Graner and Abu Ghraib
Created | Updated Oct 24, 2005
The life of Specialist Charles Graner is never going to be normal again. He has been sentenced by a jury of his peers to ten years in a military prison, and accused by the United States Military of being the ring leader in the Abu Gharib prison scandal. For the rest of his life, he will be remembered as the man who abused and tortured the men of Abu Ghraib. Hussein Mutar's words will continue to ring out in the American Mind, "Saddam didn't do this to us." But what if the actions of Charles Graner were not so surprising to the United States Military? What if Charles Graner was put into a possition of power at Abu Ghraib so that he would torture and abuse prisoners?
Before Abu Ghraib ever happened, Graner had a history of abuse. A few years after he returned from the Gulf War in 1991, Graner and his wife were divorced. In 1997, Graner's wife, Staci M. Dean, filed for protection from Charles Graner. It had been less than a month since their divorce. Over the next few years, Dean spoke of Graner throwing her up against walls, yanking her out of bed by her hair and attempting to throw her down the stairs (Graner vouched for this one), and setting up video cameras in her house without her knowing it, followed by showing her the tapes.
From 1996 to 2000, Graner worked at a maximum-security prison in Greene County, Pennsylvania. Over this time, Guards were accused of putting razor blades into a prisoner's dinner (followed by savagely beating him once the prisoner had been brought to the nurse), threatening prisoners with mace and pepper spray, constantly berating the prisoners with racial epithets, even writing "KKK" on a wall in blood. Graner was accused of several of these crimes personally. It had been Graner who put the razor blades in the prisoner's dinner, followed by he and several other of the guards beating the man. Graner denied the allegations. Though there is no proof that Graner was involved in the abuses at Greene County, his tenure as a guard there would suggest that at the very least he had known of the abuses taken place, and had done nothing to stop them.
Since the Patriot Act was inacted, the intelligence services of the United States are able to get any information that they would like. Supposedly, this includes information on one of their employees. After all, if a twenty year old college student can obtain the information in five minutes, hopefully the United States government can find it in two. All this must lead to a rather serious question: what if Graner was placed at Abur Ghraib not in spite of his former actions, but because of them? When Graner was put in place in Iraq, the only thing he was told was that the prisoners were to be kept alive.
Someone willingly put this man, with his history of abuse, into power over prisoners who he'd already be angry at (he was a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, so already had a special place in his heart for Iraqis) and who he had complete power over. Graner is the cleverest kind of scapegoat, because he was to blame for what he was doing. His actions were immoral and wrong in any frame of mind. Many of the men he was torturing were not even suspected terrorists, but merely car thieves handed over to the Americans by the new 'Iraqi Government'. Isn't it possible, or perhaps even probable that the United States Military was looking for a man like Graner to put in charge of Abu Ghraib?
Now, with Graner and six other guards going off to prison, the military and thus, the American people are going to put this scandal to bed. Justice has been served, and the evil people responsible for their heinous act are going to be punished. Major Holley, prosecutor for Graner's court martial, is going to be awarded a citation for his brilliant prosecution of an enemy of human rights. Graner was put into power by the same military that put Saddam into power. The same military that, all through the 1960's and 70's delighted in putting power mad soldiers in power, just to destabilise Latin America. So after all this, we are left with two questions, who was really responsible for Abu Ghraib? Will it happen again?
Before Abu Ghraib ever happened, Graner had a history of abuse. A few years after he returned from the Gulf War in 1991, Graner and his wife were divorced. In 1997, Graner's wife, Staci M. Dean, filed for protection from Charles Graner. It had been less than a month since their divorce. Over the next few years, Dean spoke of Graner throwing her up against walls, yanking her out of bed by her hair and attempting to throw her down the stairs (Graner vouched for this one), and setting up video cameras in her house without her knowing it, followed by showing her the tapes.
From 1996 to 2000, Graner worked at a maximum-security prison in Greene County, Pennsylvania. Over this time, Guards were accused of putting razor blades into a prisoner's dinner (followed by savagely beating him once the prisoner had been brought to the nurse), threatening prisoners with mace and pepper spray, constantly berating the prisoners with racial epithets, even writing "KKK" on a wall in blood. Graner was accused of several of these crimes personally. It had been Graner who put the razor blades in the prisoner's dinner, followed by he and several other of the guards beating the man. Graner denied the allegations. Though there is no proof that Graner was involved in the abuses at Greene County, his tenure as a guard there would suggest that at the very least he had known of the abuses taken place, and had done nothing to stop them.
Since the Patriot Act was inacted, the intelligence services of the United States are able to get any information that they would like. Supposedly, this includes information on one of their employees. After all, if a twenty year old college student can obtain the information in five minutes, hopefully the United States government can find it in two. All this must lead to a rather serious question: what if Graner was placed at Abur Ghraib not in spite of his former actions, but because of them? When Graner was put in place in Iraq, the only thing he was told was that the prisoners were to be kept alive.
Someone willingly put this man, with his history of abuse, into power over prisoners who he'd already be angry at (he was a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, so already had a special place in his heart for Iraqis) and who he had complete power over. Graner is the cleverest kind of scapegoat, because he was to blame for what he was doing. His actions were immoral and wrong in any frame of mind. Many of the men he was torturing were not even suspected terrorists, but merely car thieves handed over to the Americans by the new 'Iraqi Government'. Isn't it possible, or perhaps even probable that the United States Military was looking for a man like Graner to put in charge of Abu Ghraib?
Now, with Graner and six other guards going off to prison, the military and thus, the American people are going to put this scandal to bed. Justice has been served, and the evil people responsible for their heinous act are going to be punished. Major Holley, prosecutor for Graner's court martial, is going to be awarded a citation for his brilliant prosecution of an enemy of human rights. Graner was put into power by the same military that put Saddam into power. The same military that, all through the 1960's and 70's delighted in putting power mad soldiers in power, just to destabilise Latin America. So after all this, we are left with two questions, who was really responsible for Abu Ghraib? Will it happen again?
