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Musicians Organize to Oppose Music as Torture
First off, I believe misuse of music is a fundamental violation of nature and spiritually very wrong.
Neocon wackos used artists' work without authorization and in conflict with the artists' values during the last election. Now, as part of our foreign policy, US jailers, such as at Guantanamo and in Iraq and Afghanistan, have been using music as torture.
They have blared Nine Inch Nails, AC/DC, Queen, Pantera, Slim Shady, Dr. Dre and more - for days, weeks, months - the same thing over and over twenty hours a day - til some prisoners have become suicidal or screamed and banged their heads against the wall.
According to the article, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, then the U.S. military commander in Iraq, authorized it on Sept. 14, 2003, "to create fear, disorient ... and prolong capture shock."
Imagine those who are not used to such music culturally, or to loud music at all (the Taleban prohibited music.) Imagine the music being blasted full volume while you are shackled in an excruciating position with no blanket and only a jumpsuit and flipflops on and cold, blindfolded. According to the article at the link, the musical torture has stopped at Guantanamo but could be used in the future (assuming the damn place isn't closed soon.) An FBI memo includes an interrogator from Gitmo bragging that he can "break" a prisoner in four days by alternating 16 hours of music and lights with four hours of silence and darkness.
Not all of the music is hard rock. Christopher Cerf, who wrote music for "Sesame Street," said he was horrified to learn songs from the children's TV show were used in interrogations. "I wouldn't want my music to be a party to that," he told AP. .. or ..
Bob Singleton, whose song "I Love You" is beloved by legions of preschool Barney fans, wrote in a newspaper opinion column that any music can become unbearable if played loudly for long stretches. "It's absolutely ludicrous," he wrote in the Los Angeles Times. "A song that was designed to make little children feel safe and loved was somehow going to threaten the mental state of adults and drive them to the emotional breaking point?"
I agree with Morello, from Rage Against the Machine, who proposed leveling Guantanamo except for one small cell where Bush is blasted with hard rock. I'm glad I've never heard the music of Drowning Pool, who have performed in Iraq and recorded "Bodies," which they are proud has been used in torture.
A member says:
"People assume we should be offended that somebody in the military thinks our song is annoying enough that played over and over it can psychologically break someone down. I take it as an honor to think that perhaps our song could be used to quell another 9/11 attack or something like that."
Sick. This is one of the most mobilizing articles I have read in a long time, the type that feeds the anger to "rage against the machine."
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