof is acceptable to you, just shout down all opposing views.
    PPJ (aka Jim) at March 14, 2005 07:06 AM
    off the deep end; again. in an ideal military, but we have to function with the military we have, not the military we wish we had. soldiers ain't boinking each other, surely you jest. curious, are you compensated for your time spent here?

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#13)
    by kdog on Mon Mar 14, 2005 at 01:20:20 PM EST
    It's the puritan way.....consensual, yet alduterous sex between servicepeople...bad bad bad. Sexual humiliation/abuse of prisoners...good good good.

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Mar 14, 2005 at 06:17:13 PM EST
    Out - Curious. Are you so naive and/or inexpeienced that you do not understand the problems of even consensual sex within an organization causes? And do you not know that almost all organizations forbid it? Does it happen? Yes. And when the military catches them, they are in deep do-do. As to your comment about proof, I merely noted that wishful made some outlandish claims. The request for proof was rather snarky of me since we all know he was just on a Bush hater rant and had no proof, and could never provide any. As to my compensation, alas TL does not pay me. But, the pleasure of confounding people such as yourself is more than enough. And, when I tire, I continue my work on the palatial retirement compound, catfish pond and BBQ Stand. Applying gold plating is just so tedious kdog - Give me a small break. Remember, I'm the one who said his only qualification about sex was that it be between consenting adults. I, 2, 3, and upward. So the issue isn't sexual activity, but problems caused by sexual activity within the organization. Tell me. Have you ever been a member of an organization that required you to suppress your individual desires to further the good of the group?

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 15, 2005 at 12:51:51 AM EST
    PPJ "We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." - Thomas Jefferson

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 15, 2005 at 03:18:25 AM EST
    PPJ - funny you should menton getting pregnant. During my two year tour on the ship only one female completed a full tour. About half left pregnant and the other half left with back or knee pain. It was not bad for moral though. People only had sex on their off time. If you weren't involved it didn't matter. It rarely happened in the same chain of command and when it did the members were of the same rank. It didn't bother me. I was married and didn't get involved. I caught up on some good reading and leather crafts. I think it really doesn't matter on a land station. Just my two cents from someone who has experienced the situation first hand.

    Re: Sexcapades at Guantanamo (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 16, 2005 at 08:10:58 PM EST
    Plus, if you have been to the beaches in cuba you would understand why they are having sex. The beaches are beautiful.

    Sexcapades at Guantanamo | 17 comments (17 topical)