They made listen to the I Love You song!! EAHH!!

[Guest RenegadeX28]

Heavy metal music and popular American children's songs are being used by US interrogators to break the will of their captives in Iraq.

 

Uncooperative prisoners are being exposed for prolonged periods to tracks by rock group Metallica and music from children's TV programmes Sesame Street and Barney in the hope of making them talk.

 

The US's Psychological Operations Company (Psy Ops) said the aim was to break a prisoner's resistance through sleep deprivation and playing music that was culturally offensive to them.

 

However, human rights organisation, Amnesty International, said such tactics may constitute torture - and coalition forces could be in breach of the Geneva Convention.

 

Sergeant Mark Hadsell, of Psy Ops, told Newsweek magazine: "These people haven't heard heavy metal.

 

"They can't take it. If you play it for 24 hours, your brain and body functions start to slide, your train of thought slows down and your will is broken. That's when we come in and talk to them."

 

Sgt Hadsell's favourites are said to be 'Bodies' from the XXX film soundtrack and Metallica's 'Enter Sandman'.

 

The theme tune from the US children's programme Sesame Street and songs from the purple singing dinosaur Barney are also on their hit list.

 

"In training, they forced me to listen to the Barney "I Love You" song for 45 minutes. I never want to go through that again," one US operative told the magazine.

 

'No lasting effect'

 

Rick Hoffman, vice president of the Psy Ops Veterans Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that such a tactic would have no long-lasting effect on prisoners.

 

"The use of this kind of audio-technique is rather new in interrogation," he said.

 

"There have been other kinds of non-lethal, non-harmful techniques, such as sleep deprivation... which leave no long-lasting effects but do have the end result of breaking down the individual's will to resist questioning."

 

Amnesty International told BBC News Online that at least one Iraqi captive - a civilian, later released - had reported being kept awake for up to four days by loud music.

 

"This is an issue that seriously concerns us. If there is a prolonged period of sleep deprivation, it could well be considered torture," said a spokeswoman.

 

"It is a very difficult line to draw between what constitutes discomfort and what constitutes torture - that line will vary for individuals and it would depend on each particular case," she added.

 

She said they were looking into whether the US and UK were abiding by their responsibilities under the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war.

 

The UK's Ministry of Defence has said all its prisoners are being held under the terms of the Geneva Convention and are visited by members of the International Red Cross.

 

Credit: BBC

 

 

Dear god! Prolonged listening of the I Love You song? Well, at least the song is being put into good use..

[Guest Lil Naitch]

LMFAO

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

Good thing they haven't used "St. Anger", or they might end up in the Hague.

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

Hey, is Metallica getting any royalties for this public exposition of their "art"? Someone better let Lars know about how these thieves are stealing from him.

[Guest DrTom]

Hey, is Metallica getting any royalties for this public exposition of their "art"?

I think it would be tremendous if they were using downloaded MP3s of Metallica's music.

[Guest MaxPower27]

Hey, is Metallica getting any royalties for this public exposition of their "art"?

I think it would be tremendous if they were using downloaded MP3s of Metallica's music.

Headline: "Lars sues the Army; Army kills Lars"

[Guest The Flying Dutchman]

Damn you, MaxPowers27 and your prophecy of doom. Okay, so maybe it's not quite *suing* ...

 

Drummer Disapproves Of Blasting Music At Prisoners

 

Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich is not happy about the U.S. military using their music to extract information from terrified Iraqi prisoners who have never been exposed to heavy metal, reports Jon Wiederhorn of mtv.com.

 

Speaking to the European press, Ulrich told the World Entertainment News Network that he strongly objects to the use of "Enter Sandman" as a device of coercion. "I feel horrible about this," he said. "No one in Iraq has ever done anything to hurt me, and I don't understand why we have to be implicated in that bullsh--."

 

Ulrich added that if the Army is intent on using loud music to break Saddam's supporters, they should find something really grating on the ears. "What about firing up some Venom or some of those Norwegian death metal bands?" he proposed. "The problem with that is then it wouldn't be a soundbite. Sometimes Metallica become the token heavy metal band that you can talk about."

 

Despite his unhappiness, Ulrich said there's nothing he can do about the current situation. "What am I supposed to do about it," he asked, "get George Bush on the phone and tell him to get his generals to play some Venom?"

 

According to Wiederhorn, the band's label had no comment.

 

Source: Wiederhorn, Jon "Ulrich Blasts Military For Blasting Metallica At Prisoners" mtv.com 11 June 2003

 

Wah, Lars. WAH.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

Ah-hah -- So Lars is a terrorist for not wanting the military to play his music. I wonder if Uncle Sam paid for those Sandman songs or if they were downloaded via P2P?...

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

Ulrich added that if the Army is intent on using loud music to break Saddam's supporters, they should find something really grating on the ears. "What about firing up some Venom or some of those Norwegian death metal bands?" he proposed. "The problem with that is then it wouldn't be a soundbite. Sometimes Metallica become the token heavy metal band that you can talk about."

 

Lars does have a bit of a point here. He's still a whiny little bitch though.

[Guest BDC]

Sometimes I wonder if Lars can find his own ass with two hands. Seriously, this guy has got to be the dumbest crybaby I've ever heard. Not biggest, dumbest.

 

But then, the creator of Napster wore a Metallica shirt at some awards show as a joke and Lars still got pissed.

[Guest DrTom]

Lars got pissed because Shawn Fanning said, "I borrowed this shirt from a friend." It was a direct crack at Lars' overreaction to Napster, and I thought it was a dashed good one.

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

Lars should have been the one playing cards with Cliff...and Lars should have won.

[Guest Ravenbomb]

Shawn Fanning said, "I borrowed this shirt from a friend."

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

so it's wrong for Lars to dissaprove of his music being used to torture POW'S?

 

I don't think it is.

[Guest DrTom]

Playing music is hardly torture, but sure, Lars can object to whatever he wants about music he wrote and recorded. And it doesn't change the fact that he's still a carrot-up-the-ass corporate bitch.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

The Military should object since it took them several hours to download real Metallica instead of accidently downloading John Denver tracks.

 

"I'M LEEEEAAAVVVVVVVVVING ON A JET PLANE!"

 

"I give up! I'll tell you where the Smallpox is!"

[Guest The Flying Dutchman]

Personally, I think Metallica is already torturing US as is with St. Anger. Might as well spread the disease.

[Guest Cancer Marney]

so it's wrong for Lars to dissaprove of his music being used to torture POW'S?

 

I don't think it is.

Am I the only one who actually found CWM's usual humourless anti-American griping even more comical than the original article?

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

I think Lars is just upset because if the band goes on tour in Iraq half the audience will probably run out in fear once Enter Sandman is played...

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

Considering that music other than most percussions is banned over there? Hearing "Master Of Puppets" for the first time would blow their fucking mind, so it'd be fairly easy to give in.

[Guest BDC]

Considering that music other than most percussions is banned over there? Hearing "Master Of Puppets" for the first time would blow their fucking mind, so it'd be fairly easy to give in.

That is a terrific visual.

 

"No, no! LULULULULULULU... eyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

 

Or something like that.