withoutsanctuary.org

[LEL1972]

I could not help but have visions of the photos from Abu Ghraib prison as I looked at this collection--Not as violent as the lynchings in America, but still deplorable treatment of human beings. Perhaps lynching is not as prevelent as it once was in but the hate that fuels the acts of lynching is still alive and well in America. I am amazed by the atrocities those in power can inflict on those they view as less than equal. Wishing eternal peace on the souls of those pictured and the many others that were not documented in photos.

[Lin2006]

I agree, there are significant echoes in these images that are deeply saddening. Abu Ghraib helps us to comprehend those past horrors in a contemporary setting, and it is sad to think such things continue to go on.

I feel sure it stems from a superior attitude/posture used to mask inherent insecurities, and a lack of proper education. One never has to look far to find such sneering hatefulness or foolishness, and it is imbecilic. The human race has a lot of growing up to do!

[leighgoodman]

As a student and teacher of African American Studies, and someone who has studied some of the atrocities depicted on this site (as well as others listed in various comments, such as the African slave trade, the genocide of the Native American, French-colonized Vietnam at the turn of the 19th century) it is clear to me just how inhuman the human race is capable of being.

It is not a pseudo-intellectual exercise to draw comparisons between these events and the activities at Abu Ghraib, and neither is it an idiotic position from which to begin learning about torture, lynching, capital punishment and the corruption of power (as some other people have thoughtlessly commentated).

What I find asinine is individuals who would close the door to such understanding, particularly as it is perhaps the easiest way to help people engage with the issues raised by 'Without Sanctuary'. I urge people to think for themselves and to not be lead in false directions by the belief that there is a 'true comprehension' to be made - the comprehensions are many, and these lynching cannot be understood from any one single perspective (indeed, it is almost moronic to suggest they can be).