As you may have see in the news, the Guantanamo “Camp Delta Standard Operating Procedures” manual was leaked in the news today. You can find a copy at Camp Delta Standard Operating Procedure - Wikileaks.

I wrote a letter to my congressman and the Bureau of Prisons asking a simple question.

Section 6 provides instructions on how the soldiers are supposed to handle the Koran:

• "Clean gloves will be put on in full view of the detainees prior to handling"
• "Two hands will be used at all times when handling the Koran in [a] manner signaling respect and reverence. Care should be used so that the right hand is the primary one used to manipulate any part of the Koran due to the cultural association with the left hand. Handle the Koran as if it were a fragile piece of delicate art."
• The soldiers are not even allowed to flip through it to look for contraband...they can only request that the detainee turn to a particular page.

Question: Are the same rules are applied to all Federal prisoners regarding the Holy Bible. If not, why not?

Because the religious concepts associated with the Bible are not the same as with the Koran.

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"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
Matthew 5:9

"Holy Biblers" aren't mass murdering Americans nor out to destroy America. If they were, it would be against the rules to speak ill of Christianity, the bible would be issued in schools, there would be rules about not targeting Christians, there would be Christian alters in Airports, etc etc.

We are SOOOOOOO afraid of irritating the mass murderer Islamofascists.

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I think tolerance is a cornerstone of Christianity. Jesus' teachings were to turn the other cheek and forgive when affronted or assaulted.

I think intolerance is a cornerstone of Islamic teachings.

Both religions have been distorted by extremists. The extreme ideals of the Islamic side, however, are much more dangerous for the world.

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Screw Change!! Let's have a Seamless Transition of Power and Policy.. John McSame in 2008!

You're quite right ... to a degree. However one needs to remember that the Islamofascists that you refer to are fundamentalists, which means that they adhere to EVERY word and teaching contained within the Koran. There are Christian fundamentalists also, and it is these people who go around murdering abortion clinic staff, etc ... granted, it's not where near the same scale, but don't for a moment think that these kinds of actions are solely contained within Islam.

Because we know everyone at Gitmo is a murdering Islamofascist right? I'm offended but for different reasons. Taking these silly fairy tales seriously only propagates them. But the guards are probably just trying to keep the peace and make their day go smoothly.

No, that's not the case at all. I never said everyone at Gitmo was guilty. In fact, very few of those at Gitmo, or who have been there have been found guilty. I wasn't specifically referring to those people, but more generally to those terrorists who identify as Muslim ... in much the same way as they are terrorists who identify as Christian.

This is all the neocons fault.

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Anyone ask Hillary what kind of underwear she wears, yet?

Lt. Gov Diane Denish on Bill Richardson "The governor, she said, "pinches my neck. He touches my hip, my thigh, sort of the side of my leg."

Much ado about nothing.

IIRC, the Torah requires similar handling.

Exactly. While we don't like people showing malicious disrespect for the Bible, such as burning it just because of what's written inside, there are no rules associated with the handling of it.

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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chardonnay in one hand, chocolate in the other, body
thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming 'WOO HOO, what a ride!'"

I think that burning any book* is a sin.



*with the exception of those written by Dan Brown.

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"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
Matthew 5:9

It's just respect for a different tradition's view of their holy text, I wouldn't even want the Bible to be handled that way. The Bible should not be the object of reverence (that would be border line Idolatry in my mind), God should.

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"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."
-John Calvin

Even as a semiatheist, I definitely agree with this point.

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"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
Matthew 5:9

Bibel is a story book (compilation of heavily edited old texts) which has been missused through its history - it has authorized slavery, killing, occupation, humiliation of other nations - those who believe in this god are better people who have been authorized by god to do whatevet they want.

Those people who are buried to Guantanamo are those who know too much about Bush conspiracies (all the 911 cover-up group is there) - plus a collection of other ones to hide that fact. Probably there are no criminals at all - there is no any evidence on that. The US prisons are equal to Hitler's concentration camps ... racist torturing camps to warn everybody who say a sigle word against Bush Hawks. Hitler and Goebbels designed the idea of such canps for Bush.

OK then.