October 4, 2014

"A Federal District Court judge on Friday ordered the public disclosure of 28 classified military videotapes showing the forced cell extraction and forced feeding..."

"... of a hunger-striking Guantánamo Bay detainee, rejecting the Obama administration’s arguments that making the videos public would endanger national security."
The dispute over force-feeding has been building since early 2013, when a hunger strike protest broke out across the Guantánamo prison...

In response, President Obama revived his moribund efforts to transfer low-level detainees, which had stagnated, but he also endorsed force-feeding, saying he did not want detainees to die. The procedure involves strapping a detainee into a restraint chair and inserting a tube through his nose, through which a nutritional supplement is poured into his stomach.

Most of the hunger strikers have since resumed eating....
Here's the opinion, from Judge Gladys Kessler, a District of Columbia federal district judge (appointed by Bill Clinton).

49 comments:

rhhardin said...

It usually involves a high chair and a bib.

I myself have force fed baby rabbits and baby birds.

They come around. Especially the rabbits, if you add honey to the milk-egg yolk mixture.

Wince said...

Put the food in front of them and video tape that. And what's the problem if they choose not to eat?

Diogenes of Sinope said...

Obama closed the Guantánamo prison 5 years ago.

jr565 said...

It's positively torture. Theyr'e FORCING tubes down peoples throats! And then pumping in nutrients into their stomachs that they don't want. And strapping them down while doing it?
clearly we are no better than Al Qaeda.

chickelit said...

What does gavage mahal say about this?

jr565 said...

what they should is bring a jew into the room and if they don't eat it they give the food to the jew. So by them forgoing food, they are enriching the zionists belly. And the jew could sit there and rub his tummy and say "MMMMM" every time he takes a bite.

YoungHegelian said...

I'm sure it's not pleasant to watch someone being forcibly extracted from a cell & then having a tube shoved up his nose. Watching someone starve to death is pretty disgusting, too.

"Visceral reaction" is certainly something to consider in figuring out if an action is moral or not, but it's not the only consideration by a long shot. Here's one consideration: these captives who claim to the world that the center of their existence is their Islamic faith are not only attempting to commit suicide, they are also encouraging their fellows to do so. Suicide is a grievous sin in traditional Islam, even more so than in traditional Christianity & Judaism. This is a big clue that what we are dealing with here with their hunger strike is not at all a moral witness, but rather simply political theater. I see no reason why the US is morally bound to help its enemies spread their propaganda.

jacksonjay said...

Death Cult

Let them meet Allah and their assigned virgins. Gitmo closed. Everyone happy!

Or, Swaggy's prefered method of dealing with "extremist", clear out the good guys and send a drone. According to Swags it is working in Yemen and Somalia.

Curious George said...

"chickelit said...
What does gavage mahal say about this?"

Nothing until he reads the talking points in one of his lefty blogs.

cubanbob said...

Back in the early eighties IRA prisoners went on hunger strikes to make a political theater point. That is until the great Mrs. T offered them food but did not force them to eat it. Eventually one of the IRA hunger strikers died of hunger and the rest gave it up.

Feed the jihadi scum pork three times a day and they can either eat or starve to death. If they die its a win and if they eat it then they have been humiliated and that too is a win.

Wince said...

I've recounted here before how my mother used to have to chase me down and pin my shoulders with her knees to administer old fashioned nose drops when I was a toddler.

After a while, I really stopped minding the nose drops but grew to love the chase and the wrestling combat, so I continued in my pretend tantrums.

I think a similar principle may be at work here.

traditionalguy said...

The poor little dears. The have vowed not to eat until we are all slaughtered.

SomeoneHasToSayIt said...


Here a quick way to get them to eat.
It should take just one force feeding.

Show them that, added to the liquid, will be a little pork juice.

Dr.D said...

I am absolutely opposed to forced feeding in this case. If a bunch of them starve themselves, I'm all for it. Less ugly mouths for US taxpayers to feed.

Big Mike said...

In response, President Obama revived his moribund efforts ...

Boy! Does that describe just about every initiative undertaken by the Obama administration or what? The evidence was there in 2008 (I know; I looked) that this guy has absolutely no follow-through and never sees anything through to completion. Some of us thought that was important.

m stone said...

The AA highlights are helpful.

The Government maintains that "the videos could 'inflame Muslim sensitivities overseas' or be used as propaganda."

Sounds familiar.

Using that logic, depiction of detainees reclining in comfortable air-conditioned rooms/cells watching beheading videos on their HDTVs would certainly calm things down and be in the national interest.

Jason said...

Bobby Sands, MP, approves.

Jason said...

Libtards: Why is this not ok but force-feeding me a government-approved inefficient and bloated insurance policy is?

richard mcenroe said...

I feel about hunger strikers pretty much the way the Roman sentries felt about the Judean People's Liberation Front in "Life of Brian."

