Lynndie England

Lynndie England

Former Army reservist Lynndie England had been scheduled to discuss her biography Friday as part of a veterans forum on Capitol Hill. The book by author Gary S. Winkler is called "Tortured: Lynndie England, Abu Ghraib and the Photographs That Shocked the World." In a notice to members, Angela Kinney, president of the Library of Congress Professional Association, says the event was canceled due to staff safety concerns.

David Moore, a Vietnam War veteran and German acquisitions specialist at the library who organized the event, says he had been receiving threats. Jonn Lilyea and I headed to the Library of Congress to hopefully see Lynndie England pimping her book about Abu Ghraib etc. We had every intention of voicing our disgust to her for showing her face in public and that the LOC would sponsor such an event. Well we showed up and lo and behold it was canceled.

The session with England had irked LOC employees and others who felt the former Army Reservist, whose name and face became synonymous with military abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, should not be given a public platform. David Moore, a Vietnam War veteran who runs the forum, has invited over 50 speakers to appear at the library. He defended her appearance in an interview earlier this week as a chance to hold an open and public discussion about her experiences.