Are You Kidding Me?

What in the world is wrong with this guy?

Apparently Senator Dick Durban had some rather "interesting" things to say about the treatment of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. He talked about what an FBI agent had seen at Gitmo, and then went on to compare it to some of the worst examples of torture and murder in human history.

In remarks on the Senate floor late Tuesday, Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, read the report of an FBI agent who described treatment of prisoners at Gitmo, including one detainee being held in such cold temperatures that he shivered, another who was held in heat passing 100 degrees and one who was chained to the floor and forced to listen to loud rap music.

So cold that he shivered?! Oh no! Over 100 degrees?! How cruel! Rap music?!?! Ok, I kind of agree that rap music is cruel and unusual, but the rest of the complaints are just crap. I'm forced to live in 100 degree weather for most of the summer here in the Central Valley, and in the winter, it's easily cold enough to make me "shiver". Who cares if they have to endure a couple days! How about if we start sawing of the heads of these guys? Then Durbin might understand how easy these prisoners have it. These terrorist don't know anything but fear. They don't understand respectful reasoning and logic. They speak, eat, sleep, and work on fear. So, unfortunately, we have to talk in their language.

If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime — Pol Pot or others — that had no concern for human beings

How can he even begin to compare Gitmo to these completely evil people and their murderous regimes? Each of them, killed hundreds of thousands, if not millions of innocent civilians, including women and children. If anything, this Durbin guy has it completely backwards. He should be comparing the terrorists to the Nazis, and comparing Americans to the innocent civilians that were killed, tortured, and mutilated.

The American soldiers at Gitmo are doing everything they can to treat the prisoners as humanely as possible while trying to maintain the fact that this is a prison camp with dangerous enemy combatants that were picked up on the battlefield. In some cases they're being treated even better than our own troops in Iraq are. The prisoners are definitely being fed better food.

This administration should apologize to the American people for abandoning the Geneva Conventions and authorizing torture techniques that put our troops at risk and make Americans less secure

The Geneva Convention does not apply here. It specifically applies only to the countries that have signed it, and as far as I know Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and the rest have never signed it. It does not apply. It sounds like Sen. Durban needs to do a little homework before talking opening his mouth.

Most of these people are extremely dangerous people that wouldn't even think twice about killing any American including women and young children if they had the chance. It's a matter of national security that we keep these people detained and use any means necessary to determine what should be done with them.

Meanwhile, irresponsible comments by clowns like Durbin can do nothing but lower the moral of our brave men and women fighting for freedom around the world, and flame the fires that are driving the terrorists to kill Americans nearly every day.

Someone really needs to get a leash on guys like Durbin.

Update 6.17.2005:
There's another great reaction at BlackFive.net.

Update 6.20.2005:
The Indepundit has another reaction, this time from a former POW that knows what torture is really like. He also has a list of links to even more reactions.

Update 6.22.2005:
Chuck has his own great responses to Dick's comments and his past record of "supporting" our troops.