*shrug*

PB said...

I would not have force fed them. If they didn't want to eat, that would be their choice.

William said...

if the public has to foot the bill for Chelsea Manning's sex change, it is. Important that we know the operation is performed in a safe, humane way. Therefore, let the operation be televised live........

clarice said...

You do know she's the most overturned judge in the cirtuit.

n.n said...

There is an ongoing debate to the virtue of suicide. In the meantime, we err on the side of life. Perhaps if they move this to a clinical environment, then the choice will become self-evident.

Fernandinande said...

California hunger strike: judge approves force-feeding of prisoners
"Court ruling strikes out do-not-resuscitate orders that authorities argue inmates may have signed under duress"

Hari said...

I am unclear why we force-feed detainees.

chickelit said...

Fernandinande said...
California hunger strike: judge approves force-feeding of prisoners

Wasn't that opinion subject to a gag order?

Curious George said...

I'd feed the fuckers Spam.

chickelit said...

I'd feed the fuckers Spam.

No, let them eat kak.

glenn said...

In my world before they ate the food themed have to grow it. This principle would apply to prison inmates in the US as well. No work, no eat. If it was good enough for our (honest) grandparents it's good enough for our current crop of thugs, muggers and islamofacists.

n.n said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
n.n said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
n.n said...

... Virtue of suicide and euthanasia.

glenn:

It's reasonable to expect criminals to at minimum contribute to their own life and welfare. People who commit crimes against society or humanity should not enjoy the privilege of continued exploitation of their victims.

Gusty Winds said...

If the IRS can destroy information why can't the military at Guantanimo do the same?

Ann Althouse said...

I didn't do the highlights.

Mary Beth said...

Great propaganda tool we're handing them. They can claim that we're force feeding prisoners during Ramadan fasting instead of during a hunger strike.

David said...

"Most of the hunger strikers have since resumed eating...."

Well, it was worth it then.

Or not.

jono39 said...

Shoot them

Joe said...

I endorse the approach of setting the food in front of them and if they don't eat, they die. As long as it's clear they are making that choice, let them make it. (Hell, mount a gun in the wall with a button they can push at any time and blast their own head off.)

averagejoe said...

Holding them down and pouring liquids into their face is torture. It's just waterboarding with karo syrup. Don't do it! Instead, load a ham into a .50 caliber cannon and fire it down their gullet.

Sam vfm #111 said...

Bring in a bunch of pigs and tell them that when they die, their bodies will be fed to the pigs. They will start eating again.

Anonymous said...

Ooops!

We gave the video tapes to the IRS and they were deleted.

RecChief said...

"chickelit said...
What does gavage mahal say about this?"


He has to wait until Daily Kos, OFA, Media Matters, or some other propaganda organ tells him what to say about this.

Kirk Parker said...

Diogenes,

Honestly, that's hilarious!

Thorley Winston said...

what they should is bring a jew into the room and if they don't eat it they give the food to the jew. So by them forgoing food, they are enriching the zionists belly. And the jew could sit there and rub his tummy and say "MMMMM" every time he takes a bite.

I like that but make sure they're wearing Israeli Defense Forces uniforms at the while they're eating. Let the jihadists think that their meals are literally being eaten by IDF soldiers and any "hunger strike" will probably collapse before the third meal.

Mark said...

I wonder how our captive soldiers will be treated if we followed the ideas suggested here. Apparently many do not care about that consequence, making jokes about Muslims is worth risking their well being.

Such the patriots!

Clyde said...

If they choose to starve themselves, screw 'em. One less Muslim terrorist in the world. It's not like they're a damn endangered species. If you want to force-feed someone, find a damn snail darter or something.

tim in vermont said...

Yeah, Mark, you are right. We should just let them all go. Whatever we do, we shouldn't mock them. That only makes them stronger!

Did you know, Mark, that Islam spread by the sword, meaning mass beheadings, genocide, rape, etc, for centuries before the US even existed?

I guess their anger came in anticipation of the founding of our republic?

Mark, I am curious, do you ever even once wonder if the world as you view it is not just a little simplified?

tim in vermont said...

BTW, Mark, ISIS has waterboarded captives, better than the car battery to the genitals that they previously favored.

They were already sawing off the heads of their captives even before this thread.

They respect those who deal them death, nothing else. These hunger strikes are nothing but an effort to employ their allies, like yourself, Mark, on their behalf politically.

Sorry if I don't care what you think.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Mark, I fully agree that like you they are hypocrites and whereas they will do any torture or horror they wish, they will resent any 'maltreatment' in return and will use it to propagandize, which might conceivably aid their war effort.

So, then, I'm sure you agree that the tapes should not be released because that will lead to harm of our prisoners in their custody? Or do you think that our people will deserve it and serves them right and bring it on?