"Camp X-Ray" with Kirsten Stewart and Payman Maadi (2014)

This is a terrible movie. It would have you believe that our soldiers are unthinking and unfeeling automatons, and also that women do not belong in the military. They are too emotional. Those are not my beliefs; but that is the message of this film.

Payman Maadi plays an Islamic man who is abducted from his home in a Muslim country after 9-11. No reason is given. He is a poet and an intellectual- they let you know that. He is transported to Gitmo and is still there 8 years later when Stewart arrives.

Almost immediately we are treated to scenes of the soldiers drunken revelry in their off time; and to some extent this is fairly accurate. Having been to Gitmo several times I can attest to that. But for every soldier or sailor encountered being drunk, there are a half dozen taking college courses and working on furthering their careers.

As far as Stewarts behavior goes; when confronted by the detainees who believe her to be unfit to guard them, she does everything to prove their point. She allows herself to become emotionally involved with Maadi’s character and places herself as well as her teammates in jeopardy as a result.

This film is an attempt to persuade you that all of the detainees in Gitmo were snatched willy nilly from all over the Arab world in a misguided attempt to make ourselves feel better after 9-11. There may be some truth to that, but the majority of detainees were rounded up after intelligence gathering had unearthed their names in terrorist data bases. To be sure, there were some innocents who were caught up in the madness; this can’t be denied. But to paint with such a broad brush is irresponsible and ridiculous.

So, if you are looking for a film to insult your intelligence; as well as reinforce the stereotype of women not being fit to serve in the Armed Forces, and guard prisoners; this film is for you.

Interesting note: People who feel that women should not be serving in the Armed Forces are in agreement with the terrorists who hold women to be second class citizens at best. The soldiers who abuse Ms. Stewart in this film are of the same mind set as the Islamic fundamentalists. 

Gitmo Defense Attorney - Head Case?

Attorney Cheryl Bormann, a non-Muslim representing alleged terrorist Walid bin Attash, has made a fool of herself at the hearings being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (That’s Gitmo to those of us who have had the "pleasure" of a port "visit" there while serving in the Navy.)

While I really don’t have a problem with her making a fool of herself over the issue of respecting the religious rights of the suspects in the trial; I do resent that she is attempting to make fools of the rest of us. Ms. Bormann was making the demand/request that all females present at the trial dress in a more modest fashion, so as not to cause her client to inadvertently commit a “sin” by looking at them. It would, she infers, be an atrocity.

She, herself, has chosen to don the black religious garment required of all Muslim women. It is, I believe, a very transparent, albeit misguided attempt, to infuse the military tribunal with an air of tolerance for the religious beliefs of the defendants.

Her client, who is an accused terrorist from Yemeni, is undoubtedly gloating at the thought of the political havoc he is creating with this issue.  But he has miscalculated the chief military prosecutor, Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, who refused the request on its face, as unworthy of a response. We applaud his willingness to do the politically “incorrect” thing in response to this absurd demand from an obviously Islamic influenced attorney. That the request was made on behalf of a thug like her client speaks volumes about Ms. Bormann herself.

If the trend of “tolerance” for terrorists is allowed to take hold, does Ms. Bormann not realize that she may someday be required to dress this way permanently? What happens to the rights of the rest of us then? Will Ms. Bormann defend our rights with the same vigor? Probably not, since she would, under the laws of Sharia, be ineligible to hold the position which she enjoys now.

As for attire that is appropriate in court; how about putting these guys in orange jumpsuits, just like all other prisoners wear? Or, better yet, make ‘em all wear suits and ties, with new shoes.