Detailed Plans on Gulag for US Soldiers over at AZ Central

Re-Education Camps: Is There a Historical Precedent?

The anonymously named "Code Monkey" writes in this CHUDtastic discovery:

Sometimes I wonder what some online news organizations are thinking when they allow readers to comment on articles. Some shut down comments on more volatile articles; others make you click to another page to see what the commenters have to say. The rest leave it all out splayed out at the end of the article.

Sometimes readers can't help but keep scrolling through to the comments, like when one looks at a car accident at the side of the road. Well, when you keep staring, sometimes you see something you didn't want to see.

At the Arizona Republic website, there's an article about the deployment ceremony for the 29th Brigade Support Battalion of the Arizona National Guard. Azcentral.com left it open to comments. The antiwar keyboard warriors took this opportunity to spew the venom that lurks in the dark corners of their minds, showing their faux bravado that they wield when safe behind their cloak of internet anonymity.

At first, you just notice the usual moonbat comments: it's a war for oil, it's an occupation, we can't win, our soldiers are just kids, the National Guard was not meant for deployment to overseas wars…

But then bostonblackie (Sep-25 @ 12:00 PM) tells us all that what we need is reeducation camps for all the atrocity-committing soldiers who will not be able to contain their bombing, murdering, raping ways once they come back from Iraq:

U.S. troops WILL be returning. Will we be ready for them? It is all too apparent that these soldiers, having committed atrocities world-wide, will be unfit for civil society unless they undergo a lengthy rehabilitation process. I propose that Fort Huachuca be used for this purpose.

This rehabilitation, or 're-education', will by necessity have to be conducted in secure facilities; both for the protection of civilians, and for the safety of the troops themselves. Happily, one of the very bases where they were trained to be killers can easily be used to confine them until they are ready to become productive members of society. It is highly desirable that only those bases that are far removed from population centers be used. Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona would be doubly good; the barbaric behavior once taught there would be un-taught in the same settings, thus reinforcing the lessons.

Having shot, bombed, beaten and sexually abused civilians, contact with non-military personnel must be extremely limited for the first six months or so of their internment. Their progress toward rehabilitation must be carefully monitored by psychiatric workers, and only those who show demonstrable, increasing levels of responsibility toward society will be allowed limited contact with non-military personnel. Due to the extremely high incidence of spousal abuse/murder among the returnees, conjugal visits should be prohibited for the first year.

For the first few months, their re-education must be the simple rules of good manners:

You don't shoot people.

You don't bomb people.

You don't beat people.

It is never OK to sexually abuse people.

No means No.

Role-playing will be of some use in this re-education, but aversion therapy will also prove useful.

The returning soldiers should be issued civilian clothes with no ensignia of rank, and all their government issued clothing should be burned in a ritualistic public manner to stress a complete break with their dark and bloody past.

Staffing in the re-education centers must be by social workers, not prison guards; the social workers should also dress in ordinary street clothes with only a small name tag to differentiate them from the general populace. No matter their understandable revulsion at the enormity of the crimes committed by the returning soldiers; the staff should avoid calling them names like "war criminals", "baby killers" and "scum".

As their re-education progresses, the better behaved internees should be allowed short, heavily supervised visits to Sierra Vista. Here they should demonstrate their new behavior by (for example) purchasing a cup of coffee without pointing a rifle, and asking directions without sexually abusing anyone. As they become more suited to dealing with humans, the returnees may be allowed to visit Tucson and Phoenix, again heavily supervised. Until their re-education is complete, no detainee should be allowed entry to Bisbee.

Rehabilitation and re-education will be of little effect without a large element of redemption; the returning soldiers should be encouraged to knit and sew clothing for their victims world-wide; and to write letters of apology to the peoples they have oppressed, raped and murdered. Any returnee that does not show tangible atonement should not be punished in any way, but the returnee should also not be released until such atonement is demonstrated.

Of course, some of the returning soldiers will be so inured to committing violent acts that their rehabilitation will take years, or even decades! But we must never loose hope that even the most depraved G.I. can be turned from evil.

If you think he's a troll, see:

Sep-25 @ 3:49 PM

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

the creator gave us all our rights
not the army
national guard
air force
navy
border patrol

seems like some here are calling the founders of america liars

(Uh, dude, you forgot the United States Marine Corps.)

And…

Sep-25 @ 4:03 PM

fight for the "rights" of goldman sachs and royal dutch shell if you want; for the "rights" of
fannie mae
freddie mac
exxon
haliburton
aig...
but don't tell me or yourself you are fighting for
MY
rights
'cause you are not

Bigboomer2110 (Sep-25 @ 2:34 PM) responds:

First off I am an OIF veteran. I have carried flag draped coffins and have seen the horror that has never been on the news. I was able to "re-integrate" into society without raping, beating, bombimg or molesting anyone. Bostonblackie you sir or mam are the crux of the problem in this country. You believe you are entitled to your opinion simply because you live here. Well I am sorry to have to burst your bubble, your right to stand on a soapbox of freedom and expostulate your assinine rhetoric is granted to you by someone who has more courage and understanding of sacrifice than you will ever be able to grasp. It is fine to have your opinion of the war and of Bush, as well as whomever takes his place. If it is your wish to dissrespect the brave men and women who sacrifice to protect your freedoms please do so elsewhere, you and people who think like you don't deserve what you are guaranteed by your citizenship.