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Abu Ghraib: Detention Center Or Cheerleading Camp?

Let me begin by saying that I believe that there is a lot that we’ll never know about what went on in Abu Ghraib and other detention centers. However, I was quite interested to read Reuters’ report on the court martial of Charles Graner, the alleged “ringleader” of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison. His lawyer’s rationalizations beat any Chewbacca/Jackie Chiles parody of a defense:

A lawyer for Charles Graner, accused ringleader in the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal, on Monday compared piling naked prisoners into pyramids to cheerleader shows and said leashing inmates was also acceptable prisoner control.

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“Don’t cheerleaders all over America form pyramids six to eight times a year. Is that torture?” Guy Womack, Graner’s attorney, said in opening arguments to the 10-member U.S. military jury at the reservist’s court-martial.

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Womack said using a tether was a valid method of controlling detainees. “You’re keeping control of them. A tether is a valid control to be used in corrections,” he said. “In Texas we’d lasso them and drag them out of there.”

Even the Twinkie defense seems plausible after this…

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Something You Don’t See Every Day

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines donated an old 747 to an aviation museum near Amsterdam, but the plane was too big to land at the museum’s airstrip. Not a problem, just remove the wings and the tail and float it all on a barge down the canals to the museum. Lots of great pix.

via J-Walk Blog
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Jenny, Are You There? (867-5309)

Most of you probably remember the 1982 Tommy Tutone song 867-5309 (Jenny). If not, you’re going to make me feel old again. ;-p Anyway, when the song first came out, people of course tried to dial that number themselves, supposedly leading to phone companies not giving out that number anymore. Well, someone has taken it upon himself to see whether phone companies actually shelved the number for good in the web page Jenny, are you there? (867-5309). The site lists the results of systematic calls to 867-5309 in every North American area code, and although many of them are “out of service” or something similar, some calls actually connected to someone.

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Hair Steals Brain Energy

Those zany North Koreans are at it again! The BBC reports that “North Korea has launched an intensive media assault on its latest arch enemy – the wrong haircut,” stressing the “‘negative effects’ of long hair on ‘human intelligence development,’ noting that long hair ‘consumes a great deal of nutrition’ and could thus rob the brain of energy.” This is just weird even for them…

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