http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-na-pow15feb15,0,3155150.story?coll=la-home-headlines
wow - so many thoughts on this one…
This has nothing to do with what anyone’s thoughts are on the current “action”…
First, I think OUR government owes something to anyone who has been in any branch of the service (be it during peace time or war time). Our VA benefits stink, getting thoses benefits that are in place is a royal mess up of red tape, etc., and we do nothing psychological wise to help those returning to “civilian” life that have served.
As to individuals suing another government, I’m not sure how I feel on that. But if Mr. Rumsfield is going to offer compensation to Iraqi prisoners, then our POW’s certainly are entitled to some of the same from the other countries.
Missy
Hmmm. Actually, my inclination is to agree with the administration, bizarrely enough.
The government of Iraq -now- is not the government of Iraq -then-, and the people you’d penalize $1 billion right -now- are trying to do little things like get basic services up and running in their country again.
On the other hand, 'tis a bit hypocritical given the payments forced out of Germany and others over the years, long after Hitler was dead and his top officers tried and convicted at Nuremburg, but then, I’ve -always- felt that suing the -new- government of an overturned regime was insane.
Of -course- the old regime did horrible things, that’s why they got overthrown! So now you’re going to penalize the -new- regime for trying to make things right and put the pieces back together?
(Essentially by definition, tyrannical regimes don’t get sued in this way, because if they’re actually such tyrants, they wouldn’t pay anyway. Only responsive, cooperative, diplomatic regimes get sued like this because they feel the social and political obligation to pay such awards.)
So, on the one hand, I agree that it’s the wrong place to take the money from… on the other hand, our government has cooperated with, and benifited from, similarly ‘wrong’ awards in the past… eh, messy.
If the POWs deserve compensation, which I agree with, and fining the “new” regime for the crimes of the “old” shouldn’t be done, which I can see the reason behind, then the conclusion I come to is that the US Government should be the ones who pay the POWs. If that means higher taxes for the rest of us, so be it - I wasn’t the one over there getting tortured, so I think I got the better end of the deal.
This isn’t quite correct. A number of civilians sucessfully sued for being held hostage in Iraq in the 1990’s. They won, and collected a big bunch of $$. Basically, it was as the article in the paper said. They sued under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which allows citizens of the U.S. to sue a country that are designate as terrorist states, and when those states perpetrate acts of terrorism on U.S. citizens. The case was in the U.S. District Court, for the District of Columbia and the plaintiffs were awarded, and collected $93 million, so far- there are some outstanding issues, probably same as what the paper talks about for the similar case. If you do a google search, you can find info about it, I imagine.
All the Best, Tom
All the Best, Tom
That’s a conclusion that also occured to me, but the difficulty with that is that the U.S. government was only doing its sovereign duty in lying to boys and girls on the cusp of adulthood about the fine education, benefits, and enjoyable life of adventure that awaited them in a military career, and it is a deep and abiding tradition that anyone who accepts such employment has willing subjected themselves to anything that might happen to them in the years to come, because, after all, it said so in the fine print.
cough Err. Anyway, regardless of right and wrong, the government can’t be put in a position of being liable for the sufferings of soldiers. If soldiers were awarded pain & suffering damages as if the military were a normal occupation, such costs would consume the entire military budget.
I’m pretty much with you there. They would end up being sued for anything.
Hey, wait a minute, what am I saying? I spent 20 years in the Navy, surely I can find something to sue for, no??? 
Tom
This is a “Catch 22” for the US government because there are multiple cases pending against torturers that were sponsored and trained by the CIA operating in countries where tyrants were in power, and countries where the US installed dictatorships after toppling that government. In many cases the torturers are now living in the US and being protected by the US while these cases are pending. These cases are intentionally bogged down in legal mumbo jumbo because settlements will open a “Pandora’s Box” of similar cases. The US has been involved in the overthrow of foreign governments, in many cases democracies, and installing US trained tyrannies in about 70 countries around the world since WWII. The cumulative cases of torture and murder are in the millions, and if all the victims of US sponsored terror and torture were allowed to proceed – the settlements would be staggering.
The US has already demonstrated that it has no regard for international law back in the 80s when it was the only country in the world ever to be found guilty in the World Court of terror against another state. The case was the US vs. Nicaragua, when the US had established, trained and funded a terrorist group, “Contras” in violation of US constitutional law, and they mined a harbor there. They were also involved in a highly illegal drugs and weapons scheme with Iran, a country that was considered an enemy of the US. The day after the World Court ruling President Reagan ignored it and proclaimed that day, “Law Day” in America. The irony is obvious, and the fact that the US had officially become the world’s largest and most powerful terrorist state makes it even more bizarre.
Most Americans are befuddled by the apparent double standard regarding these current compensations, but if you look at the history of US foreign policy it becomes painfully clear what the real reason is.
We’d be better off without a government.
Like apes?.. no… even they have a king… we have already tried having Tarzan rule us…
We can’t have that money going to a bunch of raggedy-assed former POWs.
That money is earmarked for Halliburton.
I have to agree with ChrisA and TomB too. You know when you join the service that you’re facing potential bodily harm whatever the form. In this case though it appears the suit was settled and now it’s being taken back. That’s the part that bothers me.